Visit from Teachers Training College, Muhanga

Wednesday the 20th of February saw much activity at Cyakabiri Preschool. 38 students and 4 teachers from TEACHERS TRAINING COLLEGE, MUHANGA came to spend the day observing at our school. These are young people preparing to be the teachers of tomorrow.

A very handsome group.

Our little students teach the the bigger students. Every one learns.

Our teachers answered questions.

They learned about lesson plans.

Lesson plans - the teachers guide for the week.

Sitting on the mat for a reading session. It was good to see these young people become interested in education for 3 and 4 year olds.

The students finished their day by joining with our teachers for question and answer session. It was a full day.  The students learned there is more to teaching young children than play. This early teaching sets the pattern for all future education. Their impact is so important for students of tomorrow. 

Help Make Joy : Guest Post by Carol Falke, State College, PA

Sunday School children, book clubs, alternative Christmas, preschool global giving projects. What do they have in common? Marc, 11yrs old, says it best, "I got to help make joy for the people of Rwanda. We gave money for a pig and desks. It was really cool."
The end of 2012 brought many joys and examples of giving that I knew God was smiling and blessing all the hands and feet serving. One little boy gave at Sunday School to purchase a pig for the farm and said it was “Special. Heart soaking.” Barb said with a smile, “For the past several years, I've given a donation as an alternative to purchasing a Christmas gift for my parents. This year I chose to honor them by giving a gift of desks and chairs to the new primary school. My parents were so touched! They have always valued education, and this seemed like the perfect way to show our love for and support of the children of Rwanda.”

Two women’s book clubs were inspired to give towards desks, bookshelves and books. Gail shared, “Learning and loving to read is one of the most wonderful gifts given to us all. It opens the world around us. We chose having bookshelves for your classroom to enable you to fill the world around you with books, books and more books!” And Darlene’s book club said, “All children deserve the chance to receive an education. It is the building block for a nation.”

A partnership was formed a year ago with a preschool. Classes at each school in Rwanda and the US are learning what is the same and what is different. They are learning about each other’s countries and to appreciate their culture. This school selected Urukundo as their Global Giving Project for 2012. Almost $400 was raised for desks, bookshelves and teacher materials.

So for 2013, be creative, think BIG and connect people, schools, organizations to the Urukundo Children’s Home and Learning Center. They will fall in love with the children, understand how something small can mean something big in Rwanda and KNOW they are truly making a difference. Share the stories of Urukundo with others to give them the opportunity to Help Make Joy all year long!!!

Hope House is a Fun Place

Each morning, except Sunday, Mama and the younger kids who are not in preschool gather at Hope House for two hours of fun and activities geared just for them.

It gets a bit noisy. Every thing does not run smooth. There are the normal squabbles but we share the fun and love.

It also gives the Mamas a time to catch their breath.

Baby Report

Baby Jacob at one month. He follows with his eyes and makes cooing noises.

Nope he doesn't walk or talk yet but he is special.

Congratulations are in Order

Urukundo was honored by an invitation to the graduation celebration of an amazing school: ESTHER'S CULINARY ARTS SCHOOL, RWANDA. Check out their website.

Esther's Aid trains Rwandan youngsters in the culinary arts at their Heavenly Bread Bakery. I visited this school and was surprised to find as many young men students as young women. Several of our young girls are interested in attending these classes after finishing Senior School.

Urukundo is hoping to build a connection with this amazing organization. It is much more than a bakery. Its director Claire Effiong is doing a great job and is dedicated to making life better for Rwandan young people.  

Serephina is looking forward to being accepted as a student in 2 years.

Urukundo Faith Primary School

Our library is slowly taking shape. Volunteers are coming in March for a few days to give us advice and a helping hand. We still need a long term volunteer.  

Music & Art section

Memory Learning Games and Craft supplies

We want the library to be the focal point for the school.

Teaching children that learning can be fun is our purpose.

Videos available. More National Geographic would add a lot to this collection.

Class room #1                                            

Class room #2                                    

56 children attend Faith School

Our Primary teachers

-Salome Ayigihugu

-Marie MUKANDOLI

Development at the School

Clearing and leveling has started for construction of the next two classrooms. We are working to make this Hope Real by January 2014.

These classrooms will be for Primary 2 (second Grade) It is our hope to add two classrooms each year as our children move on until our goal of a complete school system is reached. 

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED.

The Farm

Rework was done on the protective fences this month which you can see in the pictures.

 

When does one cow equal two cows?

Well, I found out it is better to feed one cow giving 22 liters of milk a day, than to feed two cows, one giving 8 liters a day and the other giving none since insemination did not seem to work for her.  Not even a visit from a male friend worked. Yes, the manure is more for Bio-gas production but the food is also much more costly.

The new farm manager Eugene is very aware, and wants our animal farm to become a successful source of revenue. And so it was decided to sell the 2 unproductive cows and with the money buy a single productive cow.  We now have two cows instead of three.

Making sure you are getting what you are paying for is interesting. Our manager visited the prospective cow when least expected and sat through the milking in order to verify that she did give 22 liters of good milk every day. Only after several weeks of checking did he OK the purchase. She is a much bigger cow and provides the milk needed for our kids with 5 liters of milk available for sale.   

Our milk provider. No name. I find it better not to name the anmals so I greet her in the morning with a pat on the white spot and a "Hello Cow". She doessn't seem to mind one bit.

Mama cow # 1 gave birth in February to a female calf.

So even though two cows are gone we still have two cows and a calf.

News to come: report on the chicken part of our farm next month.

Memorial Stone Added to the Path of Learning

In Memory and With Love

Elma was one of the very first to take this mission to heart.

She was an amazing gift giver. You see she decided to handle her estate while she yet lived.

I received word of her gift and assumed she had gone to her reward so sent my condolences to her son Larry.

His reply surprised me: 'My mother is still with us. It was her wish to give her gift while she could see the benefits it gave.'

In 2011 at age 95 Elma went to her rest. She indeed had a loving heart and we celebrate her life.

January Greetings from Urukundo Village and Learning Center

January started off with a bang.  After Christmas our kids went to visit extended family and so New Year was a bit quiet, but there was celebration in the boys' house when the New Year came in. However 2013 arrived with no help from me. I and the little ones thanked the Lord for our blessings and went to bed about 8pm. The older kids and mamas ushered in the new year with juice, sumbosa, donuts and a movie on VHS. I think it was 'The Lion King'.
Welcoming the 45th child into our family on January 4 was an unexpected pleasure. He will need a sponsor. If you're interested, please get in touch  arlene@hopemadereal.org

Waiting for the results of the National Exams and school assignments was a bit tense. How you preform in the exam determines where you can apply for further education. There was so much activity as we searched for Secondary Schools for 23 kids. Changing schools was not as traumatic as I had thought. It amazes me how these children adjust to what ever the circumstances and keep a positive attitude.

With all the secondary kids gone back to school our house hold is very different. The time had come to move our 4, 5,and 6 year olds from the nursery into the big kids' house. They think that is great. It is much like a graduation and the criteria for such a move is no Invura (rain) in the bed at night. The boys have a bigger problem with that than the girls. I seem to remember that from when my kids were little. Then, I was dealing with one at a time. Now I am dealing with 11. They really want the move so the incentive is there and they are doing well. All but two are moved and they will move soon. The nursery will then have
four babies, Jacob, Kavine Nelly, Diane, and Soso.

EXPRESSING A NEED
Children's one-a-day chewable vitamins with iron.

Baby Jacob

On January 4 a baby boy came to live at our house. We have named him Jacob. He was between 7 and 10 days old.  He was a surprise as he arrived at 11:30 at night, brought by the police.

Water

Too much water is bad not enough is worse. We now have experienced both. With a torrential downpour we discovered what too much rain can do. I have lived in the flood area in Williamsport and had my home damaged by raging creek water but this experience was more frightening. Crops were washed away, homes gone and we feared for the Solar Panel building and the source tank.

Again God was good. We had some damage with fences down and debris everywhere but our foundation was strong and the house stood firm. Repair took two days. Urukundo paid for the stone and cement but the
community provided all the labor. We are blessed to have such a good relationship with our community.

The pictures show the damage and the project after repair was made.