The new Childrens Centre in Gasundwe is coming along nicely, thankyou!

Good news

I am very happy to tell you that Christine is out of hospital and is back at home in Kibuye with her baby. Thank you so much for all those people who have prayed and showed concern. I am amazed and humbled when so many people show compassion for friends in Rwanda whom they have never met. This is the milk of human kindness. As you know, Christine is the wife of our teacher Gabriel and for most of the week they live apart because he travels to the village on Sunday, lives there during the week and travels back to Kibuye on Friday. So, for several weeks he was unable to leave Kibuye to go to work. This meant that our young teacher, who is called Gaudence, carried the work by herself. Now she has malaria and Gabriel is back at work, leaving Christine and the baby.
All this serves as a reminder to me about how precarious life can be without a solid foundation of faith, community and indeed financial security. So Thankyou again and be blessed!

Tricia

Things are moving on...

The roof will go on before the rainy season starts

During our visit to the village this time it became very apparent to me that the need for instruction in basic sanitation and health issues was a priority. I think some of you will know that one of our little girls in the nursery died just a few days before our visit. She was almost four years old and her name was Joyeuse. There are still problems with fresh water supplies and Joyeuse became ill with sickness and diarrhoea. The nearest nurse and health post is a two hour walk away and it was just not possible to save her. The next day two of her brothers were taken to the health post and fortunately they survived. There are no facilities in the village for any type of medical care, no medicines, no painkillers, no malaria treatment. In addition some families are not boiling the water for drinking purposes. The need for parents to be educated in these things is critical.

Lots of other exciting things happened which I will continue to write about in the blog. However my main purpose in sending out this newsletter at this time is to inform you that we are now a Registered Charity, Village Rwanda UK and so have a new bank account!! In doing this I’ve been supported by five other trustees – their profiles are on the blog. We are currently working on our Business Plan and I want to assure you that 100% of the money that you provide will continue to be spent on the children and families so that the village will become self-sustaining by 2020. This is our aim and will remain our aim. We are a national UK charity working with a local Rwanda charity (NGO, Non-Governmental Organisation) called ‘Gihombo Forward’ We work closely with them because they know what is best for their community and how it can be achieved.

So, folks, if you want to donate you can transfer money easily to our new bank account as follows:  

The Co-operative Bank

Name of account: Village Rwanda UK

Sort code: 08 92 99

Account number: 65765678

One big advantage is that we can now claim gift aid. I am attaching a Gift Aid form for you to complete and return to Chris Park our Treasurer either by email or post (for those replying by email a signature is not required as we will acknowledge the receipt of your email)

The challenge is that we need to raise £5,000 to complete the building and then another £2,000 for the latrines and another £3,000 for furniture and teaching materials. Work has now stopped until more funds can be raised. We are currently exploring potential donors that might be interested in contributing to this. If you know of any groups or businesses please don’t hesitate to send me their details.

For those of you on Facebook we now have our own page (thanks to Jack Lofthouse, formerly R2R). Search for ‘Village Rwanda’ but don’t expect amazing things yet because I am just getting to grips with the administration!

The folk in Rwanda now have a postal address and you may like to write letters or send cards and greetings. Please don’t send money or anything very valuable. Any correspondence should be addressed to our teacher and he will make sure it gets to the appropriate people.

GIHOMBO FORWARD

C/o NTEZIRYAYO Gabriel

PO Box 51

Karongi

Profiles of the Trustees of Village Rwanda UK

The six trustees of the charity Village Rwanda UK

Tricia Atherton

I am 64 and I have devoted my professional life to education, firstly as a primary school teacher and then as Primary headteacher. On retiring from that position I went to Rwanda with voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) to serve as an Education Leadership Advisor. I lived and worked there for 2 ^1/2 years and during this time I started a Nursery school in a remote, rural village. On my return to the UK I continued to support the school and in June 2015 we formed the charity Village Rwanda UK. I am responsible for leadership & sustainability for the projects In Rwanda.

Lynne Gregory

I am 63 and retired. I have first hand experience of living in Rwanda for 15 months where I worked as a special educational needs adviser with VSO. Prior to retirement and becoming a volunteer,

I worked in the local authority children's services as Strategic Manager of Special Educational Needs. This is a complex area of operations, balancing legal & budgetary requirements with the          expectations of schools and the very specific needs of vulnerable children within a tight policy framework. I am Secretary to VRUK

Darryl Gregory

I am 67 and I retired several years ago after a lifelong career working with children with emotional and behavioural difficulties as teacher and then deputy and headteacher. My work was              challenging, requiring knowledge of personnel management, legal and budget considerations,   specialist educational pedagogy and creating environments to promote learning. I volunteered with VSO in 2011 and worked in Rwanda for 15 months as a special educational needs adviser.

I am Projects Co-ordinator for VRUK.

Margaret Park

I am 60 and have been a Primary teacher for 30 years. I am now a self employed education tutor and also host and teach English to overseas students (EFL), which is a rewarding progression from a career as a teacher and education professional. I volunteered with VSO in 2012 and worked in Rwanda for 6 months as a Teaching Methodology Adviser. I am responsible for the education programme for VRUK in Rwanda.

Chris Park

I am 61 and have had a 33 year career with Legal & General Group in a variety of senior roles,    latterly as Head of Operational Development in their Customer Insight team. In September 2014  decided to pursue a role as a self employed business adviser working in the data analysis area.
I have been contracting for Equifax Group since February 2015 involved in a review of their         financial services intelligence products. I have visited Rwanda whilst my wife volunteered with VSO in 2012 and I am Treasurer for VRUK.

Paul Campbell-Kelly

I am 58 and a Business Change and IT Management professional. After an early career as IT         developer and architect I was IS Director at Waterford Wedgwood for 10 years, then Director at PwC and IBM Consulting working in Utilities, Oil & Gas. My key skills are in strategy, business   planning and programme management, in the context of organisational, process and technology led change. Most recently I have implemented Business Intelligence solutions at Morrison’s        supermarkets and led the redesign of Santander's account opening process. I am also a keen sailor and commercial yacht skipper. I am responsible for business planning, fund raising and             communications for VRUK.

Please pray, friends living in fear.

On 8 Aug 2015, at 07:30, ALEXIS SABANA <sabanalexis1965@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Tricia!
Did you know that we had a terrible night yesterday? It was awful! The earthquake!!! It was arround 3:20 when I felt my bed and all the house shaking . It was the earthquake.  Immediately I rememberred what  happenned in 2008 when many buildings collapsed and many persons died and I rememberred that I am near volcanoes and a lot fear took  me. But it passes  3 times  with a  terrible shaking  and it ended.
My mother and a lot of persons from other arias called me in order to know if there was no problem in Gisenyi we said that it was okay.  Tricia it was terrible! We praize God we are  safe. All buildings are safe even the children center building didn't have any damage.
By the way all madriers (pieces of timbers for making roof) have already been purchased Fabien is waiting for iron sheets money to make the roof. He is afraid because sometimes rain season begins earlier. I told him that you know it.

Thanks
Alexis

Exciting news!!!

Hi everyone. I have some very exciting news, so read on to find out what it is....

We went to Rwanda in June with the intention of making some improvements to the building that we use for the Nursery School and of building some new latrines. We came back from Rwanda with the gift of a piece of land and plans for a new purpose built Children's Centre!Wow!

And this is the latest photo sent by Alexis from the village:

nearly up to roof level already!!

here are some extracts from my journal:

Sunday 07/06/2015

Yesterday we had the meeting with the church leaders about improvements to the building and our request for a ten  year contract to use the building. This was Plan A. We came to an agreement but it had some worrying aspects to it. This morning we discussed it and decided that Plan A was no longer viable – a good decision, but what now?

Plan B, of course! Mama has offered to give some land to the village (GiFo) so that we can build from new. Currently. this piece of land is used for growing coffee and has belonged to the family for generations, so it was important for us to ascertain that the whole family were in agreement. I contacted Fidele in Canada and he assured me that they had discussed it many times and were all in agreement. So, that was it. No sooner said than….. the builder (Fabien) came that afternoon with his daughter, Therese. Darryl spent the day drawing up plans, the umudugudu leader came and explained the process to us. The three surrounding land owners have to agree and sign a contract between Mama and GiFo. All this was done in a couple of days. Within 24hours the builder came with an estimate which we took away with us so that we could show someone with local knowledge to give us an idea of land costs, building costs, rules and regulations etc. 

Here is Mama giving the gift of the land. She is a lovely faithful Christian woman.

From then on, things moved very quickly indeed! We left the village for a few days and on our return the plans for the new building were crystallised. It will not be just a school but it will encompass space for a health worker, the Gifo coordinator and for the sewing cooperative as well as other cooperatives that may be developed in the future. 

More extracts from the journal:

Tuesday 16^th June

Met up with Lynne and Darryl again and returned by boat to Gasundwe.

Reflection on these few days:

All my planned trips to Nyamasheke were not possible because of the rain, frustrating for me but better for the project because Alexis, Darryl and the builder were able to itemise the costs of building and phase the work so now we have a planned project, costed out. It can move forward now and when we get back to UK we will know how much money we need to raise and by what date.

Friday 19th June

This is a very special day in Gasundwe. Almost before we were awake we were surprised by the arrival of Fabien, the builder, and several of the young men from the village. They were carrying pick axes, hoes and machetes so that they could begin clearing the land, ready for the foundations to go in. What a surprise! And it was so exciting for everyone. There was a real buzz going on. We had no idea this was happening today. Lynne dragged Darryl out of bed because we didn't want him to miss it. The lads set to work with such energy. I say lads but actually there were a real mixture of ages. The children watched in amazement at history being made in their village. The women came from the household to rescue the food crops, like yams. They took them away and replanted them in a safe area. Other women came to ask Fabien for work and he took some of them on. There will be fish on the plates this weekend.

The village is thrumming with activity. The primary school children are not at school so they are watching and sometimes joining in - helping dad. Lynne and I stand watching in awe. I have a try with a machete and manage to make two small chips in the trunk of a coffee tree. I wonder how old they are? How does Mama feel to see them go after all these years? She is such a good and faithful woman, such an example. 

The contract with the builder was handwritten yesterday and signed by us all and today the work started! Amazing. How long would this process take in UK?

The hens arrive, two impressive cockerels strut around taking part in the celebration.

Today is a very special day. The president is in Kibuye visiting so no traffic is moving either on the roads or on the lake, everything has stopped. The prime minister is visiting in Kibingo, along with the Monseigneur of the whole region. Everyone is out there enjoying the spectacle. There is no school today.

But the most special thing of all is happening here in Gasundwe. 

I managed to make two small dents in the coffee tree!

And by mid afternoon the boys were able to play football for a while.

 We made the decision to build a new centre partly based on our experience of  visiting the family of the little girl, Joyeuse, who died just two weeks before our visit. She was very ill and although the health worker tried to help the family there was nothing that could be done. She died at midnight and the next day two of her brothers were taken to the nearest health post, two hours walk away. Fortunately they recovered and came home a few days later. When we heard the facts of what had  happened we realised that one of the most important requirements is teaching about basic sanitation, clean water etc.

 The feeding programme will continue and so will the nursery school but we will also work towards having classes for parents and teenagers to improve skills and understanding of hygiene, sanitation and healthy living. there will be new latrines based on the African Dry system. All this will cost money of course, but considering the benefits we believe it will be very worthwhile.

The cost of the new building will be £12000 which, in the great scheme of things in the UK is not much, however it will make a world of difference to the lives of many in Gihombo. Also we can spread the fund raising over three phases. We have enough money for phase 1 and we can raise £2-3000 before phase 2 begins, then another push for phase 3 which will be paid in two halves. In addition there will be the cost of the latrines (one of Darryl's favourite projects). 

Remember, in Rwanda we must always be prepared for plans and particularly time scales to change but in February 2016 Margo, Chris and I will be able to see progress when we visit.

The other great news is that now we are a Registered Charity and we have a new bank account. On a personal note, I really want to thank those friends and family members who have supported the project since the beginning. It is you who have started all this and you who have made it happen so far. We are in the throes of writing a 'business plan', setting target dates and other administrative things which I hate, but I know they are necessary and will be very useful.
I will be posting again very soon with details of our new bank account and updates of progress in other aspects of life in Rwanda, including THE ROAD!!!
Please do comment or send me a message. Love Tx

Back in the lovely Rwanda....

Hi everyone. I am now back from my latest visit to Rwanda and I have only just been able to sit back and post some of my thoughts and experiences. Here are some extracts from my journal, i hope you enjoy reading them xxx

Monday 01/06/2015.

Well, here I am, back in the lovely Rwanda – not quite so naïve this time, each time I come I learn to be more circumspect about life here. The realities are that people who have experienced poverty, danger, insecurity are just out to survive, to make as much money as they can. I’m learning more and more about this side of life in Rwanda. I don’t like it. But that makes it even more special when I meet people like Alexis and Gabriel who do what they do from genuine desire to serve other people whilst also looking after their own families.

It was lovely to meet up with them today at Beausejour Guesthouse in Kisimenti, under the deliciously smelling, bright magenta Bougainvillea. Big welcome and hugs all around. The double shoulder greeting, smiles. Somehow, here in Rwanda there is always a sense of relief when a person is greeted, relief and thankfulness that you are still alive. We caught up with all the news from the village and made plans for our visit.

All things worked out well with meeting up with Lynne and Darryl. They arrived, but their baggage didn’t. They are two of the trustees of our newly registered charity. They lived in Rwanda for a year so they know the ropes.

Thursday 04/06/2015 at Home St Jean, Kibuye

Today we travel by boat to Gasundwe. Lots of really positive things have happened. The helpful conversations with Tom in Kigali about many things. His suggestion that we make a contract with the church leaders for 10 years with no rent but making improvements to the building. (Alexis suggested we put in a concrete floor like we did in the old church building). Would that come first? Once we have the contract with ADEPR, we can move. The first five years we would be sending money, after that the GiFo would be making the money themselves. And would take over.

Building latrines. We met up with Christianne and Baj and went to see their construction site in Macheo. Great. Ecolodge camping project. One of their contacts, the pastor is coming to the village with us today to give advice and options on toilets for the children- bio toilets.

We will fence around the school building

The teachers’ office will be shared with the GiFo coordinator

I have an appointment with the SEO on Friday to discuss EYDC

Darryl asleep on the toilet rolls on the boat trip to Gasundwe.

Everything here is a stop – go – stop-wait- then what?

Friday 05/06/2015 at Pascal’s house, waiting for him to take me to the Umurenge, He’s changing the wheel on his moto (again!) so familiar!

The walk from the guesthouse has been hot and sticky. Why do we always have to rush? Got an appointment at 9am with the SEO, that’s why! Maybe eventually it will not be like this. I can relax instead. The people along the path have welcomed me back like an old friend. ‘Muraho, Tricia!’ shoulder hugs, greetings. There was an umudugudu meeting along the path. The chief came to see us yesterday and checked our identity. He is responsible for security and for notifying the authorities about who is in the area.

A bent, very old lady with a stick struggled down the path from her house to greet me. She had tears in her eyes and her daughter (50ish) also. Her granddaughter from high School rushed to greet us. This family now live close to Pascal, near the road (well, near the mud track).They used to live in very very poor accommodation down by the lake. The government have moved them up the hill and away from the lake where it is safer from attack and where they can access facilities. That is one reason why they are delighted to see me.

I have just learnt that one very big consequence of our project is that previously the local authorities didn’t know a great deal about the village and the situation of the people. They could only look at statistics and location on a map. There is a national plan to group people more closely together so that services can be provided, infrastructure etc. The people around Gasundwe were going to be re-located until we introduced the school and the water, i.e. Until we began to build infrastructure in that specific locality, that caused the authorities to change their mind and allow the people to stay in their homes, apart from the very vulnerable like the old lady and her family. The people were very happy that they could stay in Gasundwe.

Electricity is in Pascal’s house and village – called Nyabitare. This road where Pascal’s house is forms the border with the next umudugudu. Anyway, there is electricity here now. There was also water here before Gasundwe and the pipes to the village join the mains here at this point.

On our walk from Mamas house we look across the river valley, where the rice is growing green and healthy, to Rususimiro (Viro 3), and see the electricity going to those houses. The people of Gasundwe are saving up for their contribution for the government to install electricity in the area. It will be in three phases. 1^st phase will be sufficient power for lighting. 2^nd phase… 3^rd phase. The electricity, like water, has to be paid for and will be metered. So the people will need to have enough income to pay their bills – links with secure livelihoods. Water at the Nursery school has been cut off, disconnected because it was not metered. Mama has paid for a meter to be installed at the house. Who will pay for the meter at the school or in the village at the top of the hill? The people have gone back to using the spring water, straight from the hillside.

Later that day. The meeting at the Umurenge was very positive, having got through the ‘When are you building a Primary School?’ conversation when I was able to once again insist that we were not building a primary school but we would help Viro school, I was able to explain the vision of a children’s centre. It really clarified thing in my own mind too. The SEO took us to see the Executive Secretary who was also very supportive.

Whilst I was away, Lynne and Darryl spent the day with Gabriel and Gaudence at the Nursery School. 

Esperance making the protein enhanced porridge

Gaudence is the new assistant teacher

Here is Gabriel serving the children with porridge.

Interactive teaching methods

Saturday 06/06/2015. Gasundwe Village

Another productive day. This morning, Lynne and I, along with Reponse and Seden, the two boys of the household, went for a walk towards Pascal’s house. We met many people along the way, including the umudugudu chief with many villagers. (This morning, early, I heard him calling them to come to the meeting) We also met the health worker, Stephanie, and a lot of others, Visitors to Gasundwe would enjoy such a walk with someone who can point out the different crops, farming methods, coffee growing process, bananas, avocado trees, mango trees etc.

When we got back we sat and helped Mama to get the beans out of the pods. Esperance was washing clothes under the tap. We had seen other women washing clothes in the streams running down the hillside. The water tap in the village has been disconnected until it can be metered, which is fair enough, but how will the villagers find the money to buy the water? This is the same situation with the Nursery school, there is no water there now. Mama has paid for a meter to be installed at the guesthouse, so we have water. Regarding electricity we have had to rent new batteries to store power from the solar panels. Otherwise there would be no electricity. Maintenance is a constant issue. It raises the issue of maintenance again and payment for water use and later electricity.

Esperance doing the washing under the tap.

Helping to get the beans out of the pods

Our Primary School children enjoying reading on the grass outside the guesthouse. 

Later today we have a meeting with the church leaders who have a long journey to get here because they don’t live in the area. But that's another story!

BIG BIG THANKYOU!

We almost reached the target of £3000 for the school. I am soooo happy and thankful for lovely people in this world.

 I'm flying to Rwanda tomorrow and I will be there for four weeks. There is so much to do and now I can make start on developing the building as an Early Childhood Centre. This time I will be joined by two friends and they will be staying in the village guest house.
I'll try to update the blog whilst I am away and when I come back I will be very happy to come and visit you to share photographs and tell you about developments.
Please pray for us all and especially for the children and families living in Gasundwe. They work so hard and yet they are always happy and smiling. Lots of love, Tricia

Target

As you know I am going back to Rwanda with two friends at the end of May and we are trying to raise money to improve the school building and especially the latrines. We want to make two separate rooms in the school building and have a school office with a storage cupboard for resources etc.

Eventually we want to develop a complete Chidren's Centre which would include services for education, health and adult learning. so this is the first step in a planned programme.

We need money for building materials and our target by the end of May is £3000

We have put in an application for Charitable status but this will take a while to go through. We will then have a new Bank Account and Charity number. So, at the moment we are still using the account that is in my name. The details are as follows:

Name of account: Mrs P Atherton
Sort code: 07-10-40
Account number: 60310801

If  you want to send a cheque please text or telephone me on 07554427582

My e mail address is tricia.atherton@gmail.com

Thank you my lovely friends!

Latest news. Returning to Rwanda (for a visit)

The walk to the village

Hi Friends!
I am planning a trip to Rwanda to visit the village and the school and to discuss progress and ideas for further development.
I will be in Rwanda from May 27th to June 25th.

Whilst we are there we are hoping to appoint some builders to improve the school building and we want to take some cash with us to avoid all the complications with bank charges etc.

For some time now people have been asking me to speak about the project at their events or with friends. I have made a Power Point Presentation to take around. (I have only done one event so far!)I have another booked for April 23rd at St Michaels Church in Macclesfield. If you would like me to come to talk to your group or school or friends please don't hesitate to ask. The latest date that I could do would be May 24th.

The alternative is that I could send you the Power Point Presentation (with notes) which you could show to your friends.

If you want to contribute some money that would be wonderful. We are working through the process of becoming a registered charity but at present the money is still going through my account with Nationwide in the name of Mrs P Atherton. Cheques gratefully accepted but if you want to transfer direct into the account let me know and I will send you the details.

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Much love
Tricia

Feeling encouraged..

The photo above shows the meeting of friends who want to help us to become a registered charity called Village Rwanda UK. We are in the process of writing draft constitution and statement of aims. Thank you to everyone for your comments following my last update on the blog and my written report and especially for your commitment to keep supporting financially. In Rwanda the new school year has started and so far there are 44 new little Children registered and being fed daily, thanks to you!

Watch this space!
Tricia xxxx

The end of another school year in Rwanda...

December 2014

Dear Friends

We have come to the end of another school year in the village school of Gasundwe, Rwanda and we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support of the children during this year.

Our teacher Gabriel sent an end of year report in which he said:

‘The school year ended on 24^th October 2014. During this year, out of the 60 children that started in January, 2 children have dropped out of the school because their family left the village; 3 children refused learning and stayed at home. Other children joined us during the year.  We will send 57 children to Viro Primary school in January next year, 2015. But 6 children will retake school because they are still young.  Next year the number of children will be over 50 I suppose. I started registration of children for 2015.’

As you know, the children that attend our village nursery school are given a protein enhanced porridge every day during term time and this builds them up physically so that when they are old enough to begin formal schooling they are strong enough to walk to school and back again at the end of their shift. (A walk of about 1½ hours each way). In my previous report I wrote about my visit to Viro Primary School to see how our children were settling into their new school. Our project is making a distinct difference to their lives and they have made an excellent start to their education. Our teacher is using interactive learning methods rather than simply ‘chalk and talk’.

The main news about the school, apart from the continuing dedication of the teacher and another set of children being cared for, is about the building. Since we started the school in 2011 we have been given the use of the church building, but now the church has built a new building for their own use and they have said that we can continue to use the original building for the project. This is wonderful news and it will allow us to develop further.

Our vision is that we can divide the building into two rooms so that we can have two classes of different age groups working at one time. One of the rooms can also be used as a training workshop for adults (eg training in the use of tools, sewing machines, knitting machines etc). There is also space for an office. In addition, because the church has built on the land which the children used as a playground we need to provide more land for them. We also need to provide new latrines which can be properly maintained.

An estimated breakdown of costs in rough terms is as follows:

Building works – 250,000 Rw Francs (£250)

Purchase of land – 800,000Rw Fr (£800)

Latrines – 307,000 Rw Francs (£307)

 Personal Note: I have tried to keep the project on a small scale, but inevitably it could possibly run away with me! I have thought about this a great deal and I need advice from others. Until now I have resisted the idea of forming a charity because of the paperwork and administration that it involves. We would need to form a committee with all the legal requirements and at least one meeting per year. I cannot do this alone, but I also see that this would help the village and so I am asking for your views. Would you be prepared to be involved in such a venture on a practical level? Could you give advice and support even if you didnt want to be on the committee? Would you be prepared to continue to support financially? Please let me know your thoughts. It’s okay to be frank with me!

Whether or not we decide to form a charity I will maintain my commitment to support the village until 2020 and I hope you will feel able to do the same. If you would like me to come to you with a slide show, photos and lots more information please let me know. I would be delighted – once I start talking about Rwanda and the village it is hard to stop me!!

Other news in brief:

·         A child is born! Gabriel and Christine have had their first baby.

·         Knitting machine. So far, two ladies have been trained to use the hand operated knitting machine

·         Sewing machines. Several ladies have been trained to use the sewing machines.

·         Electricity. At the moment the only electricity in the village is supplied by our solar panels. The       Government of Rwanda has indicated that the village will get electricity in 2015.

·         The ‘road’ – apparently it is now possible to get to the village by motorbike! Another rough ride then!

·        Water. The people of the village are beginning to contribute to the maintenance of the water supply

·        Our teacher is going to ask the parents of each child to contribute 500Rw Fr (50p) for each child who attends the school – this may be a stretch for some families, but it is a start towards self-sufficiency.

I hope you have a Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year of 2015.

With so much love and heartfelt thanks,

Tricia  xxxx

Contact details:                  Postal: c/o 43 Eastgate, Macclesfield, Cheshire. SK10 1RG

                                e-mail: tricia.atherton@gmail.com 

Telephone: +447554427582

Gasundwe Village School links with Bowlee Primary School in England

Hello to all our friends at Bowlee Primary School, Middleton, England, UK

First of all, thank you for your lovely letters and photos and drawings for the children in Rwanda. When I took your letters to Rwanda I asked my friend to translate them into Kinyarwanda and then I took them to school. The children wrote their replies in Kinyarwanda and then I asked my friend to translate their replies into English. They were very excited to receive greetings and communication with children in England. They have replied to your letters and although some of the replies are very short you have to remember that they do not speak English. They have their own language called Kinyarwanda. Even the teachers don’t speak a lot of English because until 2010 the main language for teaching was French and then in 2010 the Rwandan Government told all the teachers that they had to start teaching in English from then on. It was a very big challenge for them.

Why do you think the language of instruction used to be French?

All the children that you wrote letters to have now left the village school and moved onto the local Primary School. There are two schools that they can go to and most of them go to Viro Primary School. It takes about one hour and half to walk to school with their friends. A few of the children go to a school called Rusuzimiro. This school is closer to the village of Gasundwe but to get there the children have to cross a river and there is no bridge. In the rainy season it is very dangerous so many parents choose to send their children to Viro which is further away but the children can walk there quite safely.

The photograph above shows you where the children have to cross the river without a bridge to get to Rusuzimiro School. In the rainy season it is very dangerous.

In Rwanda there is a shortage of teachers and many children to teach so, in the Primary Schools, they have a ‘Double Shift’ system. This means that some children go to school in the morning and others go in the afternoon. The teachers teach all day. The morning shift starts at 7am and finishes at 11.40am. The teachers have a break for one hour then the afternoon shift starts at 12.40 and finishes at 5pm. The teachers then walk home and many of them also cultivate the land and grow food for their families. They have very low wages and are often hungry.

How long does it take the children to walk to school?

How long is the morning shift?

How long is the afternoon shift?

How long is the teacher’s day?

Add on the time taken to get to and from school.

In Rwanda, the school year starts in January and ends at the end of October. This is the main reason why I visit the school in January because I want to meet the new children and families as well as to visit the children who have moved up to the Primary School.

These are two of the teachers from Viro Primary School. They are very happy to receive the children from Gasundwe Village School.

Some of the children have sent you their last school report from our school in Gasundwe. You will see that they study five subjects – English, Mathematics, Social Studies, Kinyarwanda and Religious Education.  A lot of the teaching is done through games and songs. Remember that the children are only 4-6years old when they come to our school and many of them come from very poor families. Before we opened Gasundwe Village School most of the children didn’t go to school at all because it was too far for them to walk and they were tired and hungry. But now we feed the children every day and they grow strong and healthy enough to walk to the local Primary school. Eventually we want to have our own Primary School in Gasundwe.  The children love coming to school and they love their teacher, Gabriel, and their Teaching Assistant, Esperance.

Here is our teacher at Gasundwe Village School. His name is Gabriel. He lives in the village from Sunday to Friday but at weekend he travels to see his wife in Kibuye town for the weekend.

 This is Esperance. She is our Teaching Assistant at Gasundwe Village School. She is helping the new children to make marks on the small blackboards. She lives in the village most of the time but her husband and children live in Kigali which is the capital city of Rwanda.

In Rwanda it is considered bad manners to eat food in front of other people unless there is enough for everyone. When I visit schools I usually take a sandwich to eat in the middle of the day and I ask the headteacher if there is somewhere I can go to eat my lunch. He usually takes me into his office and closes the door and the shutters at the window so that I can eat in private, the teachers often don’t eat at lunchtime, they probably only eat once every day.

Lines of enquiry:

Think carefully – why do you think it is bad manners to eat in front of other people? (Clue – it is connected to historical poverty) Compare this to eating habits in England. How would you manage with only one meal each day?

Most of the food that is eaten is grown by the families themselves. Rwanda is a very fertile country and the fresh fruit and vegetables are very tasty and healthy. A basic food crop is Cassava which is a leafy green plant which grows everywhere. The green leaves are rich in nutrients and make a delicious soup and the roots are often used in the way we use potatoes. There are also potatoes, cabbage, carrots, green runner beans, tomatoes, onions and corn cob. Rice is grown in the valley bottoms where the ground is wet and is usually eaten with beans – not green beans but beans which are more like haricot or broad beans or pinto beans. The main food crop is Cassava.

Go to the supermarket and explore all the many different types of beans in the Dried Food department. Make a meal with beans and rice. You could make a soup or a sauce to eat with your beans and rice. Spinach is a good substitute for Cassava.

Bananas are also plentiful and there are many different types. Savoury bananas are cooked and eaten a bit like we eat potatoes, sweet bananas are small and very sweet. Then there are bananas that are used to make beer. The bananas are harvested when they are still green and they are carried by the ladies to the local market to be sold. When the ladies who live in Gasundwe go to the market they go on the boat to the nearest small town. The journey is about 30 minutes away by boat and it is a happy social occasion.

Investigate the journey of a banana from tree to your fruit bowl.

In the village you can pick fruit straight from the trees when that fruit is in season. I ate a lot of mangoes when I was there in February. Also avocado, passion fruit, pineapple. It would be wrong to just pick fruit from a tree unless the farmer gave you permission or you offered to buy it because the farmers are totally dependent on what they grow for their survival. Another favourite of mine is peanuts (or groundnuts) which you can often see laid out on matting drying in the sun. They are very tasty when they have been roasted and salted. On market day you can see lots of little boys selling small packets of these nuts. They make little packets from paper shaped like a cone.

Try some exotic fruits. Make a fruit salad.

Can you make a packet for peanuts out of paper?

The village of Gasundwe is by Lake Kivu and some of the men who have fishing boats go out every day to catch fish to sell. The fish are small and silver in colour. When the fish are landed they are put out in the sun to dry and then later they are cooked in a sauce made from tomatoes. This is a source of protein for families who can afford to buy the fish from the fishermen. The fish are taken to the market to sell and I must say that the smell of drying fish in the market is very powerful!

Another source of protein which is much more easily available is Soya. Our children at the Gasundwe Nursery School are given a big cup of porridge every day and this is a mixture of soya, sorghum and maize. This porridge contains proteins and nutrients for health. The children love it and thrive on it.

Meat is only eaten on very special occasions, maybe on Christmas Day, weddings or on other days of celebration when the village will get together for a party and everyone will contribute the food. Meats that are available include goat, rabbit, beef, pork and chicken.

Why do the children need protein in their diet? What protein do you have in your diet?

There are some chickens in the village and they produce eggs which the children enjoy when they are available. All the children have jobs to do at home to help the family. One of the tasks is to look after the chickens and goats. The children also help to carry water. When they are young they carry a small container and as they grow they carry bigger and bigger containers.

Another source of protein is milk. There are some cows in the village and the people who own them can sell milk to their neighbours. Rwandans love drinking milk when they can get it. There is a tradition in Rwanda that when a couple gets married the groom gives a cow to the bride’s family. When that cow has babies one of the babies is given back to the married couple. If you own a cow in Rwanda it is a sign of wealth. The more cows you own, the wealthier you are. The goats provide a source of meat.

 This is the end of this short presentation. I hope you can learn more about Rwanda from your studies. I look forward to looking at your work. Thank you again and enjoy your learning. Tricia

Lines of enquiry:

Why do you think the language of instruction used to be French?

How long does it take the children to walk to school?

How long is the morning shift?

How long is the afternoon shift?

How long is the teacher’s day?

Add on the time taken to get to and from school.

Think carefully – why do you think it is bad manners to eat in front of other people? Compare this to eating habits in England. How would you manage with only one meal each day?

Go to the supermarket and explore all the many different types of beans in the Dried Food department. Make a meal with beans and rice. You could make a soup or a sauce to eat with your beans and rice. Spinach is a good substitute for Cassava.

Try some exotic fruits

Investigate the journey of a banana from tree to your fruit bowl.

Can you make a packet for peanuts out of paper?

Why do the children need protein in their diet? What protein do you have in your diet?

In Rwanda, if you own a cow you are wealthy. Think about our country, what are the signs of wealth here?

To clarify:

Our school is called Gasundwe Village School and is located in Gasundwe Village by Lake Kivu. At the moment we have a full time teacher called Gabriel and two teaching assistants. Esperance is the name of one teaching assistant and she also cooks the porridge. The other teaching assistant is called Acquiline and she is one of the mothers, she is training to be a teacher.

Gasundwe Village School meets in the old church building on top of the hill so we don’t yet have a proper school room where we can set up a quality learning environment. We take children aged from 3-6years old, then they transfer to either Viro Primary School or Rusuzimiro Primary School across the river. All the children that you have written letters to have now transferred to Primary School. The teachers and children there are benefitting from our project as well.

The Village Rwanda Project, which I am responsible for, concentrates on the school and education in the local sector named Gihombo Sector. My expertise is in teacher training and development of skills rather than on building schools.  Rochdale 2 Rwanda (R2R) and Ottawa 2 Rwanda (O2R) are two groups that I work alongside. They are responsible for other areas of the project such as the provision of water, cows, machinery etc. The local organisation is called ‘Gihombo Forward’ (GIFO).We work closely together to alleviate poverty in the village and our aim is that the village should be self-sustaining by 2020.

In the next few years we aim to build at least one classroom per year and then gradually extend the school upwards to Year 6. We are also going to build a Training School for youth and adults to learn skills such as carpentry, sewing, knitting and electrics.

Contacts are as follows:

Village Rwanda: Tricia Atherton villagerwanda.blogspot.co.uk (e mail and telephone below)

Rochdale 2 Rwanda (R2R) (Paul Cockcroft) www.Rochdale2Rwanda.wix.com/info

Ottawa 2 Rwanda (O2R) (Fidele Bolton)     www.ottawa2rwanda.org

Teacher at Gasundwe Village School: NTEZIRYAYO Gabriel     gabrielnteziryayo@yahoo.fr

Co-ordinator of GIFO (Local organisation in Rwanda) SABANA Alexis    sabanalexis1965@gmail.com