An unbelievable vision! Visitors are in for a treat traveling through Kigali City. I was very surprised and impressed. It was not there the last time I was in the city.
A basket on top of this beautiful building! I am told at night the basket is illuminated and the flag of Rwanda is visible. I think I need to pay a night visit just to see this sight.
What do you think? Would it fit in your living room? Small ones are available. Lovely to see.
My rock garden has grown a new word.
As usual, John, Egide and David are hamming it up.
The story:
Edison’s mother works at Urukundo, and Edison has grown up and gone to school with Urukundo kids. It was not a surprise that Edison missed Jacob, his best friend through daycare and preschool at Urukundo Learning Center.
Jacob was moved to a foster family over a year ago. One Sunday morning, Edison asked his mother, “Where is Jacob? I need to see Jacob.” His mom called Olive, our child advocate, telling her that Edison said, “‘If I can't see Jacob, then I will ask NCC to find me a foster family so I can live with Jacob.’” The NCC is the National Commission for Children.
This was a bit funny to adults as Edison has a mom, dad, brother and a great home. It was not funny to Edison. He was serious.
Tresor who just came home from Arizona State University and was very close to Jacob when they both lived at our home. He also wanted to see Jacob, so a surprise trip was arranged.
Benita, who also lived at Urukundo Home, had a history with Jacob. When Benita was 3 years old and had to go visit her grandmother far away, she was told she would come back but had to see her grandmother. She agreed to travel by bus to see her grandmother near the Burundi border. When she stepped out of the bus and saw her grandmother, she looked at her traveling companion and said, “OK, now let's go home. Jacob needs me.”
The impact Jacob had with so many has been felt. So Tresor, Edison and Benita went to spend the afternoon with Jacob. They had a wonderful time together.
Next visit, our maintenance worker Benjamin, who was Jacob's idol, will go to see Jacob. When asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, Jacob’s answer was always the same. “I want to be Benjamin.” No greater love.
Jacob in green and Edison in blue
Benita, Jacob and Edison, who were best friends at Urukundo Home, meet again after being separated for over a year.
Kids are kids. Photos are fun.
Edison and Benita came home to tell me, “Jacob has a tooth problem and needs to come home to get it fixed.”
Tresor and Jacob
New ball at the daycare. Purple is a good color.
Here are some of our favorite toys. Elmo is tops and speaks.
I receive many wedding invitations, but because of distance, very rugged terrain and the time away from home, I attend very few. A monetary gift is always given after receiving the invitation.
Rwanda weddings have three ceremonies: the civil ceremony, the dowry giving and then the church wedding.
This dowry giving is the fun part. Oswald, who is my driver and board member, went with me as the interpreter. He is such a blessing to me.
The bride is the adopted daughter of my contractor Felix. She was orphaned as a child during the Genocide.
Felix in blue shirt
The dresses are eye-catching, The bride is lovely. She was presented by her brothers and papa Felix.
Bride and groom after both families have accepted this union.
Bride’s attendants with gifts for the groom’s family.
Groom’s female attendants with gifts for the bride's family.
A band and singers were present. They played and sang African music. The gentleman, who is holding the guitar and lead singer, is blind. It is his band, and he has a great voice. I was impressed.
Best of all for me, storks kept watch over the ceremony.
I watched the storks.
They are beautiful birds in flight.
Not so beautiful up close and personal.
I am assuming the tall guy is the male. Don’t know a lot about storks, but in the USA, tradition says these birds bring babies. Not in any stretch of the imagination.
It was awesome for me to meet again, at the wedding, after many years, Imbaraga, his wife and children. His wedding was one of the first I attended many years ago. Now his children are students at Urukundo Learning Center.
Production continues at the farm. Nine babies. Mama pig looks tired.
September rain has begun. Workers prepare a field for planting.
This will be an all-purpose classroom.The main use will be the Sewing Center.
The Sewing Center classroom is looking good. Ready for use. Outside painting is all that remains to be done. White is the primer coat.
Front
Side
Back
From my window, this addition now blocks my view of the mountain. Progress sometimes is wonderful, but it changes the environment. I miss seeing the cows walking across the ridge to graze.
I was so pleased to have a short visit with Bruce Krogh, a return visitor and friend from Pittsburgh, PA. Bruce is the former director of the Carnegie Mellon University campus in Rwanda and lived in Kigali just an hour away from Urukundo Village. Bruce has retired from that position and moved back to the states. We miss having Bruce and his wife Margie close by.
Bruce and I arranged to meet in Kigali. We then visited the kids at the university house. With a very tight schedule, Bruce could not fit a visit to Urukundo Village. It was good to see him.
House manager Divine hosted this visit.
Several years ago, Urukundo experienced the horror of what a lightning strike can do. A day worker at Urukundo sought shelter from the rain under an avocado tree. The tree was struck, and the young man lost his life. It was a sad time and an awful experience for Urukundo.
Rwanda is a dangerous place for lightning strikes.
The New Times, a newspaper in Rwanda, wrote in March 2018 that “49 people were killed by lightning strikes in Rwanda, from January last year up to last weekend when 16 people were killed in Nyaruguru. The strikes also injured another 187 people and killed 45 livestock.”
Urukundo is stepping up.
In August, Urukundo, with help from the parent committee, took steps to protect our school. Most schools are built at the high point. As Rwanda is mountain upon mountain, there is no place else to build.
In order to protect our area, Urukundo has installed lightning rods to protect our school and the children and staff who attend there. The rods were installed by Optone Engineering Group Ltd. The rods are now the highest point on the mountain.
I remember the big metal rooster that sat on the top of my grandfather’s barn when I was a child. We called it a weathervane. Oh, so long ago!
At the school
In the village
Not only will the lightning rods protect the Learning Center and our Urukundo Village but also the local community in all directions. As far as I know, the community is not aware of this protection given to them. If one life is saved, it is a good mission outreach.
A new walk to my front porch was needed. I feared that one of the small children coming for day care would fall and get banged up knees or worse. Photo of before and after will show you my meaning.
Before
After
Ever wonder what you can do to help?
Here’s a thought:
A great way is to support the Urukundo Sewing Center. A big help with a small gift.
We have a Sewing Center classroom nearly ready to start the new school year in 2020. We have no desks or chairs.
Yes, we need chairs for our students to sit on. These students are young adults.
The chair we wish to purchase is one with a side desk, thus saving on buying both a desk and chair. Economically, this is the best buy at US$30 each. We find if we were to buy a desk and chair separately, the cost would be US$60 for the two pieces. We try to save where we can. The metal frame will hold up better, and wood parts can be replaced, keeping the cost down. The chair is made here by our local vendor, so we help not only our economy but the economy in our district.
Donations can be sent to
Hope Made Real
Box 3222
Williamsport, Pa.
17701
or
Use the “donate now” button on the website, www.hopemadereal.org.
Thank you all for the generous donations.
Mama
Visitors from Austria
A yearly visitor to Urukundo is Dr. Otto Fischer, a doctor of veterinary medicine in Austria and founder and director of the NGO Future for Kids. This group is located in the Rwaza sector of Rwanda. He also founded a vet clinic. He brings many visitors to Rwanda from Austria, both vet students others. I am always glad to see him and his friends.
This time. Dr. Otto brought with him 12 aspiring young people on their way to graduating from veterinary school. It was our pleasure to have them tour Urukundo’s farm.
Andreas, Tamara, Lara and Clara came to Rwanda from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria.
Anga, Esther, Prudence and Leandre are students at the University of Rwanda, Nyagatare campus.
With Dr. Otto was Dr. Thomas and his vet tech, Anna, from the animal clinic in Rankweil, Austria.
Visitors from Texas, USA
Dr. Casey Call and a delegation from the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University came to spend a few hours getting acquainted with Urukundo Learning Center and Village. An internship between Urukundo and Texas Christian is a possibility. We look forward to a closer relationship in the future.
It was our pleasure to share Urukundo’s history and goals with Jana Hunsley, Ashley West, Mindy Cook and Dr. Call, who is assistant director of the Karyn Purvis Institute.
Accompanying the visitors was Francoise Uzamukunda, a representative from the Global Engagement Institute in Rwanda.
Making new friends continues to be our goal at Urukundo Foundation.
Ok, so I am the short one. Don’t expect I will get taller.
