September finished with a frightening event. The night guard knocked on my house window in the middle of the night and announced there was a problem. Oliver (dental gal), who lives in my house, came rushing into my bedroom/office exclaiming, “Mama, thieves!” This was a rough way to wake up.
I thought at first I was dreaming and, if so, it was a bad dream. You guessed it. It was not a dream. Robbers had entered my home by breaking a small hole in the front door window, just big enough to reach in to get the key from the inside lock of the door. Using the key, he --”I think it was a he because a woman could not scale the wall around the compound -- entered and invaded my privacy and my home.
I woke and followed Oliver into the front room to see broken glass on the floor, the door open and the guard standing inside. What had the thieves come for? Returning to my room, I soon found out. Well, to make a long story short, gone is my personal computer, a MacBook Air laptop, from a stand beside my bed. From the desk, gone are two office computers, my Amazon Fire (a gift from a dear friend) and my new phone. My old phone had finally given up the ghost, and I had to purchase a new one.
I was stunned. I know I was in shock. This could not happen. Unbelievable.The compound swarmed with people for the rest of the night. The night guards who were outwitted by the thieves.Their boss Benjamin was first on the scene. Then came my secretary Eric and his uncle; executive director Jean Marie; and HR person Juliette and her husband. Observing the pandemic rules, her husband wore a mask. I did not recognize him. Juliette did not say he’s my husband. She said he’s Edison’s father (tradition in Rwanda). Last but not least, the police arrived. The police deduced that someone inside the compound helped the thief or at least gave the thief information.
I don’t want to believe it was an inside job, but certainly the thief had to know my house well. Knowing the key was left in the inside door lock at night, which room was mine, where the computers were in the room and where the night guards were as they patrol at irregular times was no accident.
For me the realization of the danger I had been in became real when over and over my employees and neighbors came saying, “Thank God, Mummy, you did not wake up and you are alive.”
New steps have been taken to safeguard me and my home. A bit like locking the barn after the horses have been stolen. Restoring my sense of security will take much longer.
So many suffer because of the coronavirus pandemic, and many are desperate. This desperation has led to desperate measures. I hope the thief is feeding a family with the proceeds gained by selling the computers, etc. The theft is then at least doing some good.
Worship news
Our community choir is made up of mainly children under 12 years. The rule during the pandemic is no child under 12 can attend worship and those over 12 years must be accompanied by a parent. That is not always possible, so they cannot come. Pastor Yves went to visit them. They gathered in their village and had a Bible study.
Bible study
Pastor Yves then presented each child with a packet of biscuits (cookies). Some of the children asked for cookies for a sibling at home, so they are holding up two packets. The remaining biscuits in the box (86 pieces total) were then given to other children in that community. Sharing the love of Jesus and the sweets made many children happy.
Pastor Yves, the choir leader and our church member Claver, wearing masks, were joined by some of the kids in a photo. We welcomed Claver into our church family this year by baptism.
Hope Made Real: The book
Get to know Claudine. Have you met our sight-impaired member of the Urukundo family, Claudine?
This photo is from the book.
She’s now a teen. Her glasses are her favorite color.
When you purchase the book, you help Urukundo care for Claudine and other special children.
I can’t wait for travel to be safe again so I can travel and share the book with many of you.
In the meantime, maybe we could do a Zoom contact. Are you willing to try?
The full title of the book is “Hope Made Real: The Story of Mama Arlene and the Children of Urukundo.” My daughter, Rev. Dr. Patricia Brown, and I wrote it together.
The book is available in both paperback and Kindle versions on Amazon.
Paperback and ebook (AZW, EPub and PDF) versions also can be ordered directly from this bookshop where a larger amount goes to Urukundo..
The book also can be purchased from Barnes & Noble in paperback and NOOK formats.
Dining room progress
Over a two-month time span, some progress has been made on building the dining room. It is very slow as other priorities are set. How much longer will it take? Only the Lord knows. Still in the vision is building a new kitchen which connects to the dining room.
The many faces of Sarah
Our Sarah has many activities. Building a wall. How awesome is that? She may become our first female civil engineer.
A younger Sarah playing the violin.
This little girl grew up to be the Sarah we know today. She is a beauty.
Sports-loving Sarah today.
Sarah’s story is on Page 126 in my book, “Hope Made Real: The Story of Mama Arlene and the Children of Urukundo.” This is a talented young girl with a lot of ambition. Sarah returned to her foster family in early September. The special music classes are finished until school starts again. We miss her. She will return to Urukundo when the Urukundo Learning Center opens for the next term. Sarah is in Primary 6.
Want to know more about Sarah? Hey, read the book!
Special visitors
A very proud papa. Benjamin, our maintenance manager, brought his daughters to visit Mama. Benj also has two sons, but papas and their daughters in every family are very special. Ange is 10 years, and Josianne is 18 months. Mama gave the girls each a packet of cookies (green packet) and sent two for the brothers. The three older children are students at Urukundo Learning Center.
Life without school
Here’s an update on what is going on in the life of Claude, our 13-year-old secondary (junior high) school student.
With opening schools still on hold and the music program finished until school opens, Claude wanted something to keep him busy. He has always liked the farm and the animals there. Yep, he is becoming a farmer.
Theresa, manager of the Sewing Center, made him a coverall to protect his regular clothes. Urukundo bought him a pair of boots, and he was ready to work.
Feeding and watering chickens takes up a lot of his day.
Claude said he does not like the pigs, and the cows are very big. I understand that. These broilers will be ready for market soon.
The cowboy is in the teaching mode, and Claude is the student. Being friends with the cowboy is very important. Cows are honored in Rwanda and being a cowboy is also an honored position.
The farm got a great helper, and Claude has a learning experience to his credit.
Farm update
The pandemic has made us more aware of the need to have earned income and to be self-sustaining. The farm has the most potential as food is a necessary commodity all the time, no matter the circumstances. For some time now, we have looked for ways to improve the farm. Thanks to special donations designated for the farm, our buildings have been made safer for our animals and more day-old chicks have been purchased.
Removing buildings that are no longer usable to make room for our expanding poultry production is a step needed. Demolition is a part of improvement.
Benjamin, our maintenance manager (in the red hat), and his crew of three carefully remove the roof tiles. They will be given as promised to the woman who sold us this piece of farmland. It has been a long time coming and she has been patient.
We used the building as a place to store bulk food for animals. Finally, after feeding mice, other larger rodents, birds, and heaven knows what other creatures who stole our animal food, this old shed is coming down. It is a mud-brick structure. Mud here is red. Age and weather also have also taken their toll.
We now store animal food in this well-constructed building.
There are screens on the windows to keep out birds. There is a door that closes to keep out uninvited guests. It’s definitely a safer place to store animal food and necessary wood chips for baby chicks.
There is a story connected to the old building.
This was the only building on the piece of land when we bought it 14 years ago. The older woman, Esperance, who sold it to us, wanted the tiles from the roof. Now, I ask you, what good would a building be without a roof? I refused, but I promised her when we tore down the building, we would give her the tiles.
For several years she came almost every week to make sure we had not taken the building down and kept the tiles. She was keeping her eye on her roof tiles. I don’t blame her. I was determined to keep my promise to her. That was my first direction when the old building was to come down: “Remove the tiles carefully and call the lady and let her know she can come for her promised tiles.” Bless her heart. She came to see if it was for real and when all the tiles were removed, she and helpers loaded the tiles into a truck and took them away. She was very pleased that at last, the tiles were hers.
Yes, now 14 years later, the dear lady has her roof tiles. We have kept our promise.
The roof is off. The tiles are gone. Progress in action.
The mud-brick, shed-type building was in bad shape when we purchased the land. The rodents in this building were a danger to our baby chicks. No more predators.
All that remains.
In closing
The coronavirus has made life a trying time here in Rwanda and in other countries.
We are all in this together.
Do your best to stay healthy and stay safe.
This too shall pass.
When? I do not know.
Mama
August newsletter
August is a month of preparation. School reopening may well be a “Hope Made Real.” There are many steps to be taken and many requirements to be met. We are up to the challenge, thanks to so many donors who care.
Will schools reopen? That is still the question in Rwanda.
Worship has begun again at Urukundo Worship Center, but we are moving slowly and taking hand sanitizing, distancing and masks seriously.
Meeting the challenges
Urukundo has dealt with many challenges since its founding in 2006. Needless to say, 2020 is the most challenging yet. The major 2020 challenges are sustaining our employees with wages during the shutdown caused by the virus and the new requirements put in place by the Ministry of Education to reopen our school safely. Required are 15 wash stations between classrooms, head thermometers and a quarantine room for isolation should it be needed.
Another challenge is making these mountainous school walkways to classrooms handicap accessible. As I indicated last month, we are doing our best to make that happen. Photos show the work being done.
The long path from the library, with the steps gone, to the primary level classrooms below, makes even walking more comfortable.
There were many steps from the porch to the ground level, and the steps are no more.
There are no more steps from the school office downhill to the teacher resource area.
Our workers appreciate the new walkways. Easier to keep clean.
The slant makes sure rainwater moves away from the building and is not a problem. Dealing with torrential rainstorms and excess water damage are also on the list of challenges we have met and continue to handle.
Kitchen challenge
A new challenge is improving the kitchen and the fuel we use. It is necessary to stop cutting down trees that are so needed to preserve our land from erosion caused by heavy rain and mudslides. The trees from the forests are used for firewood for cooking and to produce charcoal. Cutting down trees hurts the environment. The solution is propane gas, which is now available for cooking in the Muhanga area. Urukundo meets the requirement to switch to propane because we feed so many children and staff.
What our tank will look like.
This is one size. Needed are different size cookers for different size cooking pans. Cooker is the term used in Rwanda for what I would call a gas burner. Their term does seem more accurate.
Just a few pans of different sizes.
The above photos will give you an idea of the equipment needed to improve our kitchen.
This will require building a new, improved kitchen. We hope to accomplish this switchover before it is mandated and costs go sky-high because, at that time, the demand for materials will increase. The estimate we will receive will include the large outside tank, all necessary hookup equipment, cookers and pans of the sizes needed for the cookers.
Our kitchen does not meet the requirements for the transfer from wood to propane. We will demolish the kitchen and start from scratch. We have used the present kitchen since 2006, and wood smoke and inferior building materials have taken their toll. The walls are black from smoke, no exhaust system and poor ventilation. It is long past time for a change.
Wood smoke and not enough ventilation have been ongoing problems. It is not healthy for our kitchen staff. This has to be the new priority.
The platform is the location of the sink where we wash huge pots, pans and cooking utensils.
The cooking area is in bad shape. Our cooks and kitchen help continue to serve great meals. I, for one, could not work in such conditions. How about you? Want to trade kitchens?
Below is a floor plan for the proposed new kitchen. When the construction is completed, it will be a “Hope Made Real.” A significant improvement in the process. Can’t wait for the new and improved kitchen with propane gas, more and better work areas, and ventilation.
The image below shares with you the vision of our new kitchen and connecting dining room. The dining room will connect directly to the kitchen, avoiding carrying food outdoors, rain or shine. There will be proper ventilation and an exhaust system in both places — a huge but necessary project — and no more wood burning. Propane and biogas will be the fuels for cooking, creating a more efficient and healthier environment. The result will be better working conditions for our kitchen staff and safer transport of food.
This is a small beginning for the dining room, but it is a start.
Donations appreciated.