Rwanda – Week Five

Wednesday 7th July:

As the last week of school term and student exams were approaching, the volunteers began assisting with revision and supervising the classwork.
They worked hard at the building site by sanding down and painting steel rods in preparation for the welding of the roof structure. It was a very productive day as teamwork and collaboration amongst the volunteers, labourers and with the project drivers, Medhi and Jordan also offering a helping hand. This ensured that the strong momentum and progress of the construction of the two new classrooms was maintained. All volunteers returned to the guesthouse covered in dirt and red paint, a true reflection of the sweat and energy that each and everyone had put into the Rwanda Project.

Thursday 8th July:

At the morning assembly at Ntenyo Primary School, following on from the great idea that had been generated at the previous nights debrief, the volunteers presented a huge colourful alphabet and picture poster to teach the children how to sing the A,B,C song. This was done along with the usual routine of the children and teachers singing the Rwandan National Anthem and the principal delivering the school’s daily announcements.

Mid-morning, the volunteers distributed fruit including bananas, apples, mandarins and tamarillos, juice and maize at the building site to the labourers to join together for the morning tea break. The volunteers took advantage of this opportunity to sit and have a chat with the labourers. After much discussion with the teachers on their desire and initiative to commence extra curricular clubs at the school the afternoon was spent introducing the idea to the teachers with great success.

Children had the choice to participate in either the Sports Club, Environment Club or the Hygiene and Culture Club. The Sports Club taught basic warm up and stretching techniques, football drills, kicking, defense and goal-kicking skills. The Sports Club was particularly popular as the Rwandan children love football. The Environment Club focused on teaching the children about nature, the environment and the countryside. The children drew and labelled pictures about the environment on the blackboard and then went on a tour around the school grounds to differentiate between natural (made by God) and artificial items (man-made).

The Hygiene and Culture Club was led by one of the teachers Francine to teach the children about the importance of the practice of basic hygiene methods such as brushing teeth and showering regularly, always wearing shoes, and clean clothes and the importance of keeping the brand new school toilets clean. The mission of the Hygiene and Culture Club is to ensure that the children of Ntenyo Primary School remain happy and healthy by discussing how cleanliness and hygiene practices assist in the prevention of illness and disease. The volunteers participating in the club with Francine were surprised and overwhelmed when the students created a special clap and a promise to remember volunteers with the clap at the beginning of every club session. What an amazing way to end the school working week!!

Friday 9th July:

After another long, hard, yet joyful week of working, the volunteers journeyed from Gitarama into Kigali with the first stop at our morning coffee spot located in the heart of Kigali. Our team was joined by Marten from Sanejo, who had travelled from Tanzania to meet us. Half of the volunteers travelled to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre to learn more about the history of the Rwandan genocide in 1994 which was simultaneously heartbreaking and fascinating. One of the most heart-wrenching parts of the museum for the volunteers was the upstairs exhibition demonstrating with photos and words the stories of Rwandan children who had been killed in the genocide.

The rest of the volunteers travelled on a bus to a market for a cultural experience where they practiced their bartering skills and purchased items of clothing such as jeans and traditional, long, flowing patterned skirts and scarves. The first group of volunteers enjoyed a nice lunch at Hotel Des Milles Collines by the pool, and took in the wonderful scenery of Kigali. In the evening, Laura and the Sanejo team were specially invited to a semi-formal fundraising Ball held by Roteract. The team enjoyed the delicious dinner, an African feast, as they sat amongst young professionals of Rwanda in a beautiful candle light outdoor setting. The rest of the volunteers enjoyed a wonderful night having a barbeque dinner and relaxing even at Carwash Restaurant and Bar, a very popular nightspot in Kigali.

Saturday 10th July:

The volunteers enjoyed our morning coffee stop at our favourite cafe in Kigali. One of Rwanda’s major exports is quality coffee. We then drove South west from Kigali to the lakeside town of Kibuye. Eager for a relaxing swim in the clear blue waters of Lake Kivu the volunteers jumped into the water from the pier and thoroughly enjoyed the scenery of the quiet peaceful lake.

Dinner was served at the accommodation restaurant overlooking the water as the sun set – a picture perfect view of surrounding islands and mountains meeting the water. After dinner David took half of the group on a fishing expedition in the dark of the night, with the assistance of the fishing boat lights in Lake Kivu to see the skills of the local fisherman catch Isambaza fish. In appreciation for the visit by the volunteers the fisherman thanked the group with a fast paddle around the lake accompanied by a song of all the places they had fished.

Sunday 11th July:

Some volunteers rose early to make the most of the clear blue waters of Lake Kivu and their time in Kibuye and went swimming in the peaceful morning hours. A Rwandan breakfast was served at the accommodation restaurant by the water as the volunteers relaxed and listened to music.

A boat was arranged and each volunteer piled aboard in single file, for the scenic ride to Amahoro (Peace) Island. Amahoro Island is a picturesque place where the volunteers swam, played volleyball, went on a paddle board and enjoyed a hard earned beverage. Late in the afternoon, we piled back into the boat and sailed back to the shores of Kibuye.

The relaxing weekend had been a much needed break from the hard labour. Rejuvenated from the lake we drove North east to Gitarama on the windy roads, around the many hills, taking in the gorgeous green, hilly views along the journey. The volunteers were able to watch the World Cup Grand Final of Netherlands vs Spain on the projector at our local restaurant over dinner with locals before retreating to our guesthouse for an early night. This was to ensure a good night’s sleep from the upcoming final week of the Rwanda Project at Ntenyo Primary School.

YGAP and the amazing work of our volunteers is made possible by YOU, so please give generously to show your support.

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