co-op funds

Recently a friend of mine from First Question North Co-operative contacted me to say they would like to make a 100GBP donation to a co-operative in Rwanda.

Co-operatives are big in Rwanda and there are many of different shapes and sizes.  I wanted to find one that was small and needed the funds badly in order to make a good start.  I found one!

5 ladies in Nyarubande who currently work together to make a sorgum drink for local people.  It is a non alcoholic drink that they make and then sell to local people to make money.  None of these ladies own anything!  They are all ready and willing to try to work hard to use this money for the benefit of all the ladies involved.  They hope to be able to use the funds to grow their own sorgum by renting some land instead of having to pay someone else for the sorgum,  as they do now.

Locals enjoy the drink

One of the ladies who makes the drink

The finished product

Ladies of the co-operative in the yard behind the place where they sell the drink

 

I look forward to seeing how entrepreneurial these ladies can be when provided with a little support!  I will keep you posted.

Solar project Bingley Rotary Club

In June last year Bingley Rotary Club raised 700 GBP to help Rwanda following a talk I gave at their regular weekly meeting.  Following an application to the International fund this was doubled and they eventually donated 2,000GBP which was fantastic.

I was delighted to be able to use these funds to help a school in Rwanda called Gitinda.  It is a very remote school near the base of Muhabura volcano.  The head teacher is called Providence.  The school had no electricity and not much chance of getting any due to the remote nature of its location.  Here are some images of the school.

Classroom showing new lights!

The control centre

Another classroom with lights!

New primary library under construction

Solar panels installed

Wall demolished and library now created

Primary library books including reading books Yippeee!



I visited the school today and they are very very happy with the panels and the books.  They have now had time to move all the primary books to the new shelves in the library that they are also very proud of.  (The books were previously stored in the secondary school and were inaccessible to the primary teachers)  Children are now borrowing books to take home and read.  The head teacher is now able to run a laptop and printer from the energy provided by the solar panels which helps her to run the school more effectively and also they can charge their mobile phones - essential!  :-)

It is amazing how such a relatively small amount by UK standards can make such a huge difference over here.

So a very very huge thank you to the Rotary Club of Bingley.  Keep up the good work!  It is very very much appreciated.

House

Well here it is!

 

Since buying the house I have decorated every room, had water tanks put in to collect the rain water, repaired the drive, painted the walls outside, planted things in the garden, built wardrobes in the main bedroom and generally made improvements to the place.

 

 

 

Repairing the drive

Tanks being delivered!

Tanks nearly installed

Frame being painted and Marie!

New plant holders and chairs for the front porch

So that's been one project!

Christmas 2013 - Bujumbura Burundi

What's going on?

 

First of all sorry its been so long since I wrote a blog.  Life and work has kind of taken over.  I can't believe it is March 2013 since I wrote.  Since then much water has flowed under the bridge. 

I bought a house in Musanze,  thinking I would be here for at least another 18 months to 2 years with VSO.  I met Isaac.   I have been renovating the house.  I left VSO after 22 months in June 2013 because I was offered a job working for the British Council in Kigali on an Innovation for Education Project called Language Supportive Textbooks and Pedagogy.  I am the project manager for this project.  So you can see I have been somewhat pre-occupied!  I have also tried to keep up with my activities supporting schools and people in Musanze in general.  More on that later.......

 

First Christmas as it seems like a long time ago now!

 

As I had just go the job at BC and had not worked up enough leave (or enough money) to venture home at Christmas I decided it would be nice to visit Bujumbura in Burundi.  I had not been there before and many people said it was nice.  Particularly by Lake Tanganyika.  So I decided to book into Pinnacle 19 Beach resort for Christmas.  This place was recommended by a friend of mine who had stayed there.

 

We set off by hire car and drove the whole way.  It took around 12 hours in all but that included a 3 hour wait at the border to get the car through - buy insurance - etc and getting lost in Bujumbura when we arrived.... so it could probably be done in around 10 usually.

 

 

 

We stopped briefly en route at the Museum in Butare (Huye) the former capital of Rwanda for a short rest.  We finally arrived weary but glad to be there.

The place we stayed was lovely. Right on the lake.  Here are the views from the shore.

 

 

 

View towards Bujumbura

 

View towards DRC

Boys fishing by hand in the lake
 

 

Dinner on the first evening.

Christmas Eve all dressed up and going out!

Went out for a lovely meal on Christmas Eve and Atrium A

Xmas day - New top - Thanks Mum x
 

Sights when travelling home



So that was Christmas!  Not exactly ice and turkey roast!  It was lovely and relaxing though.  Following this I spent another relaxing week in Musanze not having to get up for work was wonderful.