Something New at the School

We are big enough that now we need a Head Teacher! One day we will need a Principal but not yet.

It is our blessing to promote that teacher from inside our staff.  The headteacher oversees all programs at the school and attends all District and Sector meetings involving education.

My great pleasure is seeing the children from the community along with our kids returning to school for the second term of the 2014 school year.

New Headteacher Rene welcoming the students.

The first day of school the kids from Urukundo Home were so excited they went to school early and so I missed the pictures. The second morning they waited for me and I am sharing the pictures with you.

 

Our children from the community come to school on different types of vehicles plus on foot. Here are two of them.

Greetings from Urukundo for February 2014

February was full of exciting events at Urukundo Home & Learning Center.

On February 1st an event that seemed impossible took place. Imagine being able to be fitted for a custom garment, and then have a photo op in the finished gift - for all 23 children at Urukundo!

The kids were thrilled and had a great time when Janet  and Angela Murray, seamstresses from Canada came to visit. They bought material at the market and worked with the staff at the sewing Center to complete their project.

A dress for each girl and shorts for each boy. The kids saw the process from start to finish.

The day started sunny and bright. Janet and Angela worked to finish their project as today was their last day to be with the kids.

They were due to leave at 3 PM. Most important they wanted photos. The morning was perfect for photo taking. This is Rwanda!

About 1:30 the sun left and the rain came. This was not on our schedule! Photos would have to be taken on the front porch. The lawn would have been so great and the rain would not last long but their timetable was set.  Mama's front room became a room of activity as last minute adjustments took place and play clothes were chucked and finishing touches and modeling of handiwork took place. Such fun for Janet, Angela, the mamas, myself and the kids.

Boys model shorts!

while the girls modeled sun dresses. (with boys in the back ground being boys).  In the photo: 

Janet, Angela, myself & four of our wonderful mamas : Chantel, Delphine, Betty, Francois & the kids.

Urukundo Learning Center

In February the director and visitors from THE KIGALI SCHOOL OF MUSIC visited our new Music Room at Urukundo Primary School.

The purpose was to see how they might work with Urukundo. We hoped for a program that would benefit both the Music School and Urukundo Learning Center.

Their director was impressed with our music facility. He is very interested in working with us and will set up a program. In the long term, he is considering having his students do an apprenticeship at Urukundo. This would help his school and benefit us. We would supply food and shelter in exchange for a teacher with training preparing for graduation.

This may be a way for us to get qualified teachers in the future.

We could use some financial support to be able to offer this program to his students and to ours.

If you agree with me that Music and Art are universal/ international and should be a part of every program for education you can help make it happen at Urukundo Learning Center. If you want to be a part of giving this gift to the children in Rwanda come on board with a gift to make this program work.

In the short term, a teacher will come once a week to spend the day in our teaching program. We would furnish transport and a meal.

The team comprised of 3 women from Finland and 2 men from Rwanda. The group consisted of a piano teacher, a singing instructor, an opera singer, a recorder player, a guitarist and the Director of the school.

A guitarist who also teaches children how to play and have fun with a recorder, the director of the school and a representative of Crescendo, an international organization. www.cresendo.org

The kids had a great time. Each had an instrument, played and sang along.

Before they left they gave the little ones in our home 3 harmonicas.

The kids loved the noise they made. It was music to their ears but noise to mine!

Kabosi doesn’t quite get it. Wrong end in mouth. We made the correction but I love this picture.

It was a wonderful few hours. We hated to see them go.

Happy New Year!

I know that is the appropriate greeting for a New Year!  We are stepping into 2014 with courage and conviction.

January started with a New Year's celebration. I must admit I stopped in for just a few minutes. I was quite sure 2014 would come in without my help. There was sumbosa and Fanta and the older kids invited friends to come to Hope House for food, Music, very loud music and dancing. The friends then spent the night and had breakfast in the morning before heading home. It was something special for the kids.

Getting ready for the party

Walk with me through happenings in 2013

2013 was an awesome year for Urukundo Home and Learning Center. Briefly here are a few highlights of our  accomplishments in 2013 and our goals for 2014.

Getting Ready for the Party.

#1

3 new children come to our family in 2013.

Jacob arrived as a day-old baby boy.

This is Jacob today. He is one year old, and is walking. He has just had his birthday and is a beautiful boy.

Kaboss was a 3 year old in need of a home and love.

Kaboss now. He attends Preschool and loves it.

Jenett arrived as a one-day-old baby girl.

Jenett - now a 3 month old! Smiling, responding to voices and making baby sounds. She is a love.

We have and are supporting with the help of our sponsors in Urukundo Home for Children:

25 Secondary Students

9 Primary

5 Preschool

6 Kindergarden

5 in Nursery under 3 years.

#2. Urukundo Employees

39 full time workers from the community (this includes guards, mamas, farm help, teachers and 5 part-time for agriculture (planting and harvesting).

#3. Urukundo Learning Center

2 classrooms for Primary 2 and a music room completed and in operation.

Furniture built and delivered.

Music & Arts & Crafts classroom.

We invite teachers with a love of art and music to come and volunteer at Urukundo and lend their talents to our teachers and begin the development of a program for our students. If you love a challenge this will be right up your alley! Come to Urukundo enjoy the children, and become a valued member of our learning team at the ULC. 

Classroom #1

Classroom #2

Urukundo Foundation Education Fund

We have successfully sent 329 students through Primary School. This was a 6 year project started in 2007. This gift was to provide uniforms, shoes, exercise books, pens, jackets and school fees. It included children from neighboring communities. My thanks to all who made this project a success. This funding of $15 per student per year took place at the end of each year.

It is my hope you will continue this gift giving as support for students in our community who need assistance attending school. Education is essential! We are caring for the needs of 35 students in the public school and 45 children from poor circumstances who attend our school and pay no tuition and are helped by this fund. We also have 197 children who pay partial tuition. Your help is needed to allow us to continue this support for education and for our school to grow.

At present we have 3 Preschool classes with 88 students who attend in the mornings.

3 Kindergarten classes with 69 students who attend in the afternoons.

2 Primary one class rooms educating 60 students.

Library

2 Primary 2 classrooms with 58 students.

A Music and Arts Department.

This number will increase each year as new student enrollment numbers increase.

The number of children we can educate is unlimited but we need to add classrooms! Our need is great.

Greetings from Mama Arlene and the Urukundo Kids for December 2013

December has been a month of memories. I am not sure how Facebook works but it does work. My birthday was filled with many surprises as I heard from so many wonderful people in my life and in the life of Urukundo and its special kids.

The birthday gifts for me that were sent to Hope Made Real were the perfect gift. Thank you. How to choose what to put in this newsletter is going to be difficult.

Kevin my first son in Rwanda ( 2006) adopted me and I adopted him. It was a mutual love relationship that has not changed with time.Solange, my precious girl, is now living in Texas and going to University. She is such a blessing and I am so proud of her. I miss them both at Urukundo but I know children grow up and move on. Having them wish me a HAPPY BIRTHDAY was a bonus in counting my blessings.

A trip on a bus to Kigali. How exciting.  It was all the kids talked about a week before the trip.  Most of our kids had not been out of our home village and Kigali proved to be as exciting as they thought. So many cars, and people and big buildings and police and soldiers and big buses. Little eyes could not take it all in.

The bus trip was only the beginning of this Christmas event.

The Green Hills Nursery had decided to honor Urukundo Home and Learning Center by making our kids "SECRET FRIENDS"  for their kids. Staff, parents and children participated to make our Christmas. The children at GHA were as excited as our kids to finally meet their secret friends. They shared play time and exchanged gifts and had lunch together.

It was a wonderful day.  Green Hills Academy furnished transportation for this trip. We thank them for the love. 

At devotions that evening our kids thanked God for their new friends at Green Hills Academy and for the many gifts given to them by other children

We were welcomed by Shamira the Principal.

The playground for tots was wonderful.

The Day Care Preschool team.

In the afternoon the Secondary (high school) students presented Urukundo with a check to support our school and home as well as many gifts of clothes, shoes and other necessities.

All the gifts under the tree were for Urukundo.

The whole team from the High School came to see us off.  Lucie, Anitha and I got in the picture.

A very tired but happy bunch of kids are ready to board the bus for the trip home.

Gifts

Each child received a gift. A Christmas tree ornament in the form of the BIRD OF PEACE was presented to our guests.  

On each bird was printed URUKUNDO XMAS 2013.

 

We became so involved in giving we forgot to take pictures of gifts under the tree. These bags were special. Each of our children received a bag with gifts just for them.  We prepared them before the great day arrived as is the custom for Christmas gifts if you are the mum.

This folding reading room was unique as gifts go.

Celebrating our Staff

The second day was a gathering for the staff and their children to let them know how much we appreciate their devotion in cooking, cleaning, teaching, guarding, farming and caring for our children. They also played games had juice and cookies and the children received gifts and the staff a small money gift. This was funded by donations from those who support Urukundo year around.

Hot Potato. When you lose you sit in the middle. It was great fun.

The two finalists. The guy in the red shirt received the prize!

Children of staff in center with our kids.

Christmas Day was for our family and invited guests. We thank Margie and Bruce and their family for providing funds to buy 3 turkey for our meal and for the gifts they brought for the kids. Ice Cream was a special gift from them. The kids had mixed feelings about the ice cream because it was too cold.

Christmas was wonderful but simple and we do thank all who made it possible.

Guests from Denmark. They later sang us a beautiful Christmas carol from their native land.

Maureen and Kyle were part of the celebration.   

Joining us were Erica and Thomas from Sweden.

Bruce, Margie and son in law  Adam. Claudine in back ground.

 

Michelle gets a new baby girl, Iris is not so sure she likes that.

Mama & baby girl weary and ready for rest. Brother Isaac looking on.

THE SENIOR KIDS CHOIR sing Joy to the World & other Christmas songs.

Announcement

I am so proud to tell you I have two new great-grandbabies born in October: Mason Heusle Brown, grandson of Gerald Brown, my youngest son and Hannah Arlene Albawab, grand daughter of Barbara Brown Downs, my middle daughter. The grandparents are delighted. Congratulations to parents Tim & Krista Brown and Laura & Shaddi Albawab. If my count is correct I now have 18 Great-Grands. How very great is that?  I am so blessed.  

Great Gram Arlene

Kindergarten Graduation

Thirty-seven 6 year olds finished Kindergarten Saturday October 26.

TRYING ON CAPS AND GOWNS

Gathering for the march to Hope House for the ceremony.

The March.

I joined the March 

Family & friends attend the ceremony.

Next year Hope House will be too small for the ceremony as our children increase and more  parents coming to honor their kids.

Students in our school.

Receiving Diploma.