A different kind of occasion for Urukundo

Weddings are not new to Urukundo. The family came to rent the space and found HMR House was not the size they needed. After checking for a larger space, they came back and asked if they could use the soccer field.  Management was concerned because we are in the rainy season, but we try to help and permission was granted.

A wedding tent twice the size of the HMR House was erected on the soccer field. The view from the top of the mountain gave a perfect photo of the beautiful countryside. The small tents on the field were used to serve food buffet-style to the bridal party and guests.

These four special chairs in the center of the tent were for the bride, groom, best man, and maid of honor.

This is only half of the seating arrangement in the tent.

This wedding included families from Rwanda and Congo. A very large family. Weddings in Rwanda are usually family reunions, so as many as possible come to meet and greet. Many have not been together for years, making a wedding an especially happy occasion.

Urukundo was pleased we could accommodate this wedding..

Visitors

Yes, I am pleased as punch. Meet some of my USA family: Tim Brown, Arlene Brown, Mason Brown and Jerry Brown.

We are four generations, Son Jerry, grandson Tim, and great-grandson Mason, age 9. And, of course, me. I am mom, gram and great gram. Jerry is my middle child of five. Father and son look much alike. This was the second visit for both Jerry and Tim. First time for Mason.

Can’t believe how short I am to have such tall kids. Wow!!

Meeting and greeting

Great-grandson Mason being greeted by Urukundo students. The kids took him into their hearts.

Great photo. Can you find all three Muzungus (not Rwandan)?

The three wanted to learn about Rwanda, its culture and its history. Arrangements were made.

The visitors enjoyed a three-day tour.

Replica of the ancient palace, the home of the king and his family.

Royal cows. Mason kept his distance. Understandable.

Touring Kigali City, the capital of Rwanda.

On to Akagera National Park

The safari vehicle comes with a driver and guide.

Guide Guy, Mason, Driver Innocent, Tim and Jerry.

They saw zebra, giraffe, water buffalo, warthogs, and many other animals, but the highlight of the trip was seeing this magnificent male lion.

After returning to Urukundo Village from the tour, Mason had the pleasure of visiting virtually with his third-grade class.

We have fiber optic capability, and Mason was able to meet with his third-grade class on Zoom.

It was great for our third-grade students and for the third-graders at Ward L. Myers Elementary School in Muncy, Pennsylvania, USA.

Volunteer opportunities

For a long time, it has been Urukundo’s hope to share the beautiful countryside, culture, and history of Rwanda with our visitors. The time has finally come. It is now possible to volunteer at Urukundo Foundation, have time with the kids and spend some days enjoying the sights and sounds of Rwanda.

More details are forthcoming. The mailing list will receive the update, and others are invited to check the website.

Hope to see you soon.

Much love,

Mama

January Newsletter

It is awesome how fast the years go by.The year 2022 is gone, and 2023 has begun. At my age, every year is a gift. Our goals for 2023 are many as we move forward improving the future for so many.

  • Goal #1 is constructing additional classrooms to accommodate the number of children seeking education.

  • Goal #2 is completing the renovation of the kitchen.

  • Goal #3 is making improvements at the daycare. Making the daycare more child friendly is in progress.

  • Goal #4 is a big one: building an indoor sports arena (gymnasium).

All these projects are included in our five-year plan.

OK, so that is a lot to accomplish but if you do not aim high you do not achieve much. Do we need help? Of course, we do.

In 2022, our Goal #1 was to relocate the Dental Clinic to the original residence.

That has been accomplished.

The clinic name also was changed to UF (Urukundo Foundation) Dental Clinic.

New sign for the Dental Clinic. Visible from the main road at the gate. This shows the sign coming from town.

That’s the sign going to town. Great sign.

Urukundo kids news

Claudine is joined by her sisters Livine and Sarah at home for a short holiday. Younger brother Prince also made it home for a two-day visit. So happy to have them all home!  I can’t believe how tall my little kids have gotten. Claudine is now serving an internship at Urukundo Daycare, Prince is in Primary 5, and Livine and Sarah are in Secondary 2 (eighth grade).

Kenny, one of our twins, made it home for one day, arriving on Jan. 9.  His delay was due to the death of his grandfather's younger brother. Kenny is in Secondary 3 (ninth grade).

Daycare kids

Hello, I am Amelia.  I am 1 year and 1 month old. I attend Urukundo Daycare.

I really like my hat and apron. Dressing up is so much fun.

We do a lot of things at the daycare. Today we are learning to cook. Our first lesson is on a  pretend stove. Mama says I must not put my hands on the burner. It would hurt and so I am careful. Do you see my microwave?

I am cooking an egg in a little pan.

A regular chair with a cover is a good stove for me to learn on.

This is my friend, Uwase.

Auntie Josephine is helping us with eating. We use our fingers mostly, but we are learning to use a spoon. Spoons are a bit hard to manage.

We have eggs, vegetables, fruit,  pans, dishes and cups for this project. The cooks have hats and aprons.

At the end of the playtime, Mama Zuzu serves us all pretend tea. See the red and blue cups and the teapot.

A bit of a laugh

Unseemly events do happen at Urukundo. I would like to share with you the story of “The Offensive Fence.” This particular day started with a bang. It was a Monday, and Mondays are usually uneventful. To begin my day, I walked out to where I could view the playground and see the children playing. The joy of my day. I was horrified to see an unsightly fence had been placed on the edge of the school play area (soccer field) over the weekend.

I was furious. Urukundo's fences are built well. Not made of trees and sticks.

I thought our neighbor had erected the offensive fence. I was ready to go to see the mayor and complain that the fence was an eyesore and a hazard to the more than 1,100 children who play on our field. Imagine my surprise when I learned that Urukundo and my builder Benjamin had constructed the fence to try to protect the children and be a good neighbor. It would have been humiliating had I gone to the mayor to complain and for her to tell me it was my own fence and built not on Urukundo ground but on private property.

Needless to say, I did not go to the mayor to lodge a complaint. I did have the fence removed. The fence was intended to keep our children from land planted by a neighbor. I understand that. If a fence is needed, it will be built, but it will be a proper fence.

Urukundo Learning Center really needs the land the fence was on to extend our soccer field.

With this additional piece of land, our sports field would meet regulation soccer field requirements. It is our dream to hold soccer competitions at our school.  We have already written a letter to the private sector requesting the land to extend the field.

Visitors

A very special and honored visitor.

Pastor Leonard Byenda, a Presbyterian pastor, has been connected to Urukundo for many years. He was the first to welcome me when I arrived in Kibirigi, Gitarama, in 2004. He solved many problems for me. He came to our home, taught my girls Bible stories and was a father figure for them.  We were not yet Urukundo Foundation and only had 13 girls at that time. We visited his church many times during those first years.

At that time, we were giving goats to families who were in need. Goats were given to the older women in his congregation who were genocide survivors. I remember one occasion while visiting his church at Mpushi. The women who received the goats decided to give me a gift. It was kind of them. They did not know I was afraid of live chickens. I had been flogged as a child by a mean chicken. The fear stayed with me. The dear woman carried a wrapped bundle (a live chicken) up to the pulpit and handed the bundle to me.The cover came off. I screamed, dropped the chicken and ran from the church. Embarrassing moment. Yep, to say the least. Everyone, including the children laughed and applauded my performance. They never gave me another chicken. The next gift was a live sheep.

Second visitor

Clementine Murekateta, paid us an unexpected visit. She was most welcome.

She is the mother of our boy Kaboss.

Special announcement

Deborah Ishimwe has been a child in the Urukundo family since June 2006. She has been an outstanding student. Her goal is to be a lawyer working for the people. After graduating from university having studied law, she served a successful internship.

 I wish to share this great news with you. Deborah passed the bar exam on Jan. 23. She is to be congratulated. Urukundo has a gifted lawyer.

I am very proud of her accomplishments.

December newsletter

Celebration!

I am 92 today, Dec.  9, 2022, Wow!!! Each year I say no more celebrations, but it happens just the same. So much for being the boss.

The cake was huge. Take note; it must be large to share with 108 adults and many kids.

The decorations are blue. In case you did not know, blue is my favorite color.

On the Monday after the party, students on the playground made a pretend birthday party for me.

Hope you can see the three candles on the pretend cake.

Special news

My Rwandan family is maturing. Not only are they graduating from university and going into business, but they are finding soulmates to spend the rest of their lives with. I am honored to announce the following:

Tresor popped the question.

She said, “Yes.”

Sandra is lovely. I am delighted to welcome a new member to the Urukundo family. Congratulations to both.