by "Flat" Cauli II
MPL Flat Feline Foreign Correspondent
Last time, I reported about my arrival in Rwanda and some of the exhilarating activities that filled our first few days of exploration and adventure. Let's return to Kigali and the home of the Mugabo family. [All January 2011 (or older) photos are courtesy of the EOC missionRwanda website.]
Mugabo Family Home
Shared With the Peace International School
in Kigali, Rwanda (January 2011)
Students Sharing Desks at the
Peace International School
(January 2011)
Bishop Denis Mugabo and his wife, Dativa, founded the Peace International School. Following the horrific days of the genocide (1994), they wanted to help improverished families educate their children. As of last year, over 100 orphans and poor children attended the school, which includes the grades equivalent to an American elementary school. Without facilities such as the Mugabo's Peace International School, most Rwandan children could not afford the cost of basic education. Much of the school's funding is provided through charitable contributions from members of the Evangelical Orthodox Churches.
Teachers at Peace International School
(January 2011)
Seven teachers were hired at a monthly salary of $100 (excluding three months when they are not instructing students). Donations and other funding provide students with materials, uniforms, and other resources. Students demonstrate a burning desire to learn. Like their teachers, students are enthusiastic, hard-working, and highly motivated to succeed. Much of school routine is daily recitation, as this is a cost-effective learning regimen (particularly when writing materials can be expensive). Students love music and crafts.
Students at Peace International School (2008)
Dativa Mugabo is the school's administrator, and her dedication and commitment to her staff and students are evident. One example will illustrate. Before 6:00 a.m., Dativa begins preparations for the day's learning, and she hits the streets to ensure that her students arrive safely.
"Students are Eager and Alert"
(January 2011)
School sessions run from January through March, mid-April through June, and mid-August through October. Students receive an impressive education despite limited resources. Everyone does her or his best to guarantee that the learning experiences will be productive and fun.
Students learn English in school, but citizens also speak French and Kinyarwandan (i.e., Rwandan) as the country's national languages. There are regional dialects, of course, such as Kirundi (or Rundi), and some Swahili is spoken.
In 2011, construction began on a new building for Peace International School. It was planned to be part of a multi-structure educational complex. Thanks to charitable contributions from EOC members, this project will provide vastly superior facilities for many more Rwandan students to receive a quality education.
The Mugabo family, too, have enjoyed much-needed home improvements. They now have electricity and running water into their house, which makes everyday living vastly easier. My American readers might take such amenities for granted, but in Rwanda, many people do not have such conveniences, the absence of which makes daily life more challenging and difficult.
In our next installment, we will visit Peace Arts Training Center in Burema, Rwanda.
Your "Flat" Feline Foreign
Correspondent on the Go,
"Flat" Cauli II
Reporting for Cauli Le Chat
There is so much available to us that we seldom think of how hard it is to simply live in some other countries.
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