Getting Crafty for the Community

The girls here at Imbabazi are smart, beautiful, AND multi-talented. One of their many talents includes knitting and crocheting, which we have recently turned into a community service project by making hats for kids in the community. Because it can get rather chilly at this altitude, this has been a great way to help keep kids in our area warm while at the same time engaging Imbabazi in projects that benefit the wider community. The hats are distributed to newborns and children through the local health clinic in our district.

In addition, as part of the tourism project that we are currently developing at Imbabazi, some of the products knitted by the girls will be available for sale to visitors at the orphanage. The money raised from these sales will be put towards expenses like school fees and supplies. A big thank you for all of the generous yarn donations received from visitors and friends of Imbabazi, without which these projects would not have been possible. If you would like more information on our community service or tourism projects, or if you would like to donate yarn, please contact us!

Rwanda Nziza! (Beautiful Rwanda)

Over the years, Rwanda has been bestowed with such fitting monikers as “The Land of a Thousand Hills” and “The Land of Perpetual Spring” to describe its natural splendor and beauty. Nowhere is this beauty more apparent than at Imbabazi, where we are surrounded by a number of the natural features that make up Rwanda’s diverse topography: volcanoes in our backyard, Lake Kivu in the distance, dense mountain forests home to the famous gorillas, and lush green hills and valleys as far as the eye can see. With all the ins and outs of daily life, it is sometimes easy to forget just how lucky we are to be living in such an amazing corner of the world.

Over the last few weeks, we have been striving to take more time to stop and appreciate the beauty of the world around us here at Imbabazi. This appreciation comes in many forms: going on a hike with the kids (sometimes the dogs tag along too!) to explore the hills, take in the views, and find new paths to tread; walking the 7 kilometers from the orphanage to the main paved road and back; jogging from the orphanage to nearby villages; or making dried flower pressings from our bountiful gardens, just to name a few.


 In addition to exploring the physical environment and getting some exercise, these excursions allow us to take part in the integral Rwandan custom of greeting friends and neighbors. Not only are the people in surrounding villages thrilled to be visited by the children and the ‘muzungus’ (foreigners) who work with them, but it’s also a good opportunity for community outreach and cultural exchange beyond the orphanage walls. Now that the rainy season is coming to an end, we hope to discover more hidden ecological treasures in the months to come!

Text Books

Last December, students from Otterbein University visited the Imbabazi. Before their arrival, they raised money to benefit Kanyundo Primary School (the primary school our children attend). The goal: to support our text book project.

This project benefits our children and the surrounding community. Kanyundo serves nearly 1,600 children. Having textbooks for the children greatly enhances their learning experience leading to better national exam scores.

Otterbein was able to raise enough money to purchase a dictionary for each classroom and 158 primary six text books. We were finally able to get the books from the publisher in Kigali to the school a week ago.

This is an ongoing project. In the future, we hope to purchase enough books for two children to share in addition to learning aids and maps for the school. Books cost $4-$7 each depending on the subject. A small donation can make a big difference in the lives of the children that attend Kanyundo Primary School.

New Clinic in Mudende

The new clinic in Mudende, next to the Imbabazi

 Madame Carr spent the last years of her life creating a permanent home for her children on her farm. This included building dorms, a kitchen, a dining hall, showers, toilets and a clinic. The clinic at the Imbabazi Orphanage closed when the government built a community clinic next door. The orphanage helped the community clinic open by donating money to build the toilets and donating medical supplies. Now the government has greatly expanded health care in Rwanda. They have built a larger and more advanced clinic in our community.

Once again, the Imbabazi was there to help. We donated over 1,000 items, including hospital beds, exam gloves, stethoscopes, medicine and first aid supplies, to help stock the new clinic. These items were donated by the Dallaire Foundation and the many visitors we receive at the Imbabazi. The new clinic has a laboratory, maternity ward, rooms for admitted patients and nutrition program.

When we arrived with the items, women were there being trained as community health workers. Community health workers are responsible for visiting villagers at their homes to resolve small medical issues and to teach about health and wellness. These women helped us move the items into the clinic and were very delighted about the donation. The head nurse who is responsible for the clinic thanked us many times for being a good neighbor.

Welcome Ashley!

I'm happy to announce the arrival of Ashley Burke our new Peace Corps volunteer.

Ashley arrived in Rwanda at the beginning of February following the program’s evacuation from Niger, where she had been serving as a Community Youth & Education volunteer since July 2010. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, she is off to a great start and loving life in this beautiful country. After one month of technical and language training in Nyanza, she arrived at Imbabazi on March 5^th to begin her new assignment working with us. Ashley’s work will focus mainly on the academic and professional development of the kids and local staff at Imbabazi through such activities as teaching English, health & life skills, and computer classes. She also hopes to conduct small workshops at the local primary school and health clinic.

Ashley is originally from Monterey, California. She has a BA from the University of California San Diego in International Studies (focusing on political science and African studies) and an MA from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in International Policy Studies (focusing on human rights and justice). Before joining Peace Corps, Ashley worked at such organizations as the Asia Foundation’s conflict and governance unit in Bangkok, Thailand and Amnesty International’s Southern regional office in Atlanta, Georgia. She enjoys traveling, animals, playing volleyball, and spending time at the beach.

Ashley will be at the Imbabazi until November 2010.

School Success

This past November we had 10 children complete their last year of secondary school (S 6). This is memorable not only for the record number of children graduating but something else very exciting. In February, we got news that all 10 children passed the national exam! This is a huge accomplishment especially because our children had interruption in their schooling when they were young due to civil conflict. Over the years, they worked very hard studying and have overcome many obstacles. They are very proud of themselves as are we. We had cupcakes to celebrate the occasion.

The National Exam is a very challenging exam and many children do not pass. Passing the exam does not guarantee a child can go onto university but it’s a great milestone in their lives. In July, we will find out which children are eligible for university. Unfortunately, the Imbabazi does not have the resources to pay university tuition. Our children are able to continue on to university through generous sponsorships from people like you. For more information on sponsoring university tuition for one of our children please contact Jeff Ramsey. jefframsey@imbabazi.org

Get to know some of our graduates….

Claudine

My name is INGABIRE Claudine. I am 22 years old. In secondary school I studied electronics and informatics. In the future, I would like to be a business woman. I like singing Gospel songs. I am in the church choir at the Baptist church.

Vestine

My name is UWAMAHORO Vestine. I am 22 years old. In secondary school I studied electronics and informatics. I would like to study more about telecommunication.

Mussa

My name is UWITONZE Samuel known as Mussa. I am 20 years old. In secondary school I studied languages and literature. I deeply felt very happy when I got my S6 exam results. I did very well. This pushed me to thank my Lord in front of the Baptist church. I played the piano while Betty and Claudine sang. I also thank the Imbabazi because through the orphanage I was able to go to school. In the future, I would like to become a television journalist. My wish is to continue to university versity next year in journalism. My favorite skills are playing piano and taking photographs. Added to journalism, I am also interested in tourism, especially traveling and guiding. These activities are a very good way for me to practice my English and photography skills.

Betty

I am MUKABERA Betty. I am 21 years old. In secondary school I studied mathematics, biology and chemistry. I want to continue my studies and become a nurse. I like to crochet and help in the flower garden.

Gadi

My name is HABUMUGISHA Gadi. I am 19 years old. In secondary school I studied mathematics, physics and geography. In university I would like to study architecture. I like playing the guitar.

Umuhoza

My name is UMUHOZA Epiphanie. I am 20 years old. I studied geography, history and economics in secondary school. Now I am taking a 3 month training to learn about computers. I want to continue my studies in Tourism. 

Bicycles

In January, Matthew De Young, volunteer for Project Rwanda, did a great deed for the Imbabazi—he fixed our bicycles.

Years ago, the bicycles were donated by the Dallaire Foundation. These were good bikes but they deteriorated greatly due to our road condition and many hours of enjoyment by nearly 100 children.

Matt, who lives an hour from us, donated his time and expertise. In stage one of repair, he was able to

get three of the five bikes up and going again. This was no small feat considering how badly the bikes were damaged. The bikes are now safe to ride around the orphanage. Soon, Matt will be back with additional parts and hopes to fix the remaining two bikes.

Many children already knew how to ride a bike. Those who know are patiently teaching the others. It’s great to see the kids working together as a family. Now the bikes are enjoyed by the children after completing their chores and schoolwork. It’s something they look forward to every Saturday.  I think they have worn a permanent track around the orphanage!

One child wrote to Matt:

“Thank you so much for spending your time here at the Imbabazi to help us fix the bikes. It’s a hard job to do that. We enjoy the great thing you did for us.”