June 2018 Newsletter

What an exciting month!

The Primary 6 students are our first graduating class from Urukundo Learning Center. The students, teachers and Urukundo managers had the very first field trip ever. But not the last. The field trip will be a yearly event.
Large busloads traveled to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.

The group visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre and paid respect and honor to those lost in the genocide.

After the visit to the Genocide Memorial, the children visited the Parliament building, which is the seat of governing body in Rwanda.
This was such an important day for Urukundo Primary 6 kids, teachers and managers. The students will graduate in November.

Little animals that bite

OK, they are insects, but here in Rwanda they are called animals.

Because of the excess rain, these insects are leaving the outdoors and moving into our preschool. It is necessary to move the kids out of the classrooms while we spray. Teaching continues but on the basketball court … 

in the yard…

and wherever.

The kids loved it and think this is a good idea for everyday. Well, it is, but with so much rain they might get wet.

March 2018 Newsletter

Do you remember the stone path in an article in the March 2012 newsletter? Look it up.
It still applies today in March 2018 as it did in 2012.

The stone path has grown from five stones to many stones and has been moved to the outside boundary to have enough space. It is a great way to honor contributions to education.

Help us continue to provide quality education where it is needed most. We will build a new path to the secondary school (high school) with your stone and a substantial gift of $1,000 or more for construction of the school.

The amount needed for the new high school for more than 700 students is very high ñ US$300,000. No one church and most individuals cannot afford such a gift, but if all could give what they can afford, it would be a big help in reaching our goal of providing quality education to the vulnerable children in Rwanda.

Give from your heart. Help to build the future.

Mama

Catch the Vision

URUKUNDO’S GOAL FOR THE NEW YEAR (2018)

Help make 2018 outstanding for Urukundo/ Hope Made Real. Your love and your gifts can make it happen.

Large and small donations can make it possible.

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO REACH OUR GOAL OF BUILDING A HIGH SCHOOL FOR URUKUNDO LEARNING CENTER IN 2018!

THE ESTIMATED COST IS $300,000 USD.

This will pay for CLEARING, LEVELING, MAINTAINING WALLS, FOUNDATION & COMPLETING THE STRUCTURE.

A grant for the full amount would be a HOPE MADE REAL. Donations of any amount leading toward the total amount needed would be appreciated.  Need a tax break?  Give it to a worthwhile project furthering education for needy children.  All donations are “TAX DEDUCTIBLE”

We already have the necessary permission to build from the District. We own the land on which we'll build our High School.  This Learning Center is so needed by the community.

Blueprints and itemized costs are available for viewing upon request.

Our contractor will answer any questions.

We will keep you informed as progress is made - prayers and funding please.

Arts and Music

Urukundo Center for the Arts is open and we are teaching music appreciation to the children and giving kids the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument. Music will grow with the children and one day will have our own Orchestra.

Hope House Multipurpose Building is our auditorium. It can hold all our primary kids. However, when we have all six Primary grades it may be too small.  Urukundo School will continue to grow thanks to our faithful donors.

New teacher

Libby, Rahab and Delphine, three of our Conversational English class members, pose with our new teacher Patrick.

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!

When there is no way

As many of you are aware Urukundo was not able to construct the two-story building needed for the 2015 school year because of the extraordinary cost of the foundation of a two-story building and so we prayed for a solution to our problem. The problem was a need for two classrooms for p3 students.

The solution came in two steps.

GOD IN CHARGE

Step #1

The large house that sits surrounded by Urukundo land became available for a reasonable sale price. That was great however there was no money to buy at any price.

Front view of the house. Over looking the Primary school and along side the preschool.

Additional outbuildings and land which are so needed.

Blue roof at the bottom of the photo is the Primary school.

Truly, acquiring this property would solve so many problems in the expansion of Urukundo Learning Center.

Step #2

There is a stone on the PATH TO LEARNING in memory of Rev. Marjorie Glascow put there 2 years ago at the time of her passing.

Rev. Marjorie Glascow served the Oval UMC in Pennsylvania. She came to Africa with a mission team and was very supportive of Urukundo Home for Children and me.

This very dear friend of mine and of Hope Made Real departed life much too soon. In her love for this ministry she had informed those in charge of her estate that a gift should be given to Hope Made Real in her name and with her love. Now 2 years later that gift arrived when our need was great. It was enough to meet the purchase price of the house that will now become an important part of our Learning Center.

Thanks to Marjorie’s gift we have space to move the Library, Music and Art classrooms into the new building and the Primary 3 students can move into those vacated rooms.

GOD IS GOOD

When renovation is finished the new building will be dedicated:

THE  URUKUNDO CULTURAL CENTER:  In Loving Memory of Rev. Marjorie Glascow

Urukundo Learning Center

It's time to hire teachers for Primary 3.

At Urukundo it is a process.  We have 19 applicants for 3 teaching positions at Urukundo Learning Center. 6 candidates qualified with credentials.  Testing is the next step and took place on November 25, 2014 followed by interviews. A hard decision to make but necessary.

By the end of the day we would have three new teachers in position.

Teachers monitor the testing, helped by the Head Teacher.