OUT REACH TO THE COMMUNITY
Greetings from Mama Arlene in Rwanda for January 2012
New Year's Greetings from Urukundo for 2012
Urukundo Five Year Report
2006 - 2011
Urukundo Children's Village as of this date has 46 orphans and abandoned children.
18 of our children are in secondary School. 12 are in Primary School.
11 of our children are in Preschool.
5 are in our Nursery (Safe Haven).
6 former young staff members in University. (Designated funds).
First graduate We are very proud of Diane.
We are giving employment to 34 local citizens. All employees are covered by medical insurance upon providing proof they have covered their own children with medical coverage from a local hospital.
Urukundo Foundation provides 329 children of very poor families with supplies required in order for them to attend primary school.
Urukundo Foundation cares for 2 families with teen head-of-households with a total of 14 children (several missing when photo taken).
At the same time we need to develop the general infrastructure and create sustainable long-term business.
We can be the first orphanage/NGO ever reaching self-sufficiency and economic independency.
It is an incredible task and challenge.
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE
2006. Rented first Urukundo Home for Girls with 15 girls. Today's total is now 21.
2006: Rented first house for guests. Some little income.
2006: purchased four wheel drive vehicle (directors funds).
2007: Rented first Urukundo Home for Boys with 7 boys. Today's total is 24.
2007: First purchase of land to start chicken industry and safe area for kids to play outside of town.
First Chicken House
Deed of first ownership
2007 through 2011: Purchased, registered and paid for 14 joining small properties using (missionary gifts and Arlene's SS income) to establish Urukundo Village.
Claiming the top of the mountain.
2008: Built a Home for Boys, a soccer field and a basket ball court.
2008: Built a Home for Girls. (Director's personal funds)
2008-2009: Constructed buildings for kitchen, offices, and storage.
2009: Built Multipurpose House. This house includes a Library, classrooms, meeting room, worship center, celebration house and dorm for teams with more than 4 people.
2009: constructed a shed for the 1 cow and 1 calf.
2009: Purchased another cow and her calf. (Designated Money from People to People). Milk for babies and HIV kids.
2009: purchased home for Guesthouse on adjourning property, resident for director, clinic, office. Now Cyakabiri School for Young Children.
Increased chicken industries to include broilers and layers. (Producing eggs for income and meat).
Broilers
Layers
2010: started JR Saving’s accounts for kids. Fina bank
2010: Built a "SAFE HAVEN" Nursery for throw-away babies. We have 15 Under 5 years.
Established Cyber Café for community and income producing nonprofit business. (Rental property) Purchased 5 PC and a copier.
We planted 7 kitchen gardens and all available land. Veg for children and excess for sale.
Purchased 3 Sheep (designated money). Total now 8 and expecting. Meat for kids.
Started rabbit hutches purchased 2 rabbits and a gift of 2.
At present total 64. Sell and use for meat for children.
2011: Director purchased large home and guesthouse. (Personal funds savings for old age. Might be now.)
2011: Purchased house and land (Loan from Fina Bank) protection of children, larger clinic in better location, closer to children. Additional guest rooms to accommodate teams coming as volunteers. Work not completed.
Received 3 cows from District a gift. Total cows now 5. Two milk cows and 3 yet to breed.
Constructed larger housing for number of cows (designated funds) and fenced in pastureland with barbed wire.Fenced in all Urukundo land to protect our children and animals. (Barbed wire)
2011: Purchased 5 pigs a gift from visitors. (Designated money) Meat and marketing.
2011: Built pig housing.
2011: Increased goat herd by 12 new goats (designated money) Meat for kids (total 18 at present).
Renovated first cow barn to accommodate goats and sheep.
2011: With support of Park Forest and devoted people Urukundo built a water system for the Binunga Community. In time it will also benefit our schools. (Designated funds)
2011: Solar pumps and power were added to the water project thanks to Rotary International. (Designated funds). The project will benefit over 3000 people plus Urukundo Village when schools are constructed.
2011: Added 3 tanks for harvesting rainwater. (Designated funds)
Purchased truck for farm. (Designated funds).
Cyakabiri School opened. The first step in the planned URUKUNDO LEARNING CENTER.
Greetings from Mama Arlene in Rwanda for November 2011
About the middle of the month my trip to the US for R&R took place. I am in Pittsburgh now and will be until Dec. 26th when I will return home to Urukundo. After some problems with a Visa I finally was able to board the plane and was on my way. I arrived at Dulles, Washington and more complications but Cathy Leatherwood from Reston came to my rescue and I reached my family safe and sound. I will return to Urukundo the day after Christmas arriving the 27th. and the older kids will come home the first week in January.
DELAYED CHRISTMAS
Sports World Headlines
Truck Transformation
With the farm expanding it was decided we needed a truck to haul food for the animals and transport our products to the market, so we started looking for a truck. Everything available cost more than Urukundo could afford. A supporter of Urukundo and a good friend came to the rescue offering not only to help with the purchase price, but also with the work needed to ensure that the truck passed the required National Inspection. Oswald, our regular driver, found this one. It was in bad shape but the price was right. It sure was a fixer upper!
Teen News
Our teenage girls sporting new hair fashions.
Some of our boys - how fast they grow!
A Study in Hands
Hands trusting and caring.
Little hands, Big hands touching in love.