Urukundo Comes of Age

It is a turning point for Urukundo Foundation.

 We now have Legal status and are an employer. Until the present time our workers have all been volunteers given a stipend plus food, lodging and health insurance. Now we are in a position where we can offer a job to our Rwandese volunteers.  As an employer we can now cover our staff with the Social Security offered by the Rwandan Government. Praise God. We have been working a long time to reach this point.

It will also add complications to our bookkeeping. 

My present secretary Emmanuel (a 20 year old young man) will start University in January.  Thanks to a sponsor in America, Emmanuel will study to become a Lawyer.



Keep this young man in prayer.

We are looking for his replacement. That person will have a job description, be an employee and will need accounting and computer skills. A new phase in the system  of hiring at Urukundo.

Rocking Chairs a Big Hit

With the space available in the new nursery, we have room for rocking chairs and I am very happy about that. 

We now have two rocking chairs where this Gram can enjoy holding and comforting babies. We contacted a local carpenter and asked for help. He was not sure he could do what we asked.  The carpenter made the chairs from a picture. Because this was a first try for the carpenter he only charged us 20,000 rwf each ($40 USD).

The chairs need some sanding and have now had safety stops added to the front of the rockers - the trick is to not rock hard and overbalance the chair!

The picture was on this web site - check it out!  This could be a great way to raise funds for us older women. What fun sitting & rocking.

 



Luki going solo.

Claude in the chair - he is adventurous and let us know the danger of rocking too hard.  Leave it to Claude.

Stateside News from Mama Arlene August 2010

Missing the children at Urukundo is the down side of our trip to the US. It is disturbing to think about how much the kids, especially the babies, will have grown while I am away. We are blessed because we do have Skype and so get to see them occasionally. The time difference sometimes makes that difficult.
We have traveled many miles and have many yet to go. We are being treated most royally, greeting old friends and making new friends along the way. The end of August finds us in California. We are so blessed.

It is my pleasure to report to all who have been praying for the addition of a nursery that a gift was received, sent to Urukundo and the Nursery is under construction. Glory be to God.

The next project will be the day care and preschool. Prayers please, as we continue our journey.

Thought you might like to see my wonderful family in America.

Mama and Children

Lilliane's Continuing Adventures

Lilliane is having a magical time in the US.
On the left : August 1st was her 15th birthday.




On the right : reunion with Talia; driving a four-wheeler in PA.



Washington Monument and the Kennedy Center : Lilliane and friends in Washington DC,


Grand Canyon, Arizona

Lilliane with Native American cowboys

Craft-time with Ruthie

Ruthie, originally from Nigeria but now lives in England, came back for her third visit. The children love her story telling, singing and crafts. Ruthie had the children make greeting cards to Mama Arlene for her return.

Dr Peter with Amin

Dr. Peter is an eye specialist from Belgium. He has made a four year commitment to Rwanda and we are fortunate to have him located 10 minutes away at Kabgayi Hospital. Dr. Peter was the one who brought Claudine to Urukundo because she had cataracts. Pictured above is Amin. Amin was suffering from irritating eye allergies. Dr. Peter injected medicine directly into his eyes. Amin is feeling much better now.

Hauling Water

Dry season in Rwanda means that our city supply of water runs out so we have to haul water from natural springs. The water is a 15 minute drive away. We fill four large containers and six smaller ones and carry them up a steep hill to our Toyota SUV. The whole operation takes about 1.5 hours for one trip. We usually need two trips to get enough water for cooking, cleaning and construction. Around mid September the rainy season begins again and the water supply comes back.

Kids Play International

Kids Play International, led by Tracy Evans, a three time Olympian, is a nonprofit organization who use sports to educate and empower youth. Urukundo was fortunate to have them come this summer and bring with them hundreds of dollars of donated sports equipment. Not only did they make a lot of Urukundo kids happy but also local schools and neighborhood kids also benefited from their visit. Kids Play International (KPI) spent hours donating their time helping the children learn new skills and better their self esteem. They taught Urukundo children skills in basketball, baseball, volleyball and soccer.

KPI also set up a "Sport's Room" where all the donated equipment will be neatly kept for years to come. Already we have seen the excitement grow in our children from the use of all their new equipment. Thank you KPI for making so many children's lives that much better! www.kidsplayinternational.org.


the girls show off their new football (soccer) uniforms

Deborah ready to hit!

Sewing and Saving

Betty enjoys sewing so we got the old pedal machine working for her. With 37 children there is a lot to sew. Within a couple of days Betty had everything sewed that needed mending. We hope we can save money by doing some of the sewing ourselves. If we have the local vendors sew it costs us 40 cents per job. While that doesn't sound like much it is an expense that adds up to a significant amount in our budget. Here is to saving a penny!