Halfway through another year. Time goes by so fast when you are busy doing what you love to do. Urukundo continues to expand. Reaching out to more children and adults in the community through education is our top priority.
Urukundo Learning Center and The Sewing Center (a Tom Nunnally project) continues to reach young people with a career opportunity.
The Dental outreach (an extension of the Drew Cahoon project) is a progressive endeavor. Serving the public and teaching Chair side Dental Assistants as a profession.
Education is not our only outreach.
The Mama & Baby outreach is growing as more of the very poor are acquainted with this vital help for new mamas and their infants.
Sharing clothing our children have out grown with those in refugee camps is also an important outreach for our children.
Sharing with Our Donor Support Group
Tell It Like It Is.
Urukundo Foundation/Hope Made Real has a five (5) year plan. Expanding the school, offering education to more children in the community is a major part of that plan.
FIVE-YEAR PLAN INCLUDES: 2016-2021
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Build more class rooms for Primary school |
3 each year for 4 years |
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$40,892.00 |
Thanks to our donors, we completed the goal for the first year: 2016. Three class rooms completed and in use 2016.
Building on Faith. GOD IN CHARGE.
The work began for the second year, 2017. Digging and laying the foundation is in progress.
Our contractor, Felix is a good man and trusts Urukundo Foundations word. So far our credit is good. Hope to keep it that way.
The metal fence in front of the building project is to protect the children from the work area since work is being done when school is in session. These three classrooms need to be completed and ready for use by December 2017.
Help us make this project another “Hope Made Real" please!
10 work days later
Child of the Month
Sarah's Story
Sarah’s story is a true example of GOD IN CHARGE.
A Rwandese man on his way to work was late and so decided to take a short cut across a field to get there closer to the time he was expected. On his travels he would pass a half demolished mud brick house. It had no roof and some of the walls were destroyed by the weather. As he hurried past the not quite house he heard a sound he did not recognize. Thinking it was a hurt animal he stopped and went closer to the structure. Looking in he saw on the mud floor a tiny naked baby girl. The little one was no more than a day old as her umbilical cord was still fresh. He put aside his need to get to work took off his shirt and picking up the baby wrapped her in the shirt and hurried with her to the district office. Thank God he did. The district Vice Mayor then brought her to Urukundo.
When we received her it was apparent; Sarah was a very sick baby. We recognized the symptoms and administered a heavy dosage of penicillin. The magic cure. It is possible the mother had no money to care for a sick child. It must have been very hard for her to leave her baby girl.
After the penicillin treatment, Sarah was fine and is now a very beautiful, healthy, happy little girl.
Sarah is in Primary 3. She does well in school.
She loves to sing and dance. She helps care for the younger kids, holding their hands as the come for vitamins and walking to school.
Sarah is learning to play the violin. Her sponsor Keena (a violinist) gave her a gift of her first and second violin. Sarah & escorts. Two beautiful violins.
Sarah has not decided what she will be when she is grown. That’s ok she has plenty of time.
More about David.
David came to Urukundo as a three-week-old baby boy on July 11, 2008. The mama’s were thrilled. David was precocious from the very start. He was our reason for starting our preschool Indirectly but yes he was the reason we started Urukundo Learning Center. With help from his sponsor Meredith we enrolled David in a local preschool. David was too advanced to be staying in our nursery. David finally refused to go to that preschool because the other kids according to David “were crying babies.” He wanted to learn and that was not happening. Observation led us to discover it was simply a glorified babysitting program. There was no teaching. We needed to get David out of there and start a teaching program of our own.
David excelled in everything and still does. He is usually first in his class. He loves studying the planets and is excited by underwater exploration. His favorite study in nature is the California Redwood Sequoia tree. He loves complicated Lego projects.
His present challenge is learning to play the guitar. He strums and sings. A bit nerve racking but a mom tolerates what makes her child happy and David is happy with his new found talent. He is improving and one day will be the expert guitar player.
We are so grateful for the child size guitars sent to us from the caring music people in the USA.
Next months child, Luki Medland
Meet Edison and brother Jerry.
The boys are actually brothers. The youngest was named by me as a namesake for my son, Jerry in the USA.
The boys are sons of our Personal Manager, Juliette.
Juliette was our first mama in 2006 coming to Urukundo home for Children before we were official. Juliette showed great potential and a desire to atain higher education. It was our privilege to send her to The School of Finance and Banking. Preparing her for employment at Urukundo Foundation as Financial Secretary and Auditor. Now several years later and a promotion Julliette works as Personal Manager for Urukundo Foundation.
After graduation from University Juliette married her love and came to work at Urukundo. She is the proud mama of those two handsome boys.
Visitors for June
Kyle Jerro is home at Urukundo for the fifth (5) year in a row. Kyle hails from several places in the US. Nevada, Texas & New Jersey. He has accomplished his Ph.D in the years he has been coming to Urukundo.
His next move is to Essex, UK and a career in teaching. We are so proud of him. He is family and he and his family are sponsors, loving our kids. Thank you Kyle and the Jerro family.
Visitor from Indigo Non-profit
Benjiman Western is from the UK. He is one of the founders of INDIGO a non-profit for volunteers. He and his co-founder Holly came to Urukundo 3 years ago and now he is here to know the kids and programs better. In October 2017 he is bringing a team of 22 volunteers to Urukundo. This is an international team from many countries. Australia, USA, China to name a few.
Benjiman was quickly adopted into the Urukundo Family because he loves to sing and dance and plays the guitar, He teaches guitar starting with David and Luki and loves kids.
We hated to see him go. His visit was too short. FOR SURE.
Check out their website. This might be just what you are looking for.
Benjiman and Urukundo Kids exercising
A very welcome visitor
Alicia Warren Johnson is a graduate of North Texas University. She is a Primary 5 Science teacher at George Truett Elementary School in Dallas, Texas. Our students hope to connect with her students as we both explore Science. We are excited to compare the science taught in the US classroom to the science being taught at Urukundo Learning Center.
Alicia playing foote ball with the kids in mama’s front yard.
Congratulations!!
Join us in congratulating our Urukundo daughter, Lilliane Wishavura on her graduation from King’s Academy High School (secondary school) in Mohrsville, PA. She has been living in Schuylkill Haven, PA while in the US.
Lilliane has been in the USA for the past two years. We are so happy to welcome her home. Congratulations Lilliane.
We thank her sponsors The Stock Family & the Maroncelli Family for making this actually a “Hope Made Real” for Lilliane. You all did a fine job for our girl. Bravo!!
She will enroll in Akilah Institute for Woman starting classes in July if we can ever get through all the paper work.
Challenges are never ending. Up-date as we proceed.
Sponsors alert.
Sponsoring is not all about money (although that does help and is important) sponsoring is more about love and caring.
You can connect with your child.
The kids love to get email letters and snail mail. Mama prints the email and the kids have them to share. A short note is appreciated.
The poste is doing a better job and cards and letters do come Postal service.
Claude loves getting cards and small books from his sponsors, Donna & Roy.
Claudine is delighted. She received an email from her friend Laura and she was able to read it without any help. The progress this little girl is making is super.
Progressing from a blind 3 year old to a seeing and reading 11 year old is indeed a tribute to her determination.
Mama makes a copy of emails addressed to the children and gives it to them. They will reply. Make a child happy. Write.
Bus Update
Bus is still in the used bus lot. One day it will be ours. Can’t give up. No, No, NO.
Challenges never cease
We have known for a long time wood for cooking was becoming scarce and the price for a load of wood kept going up.
Finally we need to make a change. We are investigating the possibility of going totally gas. Our bio- gas is a big help but we are not producing enough. Monday June 26 a representative of the propane gas company in Rwanda is coming to investigate our need and to give us an estimate of cost.
The tank is free. We pay installation and purchase the cooker (stove) After that we only pay for the gas. Much like in the USA I think. I am hoping it proves to be cost efficient.
We are also looking at ways to increase the output of bio-gas.
In closing, I leave you with this thought:
The vulnerable children of Rwanda and the world.
Opportunity is what they need. Your love. Their lives, Our world, You can make a difference.
Your most appreciated gift can be sent to the address below or use the Donate button at the upper right- hand corner of the screen:
Hope Made Real
PO Box 3222
Williamsport, PA 17701
Much love,
Mama Arlene
Director
Urukundo Foundation/Hope Made Real