Cyakabiri School

Urukundo's Cyakabiri School in Mission

Urukundo Learning Center lends a helping hand with much needed school supplies and clothes.
for children in another Preschool. 
Director Alian visits Urukundo Village.
Sharing our love and materials with Tumukunde Assoociation's preschool.
This is schools working together in Ministry for Education.

 

Urukundo Learning Center lends a helping hand with much needed school supplies and clothes.
for children in another Preschool. 

 

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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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Urukundo Learning Center

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A gift was given to Urukundo Foundation designated for the much-needed classrooms for our Learning Center.  Additional funds are needed for cement and bricks.  
Work began January 20, 2012 on the new classrooms. 
This shows construction after 1 day.
Progress to January 28, 2012
The construction in progress will have two classrooms, an office and toilet.

 

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Meet our Students at Urukundo Learning Center

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A new morning class. These children are meeting in HOPE HOUSE until their classroom is finished. 

Bricks and cement are needed for completion of the classroom. The children inspect the progress of construction each day. They know it will be for them and it is surprising how interested they are seeing the work being done. We may have some engineers in the group!
A new afternoon class in Hope House.
The kids in the next two pictures will be our first graduates from preschool in 2 years.  We must have a Primary School built by then to receive the graduates. In Rwanda the age for starting Primary school is 6 years. They will be ready.  But will we?
Cyakabiri Class second term, afternoon class - 5 year olds who graduate in 2013.
Second term morning class in Cyakabiri classroom - 3 and 4 year olds.

 

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Teacher Training

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On November 4th Louise, who is one of our teachers from Cyakabiri School, boarded a plane for the US. She was accompanied by Jan Brown, Coordinator for our Preschool and Carol Falke, a dynamic fund raiser for Urukundo village and Urukundo Home for Children from State College, Pa. This was the beginning of many firsts for Louise. It is our hope that more of our teachers can travel to the US to receive extensive training and that teachers will come from the US to experience Cyakabiri School and share their knowledge wih our teachers. 
Louise is one of the three teachers at Cyakabiri Preschool - her journey begins.
Airports and luggage all part of the journey.
What Louise saw coming into the US. Sunrise over DC beautiful.
Louise's son Bruno came to Urukundo to be part of our family while his mom is in America.
He is a very fine boy and makes friends easily. He is a credit to his mother and loved at Urukundo Home.
We may not want him to go when his Mama comes home from the US. We are glad he will be close and can come visit and play with his new brothers even after his mom is home.
Luki and Bruno.
Bruno and Claude.

News from Cyakabiri School

The second term at Cyakabiri School ended well on Oct 28th. Students, parents, teachers and advisors were there for the presentation of reports.
Jan Brown, Education Coordinator, leading the march to honor the flag at the ceremony.

Parents, children and Felicitie, co-administrator at Urukundo Foundation at closing.

Our preschool is an adventure in learning for the students as well as the teachers. Progress is being made every day.

On November 3rd, one of our teachers, Louise, will leave for the US to gain experience in what is, for Rwanda, a different way of preparing children for the future. She will visit learning centers at North Hampton Community College, Lehigh Valley, another center at Penn State University State College, Pa. Christians interested in education for the teachers of Cyakabiri School from St Paul's UMC in State College were instrumental in making this happen.
We are supporting the education of 40 preschoolers now but that is not enough. We have no space to take new students in 2012 and the need is great and applications are many. Saying that there is no space is hard.
We are ready to build the second classroom but need partners willing to help.
This is where you can make a difference.
  1. Most of all we need people who care.
  2. We need to construct a second classroom. We own the land already and are prepared to build. $15,000USD would be enough to construct a classroom that would care for the beginning education of 40 more children.
  3. Equipment for the new class room will be needed: shelves, tables, benches, books, educational toys suitable for 3, 4,& 5 year olds (lego, building blocks, art supplies, sports equipment geared for preschool).
  4. T shirts sizes to fit kids sizes 4 to 8 would work well as a uniform for the school.  We could write Cyakabiri School across the back.
  5. Sturdy play ground equipment for the same age groop is a special need.
A new adventure at Cyakabiri School - the turtle will be the school mascot.
This week a vendor came to our gate. What was he selling? You guessed it. It was a BOX TURTLE. Now what in the world would I want with a turtle?"  I asked myself.  How would a turtle fit on the farm? No - it would not! But where would it fit?  Cyakabiri School is based on child development based on new experiences and certainly a turtle would be new. And so the turtle became a part of the school experience. I asked Vincent about the possibility of there being a turtle connection with African folklore handed down through generations.
Imagine my surprise when this story was brought to me:
One day the king of all the animals called all the animals together and asked, "Who is the fastest of all the animals in our land?"
The elephant stepped up and said. "No other animal can run as fast as I can". "I can run faster than you " came a voice from the crowd. All the animals laughed. They knew the turtle moved very slowly and carried a heavy shell on its back.
Does this story sound familiar? "The Tortoise and the Hare" has been a story in my life since I was a child, many many years ago and it was delightful for me to see in print the same story in Rwanda's Culture with the Elephant replacing the Rabbit. 
"I am a slow animal but I have won the race," said the Turtle.
The lesson remains the same.
Set your goal and stay the course. Slow and steady wins the race.
Urukundo University is our goal and it looks far away but we are moving in the direction and staying the course. The race starts first with the preschool, in process, Slowly but moving forward a primary, more slowly a secondary school. This race goes up a mountain and slowly slowly we will build a University.

 

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Cyakabiri School Report

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It is for sure we need to have more rooms for students. There are many more 3 to 5 year olds waiting to enroll. We need the space and teachers.  Volunteer teachers interested in being a part of this adventure in education in Rwanda, Africa are welcome to inquire and learn more about the goals of the school. This may be just the opportunity you have been waiting for. You will make a difference in the lives of small children.
Learning to match. Learning through doing.
Sun glasses and a worker's helmet. What fun! Morning snack is also good.
Claude from Urukundo Home for Children. We now have 7 children from our Home enrolled in our school for small children.
Dress up and pretend. Imagination is a new nation for the students.
Morning greeting.
Different expressions in one photo - I wonder what their thoughts are.
It is in the eyes.
The toy pig gets a house...then a wall so he cannot run away.  It's amazing how quickly the pighouse becomes a garage for moto cars!
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Traveling Mercies needed for a Learning Adventure!

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How do teachers of young children learn to write good lesson plans, talk with children, and offer the best learning environment? By seeing other skilled teachers at work!

A unique opportunity has been offered to Vincent and Louisa, the administrator and a teacher at Cyakabiri School for Young Children. This fall, they are invited come to the U.S. to further their educations. Jan Brown, Director of Cyakabiri, is putting together a remarkable itinerary for Vincent and Louisa to learn more about early childhood education. They can see the very best licensed and accredited programs in action and meet college professors who are world leaders in early childhood.

When the Cyakabiri teachers arrive, their transport, lodging, food, and in-depth learning experiences will be provided. All they need are their passports, visas, and plane tickets.

You can help support these talented teachers—who can then share what they learn with educators and policy makers in Rwanda. Please consider donating to the Teacher Education Initiative and pray for Vincent and Louisa to have courage. Their flights will be their very first in their lives!