New house in progress

I hope you recall that some time ago my home was invaded by thieves. My bedroom was targeted. It was a shock to me to realize I was not safe in my own home. It also was very disturbing to my family. They decided I need to be away from the main road, my present location, and in the center of the compound where it would be harder for intruders to be a threat. They decided to do something about it and contacted family members and family friends with a plea to help build a safer residence for me.

This is the letter my daughter Patricia wrote and sent out to family members and many friends.

I share it now with you:

I’m writing to you because Mama needs a house. Turning 90, Mama Arlene finally admits (sort of) that she may be getting a bit older.

As you know, Urukundo is built upon the side of a large hillside on three plateaus:

The Lower Plateau -- the main road and Mama’s present residence

The Middle Plateau -- the school, dining hall and activity center, and business offices

The Upper Plateau -- the farm and animals

Mama can no longer safely climb the steep hillside without assistance, and even then, once a day is laborious, leaving her out of breath at a high altitude. I can tell you, she is not happy not being in the middle of all the daily activities of the campus.

In addition, her present residence, located just inside the gate on the main road, leaves her vulnerable to intruders. Only a couple of months ago robbers broke in while Mama was asleep.

With your help, a new home, constructed for the present needs of Mama and for the coming decade, could be built on level land of the middle plateau. The estimated cost is $40,000, a small amount compared to comparable U.S. homes.

I am so grateful for my family’s concern and I thank everyone who stepped up and helped make it happen. Again, I say thank you to all.

Construction of a new residence began on March 19 and continues today. It is my hope construction will be completed in June. It will be not only a new residence for Mama Arlene and any future director of Urukundo Foundation but will have four guest rooms to welcome volunteers and visitors.

The design of Mama Arlene’s new home is a tribute to Rwandan history and culture. The photo shows the beehive-shaped King’s Palace Museum, which is a reconstruction of the 19th century traditional royal residence. The palace is located in the Nyanza District, Southern Province, 88 kilometers from the City of Kigali.

Now I share the progress to date with you.

March 19, preparation began. Clearing and leveling.

The location is in the field next to Hope House.

March 26, layout for the foundation and rooms. This layout also includes four guest rooms with baths.

April 5, outside walls. A structure has begun.

May 5, reaching for the sky.

A three-week delay took place as we waited for the metal sheets to arrive for the roof.The June newsletter will report on construction in progress. I am hoping for a July move-in date.

Dining room update

Ceiling and lights are installed. Yet to be done are installing the glass for the windows and doors, and painting the walls.

This amazing addition will serve many purposes even though it is designated as a dining room. The extra space will supply the required distancing for the students having lunch each school day as we strive to keep our students safe.

The lighting is beautiful.

Dining room progress

We are continuing to work toward a dining room that will meet the requirements for our school children as we move on.

On Dec. 1, the dining room has a roof. A blue one, no less.

Progress. On Dec. 15, doors and windows are added. They also will be painted blue.

Onward to completion or whatever the future may bring. January is our goal for the dining room to be in service. That is when all students will be back in school. The larger dining room will accommodate the distancing required for the safety because of the Covid-19 virus.

Workers ensure proper drainage from destructive storm waters.

The shelf between the building and the ditch protects the foundation of the dining room. Water is harmful if not channeled properly.

Dec. 26 and progress is made.

What a difference some days make!

Walkway improved

While work was being done on the ditch on the back wall of the dining room, stones, sand, cement and labor were available. It made sense to improve the walkway to Mama’s house. That made it one project and not several projects. Safe and accessible walkways are so important and required by the government.

Removing half of the steps leading to Mama’s house and making it handicap accessible. Really, those steps were difficult for me, but I am not ready for a wheelchair yet. Feeble no, strong yes, praise God.

View from the top. I no longer have to deal with the steep steps. This will allow me to walk about the campus.

View from my house looking up. It also solves the drainage problem in a more permanent way.

Almost ready

The dining room is taking shape. Yes, it will have windows and doors. Front view. Because of a much appreciated donation made in November, we hope to have a finished dining room to show you in December's newsletter.

Where there's a will, there's a way.

A garden is so important to Urukundo. Farm manager Eugene is in charge of this project.

Thanks to clearing and filling, we now have a plot for planting.

Preparing the ground for planting

Soon it will be a garden. This is land beyond Hope House, toward the school. The ground is very fertile, and seeds planted should do well. The harvest should be plentiful. Another reason to give thanks.

Our property ends at the trees. Just beyond the trees is the Learning Center. When funding is available, our land will extend to the road and school. A hope to be made real.

This garden is larger than the garden that is now the home of the dining room which is under construction.

School update

Several months ago, I shared with you about the need for wash stations at the school and inside the compound. We needed one wash station for every two classrooms. You were wonderful, and US$515 was raised. I was so happy. Well, as is the norm, things change, and new criteria for the wash station were sent out by the board of education. The changes required a large wash facility to be built at the entrance to the school compound to accommodate the children as they enter the school. It must have running water. Cost now is US$2,500.

Benjamin drew up a plan, and it was approved. By Nov. 2 when school is set to open, hopefully it will be completed.

I’ll follow up with photos with kids next month. The tiles catch the drainage after washing. I really am not sure how this will work. I have questions. As of now, no answers. I am pleased to say that thanks to Forest Hills Rotary in Pennsylvania, USA; the late Tom Nunnally of Pittsburgh, PA, USA; and Rotary International, we already have our own supply of water. Water from the source would be a large added expense.

As the photo above shows, we are in the process of constructing a permanent wash facility with 20 faucets, adding plumbing and drainage.

Not sure this makes sense. The cost has gone from do-able to almost impossible. God in charge.

One section.

There are 20 stations.

Not completed yet. Work in progress.

Dining room progress

Over a two-month time span, some progress has been made on building the dining room. It is very slow as other priorities are set. How much longer will it take? Only the Lord knows. Still in the vision is building a new kitchen which connects to the dining room.

Meeting the challenges

Urukundo has dealt with many challenges since its founding in 2006. Needless to say, 2020 is the most challenging yet. The major 2020 challenges are sustaining our employees with wages during the shutdown caused by the virus and the new requirements put in place by the Ministry of Education to reopen our school safely. Required are 15 wash stations between classrooms, head thermometers and a quarantine room for isolation should it be needed.
Another challenge is making these mountainous school walkways to classrooms handicap accessible. As I indicated last month, we are doing our best to make that happen. Photos show the work being done.

The long path from the library, with the steps gone, to the primary level classrooms below, makes even walking more comfortable.

There were many steps from the porch to the ground level, and the steps are no more.

There are no more steps from the school office downhill to the teacher resource area.

Our workers appreciate the new walkways. Easier to keep clean.

The slant makes sure rainwater moves away from the building and is not a problem. Dealing with torrential rainstorms and excess water damage are also on the list of challenges we have met and continue to handle.