Thanksgiving Greetings

The time goes so fast. I think it has something to do with age. There are never enough days in the week and yet some days are too long.

Urukundo moves along at an amazing rate.  Soon it will be 2015.

Time to think about the month just passed. We do not celebrate Thanksgiving here at Urukundo but we have so much to be thankful for. I do hope all of you who celebrate the day had a great day - enjoyed Macy's Christmas Parade, family, lots of good food and football.

The people I am most thankful for and in a list of their own include:

The members of my family in the USA who continue to love me and support my ministry in Rwanda.

The list here at Urukundo Village begins and there is no end.

1. Sponsors are at the top of the list.

I am so thankful for the faithful sponsors who make this ministry possible. We depend on our sponsors in order for us to care for our children.

2. Our children are in good health.

In a big way this is due to the vitamins they receive every day - thanks to gifts from our generous donors.

3. The rains have been good and our vegetable gardens are producing. Celery has been added to my garden this season. I am delighted that it grows. I’m not quite sure how the stalks develop but I will learn.

4. National exams are over.  Senior 3 and senior 6 students are waiting for grades.

5. Tresor has finished his testing for the Mastercard Scholarship.  Now it is a matter of time until we learn the results.    

6. Benita has a sponsor.

This is just a little of what I have to be thankful for at Urukundo.

Greetings from Urukundo Village for October 2014

Here it is - November! It's time for the happenings in October to go into an newsy letter to all the friends and family of Urukundo Home for Children and Urukundo Learning Center.

NEWSWORTHY EVENT

If you want to read about a beautiful event to honor and care for Urukundo Home and Learning Center take a few minutes to visit this blog. 

cdfalke.blogspot.com

Please do this you will be amazed!

Thank you. Mama Arlene Brown

Back to School

School opens for final term of the year.

Teachers gather to welcome the children and keep everything under control. The children are so excited to be back in school and to greet friends.  They are full of energy.

Big and small they are back!

A Gift for the President

The art work is pictures done by the Urukundo Kids, The design is a gift from Pastor Sharon, and the quilt pattern of hearts and hands was done by Pastor Sharon’s friend.

The quilt was accepted for the President by his secretary Irene.  President Kagame was meeting with President Obama at the same time I was meeting with Irene. Both high-powered meetings you will have to agree.  After the presentation of the quilt, Irene invited me to tell her about Urukundo now and our goals for the future. I was even able to tell her my hopes and plans for the rest of the mountain. She was a most gracious hostess.

Playground News

The sliding board is very popular. Even before it was ready the kids were trying it out.  It is now a beautiful blue color.  The gift to build the sliding board came from RAISED HANDS FOR AFRICA, a devoted group from North Carolina. Check their web site.

Greetings from Urukundo Village - May 2014

Can you believe I forgot our founding anniversary until I received congratulations from a friend at Akilah Institute for Women? I can’t believe I did that.

These are some facts and the progress made in the past 8 years. How time has flown.

May 2014 is the 8^th anniversary of Urukundo Foundation.

MAY 6, 2006 Urukundo had its simple beginning.

A rented house, one child, one mama, one guard and me.

May is a very special time for the Urukundo Family.

For those of you who are new to the Urukundo Foundation family and for all you who have been part of the family for a long time I thank you for the love and support you have given. A few reminders of happenings in the last 8 years.

My family in America is awesome and continues to grow with 2 new babies in the past year.

I raised my family in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Lately I am from Pittsburgh as well as Williamsport. I am blessed to be mom to 5, grandmother of 16 and Great Grandmother of 17.

I have had a full life and it expanded when I moved to Rwanda after the genocide to care for vulnerable children. Our children range in ages from 19 years to 1 week old. Our most recent arrival, a little boy, came to us only hours old. 28 kids are in secondary school (high school) 17 are in Pre to P2, and 2 are in public school. 4 are in the nursery. That should add up to 51. Yes I do know all their names and ages but I have to check my records to know when birthdays are. Hey, I'm a mom and I have the same problems with my bunch in the US.

Urukundo Village began in May 2006 as a home for girls, in a year a home for boys was added. When babies entered my life a nursery was needed. From there the farm became a part of the Village. On our farm we have cows, pigs, chickens, goats (both milk and meat) and rabbits. 

With help from Rotary International a clean and free water supply was constructed for the community. Later the Urukundo Learning Center, a Sewing Initiative and a Dental Initiative plus a small shop where we can sell milk and eggs and products made at the sewing were put in place.

The need for quality education for the poor children in the district became apparent.  That need included the kids at Urukundo Village.

Now our village has a home for boys, a home for girls, a nursery, a farm with animals and gardens where we grow much of our own food. A day care for community parents, a preschool, kindergarten, Primary one, primary 2 Music room, and a Library. We have an enrollment in our classes of 295 students. Of that number only 15 come from our home, 280 are from the community. 45 are very poor and pay no tuition. We employ 45 Rwandese citizens and hire new employees from the District thus supporting the economy.

We have seen many changes in our compound and witnessed many changes in the community because we are here. We hope to have a celebration to mark our 10^th anniversary in 2 years. Start planning a trip now so that many of you can join us in the celebration. Remember 2016 is the year.

This is a summary of 8 years because you have cared and continue to help us make a difference.

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.