Please welcome the wonderful names of our hopefully wonderful projects!
(apologies for Mattia's craze for acronyms...)
Y.E.A.S.T.
= Youth Empowerment: Arise from the Street and be Transformed
Daily evening meetings for poor youths, some supported for school, some for vocational training, some for work, some just hoping for future support, some just enjoying the group.
We do:
- ENGLISH (with Mattia, to improve the level of students and teach something to those not in school)
- ICT (with Norbert, the brother-father of 4 - in Amizero computer room, kindly donated by a German Charity years ago and only sporadically used by the disabled school)
- KINYARWANDA (as they must learn to read and write their language better - with Mattia's paid assistant, Ildephons, our former watchman now relieved from that slavish and useless job thanks to this new role)
- CHESS (not just for fun, but to teach them to think, something completely absent from their education system - with Mattia, as the real family expert, Mr.PhD, is a little too far to help - tournaments coming soon!)
- GOSPEL CHOIR (with Elena, to learn songs they then sing at Mattia's English Service and maybe soon also at the main service)
- CHRISTIAN DANCING (with some highly talented dancers who are part of the Church's dancing team)
Current numbers: around 25 per evening, with a total of around 35 in the group
GO.R.I.L.L.A.S
= GOod results In Life, Learning And Sport
Children's programme, with sport in the morning (simple things in our garden) and lessons in the afternoon ((English with Mattia, Kinyarwanda and Maths with Ildephons, so at least they can learn maths instead of struggling with the language), as they go to school on alternate shifts; this way not only they get help to improve their poor school marks and some fun and training, but also they've got something to do rather than go to the street or idle away the day at home (though for some it's hard to go away from the daily chores at home, so the morning shift is not always well attended).
Current numbers: 8-12 in the morning, 15-20 in the afternoon; total over 40
I.S.A.I.A.H
= I Study And I Also Help
Some of you might know the "work for food" programmes some charities implement in poor countries, especially during famine times, to have people earn their aid rather than receiving it as beggars and at the same time contribute to the community's development by working for community projects (building/repairing schools, roads, churches...).
Well, let us introduce our "work for school" version of that model: 10 youths in vocational training, plus 3 funded for driving licence course, come a couple of days a week to work, either for our projects (physio-room: stones for cement, painting of floor and walls, varnishing of the ceiling; Paper Furniture Container: emptying, cleaning, painting, lock-fitting; wheelchair assembling...) or as gardeners in our garden (so we don't have to pay the gardener any more and we can use that money for their school-fees).
F.R.E.E.
= Families Rejoicing in Economic Empowerment
Rejoicing might be quite far away, but at least we'd like to try and improve the lives of the families of the children we're supporting for school fees; considering many have to pay rent and feed many children, the project can't solve all their financial difficulties, but the idea is to make them self-reliant at least for what we are instead paying for at the moment, that is school fees and stationary; once they 're started, that is once we're sure their new small business really works, we'll encourage them, through training and interest incentives, to save small amounts every day in order to have the necessary sums when school starts next term-year, as at the moment, quite understandably and as it is common in poor countries, people have no idea whatsoever of financial planning.
Economic activities we plan to offer (some trials are just starting), by providing the starting material and advice:
farm animals = a goat (to sell kids) and-or a few hens (to eat/sell eggs)
bicycle = to work in the transport business (of people and goods)
trading = to sell food (staple: flour, rice, sugar...) from home, serving the neighbourhood
charcoal = to sell charcoal (cooking fuel)
cooking = prepare and sell cakes and other food widely bought by the locals
As you can understand, we need funds for this project, so if you like it, start thinking how you can help and soon we'll be able to give details of costs for each project (roughly 50euros / 40 GBP); we really believe this is the way forward, as it is empowerment rather than just aid: if it works, the model works as a one-off support, not a constant supply of food, stationery, clothes, school fees, medical expenses...
C.H.O.C.O.L.A.T.E.
= Capernaum House of Children Only Less Able Though Extraordinary
Do you remember the house whose roof was removed by the paralytic's friend to let the stretcher in, for Jesus to meet him and heal him? That's the reference we had in mind when choosing the name for the new physio-room (to be inaugurated soon) because we plan to use it not merely to treat patients (there are already physiotherapy services in the country, though maybe too expensive, but we cannot bypass the existing structures and provide free or cheaper services, otherwise it's just another unsustainable form of aid) but to offer parents' training (actually started two weeks ago), teachers' training (same) and most of all Community Based Rehabilitation training (to form families, friends, community members so that they can identify, counsel and help local disabled people) and possibly also a sort of cooperative of families with disabled children, for them to help each other not only as to advice but also financially, thanks also to the Paper Furniture workshop where they will be able to produce both extremely cheap, nearly free assistive devices for their children and other items to be instead sold for profit.
