April marks a time of national mourning and remembrance of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi. It’s a stark reminder of the pain of the past, but it also throws into sharp relief what Rwanda is today – a beautiful, safe and peaceful country full of hard-working and enterprising people who are building their nation for the better.
Please pray for continued national unity, healing and reconciliation.
On March 31, we attended a very special wedding.
Auntie Betty married Etienne. The wedding was simply lovely.
The Urukundo kids sat at the feet of the bride and groom.
Naming a newborn is a big event in a family in the Rwandan culture.
Executive director Jean Marie presented me with his new baby daughter. I am honored to hold the child of Jean Marie and his wife Larissa. The baby’s name is Ntwali Ava Kayla Luana Arleen.
The family name is first. She will be called Ava.
Volunteer Bob Dove is doing a great job while he is here with us. Along with his other projects, he is teaching four of our Primary 4 kids to play chess.
Sarah, Johnny, Agide and Claude are having fun learning.
Sarah gets some one-on-one instruction from the master teacher.
Kasperie and friends -- hand puppets from Germany -- are popular with the kids.
Kasperie introduced by Angelique Westmark from Germany two years ago. The children love the puppet and his animal friends. They follow the stories that came with Kasperie and make up stories of their own.
Kasperie is the puppet in yellow and green.
Sarah with Tiger
Luki with Giraffe
School in session
School is back in session for the second term. There are three terms in each school year. The kids are ready and excited. You can see that in these photos, taken the first day of the second term.
P6 kids went to school an hour earlier, so Claude, Luki and Aline are not in the photo.
Claude Luki and Aline.
We learn, discuss and practice.
Rain, rain and more rain -- and the walls at the farm came tumbling down.
Stones and bricks can build them up.
And the chickens will be safe.
Hard to believe, but the norm here is a cycle of three months of wet and three months of dry weather.
We are experiencing the eighth month of rain. Not sure when it will stop. This is nature playing tricks on Rwanda and possibly all of Africa. Our prayer is that eight months of dry does not follow.
Pastor Yves’ property shows major damage after heavy rain destroyed his walls and buildings.
The home of Libby, our cleaner manager and my house worker, is in shambles because of the rain. Then, the next day after the damage, her toilet was destroyed. Still, she comes to work smiling. Still, it rains and it’s very heavy rain. The people suffer.
Too much rain on our mountain, and homes are destroyed and people die. Except for retaining walls built in our early years, we do not use mud bricks. So our buildings and walls are safe compared to homes of the very poor.
This mama had 12 babies.
We’re using what we have and improving: better office facilities, better storage rooms and computer training for my daughter Serephine, who completed culinary arts school and works at Urukundo. Inventory and costs are now done on a spreadsheet.
Another effort is aimed at a better cooking area and directing smoke out of kitchen. Hope it works.
After it is successful, we will paint, tile the floor and have a more desirable kitchen.
Wood burners make a lot of smoke and are not healthy.
We are so happy to have Kyle Jerro home for even a short time. It’s the seventh visit for Kyle, who is from Nevada, USA, and is a lecturer of language and linguistics at the University of Essex in England. After so many visits, Urukundo feels like home, and it’s great he could return to spend time with the family. Kyle also is a member of the Hope Made Real International Board of Directors.
Welcome home, Kyle.
Secondary school progress
Our hopes are high. Progress is slow.
Here’s a progress report on giving so far for the planned secondary school(high school):
Michael Jerro USA $100
Lace Ladies UK $200
Phelps Chapel UMC USA $500
Barb Stapleton USA $500
Thank you.
