This young man from Kigali, Rwanda, is a student at Penn State University, located in Carol’s hometown. He has been kind enough to bring a gift from Carol to Rwanda.
He honored Carol by visiting her at Urukundo Village.
Thank you, Emmy Muhoza.
Beautiful hands
We are hand in hand. Sharing the love.
Peter Zittel took this picture.
Think on this exceptional photo, please.
Rwanda-Buffalo connection
Aimable Twagilimana, a Rwandan living in Buffalo, New York, USA, and a professor at Buffalo State College, paid us a visit. It was another very short visit, but he toured our campus and met the teachers and students here. Thank you, Drew, for suggesting he visit us while he was home visiting his family.
June 2018 Newsletter
What an exciting month!
The Primary 6 students are our first graduating class from Urukundo Learning Center. The students, teachers and Urukundo managers had the very first field trip ever. But not the last. The field trip will be a yearly event.
Large busloads traveled to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.
The group visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre and paid respect and honor to those lost in the genocide.
After the visit to the Genocide Memorial, the children visited the Parliament building, which is the seat of governing body in Rwanda.
This was such an important day for Urukundo Primary 6 kids, teachers and managers. The students will graduate in November.
Goodbye to Special Friends
On June 4, Bob and Amy Dove returned to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, after seven months of living and working with us at Urukundo Learning Center.
Before leaving, a new outfit “made in Muhanga” at the Urukundo Sewing Center needed to be modeled. We like.
The day before they left, Amy read the Scriptures at worship, and Bob gave the sermon. Olive translated.
Sorry to see them go.
Event worth much ado
We were so honored to host the Anne Frank Project out of SUNY Buffalo State in New York, USA. The city of Buffalo is sister city to the city of Muhanga in Rwanda. The project uses drama to help children learn.
This lovely painting was presented to the Urukundo Foundation as a special gift from the group.
The work the visitors did is so interesting and productive and so appreciated. The Anne Frank Project conducted two full days of teacher training in drama-based education at Urukundo Village. About 30 teachers from the Urukundo Learning Center as well as more than 50 teachers from various schools in Muhanga received professional development on how to use storytelling in their classrooms. On a third day, the teachers used it in their own classrooms. The results were outstanding! Plans are underway to define the partnership among the District of Muhunga, Urukundo Village and the SUNY Buffalo State’s Anne Frank Project to make Urukundo a center for innovative teaching and learning.
Here are some pictures from the training for the adults:
The next photo is special for John Latone, Claude's best friend. Claude and John met when the group was here about three years ago.
The kids had fun with the visitors.
Dinner with the kids
Blowing bubbles and relaxing in the front yard at Mama’s house
Claudine and the bubble wand
Always foote ball(soccer)
The Anne Frank Project group presented “Jack and the Beanstalk.”
The storyteller wore the orange-dotted shirt. All did a great job.
The tale includes the chicken who laid the golden egg.
And don’t forget the monster giant.
The children participated in the presentation. All had a wonderful time.
Now there is a new stone on the path. It shows where the heart is.
Visitors
Lauren Wright from South Carolina, USA, first came to Urukundo when she was with the Peace Corps and returned after finishing a degree in nutrition to visit her friends, the village and Urukundo. Love having her.
Lauren and her best friend Benita
Peter Zittel and his mom, Kim Zittel, came the middle of June. Mom stayed for a short time; Peter stayed longer as a volunteer helping out at the preschool. They are from Buffalo, New York, USA. Peter starts university in the fall. 
Didn’t get mom’s photo. Sorry, Kim.
Big kids challenge Peter in foote ball (soccer) match.
Come back soon, Lauren, Peter and Kim.
Kindergartners
Kindergarten girls posed for a before-school photo. They are, left to right, Winner, Axcel, Benita, Strong and Joyce. Benita likes her new pantsuit.
Here’s how they look in their uniforms ready for school along with classmate Jacob. This time, the group is, left to right, Jacob, Benita, Axcel, Strong, Joyce and Winner.
Time for cake
Mistakes are edible.
We ordered a cake from a shop in Kigali. The cake was delicious.
However, the writing on the cake had a mistake. It should have said, “New Family
Meredith, Alex & David.” Instead, it said, “New Family Marydith, David.” Alex didn’t make it to the top of the cake.
We did not have time to do the icing over, so there were no changes.The ice cream was melting. Sorry, Alex. We love you -- Mama, kids and especially David.
Meredith Lu first came to Rwanda more than eight years ago with the Peace Corps and has been David’s sponsor since he was a baby. She since has graduated from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. The newcomer to the family is Alex Nachis. Meredith and Alex visited Urukundo in 2017 so he could meet David. The cake celebrated their wedding on June 16, 2018.
Ice cream, cake and Fanta
Baby Jenny licked the bowl clean.
Secondary School Plans
The vision does not go away. 
So far, $5,000 has been raised for the Secondary School. Thank you.
There’s a long way to go. We need your help.
May 2018 Newsletter
Soon we will be six months into 2018. So accountability and budgeting for the next six months is on the agenda.
Here’s a request to our support partners for our children: Please check your dates for sending support for your child. If it is due or overdue, please send it ASAP. Maintenance and education all require ongoing funding.
I am so grateful to all of you for supporting the children and this mission.
Little animals that bite
OK, they are insects, but here in Rwanda they are called animals.
Because of the excess rain, these insects are leaving the outdoors and moving into our preschool. It is necessary to move the kids out of the classrooms while we spray. Teaching continues but on the basketball court …
in the yard…
and wherever.
The kids loved it and think this is a good idea for everyday. Well, it is, but with so much rain they might get wet.