Benita receiving her certificate.
Emily receives her certificate. She’s now in Primary 1.
Jacob almost lost his hat but hangs on to his certificate!
Kindergarten.
Sewing Center. Certificates for all. So proud of them.
Although P6 graduated from Urukundo Learning Center, they will receive their certificates after the results of the National Exams.
Some of the non-graduating students who are participating in the graduation ceremony.
In loving memory of Tom Nunnally, our benefactor and the thinker, who envisioned a school for sewing at Urukundo Learning Center.
Each year in Tom’s memory, Forest Hills Rotary in Pittsburgh, PA awards a sewing machine to the most outstanding student the class, to help that person start up his or her own business.
Tom’s wife Carolyn also chose to present each graduate with a kit of basic tools needed to work as a sewer. Tom’s Legacy at Urukundo will live on.
Displaying the award: Theresa, Head of the Sewing School along with teacher Redemptus Nderendebe, the tailoring teacher Desire Uwimana, and Laurien Sebomana, honored guest from Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
This year’s award went to Teddy Uwurukundo and is presented to him by Madam Valerie Mukamutare, the Executive Secretary of the District, and by Redemptus Nderendebe, a teacher at the Sewing Center.
The manager of the sewing project presents certificates.
The certificates and sewing starter kits were such precious gifts.
Special awards given to outstanding Primary and Preschool students.
The parent of the year award was presented to Celestin Ndayiziga. This award was given to the parent who was most active and helpful to the teachers and in the Learning Center.
Special guests were interns from GO ED. The girls lived and volunteered at Urukundo for a month.
Jean Marie, Juliette, Olive, Theresa & Erneste join graduates for photo.
Remembrance photo. Next year we will have risers. Our Primary 6 kids are as tall as the students in the Sewing Center so only the hats of those students are visible. Live and Learn.
Happy Face of a special girl. She has been #1 in her class since Kindergarten. Congratulations Delice Nishimwe.
I hope you have enjoyed the photos of the graduation as much as I have enjoyed putting it together.
Thank you.
Mama Arlene
October was a very busy time for Urukundo. Before I tell you about the month, I’d like to share an announcement.
I am planning to come to the USA in late March and stay through April and May.
I hope to visit many of you while I am there.
If you would be interested in hosting me during that time, please get in touch with my daughter, Patricia Brown, pdbrown@spiritworks.org or phone 1 (412) 999-1912. Please also copy me arlene@hopemadereal.org.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you.
The decision was made to lay the cement and make the drive safe for all.
Jacob (Little Benjamin) was assistant to the maintenance manager, Big Benjamin, supervising the job.
Jacob dressed for work. Real proud of his Pittsburgh Pirates hat.
The drive as it has been for several months. Dangerous for old women and children.
A dump truck was dumping sand this trip.
Three trips, small stones, two types of sand. Another small truck delivered cement.
Work in progress. Out my office window.
Finished product. Three days hard work. Good job.
Our partnering with NGO GO ED benefits both GO ED and the Urukundo Foundation.
GO ED volunteers Erin Mackenzie, who intends to be a librarian, worked in our library and Alicia Newmaster worked with the farm manager. Erin is from Messiah College and is an English major. Alicia is from Eastern University and is a museology and anthropology major.
Erin and Alicia enjoy devotions with the kids.
David and company teach volunteers Alicia and Erin to play marbles.
Erin directs arranging books on new shelves in the library.
New shelves to arrange books better
Kids enjoy the game room at the library.
Thank You, Erin and librarian I’rene, for making the library more “user friendly”
Alicia at work. She wanted to experience a farm.
Feeding baby chicks
Gathering eggs
Alicia came to work with two boots for the left foot. Of course, it did not work well. Sent her and a cowboy shopping for a pair of boots with a left and a right foot boot. That was better. She took a lot of teasing. She also spent a week with the cows and another week with the pigs. She is now a farmer.
In Divine’s words:
"Dreams do come true! (Like Mama Arlene Brown always says). Today one of my dreams came true. It was an honor to meet Mbabazi Esther, Rwanda’s first female pilot). She’s always been my idol. I have always looked up to her, inspired by her story, her success and involvement in "the aviation industry”!! Being able to talk to her in person and share so many different stories and ideas was a dream come true and made me feel extremely ambitious to succeed. I feel one step closer to achieving my aviation goals. She is an amazing person and hopefully we will meet again soon. Thank you so much, Mama, for all your support! You are my hero."
Introducing Emmanuel Iyakaremye. Emmanuel is joining our teaching staff at Urukundo Learning Center. He is a graduate of Ruhija School of Music. At present, he will teach full days two days a week. After a successful probationary period, there is an option for permanent employment as director of music at Urukundo Learning Center.
He is a talented musician and plays and teaches many instruments, including cultural instruments native to Rwanda.
More visitors
It was an honor for me to welcome a team that included members from both South Williamsport United Methodist Church and Saint John’s-Newberry UMC, Williamsport, Pa., USA . It truly was great welcoming my faith family to Urukundo. I felt right at home putting them to work. I raised my family in South Williamsport, Pa., and lived my later years in the Newberry section of Williamsport. To have both in one team was awesome.
The team consisted of team leader Tom Hirschle, Kent Weiland, Theresa Harlan, Lynell Whitnack and Lori Mahaffey from Saint John's-Newberry UMC. Also on the team were Pete Heilman, Dave Monks and Becky Steppe from South Williamsport UMC.
Their first day began with visiting the opening exercises at the Urukundo Learning Center.
Sorry Lynell is not in the photo of the group at the lake below. Very tough walk to and from the lake. She and I chose not to go. The team plus the girls from GO ED and kids from Urukundo Home.
I had an unexpected pleasure welcoming Collins Oyo from Uganda.
Collins was graduating from a university in Uganda the last week in October 2018. He came to Urukundo to thank and pay honor to Pete Heilman for sponsoring him in education these many years through the Compassion program. He has reached his goal and his future looks bright. Congratulations, Collins. Pete and all of us are proud of you and your accomplishments.
Lynell Whitnack spent her work time in the Sewing Center where treadle machines are still used. These are the kind of machines my mother sewed on. Notice her foot on the treadle doing the work.
She made a bag with the help of manager Theresa and student helper Dismas. A lovely bag in shades of lavender. Colorful and big. She can’t wait to get it home and show it off.
Dave Monks choose to lend his talent mending fences at the pig farm. Necessary work as 30 of our piglets escaped the pen and went to visit the yard at the girls’ home. The kids loved it, but the pigs are not easy to catch and return to the pens. Fences do need to be solid.
He also makes a good horsey.
Way to go, Dave.
Lori Mahaffey worked at the preschool.
Lori also was active in the Mama & Baby Project while she was here. Visiting the birthing center, cuddling Baby No. 1.
Mama and baby at the birthing center. Baby No. 2 and happy mother with Lori.
Lori also spent time at the Urukundo Learning Center.
Busy woman. She is an early riser so she also assisted with breakfast in Mama’s house each morning.
Becky Steppe assisted teachers at the preschool.
Sharing a picture book.
Sitting on the mat is fun for the kids but not so for teachers. We do what works. Hugs and affection work well. Lots of love.
Becky met Emily.
Emily is the daughter of one of our dental hygienists, Theodore Habiyakare. Emily comes to work with her daddy so her mother can attend university. Emily stays in the day care while daddy works.
Theresa Harlan was a helper at the day care.
Pete Heilman in conversation with Kavine and Benate. Activity and coloring books are so appreciated by kids and visitors alike.
Pete with Kavine and Claudine. Theresa working with Janette.
Tom is into music with this young man.
Uno in progress
A lively game of Uno. Who caught who cheating just a bit?
Dave milked the cow. Not sure how the cow felt about that. Dave felt successful. He got milk.
Preparing for the Christmas celebration is a 3 month project. Gifts are prepared for all children in our family both home secondary and university kids plus 102 children of the staff and about 400 children from the community. That’s a busy job. I thank Tom Hirschle, Pete Heilman, Kent Weiland,& Dave Monks now we have a head start. They Unpacked suitcases, sorted, wrapped, counted & bagged making the job easier for us come November.
Entrance to lake area. Blocks vehicles. Very funny, the turkey path to get there is not car friendly.
Kids love the water.
Tom and Pastor Yves.
Behold the beauty.
UMC team, GO ED participants, our kids, Collins from Uganda, Pastor Yves, Lilliane and Divine home for the day from university. Wonderful group.
These stones honor our Williamsport visitors.
Here’s a stone added to the Path to Learning this month but commissioned last month. This stone is honoring the group from SUNY Buffalo and Haiti.
While our students were serving internships at other schools, we welcomed Theophile Mukamusoni from Raza to our school.
This is a process of a teacher teaching a teacher. Theophile is a teacher at Future4Kids, the nonprofit headed by my good friend Otto Fischer from Austria. It is good for us and for Future4Kids to partner and help each other when we can.
After two weeks, our intern displayed her work. Skirts, shirts, dresses, handbags, jacket -- even a dress for Mama. A fashion show was at the sewing Center. Congratulations, Theophile. Well done
