Sports

Urukundo Learning Center’s girls’ volleyball team is the winner of the district championship.

Short note on the Interschool Competitions for 2021-22:

Every academic year, the Rwanda Federation of Sports in Schools organizes competitions in schools from the sector to the national level in games such as soccer, volleyball, basketball, handball, and netball.

Urukundo Learning Center participates in both girls and boys teams in soccer, basketball and volleyball.

This year, the girls’ volleyball team beat various local schools and qualified to represent our district (Muhanga). They will face other teams from different districts, and we hope they will do well and win a trophy.

The girls were the winners in the district competition and now move on to the nationals.

Mama congratulated the girls’ team with Fanta and cookies.

Honored guests

The new residence with a great room is perfect for showing appreciation to groups as we honor students who are part of our learning center.

My great pleasure was being honored by a visit from our preschool.

Kindergarten class visits “Mama’s house.” It is such a delight to have a home large enough for a group of children to come to visit.

The preschoolers examine the African art in Mama’s house.

Visitors

Irene Farley of West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA, came to visit. She is the mother of Erin Farley, who is a frequent visitor.

A visit with our dental staff was on her agenda

Along with the daycare.

And the preschool.

Being the caring person she is, Irene is ever conscious of health problems. Irene wore her mask even though the mandate has been lifted. It was a fun visit for her and the kids.

Now let me tell you about another visitor. No photo.

Her name is Jane Spenser. Jane is from the United Kingdom and has visited Urukundo once before. Jane came on the day the flu put me to bed. I did not even think about a photo. I really did not think at all. She was so helpful in my house, visited the school, had her meals with the kids then helped out at the daycare. Those few days allowed me to rest and get well. Thank you, Jane.

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Development

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Our 2022 project is moving along.

The project is relocating the Dental Clinic to my former home. The costs are:

• $15,000 to renovate the house

• $1,450 for the new dental chair

• $6,200 for chair accessories.

That’s a total of $22,650. Of that, $2,950 (counting a donation for the chair) has been raised. That leaves $19,700 to raise. Small donations help a lot.

Work in progress on my former residence on May 26.

April newsletter

April came in with many pleasant surprises in store at Urukundo Village and Learning Center.

Leading off with Palm Sunday.

Kids in the lead. Singing “Hosanna.”

Waving palms and walking to worship as a group on Palm Sunday has become a tradition for the Urukundo Worship Center. Looking forward to Easter.

Our focus on Easter Sunday was children.

We are so blessed.

Visitors for April

I am thankful many of the Covid restrictions have been lifted and volunteers can return to Urukundo. Covid testing, masks and distancing are still in effect, but these are minor inconveniences.

Kevin Castle, a Rwandese citizen and a long-time volunteer at the Urukundo Home, returned for a too-short visit this Easter season. Kevin is now a teacher and his passion is art. He shared his love of art with our kids.

Mama’s porch was the perfect place for the art project. Easy cleanup.

Acrylic paints with brushes and eggs are a fun project.

Well, maybe painting hard-boiled eggs is a simple form of art, but it is art nevertheless. A bit messy, but so much fun. Kevin brought the acrylic paint and brushes.

What a happy project. Our kids feasted on the eggs at the finish of the project.

We have several visitors who are regulars at Urukundo. Carol Falke and Marilyn Ely from the USA usually visit every year. Covid changed that, so they missed two years. We were so happy both ladies were coming back together in April this year. This did not happen. Only Carol was able to make the trip. Marilyn, who is treasurer of the Hope Made Real International Board, had to cancel because of a positive Covid test.

Marilyn

We miss you, Marilyn. Next year, hopefully.

Carol, president of the Hope Made Real International Board, traveled alone. Carol traveled with many educational supplies for the Urukundo Learning Center.

A lot of luggage but precious gifts.

Our third visitor of April was Dr. Danilo Milanes, dean of the School of Dentistry in the College of Medicine and Health Sciences at the CMHS, University of Rwanda.

Dr. Danilo’s expertise is in orthodontics. We met the doctor thanks to Dr. Valli Meeks,

clinical professor in the Department of Oncology and Diagnostic Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. Dr. Meeks was instrumental in starting the Dental Clinic at Urukundo Foundation.

Dr. Danilo is interested in learning more about the Urukundo Dental Clinic and our orthodontia program.

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Carol on a mission

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First stop, the daycare. A few new toys and an infant safety zone were on the agenda.

Head teacher getting a baby's eye view of hanging toys and a mirror.

Now the babies get a turn.

Baby accepts the whole idea. Hanging animals are a delight.

Manager Anitha introduces the babies in daycare to something new.

Next on Carol's mission was the Urukundo Learning Center and the handwashing station inside the school gate.

Greeting teachers is also important.

Just the beginning of Carol's journey at the Urukundo Foundation. More in the May newsletter.

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An appeal from Mama

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For Urukundo to become self-sustaining, it is necessary to expand and develop the facilities we already have. To do this, I need your help

Urukundo Foundation is setting a new goal for 2022. That goal is to expand dental service in rural Muhanga, Rwanda. Dental care is so needed.

Now that construction of the new residence in a safer area has been completed and Mama has vacated the house by the side of the road, we plan to renovate the former residence into space for our Dental Clinic. It is along the main road and has its entrance from the road, thus protecting the children at the school.

We are using what we already own rather than purchasing land and building a new structure to improve the dental service. The renovation work will cost about $15,000.

When that move is completed our small dental clinic will be a larger facility. We will have space to add a chair for other services in the larger facility.

A chair can be purchased in Kigali City. The cost of the chair alone is $1,450. That $1,450 has been pledged. I thank the Van Dolson family for this gift.

I was naive to think the cost of the chair included all attachments. So with the accessories added to the original cost – you guessed it – the total cost of the chair was much more. So $6,200 is still needed. This price includes what you see and a compressor machine and stool chair. The new chair will let us add orthodontia to our service to the community. Any help to purchase the needed accessories for the chair would be appreciated.

Why an interest in orthodontia? Too many children and adults do not smile because their teeth are crooked and not a pretty sight. So many children and adults in Rwanda suffer from damage done to their teeth. As babies, the cultural doctors destroyed the root base because they cried while teething. Crying while teething is normal for babies. We rub teething gel on the sore gums, but the remedy in Rwanda was to destroy the baby tooth roots to stop the pain. Not well understood by me, but it was the culture.

Now the second teeth come in out of alignment.

Our Claudine is an example of the need. I want very much to correct her beautiful smile.

Are you willing to help?