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February Love Month

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OUT REACH TO THE COMMUNITY

A Dental Clinic was held, supported by the love of Urukundo Foundation.  Doctor Richard Reckmeyer DDS, MBA of RURAL RWANDA DENTAL from Peoria, Arizona is a long time friend of Urukundo Kids and Mama Brown.  He came to Gitarama armed with tooth brushes and a story to tell about teeth and how good oral health means a healther body. Doctor Rick, along with a trainee, spoke and taught at Urukundo Village and 5 schools in the Muhanga District. We thank the District for working with Urukundo Foundation to make this possible.
First Dr. Rick worshipped with the Urukundo family.
Dental team : Misty, Deb, Doctor Rick & Denis.
Dental technician Deb at worship with the kids.
They then took a tour of Urukundo Village ending on top of the mountain where the boys had a great time fixing Rick's hair.
The top of the mountain.
The hard part for Misty - saying goodbye to Claude.
Love is plentiful at Urukundo Village.
 
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More Outreach

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90 children, both boys and girls, attended a Basketball Clinic/camp at Urukundo Village. The Clinic was held by Rob Thomson.

Rob is an American/Rwandan citizen born in Pennsylvania wearing the #12 Uniform. He is 6 ft 10 tall.

 
First team up for instructions.
Rob Thomson giving some tips.
Coach Ryan Turcott.

Coach Jacque Bahige.

Abis, Rob, Bosco & Claude.

 

 

Water and Solar Pump Project : the Latest Update

So much has happened this month of February. I hope our readers are not asleep by now. We are so grateful to all our Urukundo friends and family - because of you, this is all made possible.  I stand and cheer for you and ask blessings for you.
The water project, with solar electricity is a dream come true for me and for the community.
Celebrate with us. The water is a gift from God. The ability to accomplish this work is a gift from those who want to make a difference. You have done that for this community and Urukundo Village in Rwanda, Africa. Please continue to keep us in prayer.
Our neighbors and friends came out to celebrate this occasion of WATER.
There are so many who made this possible. I hope saying Rotary International, Central Pennsylvania UMC members and friends is sufficient and covers everyone. Previous newsletters list each contributor.
Cutting the ribbon.
These brave souls hiked to the bottom to view the source of water.
The stone was too hard to mount the stone.  We did the best we could without drills.
Solar Panels and Rotary International emblem.
Young Rotarians touring Urukundo Village.

 

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Progress Report

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Progress report on classrooms for Cyakabiri School for Young Children, the HEART of Urukundo Learning Center.
We hope to be ready to open the new class rooms for the April term.  We are working to make this HOPE REAL.
Furniture, a water tank and a sealer for the bricks are part of the building process yet to be dealt with. Looking for a project??  Here are three very necessary ones to consider.

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Greetings from Mama Arlene in Rwanda for January 2012

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Hello from Urukundo Village.
What a blessing it is to be home to warm weather. I love Pennsylvania but winter is not the time to visit there. Snow is beautiful from inside the house. Sunshine and warm is better. 
Yes, I am home with the children and what a joyful reunion it was. There were flowers everywhere. Hugs and tears from the older kids and staff and many knee hugs from the toddlers. I keep wanting to call them babies but truly they are toddlers. Even Soso has moved out of the baby category. His little legs let him travel fast.
After greetings the Kids gathered around me in my living room and sang "OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD" They prayed and thanked God for bringing me home to be with them.
A bouquet of flowers was handed to me.  These flowers grow on our land.
My bed room and Office door decoration.
The perfect Birthday present for my 81st birthday may sound a little strange, but for me it was such a pleasure when those who honored my birthday each came or sent a gift of Legos. This gift will be appreciated at Urukundo Village and at the Urukundo Learning center for years to come.
A special thanks to all who were a part of this wonderful celebration.
The Legos were moved from their wonderful containers into Zip Lock bags to make transporting easier. I thank my daughter Patricia for hosting the birthday party and for gathering and zip locking the Legos. Even after bagging, 2 large suitcases were needed to bring my treasures home.
Mama the teacher.
Checking the little book for directions. It takes a kid to deal with this. Adults find them interesting and difficult, including me. But we work it out. The Legos are a great learning tool dealing with colors, sizes, combinations and following picture directions. Every Mom, Dad and child should work on the project together. Both will learn patience.

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April Challenge

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A message from the Board of Hope Made Real
You can help by eating dinner!  That's right.  If you live in an area where a Denny's restaurant is located, you can set up a fundraiser for the month of April 2012.  Just contact you local Denny's for details - meet with the manager and then invite others to join you at Denny's for dinner.  Let's make April a fantastic month for Urukundo Village and Education Center.  Then, let us know the results of your efforts.  Denny's will donate 20% of profits from not only your group but everyone eating at their restaurant during the time your group is there. 
Please join us!  
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From the Nursery

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Kavine and Diane continue to grow and be the center of attention.
Kavine is a happy, healthy little girl. She is trying to sit up alone. That's a big job! She laughs out loud, gurgles and reaches for my finger.  Real progress.
Diane's arm is healing, thanks to Nancy, our in-house Nurse. She has done the physical therapy necessary to save the arm from becoming a disability.
The wound on Diane's face is filling in quite well but there may be a small scar. Only time and Nancy's special attention will tell. 

Nancy has been a volunteer with Urukundo Foundation since 2008. She comes from New Hampshire, USA. Nancy is a retired Army nurse and Nurse Practitioner. 
We are doubly blessed to have her as she is acting coordinator for Urukundo Learning Center working with two Early Childhood teachers in the US with the necessary credentials.

Farm News

The big news is that mama pig has 9 babies, and the second mama has 5 - our pig population is exploding!

Mama and five babies.  I just learned that baby pigs snuggle when they are cold. It seems animals have many Instincts attributed to people.
Our animals have all been tagged and records will be kept for each animal. This gives us a history for our animal. 
More news
Daisy and two of the young heifers are pregnant and soon will deliver,  increasing our cows count to 8.  We're hoping for all female offspring.
This will also increase our milk production. At this time, only one of our cows is producing milk and so we have to buy milk from a local farmer. Of course that also helps the economy but I will be glad when we have all the milk we need and can offer the excess for sale.
Our baby.  Her mama is supplying the milk for her and our kids.

Chicken Farm News

The incubator is ready and we will start hatching our own baby chicks. The design is simple and I hope it will add to the assets at our farm.
We still need some kind of thermostat for it. Any ideas?
Our farm now has about 300 layers (for eggs) and 100 broilers (for meat). Our children have eggs twice a week. Eggs have been named as an important food to aid in learning, so we provide eggs to the preschool once a week and we sell eggs to the community for a lesser price making it possible for them to purchase for their families. We also have a market for extra eggs. We do not expect to make a big profit but it would be good if the income from eggs and chickens paid for the food to keep them.  Might not be the best business practice but it makes good sense to me!