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

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

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

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

Click here to view the embedded video.

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!

It was a warm but thankfully breezy day.  We set up chairs and a PA system to the left of what will be the main entrance, under the welcome canopy of an Umuvumu tree, which in Rwanda, is considered a symbol of healing and peace.  What a wonderful spot it will be for a bench, providing a shady outdoor space to read on the library grounds.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Speaking at the event, Emmanuel Bugingo, Director of the National Library and Public Reading for the Ministry of Sports and Culture, encouraged Rwinkwavu residents “to come to this Center and make use of it.” He went on to say that the Center is in line with the government’s plans to educate people, to increase their knowledge and encourage them to read for pleasure

Dr. Peter Drobac, Director of Partners In Health in Rwanda, spoke about the connection between health and education as the foundations of prosperity, “Once people are healthy they ask, Now what? How am I going to have a brighter future?  The answer is, education.”

As we scooped up shovelfuls of red earth, cheers and applause went up from the crowd.  Curious children inched closer, looking on from the front edges and people walking by on the main road wandered up the path to see what all the fuss was about.

At the close of the ceremony, with a sweeping view of the Rwinkwavu valley as a backdrop, we were treated to the beautiful music and dancing of a local dance troupe and we joined in with our less rhythmic but just as joyous style.

The 7800 square foot Center will open its doors in approximately a year. The construction fence and shed and other site preparations are in the process of being set up.  We’ll have some photos soon and will continue to keep you posted as there is more to report.
Attached are links to the press release that appeared in the Partners In Health, March 2011 e-Newsletter and in The New Times, the most largely circulated daily newspaper in Rwanda.

Breaking ground on a new library and community learning center in Rwanda.

http://newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14569&article=6085&week=8.

One of the highlights of this trip was meeting the six Rwandan university students who did such an amazing job working with Katie to conduct our 19 Focus groups in Rwinkwavu last spring. They are sponsored by our partner organization Generation Rwanda, formerly Orphans of Rwanda, providing each student a university education and coordinating internship opportunities with professionals, businesses and organizations.

For 2 months last April/May the students traveled out to Rwinkwavu with Katie once a week to meet separately each time with 2 or 3 different groups of community members from different villages in the sector. In addition to gathering feedback on programming needs, they served as Ambassadors for the Library/Learning Center giving us the opportunity to introduce the project, build trust and encourage local buy-in.

L-R Betsy, Yassin, Diane, Katie, Console, Justine, Tharcisse, Simon

We gathered at the Laico Hotel in Kigali for some Mutzig, the local beer on tap, and Fanta. It was wonderful to finally meet the students and thank them for a job well done in person, get to know their stories and hear their plans for the future. We have one lawyer in the group, Yassin Nsabimana, who graduated in December and is now working in a Kigali based law firm. However, with the government’s push to advance Rwanda as an information hub in the region many of the students are majoring in computer science/business. We are planning to offer internships to computer science students in their final year of study to help do training in this area at the Center when it opens.

I found that the girls were just as ambitious and confident as the guys, which really impressed me. Rwanda is a country where 51% of the Parliament is comprised of women. The Rwandan government recognizes that girls and women are a powerful force for change. Harnessing this valuable resource will be a key factor in helping to break the cycle of poverty. We are very committed to developing girls and women specific strategies and programming.

I look forward to our continued collaboration with Generation Rwanda. One thing for sure, with young people like these, the future of Rwanda is in good hands!

We see the seeds of the vision we planted two and half years ago spreading its roots through our network of new and existing partners. The Rwinkwavu community continues to rally around the Rwinkwavu Community Library/Learning Center (RCLLC) and the promise it holds.

Last March, Katie Uher, RfR Country Director, and our Rwandan university student interns conducted a series of 19 focus groups in Rwinkwavu to help determine the programming and scheduling needs of the community. It was a great opportunity, through these students, to connect with the leaders of the villages (umudugudus) in the sector to encourage local buy-in, build trust and make it clear that the success of the project relieves heavily upon Rwandan participation.

We got so much valuable feedback from all the groups and they were amazed that we took the time to ask what they want/need. The Grandparents we interviewed, as is the case with the majority of older people, hadn’t gotten past Primary 2. They hope to learn enough English to be able to give directions to tourists on their way to Akagera Game Park and said “…most of us have eye problems, it would be helpful if we have reading glasses at the library to help us during literacy training.” Primary 6 girls were adamant that we educate their parents about birth control and the importance of girls going to school. To echo that, the older out-of-school girls are yearning for educational and job opportunities. As one girl said,” We are facing many problems caused by poverty and ignorance. So I would like to ask you to emphasize programs designed for the youth to help us improve our conditions of life.” The community women were unanimous in their request that the RCLLC “…should train us how to become an entrepreneur…how to earn income through small jobs.”

The RCLLC is the only facility in the area suitable for housing the programming we plan to make available. True to our belief that collaboration not duplication is more efficient and effective, we continue to lay the groundwork for building solid partnerships and programming.

Katie has researched African sources for books, learning materials and programming. In December, while taking a month-long Cambridge University certified ESL literacy training course in Cape Town, South Africa, she visited many of these sources: publishers, programming, audio books, educational toys and learning aids and more. Additional sources have been identified in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Purchasing in Africa presents literacy in an African context, supports the African publishing industry and cuts down on the cost of shipping.

In October Katie met with the top Clinton Foundation people in Rwanda. They are collaborating with Soyco in building an oil processing plant and cultivating soy fields near the Library/Learning Center, which will bring 1600 new jobs to the District. Soyco and Clinton Foundation plan to provide job skills and financial management training and are very interested in using the Library/Learning Center for this training and collaborating on programming.

While the Library/Learning Center is under construction Katie will implement a pilot literacy program in Rwinkwavu in March. We will be able to assess, fine-tune and tailor the programming to best suit the needs of community, so we are ready to roll out the programming when the RCLLC opens its doors.

To that end we recently met with LitWorld (www.litworld.org) head-quartered in New York, who has developed and executed excellent community-based literacy and literacy leader training programs in New York, Kenya, Liberia, Ghana and Iraq. They educate community members to become literacy leaders/trainers through easy-to-use programs and materials.

We have identified several areas to start off our work together: preschool planning and curriculum, Girls Club/mentoring and on March 9th we will be participating in LitWorlds second “World Read Aloud Day”. Katie will be organizing Rwinkwavu community-wide participation.

Partners In Health continues to assist us as our partner organization and will be using the center to offer educational programming on issues related to community health. In addition we will be coordinating IT training for home health care workers.

Allen Moore and I are heading over to Rwanda January 28th in preparation for our February 7th groundbreaking celebration. We have a lovely program organized and representatives from the Ministry of Sports and Culture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health will be attending as well as the Mayor and other local officials, Partners In Health and the community.

We’ll be sure to post pictures of the groundbreaking on our website blog as well as updated photos as the building goes up.

Thanks to all who have supported our efforts! Stay tuned……..

Everyone is excited as we pile into the minibus that will take us to Rwinkwavu for day one of our focus groups. All of the ORI interns are coming along today so that we can make some final adjustments to our questions and techniques after the first day.

Our first session is with seven umudugudu chiefs and the Executive Secretary for the area. As soon as we mention that we plan to have a preschool in the center, they suggest that this preschool should serve as a training center for all the surrounding preschools. Each umudugudu has a preschool of its own, but the teachers lack training and materials. Using the RCLLC’s preschool as a training center is a fantastic idea. By providing training and loaning materials to the area’s preschools we will be able to have an impact on far more children.

A grandmother explains the need for reading glasses.

During our session with grandparents, we learn that most of the community members in this age group are not able to read and write. Of the seven grandparents at the session only one could read. The rest are all eager to learn, but they tell us that they and their peers will need reading glasses. This makes complete sense and I’m fairly confident it would never have occurred to us. Most of the residents of Rwinkwavu would not be able to purchase reading glasses for themselves. To enable the older generation to take advantage of all that the center will offer, we will need to keep reading glasses for loan.

We are all surprised when two separate groups of P6 students say their parents need training in family planning. They explain that many of their families are quite big and that their parents can’t afford to send all of their children to school. The students suggest that the center help educate their parents about family planning and the value of attending school.

The desire to learn English was voiced in every session. Focus group participants with some knowledge of English are eager to continue improving and those without any knowledge of English want to start with the basics. One of the grandmothers told a story of a time when a tourist asked her how to get somewhere. She understood the question, but was unable to communicate the necessary directions. This grandmother really wants to learn to give directions in English.

A lot of interesting ideas came out of the nineteen sessions. By the end of the last day, we had heard from a very interesting cross-section of the Rwinkwavu community. Everyone was incredibly cooperative and happy to help. The community members were all very appreciative that we had taken the time to ask for their input, and they can’t wait for the center to open.