Sunday School children, book clubs, alternative Christmas, preschool global giving projects. What do they have in common? Marc, 11yrs old, says it best, "I got to help make joy for the people of Rwanda. We gave money for a pig and desks. It was really cool."
The end of 2012 brought many joys and examples of giving that I knew God was smiling and blessing all the hands and feet serving. One little boy gave at Sunday School to purchase a pig for the farm and said it was “Special. Heart soaking.” Barb said with a smile, “For the past several years, I've given a donation as an alternative to purchasing a Christmas gift for my parents. This year I chose to honor them by giving a gift of desks and chairs to the new primary school. My parents were so touched! They have always valued education, and this seemed like the perfect way to show our love for and support of the children of Rwanda.”
Two women’s book clubs were inspired to give towards desks, bookshelves and books. Gail shared, “Learning and loving to read is one of the most wonderful gifts given to us all. It opens the world around us. We chose having bookshelves for your classroom to enable you to fill the world around you with books, books and more books!” And Darlene’s book club said, “All children deserve the chance to receive an education. It is the building block for a nation.”
A partnership was formed a year ago with a preschool. Classes at each school in Rwanda and the US are learning what is the same and what is different. They are learning about each other’s countries and to appreciate their culture. This school selected Urukundo as their Global Giving Project for 2012. Almost $400 was raised for desks, bookshelves and teacher materials.
So for 2013, be creative, think BIG and connect people, schools, organizations to the Urukundo Children’s Home and Learning Center. They will fall in love with the children, understand how something small can mean something big in Rwanda and KNOW they are truly making a difference. Share the stories of Urukundo with others to give them the opportunity to Help Make Joy all year long!!!
