Boats and Goats

Early Morning bale out

Whoah! What a couple of weeks!!

I’m trying to remember how many boat trips, moto rides and bus journeys we have taken in the last two weeks but it is too may to count, so I’m going to think of my favourite journey and my most challenging journey.

Fishermen singing in the catch

The favourite journey has to be the early morning boat trip on Lake Kivu when we left the village before dawn to travel back to Kibuye. 

We had been staying in the simple church building on top of the hill overlooking the lake with the fishermen singing in the catch every morning. 

Waking up at dawn

Wendy and Phil on the dawn treader!

There is no electricity or water in the village and the floor of the church is packed earth. My sister and I slept in luxury inside a tent, inside the church. Fidele’s Mama provided us with plentiful supplies of delicious food and hot water for a wash. We each took turns in having a strip down body wash at the back of the church in the pitch dark, whilst the rest of the group continued with the evening conversation about the events of the day.

So, back to my favourite journey. We woke before daybreak and gathered our things together, said our goodbyes and boarded the small open wooden boat just as the sun was rising - 8 passengers and 5 oarsmen, 10 grass mats and various pieces of luggage.

As we made our way over the still waters in dawn-time the songs of our oarsmen filled the early morning air. The singing of songs and use of rhythms help the men to pull together so that the boat can make smooth and rapid progress to the other side. This was a short journey to take us to the place where we would catch the weekly market day bus/boat.

Looking out from the boat to the shore I reflected over the last few days. I was visiting the village for the second time (see blog February 2011)

Putting in the new roof joists

 Fidele, Paul and Jack came at the beginning of August to get the project underway. They organised the building works, appointed a builder, purchased the materials and work had begun in just a few short days. They also appointed a teacher and a cook. The Nursery children (aged 5-7years) are going to be given breakfast and lunch every time they come to school.

Organising the nursery children

My role is to support and guide the teacher in providing a suitable curriculum for the children, in line with government documentation. Until now there has been no nursery school available in the locality and so the new school will take children until they are 6/7 years old and then they will attend the local government school which is at least an hour’s walk away. (This is not uncommon in Rwanda) The children will receive a very good foundation in learning before they start in the formal education system. There are also plans to provide some level of health care.

Adult English class

Later on in the day the teacher has a class of adults who want to learn English. They come to the school after they have finished their day’s work and before it gets dark. I was able to take part in some of these lessons and it was a joy to experience their enthusiastic response to all our efforts at teaching, and to walk through the village the next day being greeted by folks in the field s shouting ‘Good morning, how are you?’  In English!!

Evening meal by candlelight

When the building works are finished there will be a guesthouse with electricity, running water, flush toilet, proper beds and mosquito nets. There will also be a church/ schoolroom with concrete floor and electricity. The whole village will have water and eventually electricity. But just at the moment those luxuries don’t exist!

Luxury camping

So we slept in the church on mattresses with nets but no electricity or water. We ate our evening meals by candlelight and had our stand up wash in the dark.

But, oh what bliss! To feel the cool water on hot, dusty, dry skin. There was I,  standing naked in the dark knowing that friends were close by in the same darkness, talking quietly and reflecting on the day’s doings. Darkness can be comforting, especially when you know you are not alone....

To be continued ... ASAP