New school year

Our teachers are very brave. Imagine 120 three-year-olds leaving their mothers for the first time. Chaos for sure. The parents are allowed to enter the classroom with the child for the first three days. After that, they bring the student to the gate, and the teachers take them to class from there.
One week later, I took photos. The kids adjust better than the parents.They are waiting for uniforms sewn by Urukundo Sewing Center.

Not yet happy, but not crying. That is progress.

Laughing or crying, I am not sure, but a friend to hug is always comforting.
Uniforms are being made and soon will be given out.

Beginners are in baby class. They are 3-year-olds. Yep, they are babies, but don’t tell them that.

This group is only one of three classrooms of our middle class. Sports uniforms and so grown up. What a difference a year makes!

Auditorium expansion

Urukundo Learning Center needs an auditorium where all students can gather for assemblies and special events. Building an auditorium will be an expensive proposition and will take a long time, but slowly by slowly we will succeed. We do need a building with a larger capacity. Staying with the concept of using what we have and improving it makes Hope House our best option.

When we constructed Hope House in 2009, it was a big building. At the time, it really was and met our needs. I had not visualized the growth that would take place at Urukundo in 10 years.

Renting larger facilities for parent/teacher meetings and other school activities proved costly. Turning away income-producing community meetings, celebrations and weddings because the building did not have enough capacity was an indication it would be beneficial to provide a larger building.

The need for an auditorium became even more apparent in 2019 when the number of community children participating in the Christmas celebration filled a second building.

Looking at possibilities of expansion at a reasonable cost, expanding Hope House seems the most doable. The unused land is there. We are doing the clearing and leveling work. We are looking to the future with hope.

It is possible to add an addition not only at the front but also at the end of the building. Both areas are in the process of being prepared for possible construction. The Urukundo National Board of Directors has asked for three bids from local contractors. Growth is inevitable. Sustainability is the ultimate goal. Funding would be helpful and appreciated.

Good News

Dorcas is recovering! Brave girl.

For you who do not know, Dorcas’s home was caught in a mudslide after heavy rain in Muhanga, causing it to collapse. Dorcas was crushed beneath the falling mud brick wall. These building bricks weigh 40 pounds each. A little girl nearly lost her life. She has fought back.

From this in October 2019

To this in January 2020

Dorcas and her walking stick

She is back. Here she is entering the school gate. We applaud her. I thank all of you who joined Urukundo in prayer.

I also heard some good news about Diescor, who has made additional progress at a rehabilitation hospital in the USA. He now can walk short distances on his own with a cane, is saying new words everyday and is gaining some movement in his upper arm. He is doing well enough that he has been discharged to outpatient therapy. He made a special point to send his love and a "hi" to the kids.

Urukundo Worship Center

A donor blessed us with funding to purchase Bibles for our community youth graduating from Primary 6. Having a Bible to take with them as they leave home for the first time is the perfect tool to help them along the way. The Bibles are of good quality and with a hard cover. They are in the Kinyarwanda language.

Pastor Yves placed in the Bible the name of the child, the date and reason for the gift (graduation). Some time later, he also signed the Bibles for those baptized.

These seven beautiful people accepted Christ as their personal savior, were baptized and received a Bible with their name and date of baptism on the inside cover.

The older gentleman said, “I am happy to have a Bible even though I can’t read. Maybe I will learn to read.” I wish him the best as from experience I know learning a new language is harder to accomplish as you get older.

We are so pleased. Pastor got a hardly used new suit.
He sure looks handsome. It is a good color. Blue.
Everyone knows that is Mama’s favorite color.

Visitor

This lovely lady visited us from Loughborough, Leics, UK.

Jane Spencer is a project manager at Loughborough University. She is a lady of distinction because she is good friends with one of our international board members, Louise Medland, and lives just down the street from her.

Jane braved a rainstorm to travel from Kigali to Muhanga to spend the day at Urukundo.

December 2019 Newsletter

Another birthday

December, what a month!

First, I want to thank everyone who took the time to wish me a happy birthday. Really, 89 birthdays seem like a lot, but I am looking forward to my 90th birthday. Thank you all.

One of my birthday wishes was a love letter. I received this card, beautiful message and flowers from Johnny, my flower child for many years. Johnny always has given me flowers since he was old enough to walk to my garden and pick the best blooms. Johnny is now known as John, his choice because he is growing up. John is in Primary 6. He lives with Josephine, his foster mother and our day care employee. We meet his expenses, thanks to his support person. He brought the flowers to me with his heart in his eyes. What greater love could I wish for!

John

The flowers.

Urukundo’s purpose

Urukundo decided that, because of a lack of necessary funding, construction on the school would stop at least for now. It seemed like a good idea. It was for Urukundo but not for a community in need.

There is more than one way to be a good neighbor and part of the community. Need is always present, and charity is not wanted. People want to work and earn some money, especially at Christmastime.

What could Urukundo do to help? Our field needed to be cleared and leveled. That would benefit our Learning Center and the community.

Thanks to faithful donors, we were able to have a work day, and 17 families with no income earned a little money. Their children’s Christmas was brighter. Food is essential.

Now Urukundo has land cleared for the next project in our future. That project is construction of four more classrooms needed for the primary school.

We are blessed, and it is so important we pass the blessing along. Hope you all had a great Christmas.

Dorcus improving

Good news. Dorcus, a fourth-grade student at the Urukundo Learning Center, came home from the hospital this week.

She is weak and was unable to attend Urukundo's community Christmas party.
Urukundo Learning Center headmaster Irene Dushimimana and my home manager Libby took Christmas to her. Libby is her neighbor in the village and has kept us current on Dorcus’s condition.

Dorcus was injured in a serious freak accident at her home in a mudslide caused by a severe rainstorm in October. She is trying to walk. With support around her waist and someone holding her hand, she has taken a few steps.

Update on Diescor

Keep those prayers going for Diescor Kirenga, one of the young boys who joined the Urukundo family in 2007. Prayers are so needed and our source of strength. Diescor, who is a medical student, was admitted in critical condition to King Faisal Hospital in Kigali City after he collapsed on Dec. 4. On Dec. 29, he left the hospital for further medical treatment in the USA.
His progress has been phenomenal. Prayers have been answered.

Saturday Dec. 28 was our final visit to the hospital in Kigali to see Diescor before he left the country. Lucky and Claude wanted to visit their big brother and so accompanied me to Kigali and the hospital. The visit was good for them and for Diescor. Love is the most important ingredient in a good life. The kids at Urukundo love Diescor. He doctored their bruised knees, cuts and scrapes even before he started medical school.

On my visit with Diescor on the day before Christmas, he showed recognition with his eyes and facial expressions. He smiled a lot and laughed but not out loud. He said “yego,” which is “yes” in the Rwandese language. He could understand all conversation and responded. The improvement is encouraging. The greatest gift to me was when he hugged me strongly with his left arm.

Here is the address you can send letters or anything to Diescor and they will get to him:
Riley Scott / Diescor
18534 Tonkel Road
Auburn, IN 46706

Here is the address for the hospital:
Lutheran Hospital
7950 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46804

Our final university graduates for 2019

It was such a pleasure to attend the graduation of Divine Uwonkura. Divine graduated from the University of Kigali.

Divine’s university of choice. The celebration was very impressive.

Auditorium

The graduation was held at the Intare Conference Arena, Rusororo.

Divine was our first girl and the start of our Urukundo Family in 2006. We have watched her as she has matured into the young woman you see today. Divine finished her university classes in 2018. Her formal graduation ceremony took place on Dec. 6, 2019.

Recently, she has been manager of Urukundo University House in Kigali City as she prepares and hopes to go to an aviation school in Florida, USA.

Congratulations, Divine.

Special congratulations go to Urukundo Foundation’s Executive Director Jean Marie Ntwari on achieving his master’s degree in business administration on Dec. 13. He has worked hard to reach this goal. Who knows, maybe someday in the future is his doctorate?

Urukundo Foundation takes great pleasure in congratulating all of our university students for a year of success. Well done.

This has been an awesome year in education. To bring you current:
Early in Urukundo’s history and before our kids were ready for university, our priority was to help staff members achieve their goals. Those who benefitted from your generosity are:
Mary Claire Nishimwe (social worker in Kigali); Etienne Santore (Internet tech); Juliette Musabyemariya (human resources director, Urukundo Foundation);
Emmanuel Iyamarere (businessman); Jolly Kabihogo (owner and operator of a day care); Irene Dushimimana (headmaster, Urukundo Learning Center); Oliver Kansiime (head of dental clinic, Urukundo Village);and Jean Marie Ntwira (executive director, Urukundo Foundation).
Our first family of Urukundo kids has reached university age. I list for you our graduates: Amin Niyonkuru, Seraphine Izabayo, Solange Nirere, Tresor Cyubahiro,
Divine Uwonkura, Alexander Prince and Lillian Wishavura. We have currently 13 attending university and graduating in the next three years.

We have an education fund that provides funding so our unsponsored kids and community children can attend preschool and primary by keeping tuition affordable. The fund also helps provide for secondary students (high school) and university students who are not sponsored.

I thank all of the sponsors and those who contribute to the education fund for making it possible for our students to achieve the higher education that is so essential to a better life and reaching their goals.

I thank all who care, share and help make a difference. Hope Made Real.

Visitors for December

We were honored to have visitors from Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville Georgia, USA.

They included Dr. Mark Schlueter, professor of biology at Georgia Gwinnett, and his son, Peter.

Also part of the team from Georgia Gwinnett were Dr. Gwendoline Ayuninjam, associate professor in the School of Education, and Dr. MaryBeth Chrostowsky, lecturer of anthropology. They met with Urukundo Learning Center Headmaster Irene Dushimimana for some serious brainstorming. We hope this is just the beginning of a long, mutually beneficial relationship.

Dr Gwendoline Ayuninjam, Headmaster Irene Dushimimana and Dr. Marybeth Chrostowsky

Accompanying the visitors were Aime Nshizirungu and Franciose Uzamukunda from the Global Engagement Institute in Kigali City.

Gifted Karate Team

A special Christmas gift for a great team.

A karate fan sent a gift to Urukundo’s karate team. With the gift, the team purchased some much needed equipment.

The team has worked and practiced for a long time with no equipment. This gift was so appreciated.