Greetings from Urukundo Village and all who abide there. August has been a very busy month with a houseful of volunteers - 11 in total. All 16 of our kids in Secondary School were home, There was a spelling bee, a debate, a fashion show and a birthday party all organized by the Urukundo Kids. Painting the trim in all houses was a project accomplished. Pigs were added to our farm. The barn was finished and a pen for the pigs is now under construction. Look out for a picture next month. Except for colds caused mainly by the rains that are out of season, we are fine. Our school opened on schedule for the second 3 month term.
Football at Urukundo Soccer Field
Tresor and John Paul are captain and co-captain of the Urukundo Football team (soccer). Here they are competing with Keenan, Nathan and kids from the neighborhood.
Umugunda
Umugunda is a very important event in Rwanda. Every last Saturday of the month the government has set aside the morning hours for all citizens to work together in their neighborhood to make it look good. We at Urukundo are a part of that and as a team the work is done well and is fun.
This month was special because four of out toddlers became a part of the team. Vincent and Grace supervised them in their work.
The guards pitch in.
Serephine, Belise & Aline clean up trimmings.
The toddlers join in for their first Umugunda day.
Kenny, Kinela, Agid and Claude part of the team.
Vincent, Grace, Agide, Kinela, Claude, Luki, Neli & another Claude.
Piling trimmings Claude in red and Agide in yellow shirt and tan pants
Filling the bag.
Job finished.
Moving to next clean up area. Can you pick out the toddlers and name them?!
Greetings from Mama Arlene in Rwanda for July 2011
Hello from Mama Arlene, Urukundo Village and all its 42 kids. At the end of July all 16 of the kids from King David Academy, Shogwe & Lysee are home and it is a busy place.
We now have children in three secondary schools. As they finish Senior 3 they move to a school more in keeping with their goals and ambitions. Birthdays will be honored for July and August with Sumbosa and Fanta. The babies have cake and juice with candles to blow out. Such fun.
July has been blessed with visitors from the US and England and the weather has been wonderful.
Trip to Akagera National Park
In May Jan Brown, the Cyakabiri teachers and the girls visited Akagera National Park. The animals are wonderful and a delight to see.
Not to be outdone by the girls the boys with their benefactor Lisa, our visitors Talia and Nicole and several staff member made the trip also.
Each trip was different and the kids appreciated being invited to go on the 5 hour journey each way.
They packed a lunch and then munched on bananas on the ride home.
It was a long journey and a good time was had by all.
Animals include cape buffalo, warthogs, zebra, water buck mama and calf, impala, giraffe, older male baboon and hippos.
Urukundo Foundation and this mama want to thank both Jan Brown and Lisa Martilotta for giving such a wonderful opportunity to be shared by our children.
Greetings from Mama Arlene in Rwanda for June 2011
Greetings from Urukundo Village and from all the kids at Urukundo Home.May, June and July are the dry months in Rwanda but we have had just enough rain to keep our vegetable gardens producing.
The great news for June is that the Ruli Public School where our Primary kids attend has been selected by the government to participate in the ONE CHILD ONE LAPTOP program. Vincent, administrator for Urukundo Home visited the school with the kids and we were given the laptops to bring home for the 10 kids who are in P4,5 & 6. They are very colorful, light weight and fun to use.
The dining room in the new guest house is perfect for a learning center and it has electricity and wireless. Our children are moving ahead into the computer age. Without the new house this would not have been possible. Awesome how God works.
The kids are excited and Lisa Martilotta from Long Island NY a Saturday volunteer for teaching advanced English to our staff has volunteered to teach computer to the kids. She is an excellent teacher and started that very day June 25th teaching computer fundamentals and Internet. Thank you Lisa.
Reminder
Hey all you wonderful people who never throw anything away! Please look in the attic and see if you have a VHS player stored there just in case some one might need it some day.
This is the day. Urukundo needs a player and if possible a rewinder. Ours has gone bad. We have wonderful tapes.With no way to share them with the children.
Greetings from Mama Arlene in Rwanda for May 2011
An Open Letter to our Prayer Partners:
In these past few weeks I have received a serious lesson on how important communication with other believers and our Lord is.
Having a close encounter with death can teach you the power of prayer.
I had been dealing with a bad cough and what I thought was a sinus infection. I awoke at 4am one morning not able to breathe. Thank God Jan Brown (no relation) from PA was in the house with me. Had I been alone I do not think I would be here now. "God in Charge." To make a long story short and notwithstanding the terror you feel at such a time, our driver was called and a very fast trip to King Faisal Hospital emergency room in Kigali, an hour's drive over mountain roads that make PA mountains and roads seem like a miracle highway. Finally I was where I could get some help. After several really bad episodes in the Emergency Room the medical team there took it seriously. You know the theory in hospitals all over the world: "an old woman needing attention - give her some cough medicine, a pat on the head and send her home."
An E N T specialist was called and after a time a brain scan was done. The left side of my head and throat could not function due to inflammation, swelling and coughing. It was a cycle. The coughing created the inflammation which in turn caused the swelling and that was aggravated by the cough. Thank God there are two sides to the brain. As difficult and frightening as it was, enough oxygen could get to the lungs. It was necessary to get medicine that would reduce the swelling and then the inflammation. With some of the irritation gone, the coughing slowly was reduced.
I am still working with the cough but it is no longer dangerous. I am in full work mode again and doing well. God is Good.
I know for sure only prayer and God placing the right people in the right places gave me the time needed to get all my ducks in a row. I took Isaiah 38 verses 1,2 and 3 and asked the Lord for more time as King Hezekiah did and God has answered my prayer. However I need more than 15 years.
It was a tough wake up call but made me know that even though I intend to live to be 110 it is important to have a line of succession and security for Urukundo Foundation and the children God has given us to care for.
That has been taken care of and the future of Urukundo is secure. Praise God.
The Debating Team in Action
City Life vs. Country Living.
Deborah from Team # 2.
Debate argument.
Debate : City Team