Dental Initiative

We are so grateful to all the dentists out there who contributed to make this much needed service available at Urukundo Village.

Our first day we scanned 85 children from Urukundo Primary School. 55 needed dental attention and 29 of the 55 needed urgent care.

Notices were sent home to the parents of all children seen. Follow up calls were made.

Saturday March 1^st   29 were seen with their parents.

Saturday March 15^th 33 were seen with parents.

Parents and children sitting on benches on the porch of the Girls' House waiting their turn.

Little benches outside the Tiki Hut, our dental workstation.

How do you like the grass roof?  We really need to get a new roof, but I think this one adds character. What do you all think?

Dentist, Dad and patient.

Dentist, Mom and another patient.

Most times the parents are more anxious than the kids.

Saturday March 22,2014

After covering the Home and school we are opening care and treatment to the children and adults in the community.

Our continuing need is funding for Novocain, Amoxicillin to fight infection after extractions, Ibuprofen for pain and sterile gloves. These can be purchased in Kigali Town as needed.

On Feb 28 our Dentist spent an afternoon explaining and demonstrating dental hygiene to the Primary classes. Our Dental Initiative is an all-inclusive program.

Toothbrushes, toothpaste and smiling kids!

Art

As you can see art is also important at Urukundo Learning Center. We invite art teachers and those interested in creating interest in young people to come to Urukundo. Art teachers are needed short term or long term. Creating a love of art can lead to wonderful career choices as the kids mature.

There are so many facets to art. It is more than drawing and coloring. Building a bridge, a small house or a skyscraper, designing a dress, decorating a home, creating furniture. Yes, even your lawn and garden is a work of art. The greatest artist ever gave us the beauty of the mountains and the colors in the fall. Look around your area. What would it look like if there were no creative minds and eyes to see possibilities. Art as a subject is new here but so important. 

Teacher in a classroom.

Animals of Rwanda.

Rwanda map.

A house.

The Farm

The need for more manure for the biogas for cooking and more milk for the children was a challenge.  Thanks to you out there enough money came so we could find a good breed and bring her home.

Flossie has come to take care of both problems.

THANK YOU, to all who contributed to covering the cost for obtaining this necessary addition to our farm. She is ½ paid for. God in charge. The rest will come.

She is beautiful.  I do mean the cow.

The Cutter

Putting it together.

When grass is high I fear snakes, and high grass is hard to play soccer on. Thanks to a good friend we now have a cutter. You may think of it as a weed whacker but believe me it does more than just cut weeds. We now are able to walk everywhere in short grass. Praise God.

More March Volunteers

Carol Falke & Marilyn Ely arrived on schedule bringing many books and teaching plans share with our teachers. As volunteers they have a very heavy schedule planned. Others on their team will join them on March 21^st.

We are so blessed by their presence.

Many many suitcases, some with books.  Pounds of books arrived with Carol and Marilyn.  Gifts from those who value the library in our Learning Center.

When books arrive they are cataloged into our system on the computer and then added to the shelves in the library. We thank Marilyn for entering them all into the computer.

Teachers check out the books and place them in the right categories.

Another volunteer arrived. 

Meredith Lu came home for too short a visit. Meredith just finished her nursing program at Johns Hopkins Hospital and is now a Registered Nurse. She is going for her Masters but came home for a visit first. Congratulations Meredith from a proud Mama and the Urukundo Kids. Visiting the kids at Gasogi Secondary School was a treat for them and also for her.

Welcome home Meredith. Next time stay longer.

Spending quality time with the kids.

Making New Friends at Urukundo

Laura from Pittsburgh USA and Meredith from Seattle USA on their way to work at the Preschool early in the morning.

Two of my girls.

Saying good bye to Meredith and Marilyn was tough.

But on the same day we were saying hello to Carol Bany and Nona Nina Fellin from State College. They were part of the Carol Falke, Marilyn Ely team just arriving a bit late.  We are strong believers in “BETTER LATE THAN NEVER.”  Welcome Carol and Nina and come back soon Marilyn and Meredith.

Preparing for the Future

In January 2015 we will have 50 children who have finished Primary 2, Second grade. There needs to be two P3 (third grade) classrooms ready to receive them. In our vision this will be the first two story building on Urukundo Learning Center campus.

Trusting in the Lord that the funds will come we are preparing the land.  HELP IS NEEDED!

Land cleared and leveled. Now the work begins.

Foundation measured and work begun.

Greetings from Urukundo for February 2014

February was full of exciting events at Urukundo Home & Learning Center.

On February 1st an event that seemed impossible took place. Imagine being able to be fitted for a custom garment, and then have a photo op in the finished gift - for all 23 children at Urukundo!

The kids were thrilled and had a great time when Janet  and Angela Murray, seamstresses from Canada came to visit. They bought material at the market and worked with the staff at the sewing Center to complete their project.

A dress for each girl and shorts for each boy. The kids saw the process from start to finish.

The day started sunny and bright. Janet and Angela worked to finish their project as today was their last day to be with the kids.

They were due to leave at 3 PM. Most important they wanted photos. The morning was perfect for photo taking. This is Rwanda!

About 1:30 the sun left and the rain came. This was not on our schedule! Photos would have to be taken on the front porch. The lawn would have been so great and the rain would not last long but their timetable was set.  Mama's front room became a room of activity as last minute adjustments took place and play clothes were chucked and finishing touches and modeling of handiwork took place. Such fun for Janet, Angela, the mamas, myself and the kids.

Boys model shorts!

while the girls modeled sun dresses. (with boys in the back ground being boys).  In the photo: 

Janet, Angela, myself & four of our wonderful mamas : Chantel, Delphine, Betty, Francois & the kids.

Urukundo Learning Center

In February the director and visitors from THE KIGALI SCHOOL OF MUSIC visited our new Music Room at Urukundo Primary School.

The purpose was to see how they might work with Urukundo. We hoped for a program that would benefit both the Music School and Urukundo Learning Center.

Their director was impressed with our music facility. He is very interested in working with us and will set up a program. In the long term, he is considering having his students do an apprenticeship at Urukundo. This would help his school and benefit us. We would supply food and shelter in exchange for a teacher with training preparing for graduation.

This may be a way for us to get qualified teachers in the future.

We could use some financial support to be able to offer this program to his students and to ours.

If you agree with me that Music and Art are universal/ international and should be a part of every program for education you can help make it happen at Urukundo Learning Center. If you want to be a part of giving this gift to the children in Rwanda come on board with a gift to make this program work.

In the short term, a teacher will come once a week to spend the day in our teaching program. We would furnish transport and a meal.

The team comprised of 3 women from Finland and 2 men from Rwanda. The group consisted of a piano teacher, a singing instructor, an opera singer, a recorder player, a guitarist and the Director of the school.

A guitarist who also teaches children how to play and have fun with a recorder, the director of the school and a representative of Crescendo, an international organization. www.cresendo.org

The kids had a great time. Each had an instrument, played and sang along.

Before they left they gave the little ones in our home 3 harmonicas.

The kids loved the noise they made. It was music to their ears but noise to mine!

Kabosi doesn’t quite get it. Wrong end in mouth. We made the correction but I love this picture.

It was a wonderful few hours. We hated to see them go.

Progress Continues

Saturday February 15 was our start date;

We are stepping out in Faith to accomplish a “Hope Made Real” we have started.

Your help will let us continue. Thank you for making Dental training and Dental care possible at Urukundo Learning Center.

Kenilla having treatment

This month marks the second step toward our goal for a Technical University at the Learning Center.  The first step was the Sewing Center where students learn about machines, sewing, tailoring etc.

Treadle sewing machine

Sewing School Building

The second step is

Rwanda Dental Initiative 2014

It is our goal to have several practical teaching programs when university is not an option. The Sewing Center and the Dental Initiative projects are just the beginning of a future for better health and better technical education for Muhanga District and we hope for all of Rwanda. 

We have seen so many children at our school with mouth problems. If there had been education for the parents at an early age most of the problems could have been avoided. Prevention is so important. There are over 250 children in our school and that is only preschool and Grade 1 and 2. These are community children.

Our program for the Dental Initiative will be to educate the parents, which means a parent must come with their child and be present for the examination and meet the dentist. They will learn how to help their children and in turn help themselves. We can’t just teach the children, we must also educate the parents. 

We will start with the parents of the very young in hopes that instead of taking a small child while teething to a cultural doctor, where the practice is to destroy the teeth below the gum, they will come to Urukundo Dental Program to get help.  

Two young men trained in dentistry are donating their time to Urukundo in hopes of training others in the field  as assistants to the dentist AND they will be working with the Home, school and community to prevent dental problems in the future. This will be a certificate program. Our graduates will be qualified to accept employment as trained personnel for dental programs throughout Rwanda.

Needs for the DENTAL INITIATIVE 

Pressure Cooker for sterilization

• Composite curing lights
• Prophy cups & paste
• Mirrors & Mirror handles
• Explorers
• Any tools for cleaning teeth
• Cotton Rolls
• Toothbrushes
• Toothpaste
• Floss
• Gifts of cash to purchase a hot plate and a pressure cooker for sterilizing tools
• Stainless steel containers for holding sterilized tools

***We are starting from scratch.

Our building

The Spot Lamp & our Dental Chair

Saturday February 15 was our start date; we are stepping out in Faith to accomplish a “Hope Made Real” we have started.

Your help will let us continue. Thank you for making Dental Training and Dental Care possible at Urukundo Learning Center.

Kenilla having treatment.

John Paul having his teeth cleaned.

Screening began this week on the children at our school. Notices were sent home to parents if a problem was detected. Dental work will start on the first 20 patients on Saturday March 1,2014.  Our main problem is the lack of tools for extractions and our urgent need for a sterilizer. Hoping for that.

Current Events and Progress

Knowing we must move forward in order for the classrooms for Primary 3 to be ready for January 2015 we are clearing and leveling. Next step is the foundation. The plan calls for a two story building.  It is our HOPE to finish building two rooms each for the next 4 grades in this building. A single two-storey building with four rooms on each floor would save labor, time and construction costs.

“God in charge”

The workers are doing a great job.  Leveling a mountain is definitely hard work.

Looking good!

Visitors

Laura Rowland from Pittsburgh, Pa, USA arrived February third and will be with us for three months. Laura is working with the teachers in the preschool in both the morning and afternoon sessions. Teachers and helpers are needed.  Laura is doing a first rate job.

In late afternoon she helps with the children at dinned and joins them for devotions. We are blessed to have this young woman at Urukundo Village.

Visitor from Burundi

Nadine’s visit was a return trip. She visited us in 2009 while still a student. She has finished that period of her life and came back to see the kids she knew in 2009. Of course that did not happen because like her, their lives have moved on and they were all at boarding school. She now has a whole new family of children at Urukundo, all under 7 years of age. She will come back in April when the older kids come home from school.

Nadine playing with Nursery kids at play time.

Diane and Soso. Quite an armful.

Visitors from Canada and the US

A wonderful mixed team from Canada and the US paid a very short visit to Urukundo. Their main purpose was to visit the school and see the Dental Initiative firsthand. This was Misty and Debbie's second visit. They were here in 2012 and found the changes rather interesting. Janet and Mariah visited for the first time. It was a fast 2 hours but a delightful one.