December 2019 Newsletter

Another birthday

December, what a month!

First, I want to thank everyone who took the time to wish me a happy birthday. Really, 89 birthdays seem like a lot, but I am looking forward to my 90th birthday. Thank you all.

One of my birthday wishes was a love letter. I received this card, beautiful message and flowers from Johnny, my flower child for many years. Johnny always has given me flowers since he was old enough to walk to my garden and pick the best blooms. Johnny is now known as John, his choice because he is growing up. John is in Primary 6. He lives with Josephine, his foster mother and our day care employee. We meet his expenses, thanks to his support person. He brought the flowers to me with his heart in his eyes. What greater love could I wish for!

John

The flowers.

Our final university graduates for 2019

It was such a pleasure to attend the graduation of Divine Uwonkura. Divine graduated from the University of Kigali.

Divine’s university of choice. The celebration was very impressive.

Auditorium

The graduation was held at the Intare Conference Arena, Rusororo.

Divine was our first girl and the start of our Urukundo Family in 2006. We have watched her as she has matured into the young woman you see today. Divine finished her university classes in 2018. Her formal graduation ceremony took place on Dec. 6, 2019.

Recently, she has been manager of Urukundo University House in Kigali City as she prepares and hopes to go to an aviation school in Florida, USA.

Congratulations, Divine.

Special congratulations go to Urukundo Foundation’s Executive Director Jean Marie Ntwari on achieving his master’s degree in business administration on Dec. 13. He has worked hard to reach this goal. Who knows, maybe someday in the future is his doctorate?

Urukundo Foundation takes great pleasure in congratulating all of our university students for a year of success. Well done.

This has been an awesome year in education. To bring you current:
Early in Urukundo’s history and before our kids were ready for university, our priority was to help staff members achieve their goals. Those who benefitted from your generosity are:
Mary Claire Nishimwe (social worker in Kigali); Etienne Santore (Internet tech); Juliette Musabyemariya (human resources director, Urukundo Foundation);
Emmanuel Iyamarere (businessman); Jolly Kabihogo (owner and operator of a day care); Irene Dushimimana (headmaster, Urukundo Learning Center); Oliver Kansiime (head of dental clinic, Urukundo Village);and Jean Marie Ntwira (executive director, Urukundo Foundation).
Our first family of Urukundo kids has reached university age. I list for you our graduates: Amin Niyonkuru, Seraphine Izabayo, Solange Nirere, Tresor Cyubahiro,
Divine Uwonkura, Alexander Prince and Lillian Wishavura. We have currently 13 attending university and graduating in the next three years.

We have an education fund that provides funding so our unsponsored kids and community children can attend preschool and primary by keeping tuition affordable. The fund also helps provide for secondary students (high school) and university students who are not sponsored.

I thank all of the sponsors and those who contribute to the education fund for making it possible for our students to achieve the higher education that is so essential to a better life and reaching their goals.

I thank all who care, share and help make a difference. Hope Made Real.

Community Christmas at Urukundo Village

What a day at Urukundo Village on Dec. 23! Thanks to a generous donor gift from One Hill at a Time Inc. and its director Helen Kweskin, our annual Christmas Community Day for kids was a day to celebrate. Thank you for your love and generosity.

Wrappers and helpers: Soso, Lucky, Chantel, Olive and Libby. Awesome job, team. So many gifts for the community kids!

Hope House was full to capacity. The new large classroom is such a blessing. We now have the capacity to handle the multitude of children.

Hope House and the new classroom are close to each other, making it easy to direct children to the new building out of the wet weather. Treats were served in both buildings.

Overflow then moved from new classroom to Hope House after first group received treats, gifts and departed.

Over 700 children showed up to enjoy a treat of a juice drink, sumbosa and each a wrapped gift. It was awesome.

There were still more gifts. These were gifts from the Urukundo Foundation to all staff children under 12 years old. A small monetary gift is given to the staff member. Soso, John and Claude helped out with transporting gifts to Mama’s living room.

Worship

Pastor Yves arranged for the sacrament of baptism. Seven souls responded. The baptisms took place Dec. 24.

At the Christmas morning service, the seven dedicated Christians were welcomed by the congregation. We praise God and give thanks.

Original Urukundo Choir. They can still sing together and make beautiful music.

The star and shepherds. Not sure who the extras are to represent. Hey, we are amateurs. We just do our best.

Nativity scene with Urukundo kids. Joseph, Mary and the shepherds singing carols. It was lovely.

The creche -- a gift many years ago from Pastor Sharon Landis -- remains a constant each Christmas.

A Family Christmas

Urukundo was a happy place on Christmas Day. Fourteen of our university kids made it home for Christmas Day. Nine of our younger set also were present.

Kavine, David, John, Deborah, Sarah and Esperance

Aline, Claude, Abais and Lucky

Bosco and Olivier

Lucy and Cecelia

Lilliane, Giselle and Dada

Soso and Alexander

Divine, Tresor, Soso and Prince

We are so blessed. A great way to end our year 2019!

In closing out the year, I am so grateful to all who have made possible changes that make a difference. I leave you with this thought for the New Year:
Count your blessings.
Count them one by one.
Count your many blessings.
See what God has done.

Graduation at last

While we wait for the National Exam results, we have our own graduation celebration. All children from preschool to Primary 6 and the Sewing Center students invite their parents and friends to come and see what they have learned in the past year.

The day starts very early at the school. Kids and parents gathered with the graduates at the school for the walk to the main road and up the street to the Urukundo main gate and then to the site set up for the graduation.

The march from the school to the site of graduation is a spectacular parade.

Blue and gold are the colors of the kindergarten graduates.

Awesome sight. What a parade! The graduates sing as they march to Mama’s gate. They enter and proceed to the soccer field where many tents are erected to protect guests from the sun and possible rain. This is the rainy season, you know.

We were blessed with a no rain day.

Primary 6 in caps and gowns. Each group has different colors. Black and green is Primary 6.

It is about one city block on the main road from the road to the school to Mama’s gate. Neighbors come out to watch and cheer the graduates on.

Sewing Center students bring up the rear. We are so proud of these young adults and their accomplishments. White and blue really stand out. One of the school projects is to make their own caps and gowns. They did a good job.

Entering mama’s gate. Teachers walk with the kids.

Greeting Mama and Pastor Yves. What joy! Until last year, I walked with the children and loved it. It is hard for me to not join the march, but age has a way of slowing us down. So I wait at my home gate and greet the students as they enter. I am honored to have Pastor Yves there with me, also greeting the kids.

Older grads wait while kindergarten kids are seated. It is quite a process. My home is in the background.

I do walk from my home to the celebration and make a grand entrance.

Left to right: guests of honor were Fortune Mukagatana, Muhanga vice mayor of social affairs; Florence Marie Uwanyirigira, Rwanda Parliament deputy; myself; my assistant, Olive Nyiracumi; Clare Effiong, leader of Esther’s Aid Culinary Arts School; Jean Marie Ntwari, executive director of the Urukundo Foundation, and Angelique Westmark, a volunteer from Germany.

What an interesting group! We were honored.

The Primary 6 graduates of last year were special guests.

Our university students came to support the younger students and to share in the program.

It was such a thrill for me to see so many of our university students arriving. They seldom are home together, so it was special for them also.

What a group!

This year at graduation we featured the development of the music program, starting with the All School Chorus.

The All School Chorus led us in the national anthem

Music is appreciated in our school. Being able to introduce music to our students is such a blessing.

This young girl learned to play the keyboard. This is an accomplishment worth doing.

African drums and guitar add to the music program and are so special. Drums are a part of the culture.

These drums were rented for the occasion. Some day we will purchase our own. They can be purchased here in Rwanda. We encourage both types of drums as great musical instruments.

Our orchestra is made up of flutes and violins. Wonderful music was presented by our own students. Parents were impressed. More instruments are needed.

Last but not least in the music program, our children respect their heritage and learn cultural singing and dancing.

We are very proud of our progress in developing the music program.

Developing an art program is next on the agenda.

This group is amazing.

Precision marchers from Primary 4 and Primary 5

In sync

Certificates were presented to kindergarten graduates. Each was signed by Mama and Headmaster.

Primary 6 students receive certificates after National exams. The Sewing Center certificates also are given at a later time.

The Tom Nunnally award for an outstanding student in the Sewing Center went to 22-year-old Germaine Iradukunda. This award is given each year by the Forest Hills Rotary Club in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, in honor of deceased Rotarian Tom Nunnally.

Presenting the award is head of the sewing center, Theresa Mukabanana, and Florence from Rwanda Parliament.

It is difficult to get a really good group picture of all the graduates, but we tried.

University graduations

We enjoyed two university graduations in November.

Our daughter, Lilliane Wishavura, finished her courses in business at Akilah Institute for Women in Kigali. Our son, Alexander Prince, graduated in computer science from Adventist University of Central Africa, Masoro campus, in Kigali.

Lilliane’s graduation ceremony was held at the Kigali Convention Centre. It is an amazing place and perfect for this celebration. The auditorium is spacious. The graduation was impressive very well organized.

The grounds outside are beautiful even on a rainy day.

The center was able to contain a huge crowd. Room for all.

Attending her graduation were her mother and her Urukundo sister Divine.

Also there was Jean Marie Ntwari, executive director of the Urukundo Foundation. Oh yes, I was there too.

Later in the afternoon at lunch, it was my pleasure to meet Alan and Joan Graustein from New Hampshire, USA. They are with the Rwanda Children Education Foundation. This organization’s motto is “Helping Children Succeed.” Its Rwandan executive director, Jeanine Mukarubega, also shared in the conversation. It was interesting meeting people with like minds.

Alexander’s graduation from Adventist University of Central Africa also was impressive.

The auditorium was huge. The students were many. Friends and family filled the space to capacity. It was impressive even though I could see nothing and understand even less. We were there to honor Alexander and did manage to get a few photos.

Alexander’s aunt accompanied us from Muhanga to the graduation.

Later you will read in my book as I tell about Alexander and his very clever grandmother. Thanks to her, Alexander came to Urukundo 11 years ago. I am sorry his grandmother did not live to see her boy succeed in getting to university and graduating with his bachelor’s in computer science.

Community Celebration

Hope House was bulging at the seams. I did not believe so many could fit inside.

It was a glorious day when neighbors from Binunga Village brought their products and crafts to show their neighbors what is available in our own neighborhood.

This young boy built his own radio. A real crowd pleaser. Beginning technology.

Urukundo was represented by our Sewing Center.

The colorful mats on the table show how scraps of material can be used to make a product.

A closer look at the mats

Library expanded

Expansion at the library is complete. We thank our donors, especially the Keating family for making this possible. The building expansion was from the Keatings. The table and chairs were from the Keatings and the African International Club (AIC). Books and activities for the kids were from various donors. Thanks much to everyone.

The photos show the improvements.

New tables and chairs in adult study area

Beautiful ceiling. Complete with lighting from ceiling and fresh air.

There is room for 30 or more students. This is a great study area for older P6 kids preparing for National Exams.

Reading room

Build it. Creative activity room.

Builders in creative activity room

On the walls, we used cultural art.

Dung art

Dung art is native to the area. It is made of cow dung and ash and painted with natural pigments. This tradition dates to the 18th century.

Baskets and pictures of dancers are traditional art.

Imagine such animals in your backyard! Awesome.

Animals and birds of Rwanda. These can be seen in Akagera National Park in their own environment.

Our library is much improved.

Upcoming graduation

Graduation is on the horizon.

We are ready. Preparations are in place. The Sewing Center makes the caps and gowns for graduation.

The colors of the gowns show the level of the students.

White and blue: Sewing Center

Solid blue: Kindergarten

Black: Primary 6

The caps on chairs have tassels, different for each level.

White: Sewing Center

Yellow: Kindergarten

Green: Primary 6

Special event

The baptism of Lani Aleen was a special event. Lani is the daughter of Urukundo Executive Director Jean Marie Ntware.

Lani is my adopted granddaughter. Take notice that she looks like me. Ha ha.

Two grandmothers

Mama can still dance. It’s not the jitterbug, but it is still fun.

Joy at Rwanda wedding

I receive many wedding invitations, but because of distance, very rugged terrain and the time away from home, I attend very few. A monetary gift is always given after receiving the invitation.

Rwanda weddings have three ceremonies: the civil ceremony, the dowry giving and then the church wedding.

This dowry giving is the fun part. Oswald, who is my driver and board member, went with me as the interpreter. He is such a blessing to me.

The bride is the adopted daughter of my contractor Felix. She was orphaned as a child during the Genocide.

Felix in blue shirt

The dresses are eye-catching, The bride is lovely. She was presented by her brothers and papa Felix.

Bride and groom after both families have accepted this union.

Bride’s attendants with gifts for the groom’s family.

Groom’s female attendants with gifts for the bride's family.

A band and singers were present. They played and sang African music. The gentleman, who is holding the guitar and lead singer, is blind. It is his band, and he has a great voice. I was impressed.

Best of all for me, storks kept watch over the ceremony.

I watched the storks.

They are beautiful birds in flight.

Not so beautiful up close and personal.

I am assuming the tall guy is the male. Don’t know a lot about storks, but in the USA, tradition says these birds bring babies. Not in any stretch of the imagination.

It was awesome for me to meet again, at the wedding, after many years, Imbaraga, his wife and children. His wedding was one of the first I attended many years ago. Now his children are students at Urukundo Learning Center.