School kids enjoying the playground and soccer field.
Both fields are very busy places every day. Our play ground exists thanks to RAISED HANDS FOR AFRICA. This wonderful group hail from North Carolina.
Dentistry Students Arrive
Our first students from the Rwanda University School of Dentistry find Urukundo Dental a good place to be. They appreciate the facility, lodging , food and especially the kids.
Our Response to the World of Technology
A SMALL START BUT A BEGINNING. There is room for 4 computers and a teacher. Still looking for good used computers. Willing and ready to expand this program.
Renovation Finished
The work to have Primary 3 ready for the kids by January 6 was completed.
New on campus
A photo shoot through the new Glascow Center for the Arts.
Starting at the main entrance. This is the performing arts and drama area.
Our Dancers, Story Tellers, Artists and Musicians will use the area to display their talents and the work they have done to an admiring parents and classmates.
Sitting area our audience. Benches are placed for seating. The area can also be used for small meetings or just for reading after having visited the library.
The music instruments available for our kids.
We would welcome used usable instruments you may have in the attic that your kids tried and put aside. We could use some small guitars. I didn’t know they made them but I am told they do. The big one is too big for our kids.
We also would like donations so that we can purchase native instruments to preserve the culture of authentic African music.
Library
Preschool and Primary 1 shelf.
This bright attractive shelf greets the little ones as they come in the door. The books are books they can take from the shelves and set on the mat and enjoy. It is great to have books and nobody keeps saying 'don’t tear the pages!' They will learn this in time. Our books are in Kinyarwanda and English.
On our wall a map of the world. Luki is showing you were we live. My, how that boy has grown.
The Bible & religions of the world section is for children and adults. Even though Christmas is over, Claude and Luki found a new book about Christmas they had not seen before. It was a two part play and the boys think it would be a good play for next year and on our new stage. They never cease to surprise me and please me very much.
Luki introduces the library to Amie, his good friend from the community. Amie and others spend a lot of time playing with Urukundo kids.
Trying to get a better picture we tried to cover the window with a sheet. It did not work well. Ok so I am not the best photographer. The Head teacher Irene is trying to help. He is a bit taller than me.
The books on the first shelf include geography, science books and books about animals. Not to be confused with story books with animal characters. Books on the shelf below the globe are adult books left here by visitors and chapter books for kids in P3 and above. These shelves have two sides.
Not sure what happened to my camera but the art room sure looks sad. It really is a bright, beautiful room with a sink for washing up after making a creative mess!
Last but not Least
Thanks to a generous patron of Urukundo we have a new car. Ok so it is not new but it is newer than the one we had that was making every trip to Kigali a trip filled with fear and trembling.
Our good friend rode in the car and said this car won’t last much longer. Before you are let stranded on the mountain let me help you get a better vehicle. He did and this is it.
It carries 9 passengers without luggage and 5 with luggage in the boot.
It is beautiful. It has a running board (for you who do not remember cars with a running board) A step up before stepping into the front seat. As I am finding out I really appreciate that little step up. I also like the hand holds to grab to get you inside.
We are so blessed at Urukundo to have such good friends. Thank you God.
December Newsletter
It is hard to believe another year has come and gone. 2014 was a good year for Urukundo. The farm is doing well, the gardens produced; The Urukundo Learning Center now has 384 students. We have 54 employees and 3 more were added to our teaching staff. Three babies came to live with us and be a part of our family. 70 children graduated from Kindergarten, one finished Primary School and five graduated from Secondary School. We had one graduate from University. All in all It has been a very good year.
Shelling beans.
Harvest time at Urukundo. Mamas and children work together. I take pictures. Even the 2 year olds get involved.
Soso is very proud of his work. Good job Soso.
Kitchen manager Cecelia in orange and Delphine, our Home Manager, show the way.
Libby, Chantel and Anithia lend a helping hand. It is a big job.
House of Culture
View from the front porch of the HOUSE OF CULTURE
The blue roof is the Primary school. Trees had to go. Avocado trees are dangerous when children are playing under them. The nut is quite large and falling from the tree can seriously hurt a child.
Looks like a good building. Not so the bricks are held together with mud but no cement. It's not safe for our children and so it must come down.
Day one of demolition.
Day three and the building is gone.
Progress Report
In November’s newsletter I shared with you the joy a gift from a dear friend REV. MARJORIE GLASCOW after she departed this life made and how it allowed another HOPE to be MADE REAL.
Pictures of the house and the land purchased from the gift she wished Urukundo to receive are in November’s newsletter.
Renovation to make the house part of the school started at once.
The HOUSE OF CULTURE will soon be a reality.
The Inspection Team.
General Foreman: Mr. David.
LANCE GASKILL Our music & Art consultant.
Day two. Outside walls came down.
Bricks are salvaged for later use. Claude is foreman on this job.
Olivier hard at work.
Tresor and John Paul are good at demolition on the wall. We are blessed with young men who are not afraid of hard work.
Luki joined the brick brigade.
Holes began to appear and the dust was awful. Facemasks were borrowed from the Dental Imitative. This sure helped the breathing problem.
Bathrooms dismantled.
The work goes on. More in the January Newsletter.