Scholarship Fund Reaches 127 (only 173 more to our goal)

This project is a perfect example of how so little can go incredibly far in Rwanda.

A $15 donation covers one child for an entire year including: school fees, a uniform, shoes, a backpack, pencils, and notebooks.  All of this is purchased for only $15.  (and note that Hope Made Real, as a volunteer organization, passes on 100% of the donation.)

Our goal was to send 300 children to school for 2009 and I'm proud to say we've so far raised scholarships for 127 children!

Our Goal for 2009: 300

Scholarships given in 2008: 240

Number of gifts to date: 127

Scholarships not yet funded: 173

To help you see the amazing impact you are having, we thought we would share with you the faces and names of 75 of the children who will have the benefit of an education in 2009.

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Your gift can make a difference in the lives of these children and more. Send your gift, online donation or mail to:

/donate/

Hope Made Real
Dr. Patricia Brown Tres.
301 Overdale Road
Pittsburgh Pa. 15221

Our 40th Child Joins Urukundo Village

On November 18th, we were blessed with a new baby boy. He arrived to us with no last name, no birth date, no history.  He is an abandoned baby.     

His name is Laki (pronounced Lucky). He is a real cutie.  We think he is about 1 year, 8 months old. (We are judging this by his teeth development.)  He is a dear little boy but needs a lot of love and care and special feeding as malnutrition has done some damage.  The strange hair and puffy face are signs of malnutrition.  Check back next month for a picture that should hopefully see a great improvement.  David, our first abandoned baby, now has a playmate, and Laki now has a family.

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We are expecting an abandoned two-month-old girl next week.  After that, we will be able to accept one more baby, boy or girl.  We must limit the babies we can help to four until we know we have the resources to care for more.  Please donate if you can.  Your prayers and hopes are appreciated.

The Girls Have Moved into Their New Home

The outside work on the girl's home has yet to be done.Construction on the inside of the girls home is now complete. We finally have glass in the windows and the girls have moved in.  Blankets to cover the windows will work until we get material to make curtains. The windows keep out the mosquitos and the blankets at night give them privacy.

It is beginning to look nice as you can see in the picture, although there is still much work to do on the outside of the building.

It is so wonderful to have a real home for the girls and we thank you all for your support as we create a stable and solid home for our children.

Laundry Day (and a look at how we use our water efficiently)

At Urukundo Village, where the children in our direct care live, we wanted to give you a look not only at Laundry Day in the back yard, but also how we make the most of our resources.  This tank gathers the rainwater from the roof so that every drop we capture gets put to good use and helps us to further make ourselves self-sustainable.


Laundry day in the backyard. Laundry day in the backyard.

Turkeys Join Our Farm

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We purchased three turkeys to help fatten up our Christmas dinner.

Now for the problem: the white one was so pretty we decided we would find her a mate and not eat her for Christmas. Then the black ones started laying eggs.  Now, no one wants to eat them for dinner.  For now, we are collecting the eggs to set a hen and raise chicks.
Back home in the United States, simply picking up a frozen turkey at the supermarket made life much simpler.  You don't get to know them on a first-name basis.  But since we have no supermarket, live birds are our only resource.


It will be interesting to see who survives Christmas dinner.

Before We Begin, A Simple Request

We have some wonderful stories and updates to share for everything that happened in October, but before we get started, I have a simple request.

I know the economy in the United States and much of the world is hurting.  It is clearly affecting our donations.  If you can, please continue to contribute to our work as best you can.  As an all-volunteer project, every dollar you donate has a very real impact.

If you can't help us financially, we have a different request: help us find more supporters.  A little goes a long long way out here in Rwanda.  If we can find more people who can give just a little each, it will quickly add up to make sure we can take care of our wonderful children.

And remember, donations are tax deductable.  So, if you know anyone who makes end-of-year contributions to charities that help them with their taxes, please tell them about Hope Made Real.

A Perfect Example of a Little Going a Long Long Way


It only costs $15 to send a child to school for an entire year.  Last year, we sent 250 needy children to school.  This year, we would like to raise that number to 300.  To support an entire year of a child's education, simply put "education" as a note on your donation.



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Donations can be made online or sent to:

Hope Made Real
Dr Patricia Brown, Tres.
301 Overdale Road
Pittsburgh, Pa 15221

Education-specific donations need to be made by December 15th in order to reach Rwanda before Jan 1st 2009.

A Storm and a Mud Slide

The weather here has been exciting if you call unpredictable exciting.

In the last month, we have had a severe wind storm, an earthquake, and now a rain storm too severe to comprehend.

We do not have streams or rivers on our mountains, but mud slides are a problem.  Especially where new development is taking place as older developments are properly terraced.  If you are in the way of the path the water wants to travel, there is no contest. The water pouring downhill will find its own path. Move or be buried.

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Our homes are built strong to withstand the winds and the earthquakes but not the devastating rain and mud slides.  So retaining walls need to be built to protect the houses.  Stones and cement are very expensive but necessary to protect our homes.  We need stone, sand and cement, but we know that god will provide.

The American Garden

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The radishes serve two purposes. I get to eat them and the chickens get the greens.  This gives the egg yolks a healthy gold color.  Most egg yolks in Rwanda are a pasty white.  Our eggs are special and when our chickens are in full production they should pay for their own food and feed our kids.

We are planting every inch of land available. This should help with food for the kids. The lettuce and radishes and spring onions are for me. I remember my mom planting onion sets but never onion seeds. Different, No?

David at 4 Months Old



David is now 4 months old. His eyes are bright and he now weight 14 lbs. When he was found he only weighed 7 lbs so it's wonderful to see he has doubled his weight in only 2 months. He loves to be talked to and responds with baby noises.  He is not yet learned to sit on his own.


Davids bed was a gift from Linda Wise. We purchased it here and it is Rwandan. He will soon out grow out of it, but we will use it for other babies yet to come.

David's Motor Car


Crossing the lines. Crossing the lines.

David is no longer on Pascazee’s back but has transportation of his own. He loves the new found freedom and so do those who no longer have to work with this big boy on their backs. He is pushing it with his feet and getting all kinds of help from his brothers and sisters.