Monday, October 24

Primary School

After breakfast and morning devotions/sharing we headed out from our hotel to Kivuruga once again along the winding majestic roads arriving at a primary school.  Once again we were greeted by singing & dancing from the school children which was piercing with its volume and passion.  We all had a chance to dance with the kids who continued pressing in against us as the staff and volunteers tried to give us a little room; it was awesome. 

We gave the school a number of soccer balls donated by Immanuel Church and Pastor Mark and I each traded a new ball for one of their homemade soccer balls that you see throughout Rwanda.  We will be bringing these soccer balls home to show you all.

This primary school has 695 students between ages 7-14 that attend in two different shifts (morning & afternoon) with a total of 10 teachers; some classes have well over 50 students in them.  The school is run by a lady named Adeline who is actually the mother of one of Trent & Karry Pepper’s sponsored children.  In Kivuruga, there are primary schools (such as this) the last for 6 years and then secondary schools which are split up into O-Level (Ordinary Level for the first 3 years) and the A-Level (Advanced Level for the following 3 years, but students must pass a test to get into the A-Level).  The government is introducing a 9-year program that includes, at the end of it, some technical training for those who do not pass into the A-Level but are capable of continuing education and skill-building.  After secondary school, some students are able to attend the University in Kigali (the capital of Rwanda).

The staff was proud to show off the new water tank and faucet that was provided through World Vision through dollars coming in from the sponsorship program; there was some money for the foundation raised through parent donations to help build ownership in the project.  There is a gutter system that collects rain water and puts into the tank which holds a total of 10,000 liters which would last an estimated 2 weeks once full.This is considered a miracle in this area which allows children to bring water home from school instead of having to take another, longer trip to get water.  Please note again that this is a project that has just been completed as a result of financial resources brought in through child sponsorships (way to go Our Response!). 

Also, the current classrooms are in rough shape and have no glass windows; only wooden shutters.  This means that when it rains, the wooden shutters are closed and the room falls dark so no teaching can continue.  There is a project underway to build four new classrooms which will have windows and provide a much better learning opportunity.  This will also create a space for an office for the head mistress who currently offices in an old classroom currently holding all of the building supplies.  All of the supplies for the new classrooms (bricks, concrete, sand, lumber, etc) has been purchased by World Vision through sponsorship dollars (again, thanks Our Response!!!).  This is a total of about $60,000 in US dollars.  The labor will be paid for by donations from parents that will total about $8,000 US dollars once fully raised. They have a ways to go on this, but it is critical that they are invested in the project to ensure the right level of ownership going forward.

We also went and pet the rabbits that were provided by World Vision to the school.  The rabbit program will give two new-born rabbits to the poorest children in the school who will raise them, giving the first born back to the school to enter the program while using remaining rabbits for the needs of the family (again, sponsorship dollars here also!).

These are all new projects that have been started since the 2009 visit; so if you are wondering about the impact of the sponsorship dollars on the community, you can know that the educational component of World Vision’s community transformation model has been greatly impacted.

HIV-positive mushroom co-operative

For many of us, perhaps the most inspiring work of World Vision that we have been introduced too is their involvement in an agricultural co-op started and inclusive of only HIV+ participants. 

After a drive and walk, we found ourselves again greeted by a few dozen men & women (of course children were tracking us everywhere too) who were clothed in beautiful garments and singing & dancing for us outside a small house at the end of a dirt path.  After hearing them sing and greeting them, we were given some background by the leader of this co-op and introduced to the other co-op officers.

After starting in 2007 with an investment of $20 USD from each of 49 members, the co-op was launched.  But lacking management skills and knowledge of operating a co-op, it quickly began struggling.  A couple of years ago, they approached World Vision to help.  Using sponsorship dollars (do you notice a theme here?), World Vision helped them re-structure the cooperative, secure a couple of houses, and begin working toward a productive co-op.  One house WV helped them secure was purchased for about $40 USD and is now worth about $160.  The success has been insane.

In addition to helping with other crops (potatoes, corn, bananas) and livestock (cows, pigs, goats), World Vision just recently introduced a mushroom project (which we were able to walk through).  This has been greatly impacting in a couple of areas.  First, living with HIV is made much more difficult when there is poor nutrition; mushrooms provide a wonderful nutrient sources that has radically impacted the lives of many in this co-op of about 65 people.  In fact, two women were asked to come forward as representatives of people who were very sick and couldn’t stand before the mushrooms were brought in; they are now active participants in the co-op and feeling quite healthy.  The second impact is that the mushrooms not used by the co-op participants are sold with the money being shared among co-op participants and reinvested into the co-op.  Because the price that can be received for mushrooms is significantly higher in Kigali than in Kivuruga, World Vision is currently working with multiple potential buyers to negotiate bulk sale of mushrooms and a significantly higher price.  This is something these co-op members would not have been able to do without World Vision.  I asked the co-op leader if she thought the co-op would even exist if it were not for World Vision; instead of only she answering the question, as soon as the interpreter posed the question, the entire group gave a resounding “no”; if it were not for World Vision (and the sponsorship dollars), this mushroom project would not have been possible, the co-op would have disbanded, and several of the members would have continued to have been sick if not have died.

They asked us many questions including how HIV-positive people are treated in the United States and what sort of care they are given.  We were very excited to see this level of interest and engagement and we were able to encourage them about how their unity, collaboration, and love for each other inspired us.

As you know, through child sponsorship, you not only have the opportunity to build a relationship with a child in Kivuruga, but your dollars are pooled with the dollars of other sponsors to transform and entire community including thousands of children.  In about 3 hours, we say amazing examples of the power of World Vision’s efforts in Kivuruga and the impact from the sponsorship dollars that many of you are providing.  Thank you – it was unbelievable to see such tangible results.

Cultural Event

After returning for lunch at the hotel, we headed back north to the intersection of Rwanda, Uganda, and Congo to experience a traditional Rwandan cultural event.  The experience was centered around traditional Rwanda including how the King & Queen would live and rule and advise; it also included a medicine man, a blacksmith, grinding sorghum, archery, and traditional singing & dancing.  I think we all had a great time and laughed so much; it was so good for all of our souls.  All of this was happening with the volcanoes as the backdrop; incredibly gorgeous.  Please trust me that this was fun and do not ask to see any pictures.

Phwew; another great day.  We are sad that tomorrow is our last full day in Kivuruga, but excited to travel to Akegera National Park and ultimately home to see our family & friends. This trip has absolutely blown me away. I thought since I had been here before, it might not be as impactful… but it may have been even more impactful than that first trip.  I’m moved to even new levels of respect for World Vision and commitment to building unity throughout East Central MN.  If you are a church or civic organization in East Central MN not involved with Our Response, look out because I will soon have you in my sites!!!!  Seriously, if you are involved in this effort, I can tell you that lives are being saved (literally) and a generation of children is being raised in an environment where they can be healthy, be educated, be productive, and prepare their children for even greater opportunities.  

Thank you.