Gasundwe Village School

GASUNDWE VILLAGE SCHOOL 

Help me to hold their hand into the future

BACKGROUND

Before I went to Rwanda, the only thing I knew about the country was that there had been a horrific event in 1994 when almost 1,000.000 people were killed and many more injured or displaced. This is what most people will recall if I talk about Rwanda, they do not know about the wonderful community of people who make up the Rwanda of today. People who have survived the unimaginable, who have found human resources that we can only dream of. This is a people and a country which was reduced to nothing. Everything was destroyed – lives, communities, schools, hospitals, water systems, administrative systems, records, desks, chairs, homes, crops etc, etc. The country was almost emptied of people, fleeing either violence or retribution.

The story of Rwanda’s continuing recovery and development is one of the most amazing of our time. However, this recovery has mainly taken place in the capital city of Kigali and in other towns around the country. The fact is that the majority of the population live in the rural areas, some of which are very isolated from lines of communication and therefore have very limited access to essential services such as water, health and education.

Just before I left England in January 2011, for my placement with VSO, my friend, Fidele, who lived in my home town in the UK but who originated from Rwanda discovered that some of his family were still alive and had returned to their village in a remote area of Rwanda. Basically, he jumped on a plane as soon as he could and went to find out if the rumours were true. They were! We can only imagine the joy experienced by the survivors in that family. When Fidele returned to England and discovered that I would be going to Rwanda for two years we were both very excited at the possibilities that could open up. Whilst I prepared to take up my two year placement as Education Leadership Advisor with VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas), Fidele planned a further trip so that his wife could meet his family and friends. That was the beginning of an exciting venture. I am creating a new blog to show the origins and development of the project and the story so far. Readers of my VSO blog will know about the exciting journeys and challenges I have faced during my involvement with the village.

THE VILLAGE PROJECT

We have focused our efforts on a small village named Gasundwe which is located on the shores of Lake Kivu (which is one of the largest lakes in East Africa) It is accessible via a 3 hour boat journey from the town of Kibuye or an extensive bus ride over rugged terrain and muddy tracks, both combined with a short rock-strewn hike. The larger project involves the provision of water, health care, education and sustainability. But my concern in this article is the continuance of the Nursery School.

We opened Gasundwe Village School in August 2011 in a basic church building with one room and an earth floor. We aim to promote education and provide health care and nutrition to all the pupils every school day.

Currently a full time teacher is employed who holds two classes of approximately 30 students each day (one in the morning, a second in the afternoon). The children are aged between 3 and 7 years old. Sometimes there are pupils who are older than this. They come to our school because they have never been to school before and we provide a good foundation. There are still families returning from the forest where they fled during genocide. These children have been born in the rain forest and their families were too frightened to return to their villages. The main syllabus is taken from government recommendations and requirements which include: Kinyarwanda, Maths and English in addition to this we also teach Personal, Social and Health Education and incorporate games and singing time into each lesson.

Gabriel (the teacher) is fully committed to his profession and loves working with the kids. He is a highly motivated, innovative and creative individual who strives to give the best possible start to each individual child. He is supported by Esperance (our welfare assistant) who is present in all classes to provide additional help when needed.

The energy and enthusiasm of both Gabriel and Esperance results in a top class education being provided - so much so that in our first year when students began the next step of their education the local teacher wanted to visit the school to learn from Gabriel and take away some practical knowledge and innovative teaching skills which are required for a developing Rwanda with an ever increasing focus on education in early years.

However, we need help in continuing this development and one way is to find sponsors for the school.

There are places for 60 children in our school. My monthly commitment amounts to £250, which pays for a meal for every child every school day, the Welfare assistant’s salary and the teacher’s salary. If I can find 25 people to commit £10 per month or 50 people to commit £5 per month I will be able to continue supporting the village in this way. Many of my friends and family have asked me about the village and have expressed an interest in helping. Please set up a standing order using the following information. A £5 or a £10 regular payment would be wonderful. I will send you a photo and information about the child you are sponsoring and help you to communicate with them and with the teacher, Gabriel.

For bank account details please send me a message or comment. 

Thankyou for reading so far… much love and appreciation.        

Tricia Atherton. (tricia.atherton@gmail.com)

Almost finished with VSO but not with Rwanda!

Dear friends and readers of this blog

I'm sorry I haven't written for such a long time. I have been busy finishing my work for VSO whilst maintaining links with the project in Nyamasheke District. This post will be a report on the transition from VSO to home and then the possible future adventures!

So, I had four main pieces of work to complete for the District:

• Working with Sector Education Officers (SEOs) to analyse the National Examination Results for 2012. this is completed and we will show a Power Point Presentation at the Headteachers Conference before I leave.
• Research and training on Early Childhood Development. This is a new initiative by the Government of Rwanda. All SEOs attended the training and are aware of what needs to be done. I have prepared a Power Point about how our brains grow and the vital importance of stimulation in the Early Years
• Time Management training - has been completed but the evaluation will be a challenge!!
• Gender Project - is in the final stages and next week we will hold a celebration for the opening of the Girls' Room and training centre.

My work here is almost done!! I am looking forward to meeting the new ELA (Education Leadership Advisor) when she arrives in April.I will carry out an Induction Programme for her and then I will fly home to England on 25th April. 

Training the SEOs in Data analysis

Evaluating learning of headteachers

Whilst I have been doing this work for VSO I have also been keeping things going with the project in Nyamasheke District.

Nyamasheke District Office

The tarmac has reached Nyamasheke!

Recently I had a very challenging journey to get to the school in Gasundwe, with my friend Alexis. The tarmac has just reached  Nyamasheke so we set off on the moto feeling very positive, however soon the tarmac ran out and we were back on the really bad road. We had to stop 4 times because of the front tyre, along the way we met some lovely children and helpful people. It is a beautiful journey along by the Lake Kivu but life is hard for families in that area.

Alexis and friendly local fixing the wheel for the second time

Fixing the wheel the third time

The road runs northwards along Lake Kivu

Whilst Alexis fixes the wheel I get my hair fixed!

I was rescued at last by what I can only describe as a Red Cross Angel on a scrambler bike!! Alexis went back to a village to get the bike fixed properly and the angel carried me further. We had to call in at a village where the Red Cross were giving gifts of pigs to some families. Whilst we were there the heavens opened and poured out their blessings on us for about two hours. The pigs were difficult to control in the rain and the mud.

When the rain stopped I received a phone call from Alexis - Where are you? I told him . Where was he? He had arrived almost at our destination!! I had another 2/3 hours to go.the Red Cross Angel and I set off again, saying goodbye to the happy new pig owners. The road, by now was extremely wet and muddy and we had to ride close to the edge where the ground was more solid. I closed my eyes, practised relaxing and kept my feet up out of the way of the drivers feet because I know from experience that he needs to have complete control in those situations.

I have to tell you that I heard the angels singing in my ear! (It may have been the wind in my helmet, but to me it was the angels) At first I thought they were calling me home and I argued with them, saying I wasn't going yet because there were so many things that I needed to resolve!! Too many things to do to go yet! Then I realised it wasn't the angels calling me home but my Guardian Angels assuring me of their presence. From that moment on there was a song in my head 'All Day , all night, angels watching over me my Lord. All day, all night, angels watching over me.'

Well the journey got worse and worse - probably the worst I have experienced in my time here. It was now dark and we were on the small track going from Kibingo to Viro, which even in daylight and dry conditions is a difficult ride but tonight..... there are no words to describe it!

We arrived at Pascal's house and as I got off the bike I realised my whole body was shaking and that now we would have to walk the final part of the journey to the village in the dark. Friends who have read this blog before or those who have visited Gasundwe village will know about the walk of 45 minutes along a very narrow path on the side of the mountain. It's not too bad in the daylight on a warm sunny day but at night in the rainy season when the land is constantly being washed away and the rocks are wet and slippy, the trickles of water have become torrents cascading down the hillside and you only have the light of a small torch, it is another experience altogether!

However,  we made it safely!!! And we were all very happy to be home, with warm shower water waiting and a cuppa tea!

Mama and me knitting

After a good night's sleep we ..... but that will have to wait for another day!

Lots of love and I look forward to reading your comments. 
Tricia xxx

All in a Day's Work... some snippets

One day last week I came to work and was sitting at my desk in the office and I noticed something that looked like smoke billowing low down on the floor. I went to investigate and spotted a familiar character who I know was a teacher. He was leaning over a large metal container from where the 'smoke' was emanating. It was a vat of liquid nitrogen from which he was transferring some small tubes.I greeted the teacher and asked what he was doing and what was in the tubes. 'It is cow semen for fertilising the cows.' 'Wow!' I thought,'That really is interactive teaching methods at work! Success!' 

But, no, it turned out that the teacher had given up teaching  (really terrible pay and long hours)  to join the agricultural team next door. Ha ha!

Cow sperm (read bull) in the office

It wouldn't happen in the Education Office at home! 


How can you deliver paperwork when there is no reliable postal system? Big fat carrier pigeons maybe? Moto drivers? Yes , good idea, but expensive. But we do have a very cheap and reliable public transport system. Last week my colleague in a town located several miles away by Lake Kivu needed to send me a big wodge of paperwork. So she went down to the local bus stop and asked them to drop off the package as they were going through Gitarama. I waited at the bus stop in town and low and behold one hour and 45 minutes later my paperwork was delivered into my hands, by the bus driver with a smile! Wonderful. 

Seriously the Public Transport system here is very reliable. There are three types of buses (no trains of course - too hilly and no influence from the Victorians.) Yes, the very big buses can be a little unstable and scarey but they do travel 'Pan Africa'.These are the buses I use to get to Uganda - its usually a 12 hour journey. 

The buses I use most frequently are the Coaster buses which travel all over Rwanda transporting people long distances and all meeting up at Nyabugogo Bus Park which is one of the craziest most interesting places on earth!! (in my view). These are the buses I use to travel from town to town and they are very reliable.They always leave and arrive on time. 

Horizon Coaster buses at Nyabugogo

Lastly there are the mini buses or 'matatus' which are the main form of transport (apart from feet) of most Rwandans. These buses travel all over the place and stop almost anywhere. They are hot and crowded and sometimes you have to wait for hours until they are full. The driver will not leave until the bus is full - great patience and tolerance is required.Also you never know who or what you are going to be sharing a seat with. You can be squashed in with lots of people of course but also possibly chickens, a goat, sacks of corn or casava, bed mattresses. You name it, anything goes!

Of course, if you are a regular reader of this blog you will know all about travelling by moto..

Walking down the road in Gitarama a moto driver passes me and shouts 'Manchester Cityyyy!! I turn and wave with a big smile from ear to ear. He is my friend who was in the bar last year for the derby with City and United - we were the only two in the whole bar who were supporting City! Another wonderful memory. I don't know his name ,he doesn't know mine but we are friends.

Ok, back to work - some photos of the VSO stand at the Muhanga Expo last week. Our stand was not expensively draped with colourful material like most of the others but it was very popular with the kids and students.

Using puppets to practice dialogue

Old calendars are very useful for making jigsaws

Bottle tops are our favourite teaching resource

Interactive Mathematics

Group reading using the Big Book made from rice sacks

connecting numbers to pictures of objects

We had lots of fun and so did the learners - who needs all that expensive equipment eh?!

Ok. Munsi mwiza (Good Day)
Triciaxx

A New Year 2013...

       Happy New Year for 2013

A new dawn

Is the photo familiar? If you have been following this blog you should recognise Gitarama at dawn with the early morning bus at the bus park.The news is that I am back in Rwanda and working for VSO until the end of April 2013. My intention was to finish my contract on February 14th but unfortunately there is no replacement volunteer for me until April, so I agreed to 'fill the gap'. I sincerely hope she can come in April. My contract finishes on April 30th and I am cannot extend again. It is sooo important for work to be continued until it is sustainable by the local community - this work is almost at that point because there are so many capable people in education circles here in Rwanda now.

So, why should you volunteer?

Yes - there is all the stuff about 'making a difference' and 'sharing skills' and ' helping to alleviate the effects of poverty' etc - and all these things are true, but the real benefits come from actually living in another culture for a length of time. Over the past two years I have become a small part of this community and the advantages have been entirely mutual!

The view on the way to work? How does it compare to yours?

When I went home to the UK for the Christmas holidays I was really concerned by the unhappiness of many people in their work- life and the difficulties faced because of long hours, horrible traffic jams and brutal expectations from employers. I know that many people have no choice but to stick it out in health destroying situations, but some do have a choice!!

If you have been undecided about volunteering but in your heart of hearts this is something you would really like to do 'when the time is right' please may I urge you to think seriously about it now.If you are coming to the end of your career it is a wonderful way of completing your work life - the icing on the cake and very very satisfying. If you are at the beginning of your career - maybe 3 years of experience in education- it is an amazing opportunity for developing your skills and your confidence. Many, many young teachers go on from VSO into really interesting jobs either back in their home country or worldwide. In the mid career situation and getting jaded/frustrated with paperwork? Take a break. It is still possible to get secondments from your paid post.

On my way to school...

Parents' Meeting

The parents here are so supportive of education for their children. The children want to learn and work hard. The teachers and headteachers are desperate for training.I hope you will consider it carefully, it will change your understanding of the world!

children really WANTING to learn...

Teachers and headteachers desperate for training...

Happy New Year 2013 and make this a special one for yourself and others! Lots of love to all my regular readers. Tricia xx

Happy Christmas to all my friends in Rwanda

 

 

Working in Rwanda for 4 more weeks

Lunch break between school visits

The question is 'Why?' and 'What can we do about it?

Using the brand new training room

AND a new computer room at one of the schools

Training headteachers on Excel Spreadsheets

We work things out together!

Analysing the data is the most important step.

Training the Sector Education officers
 so that they can train the headteachers

The SEO successfully training the headteachers.

.... continued - health

Feeding the children before school every morning

Preparing the porridge

The health aspect of the project started with giving children food every day.

Our next two aims for health improvements are the provision of a clean water supply and a health worker to visit the village regularly.

A community base

 The Executive Secretary of the Sector has agreed to provide a health worker for one day every week!! This is brilliant news and more than we were expecting. The Sector will also provide some basic health materials.
The health worker will be able to use a room in this house when she visits. 

The water supply

Whilst we were visiting,the Executive Secretary came to visit the village and brought an engineer with him to assess the possibility of bringing water to the village. He assured us that this could happen very soon. we hope so because this is the priority for the people. Clean water is the basis of good health.

Having fun under the grass mat

Learning early to use the tools of his trade

Paul chatting to friends