The Gift of Giving

It is amazing what each generous gift can mean to our families and students in Rwanda. We are continually grateful for  the on-going contributions from so many...and the one-time gifts that folks choose to give as they are able. In this holiday and year-end season, we welcome any donations to help continue the work of Urugo Care Rwanda! THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

One highlight in the past year has been the addition of two Chromebooks in the office in Rwanda that are used on a regular basis in our tutoring program. Grace, our full-time staff person, has been tutoring our Primary students for several years now, mostly the subjects of mathematics and English. Now, she is able to supplement those lessons with some activities on the laptops while also giving the students some additional hands-on time actually using computers (that time is very limited when at school). We are hopeful these tools will help them to advance in many areas of study and are so grateful for the donation of these laptops!

Blessings and happy holidays!

The School Year Continues

In Rwanda, like the U.S. and many places around the world, this past year and several months has been unlike anything we've experienced before. With the length of the shutdown in Rwanda in 2020 because of the coronavirus and lack of resources to continue schooling in a remote manner, this one school year is ending up to be two years long. Whew!

Most of the students in our program have recently started their third and final trimester of the 2020-2021 school year(s). They will be finishing the trimester in July and some will be taking national exams (P-6, S-3, and S-6). We don't know yet when the next school year will begin, but hopefully they will get at least a little bit of a break before then. The lower primary students (P-1 to P-3) just restarted their school year in early 2021, so they are just beginning their second trimester which will break for a couple weeks in June and then they will continue to finish their third trimester in early September.

This has all been a shifting plan but thankfully our team in Rwanda is flexible and can accommodate the changes and really kick things in gear to get our students prepared for school when the new calendar announcements are made! Since the lower primary students restarted their "year" in January, we added one more student who had a birthday since the school "year" started in January 2020. She is Ikirezi Light Benitha and the youngest in her family. We are hoping she enjoys school and learning!

Thanks for continuing to support our families and students in Rwanda even in this year+ of changing plans and adapting to what comes our way. We appreciate SO much all of the unwavering generosity of our donors...YOU! We are hopeful for the days ahead.

WILL THERE BE A GIRAFFE AT YOUR HOLIDAY TABLE?

There could be if you acquire these unique salad tongs!!

Or, you can incorporate some festive colors in the form of a trivet!

WE CAN ADD SOME FANCY TO YOUR FEAST!

Our Marketplace holds some unique items that will jazz up your holiday table!

Our inventory includes:

• SALAD TONGS with zebras or giraffes on the handle!

• SISAL TRIVETS in swirling patterns

• FABRIC-COVERED BOTTLECAP trivets in brilliant colors

• NATIVITY ornaments that can be used as table decor

• ...and MORE!

These items (and more!) are available on our website for you to purchase unique gifts for your friends and family. You can find more info here: www.urugocarerwanda.org/marketplace.

If you are in the State College area and are able to pick up your order at EnergyCAP, please use discount code PICKUP at checkout to remove the shipping fee.

Payments via the website are made through PayPal but feel free to let us know if you would like to purchase and pay via cash or check instead by sending an email with your order selections to hannah@urugocarerwanda.org.

THANK YOU!!!

GLITZ AND GLAMOR...RWANDAN STYLE!

Looking for some new beads and baubles to grace your neckline or wrist (or for your mother or sister or ... )??

Or maybe a new accessory to add to your wardrobe?!

LOOKING FOR SOME NEW STYLE FOR 2021?

Our Marketplace holds quite the variety of different shapes and sizes of necklaces, bracelets, and earrings...something for many ladies on your gift list! Or, maybe a purse made from banana fibers is more your/her style?

Our inventory includes:

• PAPER BEAD necklaces, bracelets, and earrings

• SISAL PLANT FIBER bracelets and earrings

• SEED BEAD necklaces

• SHORT and LONG bead necklaces!

• banana fiber PURSES

• COLORFUL FABRIC purse

• heart-shaped FABRIC SHOPPING BAGS

• ...and MORE!

These items (and more!) are available on our website for you to purchase unique gifts for your friends and family. You can find more info here: www.urugocarerwanda.org/marketplace.

If you are in the State College area and are able to pick up your order at EnergyCAP, please use discount code PICKUP at checkout to remove the shipping fee.

Payments via the website are made through PayPal but feel free to let us know if you would like to purchase and pay via cash or check instead by sending an email with your order selections to hannah@urugocarerwanda.org.

THANK YOU!!!

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IT'S GIVING TUESDAY!!

Want to make a donation instead of a purchase?

DONATE HERE

Thank you to our supporters! We could not do this work of partnering with families and students in Rwanda without your generosity. Please also share the vision of Urugo Care Rwanda with others you know who might be interested in connecting with our neighbors in Rwanda. THANK YOU!

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CAN A KID CARRY AN ELEPHANT?

They can if they have this fun elephant backpack!! :)

Or, see more gift ideas for kids from our Rwandan Marketplace below...

SHOPPING FOR SOME KIDS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON?

Our Rwandan Marketplace includes some fun handcrafted gift options for kids...with a fun connection in also supporting kids many miles away in Rwanda!

Our inventory includes:

• clay PIGGY BANKS with fabric ears and tail

• BACKPACK in the shape of an elephant

• traditional "SOCCER BALLS" made from banana leaves

• carved wooden ANIMAL ORNAMENTS

• WALL DECOR with animals

• stuffed FABRIC ANIMALS

• ...and MORE!

These items (and more!) are available on our website for you to purchase unique gifts for your friends and family. You can find more info here: www.urugocarerwanda.org/marketplace.

**If you are in the State College area and are able to pick up your order at EnergyCAP, please use discount code PICKUP at checkout to remove the shipping fee.

**Payments via the website are made through PayPal but feel free to let us know if you would like to purchase and pay via cash or check instead by sending an email with your order selections to hannah@urugocarerwanda.org.

THANK YOU!!!

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Want to make a donation instead of a purchase?

DONATE HERE

Thank you to our supporters! We could not do this work of partnering with families and students in Rwanda without your generosity. Please also share the vision of Urugo Care Rwanda with others you know who might be interested in connecting with our neighbors in Rwanda. THANK YOU!
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2020 Fall Series #1: Summer-time and COVID-19

These days, it can be easy to lose track of what day it is…even what month it is! As summer is changing into fall here in the U.S., we wanted to share a short series of updates about what is happening with our families in Rwanda.

Normally during the summer months, the students in Rwanda are still in school, working through their second trimester. This year has been different as the schools closed in mid-March because of the coronavirus and the students have been at home since then. The government is still waiting to finalize plans for when the new school session will begin but we are hoping it will be soon!

Rwanda has not had huge numbers of people infected with COVID-19, but they are continuing to have new cases and so feel it is not time yet for students to return to close quarters of being in school. Many of the secondary students attend boarding school which adds another aspect to be cautious about. The country is taking many precautions in requiring everyone to be wearing masks, having curfews, and a more significant shutdown earlier in the year. This is challenging as much of the work of our families is in day-labor and cannot be done remotely.

Thankfully, our families have fared pretty well through all of this. Several were able to find work that could continue even during the shutdown. One family who lives near a private school has a job of watching a water pump that supplies water to the school. They live close to the pump which is a little further from the school and difficult for the school to provide security for. They hired this family for the task of making sure the pump is working well and also does not get stolen. This opportunity has greatly helped this family in having steady work. And, during this time when the schools are closed, the mama has also been hired by that same school to clean inside the school compound and in classrooms.

Family with new work opportunities!

Since there are recommendations for minimal interactions with other people in this time and it is more difficult for the kids to be running around and playing with many others in the village, we are hopeful that they have been able to spend some of their time focused on their studies during this long break from school. They have notebooks with much of what they learned in the first trimester and previous years, so spending time rereading these and remembering what they have learned will help them to be even more prepared for returning to school.

One of our primary students, Gasasira Jean Baptiste (“Titi”), was recently challenged by a neighbor to see if he knew the multiplication table for the number “3” with the prize of a treat if he could answer correctly. Titi was quickly able to recite all of the answers and surprised the neighbor…and his parents! They were amazed and gave credit to the extra coaching (tutoring) that their son has received while being in our program. We are grateful for the impact this extra time spent learning with our tutor, Grace, can have for the students.

Gasasira Jean Baptiste (“Titi”) remembering his multiplication tables!

We are also so grateful for the extra food support that we were able to offer our families during the past few months. We have had five times of distributing food supplies including rice, beans, kawunga (corn flour), and a little bit of cash for other needs. The families are so grateful for this additional supplement for feeding their families when work is uncertain or unavailable.

Rice, beans, and kawunga ready to be subdivided and distributed to families.

Mama Muhizi with her portion to share with her family.

Thanks for being on this adventure with us. Stay tuned for update #2 in the series!

Building a Board!

Before the world as we knew it started drastically changing earlier this year, we were busy reaching out to some folks to invite them to join our Board of Directors to fill some gaps and add new energy to the group. Thankfully, we can announce that we have three new Board members as of the beginning of May!

Drew Nissly

Nellie Bhattarai

Olivier Ntwali

Our new Board members include Drew Nissly (Board Chair), Nellie Bhattarai, and Olivier Ntwali. Each of these people have had a connection to the work of Urugo Care Rwanda for several years and each brings unique gifts and strengths to the already-existing team of Board members. We are so grateful for their willingness to contribute their time and creativity and care towards the work that Urugo Care Rwanda is doing on behalf of families and students in Rwanda. You can find more details about each of these new members on our website at: www.urugocarerwanda.org/board-of-directors. Additionally, a few current Board members took on different positions with Hannah Ingram filling the role of Executive Director and Board Secretary and Matthew Heinz becoming the Board Treasurer.

We look forward to all that we'll be able to accomplish together...including with YOU...in the coming days and months and years. Thank you!

Turikumwe: A Gesture of Solidarity

As you well know, the effects of this pandemic are being felt near and far, including in Rwanda. As of the end of the day yesterday (April 15), there were 136 known cases of COVID-19 in Rwanda and, thankfully, no deaths. The country remains mostly shutdown as they continue to track contacts of the infected persons and hope to contain any further outbreak of the disease as a surge in infections could easily overwhelm the healthcare system. This change in mobility and work opportunity and continuing education is challenging but hopefully has the desired result of minimizing the spread of the virus and preventing loss of life.

This "new normal" in Rwanda is not unlike what is happening in much of our country (U.S.) and other parts of the world and so we see ourselves in solidarity in some ways with those in Rwanda. Unfortunately, many of the vulnerable families we work with are impacted with even greater need in these days when day-labor jobs are not available and all of the kids are home from boarding school. While our original annual budget did not have funds allocated for pandemic relief efforts (who could have known!?), we felt that this situation compels us to support our families in additional ways when so much is uncertain. The past two weekends, we have been able to have a distribution of rice, corn flour (kawunga), beans, and a little bit of cash for other needs (cooking oil, charcoal, soap, etc.) for each of the families in our program. These will not cover all of their needs but are greatly appreciated and we hope to continue this distribution as we are able and there is a need! The local government has been assisting vulnerable families in some ways, too.

We hope that all will stay safe and healthy in these days as we hope for the pandemic-free days to come. We are grateful for ways of partnering to serve our neighbors in the world...always.

Turikumwe = we are together.

Pile of goodies just arrived from the local shop!
(l-r: Bag with paper bags inside, sacks of corn flour, sack of rice on top of sack of beans)

Items portioned out for each family to pick up.

Hand-washing station outside of the office.

Happy Mama (Speciose)! 

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**If you would like to make a special donation towards these extra support efforts, we would greatly appreciate it! You can do so here: http://urugocarerwanda.org/donate

THANK YOU!!!

A Time of Remembrance

Today, April 7, marks the beginning of the yearly commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsi people in Rwanda. This corporate time of remembrance extends for the next week and usually includes gatherings and ceremonies at the local village level and also in larger numbers at the soccer stadium in Kigali. These gatherings offer time for Rwandans to be together and show their commitment to unity that is born to some extent out of the disunity of the past.

Sadly, because of the current nationwide shutdown related to COVID-19, these community gatherings are not possible in this year of 2020. I am confident that the Rwandan people will find new ways of being "together" in spirit even if it's not physically as they progress through this meaningful week of remembering their history and remembering that their current and future strength lies in being together as one people. Rwandan.

Here is a message from Rwandan President, Paul Kagame:

President Paul Kagame -- Kwibuka 26 Message

We hope that our Rwandan friends and families will journey through this week in ways that reveal the resilience that is deep within them.

Thank you for being with them in these days and always.

Rwanda and COVID-19

I'm sure that your inboxes are being flooded with updates regarding the impacts of the coronavirus and I just wanted to send a short update about the situation in Rwanda as we know it. As of last night, there are 11 known cases of people infected with the virus and no deaths so far. The government had been preparing for the arrival of the virus and proactively providing guidance about hand washing and cancelling gatherings with many people. The President even created a video to show best practices for hand washing!

The schools were closed as of the beginning of this week and will be closed at least until after the first week of April which would have been the break for the end of the first trimester and Time of Remembrance. If things go well, the students will return to school at the scheduled time in mid-April for the beginning of the second trimester and will finish their exams from the first trimester before continuing on in their studies.

The airport is also closing from tomorrow night (3/20) and will be closed for 30 days. Several of the people currently known to have coronavirus in Rwanda arrived from other international locations and so this step of stopping flights will hopefully prevent additional cases from arriving via the airport.

Please join us in hoping the best for our families and students in Rwanda.

We are hopeful that the virus will be contained well and not too many will be affected in Rwanda. We appreciate your continued support financially as well as thoughts and prayers as this is a challenging time for much of the world. We are thankful for ways of unifying even in the midst of trials.

Thank you always.