Adventures of our April volunteers

Ward and Marilyn greeted the children who came to sing and dance for us.

Unpacking suitcases, we found many treasures.

Master builders at work. Carol, Benjamin, Ward, and Marilyn together built a dollhouse.

Success. Well done, team.

Sharing time with the children in the daycare is an adventure for volunteers and for the children.

Marilyn sharing love at the daycare.

A vehicle for riding needs a bit of instruction. Thank you, Carol.

Years ago, whiteboards did not exist. They are a great teaching tool in our preschool. They are another treasure that came with our visitors.

The preschool received magnetic whiteboards with letters and numbers thanks to donors who care. Thank you so much. A wonderful tool for our teachers.

Village visit

Walking and observing in a local village. Homes are different according to the culture and available building materials.

Meeting local children and sharing photos is an added pleasure.

Nyanza tour

Entering the gate to the ancient King's Palace.

The guide at the King's Palace shared the story of a time when a king ruled Rwanda.

The King's cows are an example of the amazing.

The Culture Center at Nyanza proved interesting to our visitors. There is so much to see and enjoy on this one-day tour.

School projects

Projects with the students are such fun.

Our current visitors are here until May, so look for more on their visit in the May newsletter.

Message from Mama

After a long winter in our everyday lives, I hope you had a good April, the month of new beginnings in nature.

My thoughts and prayers are with you, dear friends.

Much love,

Mama

March Newsletter

March has been a wonderfully busy month at Urukundo. I am delighted to share these events with you, starting with recess time for our students.

Questions: What does our library and activity area mean to our students? How does it serve the students? These are questions we needed to answer.

This month, with the help of our librarian Elie, Headmaster Viateur, and my assistant Esperance, we took a look at the area and made some positive changes. The activity area is an area set aside to give the children a safe place to play and things to play with during their breaks (recess). The toys are fun and a bit educational.

An overview of the entrance room. We made it more inviting. The kids love cars, trucks, buses, airplanes, and helicopters.

Doll area, including magnetic fashion dolls. Not sure how a bus got into the doll's area.

Fashion dolls with magnetic clothes allow future designers to try out different outfits for both male and female models. Many of you will remember with me the cut outs we played with in our childhood. I remember movie star cut outs – Veronica Lake, Sonja Henie (a Norwegian ice skater and movie star), and Rita Hayworth – and beautiful paper clothes. In the same play area, other would-be moms and dads care for the rag dolls and baby dolls, dressing the dolls and carrying them on their backs. Someday, this will pay off as they will be good parents.

Taking off for space, anyone? Our would-be astronauts wear their helmets for an adventure in space. Books are available to add facts to the imagination.

Construction area. Duplos add to the construction fun.

Building starts with toys and leads to building wonderful classrooms.

Qwirkle is a fun game, but it can not be played in 15 minutes, so our kids devised a way to use the blocks for designing fun. The colors add another dimension to the designs.

Our pretend kitchen is exciting for future chefs. Hats and aprons add authenticity to baking, boiling, and stewing. Cupcakes look good enough to eat. No, do not try it. Broken teeth would send you to the dentist. Tea, baked goods, and pizza are served daily. Pretend, of course.

Train ride, anyone? Putting tracks together is daunting but possible. Librarian Elie gives an assist.

African animals such as zebras, lions, gorillas, wildebeests, giraffes, and elephants are their heritage. Through play, the children learn about the animals who live in their land.

Fishing is not normal in a landlocked country but magnets let the kids experience the feel of a fish on the end of their rod. For a Pennsylvania girl (me, mama), fishing is second nature. Long ago, my dad taught me to fish, and years later I taught my grandson Christian how to prepare a fish for cooking. Brings back precious memories for me.

Telling time can be both fun and educational.

My favorite table

Puzzles keep the mind alert.

The library remains a big part of having fun during breaks.

For those who love to read, the library is still a place for wonderful adventures in reading.

New look in the main activity room. Making floor space available, Play tables restricted the play area to fewer children.

More space, fewer tables.

A space for would-be art enthusiasts.

Secondary School update

Construction is progressing for the new Secondary O Level School which will serve grades 7, 8, and 9. This is a Hope Made Real.

March 4

March 13

March 15

March 17

Two more photos taken from the top will cover development for March.

March 26, Photo #1. Front.

March 26,  Photo #2. Back view from top of the retaining wall.

Next step: adding the second floor.

Memory and honor stones

These stones at the Urukundo Learning Center honor Mama and Mama’s sons and daughters.

Daycare delights

The wonders in the eyes of the children who are toddlers in our daycare. A very special haven filled with love and care.

Visitor of the month

Visitor John Irwin from the Wilkinsburg Rotary Club near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, had the primary purpose of delivering six musical instruments to our music department. John was here for only four days, but what a blessing!

Emmy, our music director, welcomed John and accepted with appreciation the gift of three clarinets, one flute, one saxophone, and one trumpet.

John also brought footballs (soccer balls), a pump, and a goalie net. Imagine his suitcases!

The first three balls were Rwanda’s colors: green, blue, and yellow. How neat! Sports coach Felix appreciated the much-needed supplies.

John's visit was short, but he spent the time well. With our kids in the daycare.

With students and teachers at the morning assembly.

With Headmaster Viateur and children at the school.

Also, giving low fives and high fives on the playground. John is a tall man.

Saying goodbye to Urukundo.

After too short a visit, John began his journey home. Our executive director, Jean Marie, and PR person, Esperance, accompanied him on the first leg of his journey.

They went on to the capital, Kigali City, and the surrounding area, including visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the city, the Carnegie Mellon University campus, and an open-air market. In the evening, John visited the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga and gave greetings from his home club, the Wilkinsburg Rotary. We appreciate various Rotary Clubs and Rotary International for supporting our mission of supplying water and caring for vulnerable children wherever they are globally.

Safe journey, John.

Message from Mama

This month, the world celebrates “International Women's Day.” I received many messages. This one was very special to me:

Good morning Mama I hope this email finds you well! I would like to wish you a happy International Women's Day. You are a super woman and a blessing to us! May God bless you abundantly. We love you!

Enjoy your day

Headmaster

This is my reward. God in charge.

I pray April is even better. My thanks to all who are making this ministry possible.

Love, Mama

Hello!

Happy Valentine's Day. Share the love.

Michelle, who is a representative of the United Methodist Church Volunteers in Mission, tried to figure out how Ethan could fit into her suitcase. Sorry, Michelle. Ethan can't fit.

Update on Secondary School

Let me share with you how exciting it is for me to see the Secondary School become a Hope Made Real.

This is the view that will be seen every day from the Secondary School complex. Awesome!

I would like to join Benjamin, but it looks a bit scary to me.

A Jan. 29 update on Secondary School progress: Ready for inspection. Government inspectors are on site this morning. We need their approval before we can go ahead.

Approval given. Yay!!!

Work began on the upper retaining wall.

Feb. 4. Work continued.

Feb. 16. Upper retaining wall is finished.

Pillars for support of a two-story building. There are many – about 12.

To my amazement, we have a cement mixer. Not the big truck like in the USA, but it works.

Foundation going in. The pillars are encased in cement and are included in the foundation.

Feb. 26. Progressing.

Our director Jean Marie donned a vest and helmet to inspect the work in progress.

Neighbor helping neighbor

Our community outreach continues. We are aware older children are also in need.

Wedding

It was my pleasure to attend the wedding of Adeline, who is the Urukundo Learning Center’s secretary, and her groom, Oswald, who doesn’t work for Urukundo.

The wedding took place in the Urukundo Hope Made Real House, which serves as a pavilion for weddings and other events.

Adeline has been part of Urukundo staff since April 2011. She filled many jobs before becoming school secretary.