by admin on December 12, 2011
I want to tell you a bit about a remarkable young Rwandan pediatrician I meet in October, Dr. Felix Rwabukwisi, and what he and his colleagues at Rwinkwavu Hospital are doing. With few resources, they gather for Sunday School Science http://www.pih.org/news/entry/sunday-school-science/ each week to tutor a group of about 100 primary school students to help enhance their math and science skills.
Dr. Felix, as he’s known in the community, travels frequently between clinics and the Hospital in the Rwinkwavu catchment area. He told me he often passes by a spot in Ndego village where a few teachers regularly get together to instruct a gaggle of small children, a “preschool under a tree”, who for lack of infrastructure, are forced to meet outdoors.
“ Preschool Under a Tree ”
Our mission is to be able to support the efforts of people in the community like Dr. Felix and these preschool teachers, so we are developing strong community-based leadership around the Rwinwavu Community Library/Learning Center. Local leadership, initiative and involvement are vital for the success of the Center. We need strong advocates, like Dr. Fleix who are passionate about literacy and education and are willing to invest their time and talent in the next generation, who will be the ones to determine the future of Rwanda.
In the words of Dr. Felix, “I believe in the value of early childhood development and education as real prevention and cure for generations, and that it should be a among top preoccupations toward a sustainable, healthy and just world.”
Betsy
by admin on November 1, 2011
The rate at which change is happening in Rwanda is astounding. The airport for example now has a couple of small deli-type places to get a bite to eat and Bourbon Coffee Shop. It’s Rwanda’s answer to Starbucks with 2 other locations in downtown Kigali. Rwanda is known for its Arabia beans, with the right elevation, climate and volcanic soil, the western part of the country is ideal for growing coffee. In the past 10 years Techno Serve and the Gates Foundation have come together and are working to help smallholder coffee farmers organize and develop co-ops and build washing stations. As a consolidated group rather than individuals they can do business with big coffee buyers such as Starbucks, marketing it as a specialty boutique coffee. This insures less middlemen, more profit in the farmers pocket. If you’re interested in sampling this delicious coffee here’s a link - http://shop.coffeerwanda.com/.
A new VIP lounge has also opened in the airport, the Pearl Lounge, free for those traveling business or first class, complete with cocktails and WiFi. For those of us in steerage class, for a mere15,000 Rwandan Francs, about $25 USD, we too can be VIPs.
Traffic downtown Kigali
The traffic, while not as bad as I-95, at rush hour can snarl and slow traffic to a creep. . On the way to the airport I was afraid I’d be late because we had to crawl halfway there. They have new traffic lights which neither Katie or myself can figure out how they work. You end up going when the lights are red as well as green and for some unknown reason and it kinda works. The streets are overrun with tons of motos (motorcycle taxis) which are the cheapest and most dangerous way to get around town. They sometimes travel in packs, swarming the road weaving in and out of traffic, horns blaring, coming perilously close to cars and trucks and killing the customer sitting behind them….only centimeters to spare.
As always, the radius and density of electric lights grows along with new neat and tidy houses replacing the mud huts on the many hillsides that comprise Kigali. There are new high rises jutting into the ever growing skyline that were in their infancy last time I was here in February – and we parked in a multi story parking garage…a new experience for me in Rwanda.
Buildings downtown Kigali
by admin on October 31, 2011
It has been a blur of days since I arrived in Kigali a couple of Saturdays ago…and now I’m homeward bound. We spent a lot of time out at the site. Pictures don’t do the building justice and in 2 dimensional drawings it’s hard to grasp the scale. The site is a beehive of activity; digging for and building the septic tanks as well as underground water cisterns, welding to secure the last of the trusses and excavation of the outdoor amphitheater. By the time I left our last site visit today, more than half of the brick red roof has popped up, visible from behind the 12 ft metal construction fence. Katie and I hiked up a hill behind the site to take a picture. From that vantage the Library/Learning center looks to be one of the larger buildings, along with some on the Rwinkwavu Hospital campus, in all the area. I’m sure at the next site visit Friday the roof will be up.
by admin on October 19, 2011
What a difference a year makes! As I reflect on where we were last year at this time it’s amazing to think our goal is so near. Construction has moved along well and I’ll be heading to Rwanda October 21st to check things out first hand. With the roof scheduled to be up the later part of October, in time for the start of the rainy season, the 7,800 square foot Rwinkwavu Community Library and Learning Center will open its doors in the first quarter of 2012.
Site before construction began this past March – note Partners In Health storage building on the right
Our focus this trip is on finalizing the myriad details that need to be in place to get us up and running. We’ve carefully thought out furniture, equipment, programming and staffing and how this will all work together. After a couple of years looking at two dimensional drawings it’ll be so thrilling to walk into the main entrance and through the RCLLC room by room. Imagine story hour in the preschool room, shouts of children on the playground, afterschool homework groups, soccer nights in the amphitheater, game night in the Reading Room, a group of adults practicing their English. A welcoming space characterized by the buzz of congenial congestion that’ll serve the needs of all age groups, bringing the generations and community together.
October 13th site photo – same view looking towards the storage building - roof trusses going up
We believe that ultimately, the quality of what happens inside the building, along with local participation and a feeling of ownership, will be what defines the success of the Center.
Be sure to continue to check our blog for updates and photos from the road!
Betsy
by admin on August 2, 2011
As I write this update the slab is being poured…or not exactly. I should say it’s being laid. The workers mix the cement on the ground at the site and transport it via very large bowls carried on their heads. Foundation rocks are also moved this way or in wheelbarrows. There’s no heavy machinery…all excavation, footings, foundation and slab work are done with hand tools and muscle.
One of the things we were adamant about was that the work force should all be local. There are approximately 150 workers employed, divided into day and night shifts AND 50% of these laborers are women! They dig, lift and transport just like their male counterparts. There’s also a carpentry and welding workshop on-site where most of the woodwork and metal components and furniture will be made by local craftsmen.
So, with the foundation and slab portion of construction nearly done we are looking forward to seeing the brick walls go up at the end of the week!
Be sure to take a look at the slide show…as they say a picture’s worth a thousand words.
Betsy
by admin on April 15, 2011
What a whirlwind! This was our first year participating in LitWorld’s World Read Aloud Day, and we decided to visit each of the five schools in the Rwinkwavu area.
Rwandan pop star Shanel volunteered her time for the day to read to the students in Rwinkwavu. The kids were extremely excited for Shanel’s visit and as we approached each school children standing along the side of the road were screaming, “Miss Shanel, Miss Shanel” eager for her to look their way.
We chose a Kinyarwanda story from Bakame, a local publisher, called Kageni by Augusitini Gasake and illustrated by Feligisi Seminega. The kids were captivated by the story and it was incredible to watch the sea of happy faces turn like dominos to see the pictures. At one point in the story, a bird sings “zwi, zwi, zwi” and the children had so much fun tweeting along.
The students and teachers at Nkondo One were well prepared for our visit. We were escorted into the school’s beautiful courtyard. All of the students marched in and sat under the trees for story time. Four of the students had prepared an English story to read to Shanel. They proudly stood in front of their classmates and took turns reading.
At each of the schools the teachers thanked us and said that it was so nice for the students. Inevitably, the conversion would result in the teachers asking for more books. It was fantastic to be able to tell them that in one year we will have a library full of books along with boxes of books to lend to each of their schools. What a great day!
