Project for the month and beyond

All Urukundo staff and kids helped to repair the entrance road leading to the house. I am grateful as the short road out of the compound to the main road was dangerous to walk on. I feared tripping and falling. Stones were in, out, angled, upside down and sharp. Catching my toe or foot on a stone and landing on my nose was not a good idea.
The staff and kids decided this would be an Urukundo project just for mama.

Forever and Younger Claude work as a team.

Big brother Bosco, at home for a break, pitched in and carried stones to the worksite along with the children.

Luki and teacher share the load by carrying stones and sand to the work area.Supervision on the job
Little Benj (Jacob) is on duty. He is a hard worker.

Jacob in Uniform. This navy uniform -- which was a gift from volunteers Bob and Amy Dove --  is just like the one Maintenance Manager Benjamin wears. Note even the boots are like Benj wears.
Teamwork. Jacob, Soso, both Claudes, David, Prince and many other children worked along with the adults.

Starting to place new stones. These will be covered by quality cement. I can’t wait to have a safe walkway. It will also be easier on the vehicles.
The kids were delighted to see Headmaster I’rene (principal at Urukundo Learning Center) carrying stones with them. He is such a good role model for staff and kids.

I am so proud of all. It was heavy work for the kids. Hard work for the staff. God bless them all.

Welcome home, brother

After 18 months in Seattle, Washington, USA, John Paul was finally coming home. His plane was due in Kigali at 3:10 pm. Wonderful. No, not so wonderful. John Paul’s homecoming had a few problems.

His flight from Seattle to Doha, Qatar, was delayed six hours, causing him to miss the flight from Doha to Kigali. Time was made up, and he was just two hours late getting to Kigali. So he still could be home in time for devotions with the kids and a photo. But that didn’t happen. There was an accident on the road from Kigali to home, and traffic was stopped for hours.

The kids waited until after 8:30 p.m.; then it was off to bed. JP arrived after 10 p.m. with only Mom to say welcome and no photo. We still needed a photo with him home and the kids loving him. The children are so happy he is home to stay. Big brothers are precious here at the Urukundo Home.

Visitors in July

Urukundo was very happy to welcome Bill Graf and some of his family members. Bill was instrumental in the first land purchase Urukundo made in 2007. That was when we bought land to house our chickens. In a short time, the land became the site of Urukundo Village and Urukundo Learning Center.
Pastor Alexi from the United Methodist Church in Kigali accompanied our guests. The visit was short but so appreciated.
Bill was accompanied by relatives Carolyn Graf from Sarasota, Florida, USA, and Steve Graf from Warner Robins, Georgia, USA.
Breakfast in  Mama’ s home.  

Janette is teaching Carolyn a new dance step
Janette is telling Jacob, “NO, NO don’t dance like that.
Do it like this.”
David is on the drum

Latest look at Urukundo

Bringing you, our friends up-to-date on development at the Urukundo Learning Center.

You have made this possible. Thank you.

Overview of Urukundo Learning Center
Top Level: Preschool, Kindergarten, Culture Center (brown roof), retaining wall site of future classrooms for the technical school for sewing, Cleared, leveled and ready to start building foundation. Water storage reservoir.
Second Level: Classrooms for Primary 1, 2, and 3.
Third Level:  Restrooms for boys and girls. Funded by World Orphans Fund. Red Roof: Teachers Resource Center, Music Center.
Fourth Level: Classrooms for Primary 4, 5 and 6.
Black water tanks on three levels.

Photos by Jean Marie 

The second photo provides a closer look at a portion of the compound.

Space and construction begin for four classrooms to move the Sewing Center. The retaining wall indicates where the new classrooms will be constructed. I’m looking forward to when the Sewing Center will be part of this picture. The Sewing Center now is in a rented space which is scheduled to be demolished when a new road is completed. It is urgent we get the center moved into a new building before that happens.

In process: Clearing done, Leveling done, Retaining wall built. Need funding for foundation and construction. To construct one classroom costs $25,000, or $100,000 for four built at separate times.. To build four at a time, the cost is less than $75,000. A savings of over $25,000. Our aim is to build at lowest cost for quality work.

Would you like to help? Gifts appreciated.

Friends have responded to what has been built so far. Friend Lisa in Switzerland said, “You have built a dream many only talk about….Pretty sure that’s heaven there.  So well done, Mama.”

Friend Drew from the USA said, “Quite a learning center indeed!  Great photos!”

Volunteer from England

Charlotte Earl is a student nurse from England with a love for children and a heart of gold.
Charlotte came for 19 days to volunteer at the Urukundo Learning Center. She and the kids connected with love and activities. She was a most welcome volunteer. She advanced our health program at the school, shared devotions in the evening with the home kids and monitored exams at the primary school. She had a busy time while she was with us. Love you, Charlotte. Mama & kids.

Measuring our growing students

Student nurse Charlotte and John Paul combined forces to weigh and measure all 702 of our students for a growth chart to follow each year.
We hope to keep a record that we can share with the parents as we watch their children grow on a yearly basis.

The preschool was first on the schedule.

Stepping on a scale and then backing up to the wall is not hard unless you are 3 years old and getting instructions from a woman who speaks only English. John Paul was a godsend and such a help by speaking both English and Kinyarwanda.
Project moved on to the Primary School.

Birthdays!

Our university students came home in July to celebrate the birthdays of their sister Anitha, also a university student, and all of the children with birthdays in the previous three months and the next three months. Hey, that is how you do birthdays when you have 52 kids.
From left, Lilliane, Divine and Esperance.
Visitors Naomi Brooks from Melbourne, Australia, and Charlotte Earl from England joined staff member Olive and university students Divine and Esperance in a balloon fest. So delightful!

Worship at Urukundo

We are welcoming a new children’s choir at worship. This group is part of the over 60 children who come to worship with us each Sunday morning from the community. After worship, all children are invited to have lunch with the Urukundo kids and staff. Each Sunday, we add seats and benches as God blesses our service. We welcome the children with pleasure and thanksgiving.

Pastor Yves and Lilliane introduce visitors and visiting pastor and family to the congregation.

Sharing a blessing

Gifts from churches in America are shared by the Urukundo Worship Center with children in our community.
The gift bags are full of much needed supplies. They were made as a Christmas project for Urukundo and the surrounding community by the children and parents of St. Paul's United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation in State College, Pennsylvania, USA.
The bags first were distributed at Christmas when over 500 children came to celebrate the birth of Christ with us. Throughout the year, the gift bags are used to give gifts to newborn babies from the Mama and Baby House and for needy children during the entire year. Each bag has a special message of love written by the giver.

Thank you, children and parents. What a wonderful project!

Hope Made Real board members visit

In the middle of the month, more volunteers arrived.
Carol Falke and Marilyn Ely are time-honored visitors to Urukundo. Marilyn first came when we were in Kibirige. Carol first came in 2011, and this was her eighth time to spend with us.

Carol is president and Marilyn is treasurer of Hope Made Real, which is our nonprofit 501(c)(3) in the USA.

Marilyn, left, and Carol loved their time with the children.

Marilyn learned new rules to an old game.
Carol and company made books using stickers to decorate the books.
Not only were Carol and Marilyn at Urukundo, but so was Margie Krogh, secretary of Hope Made Real and from Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, USA. She’s at left in the first row of the photo.
Imagine three Hope Made Real board members at Urukundo at one time!

We are honored by their presence.

The other two guests in the photo are Latha Bhagavatula, wife of the new director for Carnegie Mellon University-Africa in Kigali and at right in the photo,  and Cheryl Mutabazi, back from Australia, and in the center of the back row.

A special visitor for Carol

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.