Urukundo is always happy to welcome visitors.
Bishop Jane Mello of Majestic Grace Ministries Inc. in California, USA, and several of her pastors visited Urukundo. Their Rwandan host Pastor Eric Mugabonake is a friend to Urukundo and asked to bring his visitors to see Urukundo.
Bishop Jane Mello and pastors from her organization.
Water, water, water
In Rwanda, water is valued. Thanks to friends in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, Urukundo Village and Urukundo Learning Center have had pure drinking water for many years. It is now necessary that we install a tank to provide storage for this water.
Urukundo Learning Center benefits even more from the water project.
Water is essential to good health. We are making sure we meet the needs of our students and faculty for pure drinking water. This month we built and installed a drinking water station at the school. In this way, we are sure our children and teachers have easy access to pure water for drinking. Our school has this water supply thanks to the Forest Hills Rotary in Pittsburgh and Rotary International.
The holding water tank for drinking water in its protection cage
Children gather at the water station. Kids fill their water bottles at recess and during lunch break. Many also fill them before returning home at the end of the day. Water is essential in the lives of children not only in Rwanda where drinking water is scarce but worldwide.
To jog your memory, here’s a photo of the retaining tank at the highest point of Urukundo land on the mountain.
Mama and a friend inspect the water tank. Solar pumps pump the water from the bottom to the top of Cyakabiri Mountain.
Thanks to Donn Youngstrom, associate professor emeritus at SUNY Buffalo State, and the Anne Frank Project at SUNY Buffalo State, Urukundo’s computer lab is able to reach out to schools, universities, other foundations and groups in other countries and have visual and meaningful conversations. We honor both Donn Youngstrom, whom I met in Buffalo, and SUNY Buffalo State for their gift that helped us achieve this goal.
Urukundo computer lab
This plaque is on the wall in our school designating the global learning outreach of our lab.
Fourteen students and four facilitators spent two days teaching Muhanga area teachers the power of storytelling to enhance learning. Eighty-two teachers from the Muhanga District attended these classes. The Anne Frank Project uses storytelling as a way to build community, manage conflict and explore identity.
Here’s a photo of the 2023 volunteers from the Anne Frank Project, Buffalo SUNY State. New York, USA.
Our guests were made welcome by both the primary and preschool children at the Urukundo Learning Center.
Morning assembly is a great time to see the student body and teachers in the school environment. The primary students meet at the bottom of the mountain, and the preschool students meet at the middle level of the mountain.
Primary consists of grades 1 through 6. Ages 6 to 13 years.
Lots of kids
The preschool is on the middle level, so I was able to be there with Anne Frank team leader Drew Kahn. What a joy to be present for a photo with Drew! I do not climb up and down the mountain. Living on the middle level is such a blessing.
After meeting with the primary kids, the Anne Frank team paid a visit to the morning assembly of our preschool.
Assembly breaks up as children go to four separate classrooms. These kids are 3, 4 and 5 years old.
We ended June with a new vehicle at the daycare. One was OK, but two are much better.
I will be visiting family and friends in the United States for a short stay of six weeks from July 24 through Sept. 6.
During that time I will visit Reston, Va., and Pittsburgh, Harrisburg and Williamsport, all three in Pennsylvania.
I do hope to see not only family but friends who want to spend some time with me. You are welcome to visit me at the homes of my children or take me to lunch etc. Please be in touch so we can set a date and time to meet with you. My email is brown.arlene30@gmail.com
Love, Mama
The saying in Pennsylvania is “April showers bring May flowers.” In Rwanda, it could say “April showers bring more showers in May.” Climate change is worldwide and has not missed Rwanda.
Wet and dry do not describe the seasons anymore.
Our breaking news for the month of May is the ongoing development of the Sewing Center. Change has taken place, both in location and name.
It is now the Tom Nunnally Sewing Center. We are very proud to dedicate this sewing center to its benefactor.
Tom Nunnally
1942-2016
Patron saint of Urukundo Learning Center from 2006 to 2016.
The new center is on three levels.
The first level is Hillside House.
Hillside House is the academic and lecture building. The Sewing Center holds classes here.
This is an inside view of Hillside House. Classes in math, English, computer, entrepreneurship and business management are taught here. Our graduates are ready to start their own businesses after graduation.
Building the handicap-accessible path was a down, down downhill project. The round building is an empty office building. For now.
Look at me. I’m here. How about that?
The path from the first level borders the daycare. The play area was enlarged. The daycare kids love the new play area.
I take a stroll to inspect.
The path to the new Sewing Center location goes down and down. Down is bad, but coming up and up is worse. There has to be a shorter way down and up for me. Don’t know just how to make that happen. An elevator is out of the question, and an escalator is impossible. This is definitely a path for young people.
This path is challenging.
Visitor Marilyn Ely and I both appreciate Benjamin’s assistance
A resting place. I will not do this walk often.
The middle level includes the Sewing Center staff office, a first aid room and a large classroom. Outside painting is yet to be done.
Inside the middle sewing classroom. Hands-on training with treadle machines
Making patterns and cutting materials are all in the learning process.
The view from the middle level is spectacular.
Lower-level sewing instruction class building
So much more space! Lower level hands-on training classroom.
Vendors come to visit Urukundo to sell their crafts. This woman warmed our hearts.
Our craft women found a newborn baby thrown into the bush. She picked up the newborn and carried the baby to her home. She and her family are caring for the baby until a permanent home can be found. To show her how much we appreciate what she is doing, we gave her clothes for the baby and a shawl for her.
A young mama and her baby. So glad the Mama & Baby project makes it possible for us to help.
It came time for our visitors, Carol Falke, president of the Hope Made Real International Board, and Marilyn Ely, board treasurer, to return to Pennsylvania, USA. We said good-bye to Carol and Marilyn on April 29.
Urukundo National Board president Oswalde, Mama, Benita, Diane, Carol, Marilyn, Vanessa and Joyce gather as our visitors prepare to leave. Ollie also was sorry to see them go.
Before they left, our children and teachers wanted to give a presentation of their school and what they do. They worked very hard preparing this presentation (assembly program). The presentation was awesome. I hope you enjoy it as much as our guests did.
Assembly of students and staff
Please remember all presenters in the photos are 13 years and younger. The makeup is deceiving. Their presentation was both educational and interesting for our guests.
After greeting the special guests, the narrator spoke in English. She said, “My name is Aimee Carine KEZA, I am 12 years old, and I am a member of the English Club.”
I was impressed.
She said, “The English Club teaches us to speak English well and understand the meaning of English words. English is a new language for us.”
She also stated, “The French Club is also important as many of our parents and grandparents speak French. We appreciate our school teaching both French and English.”
The French Club sang songs and presented a dialogue, of course, in French. They were great.
Our narrator talked about IHURIRO Ry’UMUCO (Rwanda Culture Club). The club preserves Rwandan culture, values and qualities, and teaches about traditional dance, beliefs, norms and many other facets of life in Rwanda.
The cultural presentation was well done by the students. I share some of it with you.
The traditional naming ceremony for Rwandan babies
Family and friends gather.
Mama, papa and baby. What name will we give this baby?
Family and friends sharing a meal Rwanda-style at the naming.
Older siblings explain the purpose of this feast.
All share milk from one jar.
Milk mustaches
Children enjoying a meal at the naming ceremony. This is finger food.
Gifts for the family of baby
A closer look
Old men (grandfathers) embrace at the naming of the newborn.
Great performance. Hey, they can remove the old age. I can’t.
Ceremonial cow dancers (culture). The two men chant and dance for the cow presentation. This dance is done during dowry celebrations at Rwandan weddings.
Crushing cassava roots to make flour for traditional bread.
During the presentation, students presented their career goals.
Pilot
Business woman
Entertainer
Astronaut
Volleyball player
Teacher
These are just a few of the choices.
The kids lined up waiting to present their career choices. Look closely and you will see a dentist (teeth), doctor (stethoscope), pharmacist, pastor (black robe), beautician, lawyer, engineer, businessman (briefcase) – and the list goes on.
Our kids have dreams and goals.
Here are some other pictures from the presentation:
The Karate Club waiting to show their skills. Our narrator said, “Karate teaches children to protect themselves and others in danger.”
Karate Club
Traditional dancing
Dance Club
The Dance Club consisted of singers, drummers and dancers. Each plays a part.
Boy dancers
Milk jar Kalabash Gift basket
In the background are singers and drummers.
Change is taking place. Here it’s happening in front of the HMR House.
What was in April.
Same space in May.
What a difference! Beautiful.
A delegation from Youngstown State University spent two days of quality time with Urukundo’s teachers.
Thirty-two volunteers arrived on campus.
The group gathered at Mama’s house for orientation. Then they headed on a sightseeing excursion of Urukundo’s campus.
Hillside House was perfect for the teaching program on emotional well being.
Classrooms at the school worked well for small group sessions.
During lunch break, they enjoyed the basketball court.
The second day, they spent time with the children in their classrooms.
The nurses spent time at the daycare.
What an amazing group!
