The necessary clearing and leveling for the hoped-for auditorium are complete. Hope House will be used as a base for the auditorium.
A retaining wall was next in the process.The most important reason for the wall is it stops the heavy rains from washing away the ground on the soft bank. Otherwise, that’s what happens when you level land for a building or play area and do not sustain it.
Before the wall was constructed, I sat in worship on a Sunday morning and saw three of our cows come to the top of this loose bank looking at the grass below. The mama cows wanted the grass. It looked so good. With little thought other than hunger, they decided to jump. All three jumped, pulling the loose, freshly dug bank down with their bodies. I feared for the cows and for the work that had been undone. That part of the bank would have to be repaired. We were lucky the ground was still soft and could give. As I watched, I knew the cows could break a leg when the ground became solid. We could not risk such a thing as cows are important in Rwanda and their products are important to Urukundo. Dead cows do not give milk.
Thanks to a gift of funds, the wall is protecting the land from mudslides and problems due to heavy rains. This also created another problem. Cows and kids could still jump or fall over the wall as it is cut into the mountain and is terraced at ground level.
Solution: You got it. Sturdy mesh wire reaching from the ground to the top of the frame protects the kids and cows. It also keeps the soccer balls from rolling down over the wall. Much safer for children at play.
Love knowing our Urukundo Learning Center kids are safe at play.