Dr Sylvia's Visit
Muhororo 2008
This year I was again able to travel to Africa and spend some time with the orphans and Virtual Adoption/ Support Our Students (SOS) students in Muhororo. I traveled with my daughter Mary, who is a freshman at Ohio University in Biology. This year’s trip held many adventures and opportunities, as we were able to travel and work in some war torn areas of east central Africa rarely visited by Americans. We traveled in Uganda, the Congo, Burundi and Rwanda. We met with and collaborated with a variety of dedicated individuals who are working to improve the lives of the many marginalized and vulnerable people in these areas and striving to bring lasting peace and reconciliation. We explored the problems faced by war refugees, widows, HIV victims and orphans. We were introduced to a variety of people and cultures including the Batwa, or pygmies who find themselves outcast and at the very fringes of society.
The trip culminated back in Muhororo at the orphanages, which have come to feel like home to me. The kids there warmly received us, and it was exciting to see some of the changes that have taken place there. At the Handicapped orphanage in Muhororo, work on the new building has progressed well and the handicapped students have been moved to the completed facilities downstairs. There is new rehabilitation equipment for the handicapped, as well as an assortment of wheelchairs, walkers and crutches. A new toilet facility and kitchen have been built to accommodate the new building. A house purchased in January that sits adjacent to the handicapped buildings now houses the adolescent boys. It has running water and electricity and is a great move up from the previous waddle and daub house they were lodged in. While on school break the teenagers were actively working at various farming projects and brick making for the completion of the new handicapped building and for a soon to be started arts and craft building. The woodworking shop has a new metal roof and was bustling with activity.
In Rusumo, the Engineers Without Borders Water Project has been completed. This project supplies clean water to the orphanage and to two public taps for the village. The public taps were been heavily used and the town had formed a cooperative to maintain the water line and filtering facility. The bee and small livestock projects continue to grow and provide some income.
The orphanage in Ntobwe has had important repairs done to the septic system. The cows and livestock appear well fed and productive. The hillside is covered with gardens producing a variety of vegetables. The village of Ntobwe continues to benefit from an economic stimulus plan conceived and actively managed by TK Kennedy a Bridge to Rwanda donor and collaborator. TK’s projects provide employment, as well as the formations of cooperatives to initiate loans and market goods.
As the SOS program coordinator, I found the intellectual and personal growth and evolution of the SOS student to be especially gratifying. Now that the sponsorship program has been in place for two years these kids are finally daring to believe that they will finish high school and are full of hope for the future. They are starting to think about what they will do with their lives and what career paths they would like to pursue. Over and over I heard dreams of someday being able to help others and to rebuild their country. Many want to work in the medical field or become teachers, and a few are pondering religious vocations. Our sponsored students are the future of Africa.
The high point of our visit was the establishment of a library for the students at the main orphanage. Thanks to a generous donation from one of the sponsor families, we were able to buy books in Kigali to start the library. We picked books in Kinyarwanda, French and English. We concentrated on textbooks in science, language and math but also bought a nice atlas, reference books, dictionaries and fiction books. We included a few books for the younger children too. It is hard to describe the excitement and anticipation that accompanied the unpacking of the books. The atmosphere was festive and exuberant. The books were lovingly passed from hand to hand and poured over. There was singing and dancing. It was better than any Christmas I have ever seen.
Looking ahead 2009, could be a difficult year financially due to the growing world economic crisis. Still, Sister Patricia remains optimistic and forward-looking. She is working with the government to help create the school we have long dreamed of. She continues to manage and expand small income generating projects to help defray cost. She has hopes of establishing local programs to help the indigenous Batwa people become self-sufficient and to get their children in primary school.
In closing I would like to thank all of the donors that have supported the children and people of Muhororo. You have brought hope and a future to this remote mountainous area. May your kindness continue to sow the seeds of change and progress towards a stronger Africa
