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Progress on the Primary School

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The floors are finished. Blackboards are in place. Furniture ordered and more than half paid for. Another $300 is needed and Tom Nunnally's offer to match funds is still out there.

The outside is being dressed up. Trees have been planted to hold the soil, the cement frontage is in place and gutters are there for ground drainage. We still need the rain water harvest tank and foundation to set it on plus toilets. The school needed an access from the Preschool down to the Primary School. The path had to go through two of our neighbors yards. We are blessed wiiith good neighbors who care and both have given us the right of way with no compensation expected. We are blessed to have such good caring neighbors. Building the path will include taking out a wall, building steps and providing security. Benjimin the builder and Abis, one of our boys, started work on this project today.

about 4 feet of this stone wall will be removed.

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Walkway Stones

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This stone in memory of Pastor Marge Glascow is very special. She was a dear friend and served in mission in Africa after the Genocide. I first met Pastor Marge when she returned from a mission trip to the refugee camps caring for Rwandan citizens in 1995. She was very influential in my desire to do something for the
children, survivors of the genocide. At that time Marge was pastor of Oval United Methodist Church, Oval, Pennsylvania. Oval UMC still supports this ministry. I know Marge supported that during her life. Marge retired because of ill health but continued supporting the Urukundo Home for Children through Hope Made Real ministry. I was touched when, through her family, she requested in lieu of flowers that donations be sent in her memory to Urukundo Home for Children, Hope Made Real.

I will miss my friend as will many others. She rests in the Lord.

And our second stone this month is in memory of Susan Cacko. This stone was placed by friends and family and is a tribute to education.

Greetings

From Urukundo Village and Learning Center, Mama Arlene and all the Urukundo kids!  A newsletter, hopefully with pictures. This is testing my skills and thanks for taking the time to read.

October has been an eventful month, to say the least. Most recently, our servers in the US were temporarily disabled by Hurricane Sandy, while in Rwanda my Mac computer crashed, which was the low point of the month.  The high point? The completion of a number of major projects. Please bear with me as I write this newsletter without my trusty Mac - it may seem a bit strange and indeed it is. The reason is simple.  I am attempting to write on a Dell, and teaching an old dog (woman) new tricks (procedures) applies here. My computer is in need of a Mac doctor (so I have told my children) and has gone to Kigali, to Etienne our computer technician. Etienne is the young man we supported at KIST University and he is now a graduate with a degree in Computer Science. He will do his best to save my documents so that when the time comes and a new Mac appears the documents can be transferred to it.  Yes, I do believe in miracles.

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Making Excuses

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All directions on this Dell are in French, a language that I know very little about. Yes, I do know there is a way to change the directions to English but I just don't know how to do it.  Even the spellcheck is in French so every word I write has a red squiggle line under it because I write in English. I know Sarah our media person will check the spelling closely before she publishes. More work for Sarah!


I am finding there is so much I need to learn. Another example: I use two cameras to take pictures. On one there is no date printed on the picture, but on the other date stamps all photos 2011, so pictures taken with that camera appear to be at least a year old. This was pointed out to me by a friend. Last month's pictures of the Biogas project were dated 2011, yet this is a new project for 2012 and no pictures could have been taken in 2011! The date has been changed on the camera now, thanks to Jean Marie's expertise. I am blessed to have young people here who seem to have been born with the know-how to work with the technology changes. Digital cameras are wonderful but confusing.


Ok, now for pictures. October pictures are on the now defunct Mac.

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Education Support for the Poor and Needy Children of the Community

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Just a reminder.  But an important one!

329 children attend school because you care. This project is ongoing and each year you respond. Thank you.

For those who are new, a $15 gift supplies a uniform, back pack, shoes, excercise books, pencils and jacket for a child in need of education but without any financial means to pay for it.

Thank you for your support.

The Kids

Diane and Kavine Nelly, our babies, are creeping and attempting to walk. The little girls both turn 1 year in November.

Anita, John Paul and Diescor are preparing for national exams. This exam is the next step to higher education. This compares with moving from Junior High (7,8,9,grade) to Senior High (10,11,12) in the US education system.

All classes from P1 through S6  (12 grades) are taking finals and the school year ends November 10. We are anticipating the Senior (secondary) kids returning home for the long holiday. This time period compares with summer vacation in other school systems. School year 2013 starts January 10.

The Farm

We have babies!

1 female baby goat.

9 baby pigs

and 300 baby chicks.

The rabbits continue to multiply.

The Vet from Austria examined our pregnant cow and informed us she will deliver in 2 1/2 to 3 months. So a baby calf is on the way, perhaps around Christmas time. That would be nice. The mama is Daisy's calf (read about Daisy's eye surgery) and she was raised on our farm. This is a first for us. We are praying it will be a girl.

 

School News

THE  PRESCHOOL
Our first graduation will take place in November.
47 boys and girls will wear caps and gowns and be the first graduates from Cyakabiri School for Small Children. Pictures to follow in November's Newsletter.
The ceremony will take place in Hope House. Parents and special guests will be invited. We hope to make this a special event for our students.

PRIMARY SCHOOL
Stepping out in faiith: enrollment has begun for Faith Primary School for the first term of 2013.

In process: The goal for opening 2 classrooms for Primary 1 is January 10, 2013.

These are our ongoing funding needs:

furniture for 2 class rooms
25 desks and chairs sets for each room.

(photos before the date change on the camera!).

We also need:

2 teachers desks & chairs
2 assistant teachers table and chairs.
2 shelves for books
2 cabinets with doors and locks.

Furniture for one class room will cost $1500 usd.

A matching grant from Tom in Pittsburgh for up to $1500 has been given as incentive to raise the needed funds.
Thank you Tom.

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Greetings from Mama Arlene and the Urukundo Family for September 2012

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Hello from Urukundo.
September has come and gone. I do miss the changing of the fall season in Pennsylvania. The foliage is so beautiful especially in Williamsport, Jersey Shore and the Lock Haven areas. Many times I drove up the Snow Shoe Mountains to visit my mother in Clearfield County and the colors near took my breath away.  The air is invigorating. No longer summer but not yet the cold of winter. A great time but short-lived. Reminiscing is a pleasure when the climate here stays constant summer. What differentiates the seasons here is rain or no rain. We are in the rainy time now and so are planting every inch of ground. With the freezer our friends from Canada bought for us, we hope to be able to freeze enough vegetables to carry us through the months of no gardens. This will cut down on the cost of fresh food. 
IT'S THE TIME
For all of you who support this project I am eternally grateful.
Sending kids to school who otherwise would have little chance of education is a worthwhile project.
Your gift of $15 supplies one child with a uniform, shoes, exercise books, pens, a sweater and a back pack. Where could you find a better bargain? It will do your heart good knowing you are making a difference in the life of a child and these children are so grateful. Every child should be able to read and write and reach their potential.
I hope many of you will consider these children when you make out your Christmas list.
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Urukundo Kids News

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After an unusually long holiday our secondary (High School) kids returned to their respective schools. Some of the primary children came to see them off on the minibus. We now have kids in 5 different secondary schools. It was much easier when they all went to King David Academy. In the Rwandan school system, after the first 3 years in secondary school the children choose a goal for the future and move to a school that provides the education needed to be successful in their chosen field. It really is a good system giving the kids a head start for the future.
They will come home in early November and the 2013 school year begins  about January 10.
We finally have a playground thanks to RAISED HANDS FOR AFRICA  (check out their website). This mission-minded group hail from North Carolina.
Of course the big kids like the little swings. The twist and turn and unwind. That just makes me dizzy.
Big kids' swings.
The playground is such a joy to the kids.
Parallel bars, basketball court, swings for big kids in background. The sandbox is such a hit. It's located just above the nursery.