Fire(d)works.1

It's now only a week before your flight back, but you've written, recorded and taken shots aplenty about your year-and-a-bit in Rwanda, so the big question is: what the f...ired has Mattia been doing since the 30th of November, when the Bishop "terminated his contract", due to devilish occupations like visiting street children at night, gathering too many unknown children and mothers in the church compound or visiting the police station to plead for youth's release?

Well, actually he first stopped him from doing any work with children or mothers on the 27th of October, so it is better to start from there to tell you about his... 

                                           FIREDWORKS

1) SAVING THE SAVERS 

After the evil lord banished them, the mothers' "save4school" groups went underground, which in actual fact means Mattia advised/begged/ordered them to keep meeting&saving, only outside the devil's den, which they did, first on the pavement, just outside the gate, then at a nearby football dirt-pitch and finally, thanks to Assistant Ildephonse at a newly opened building managed by the local authorities; we lost a few mothers and many lost constancy, but the project survived, even when they heard we would leave soon, and recently they've cashed their savings to pay for this year's school fees (first term). We had a major setback when it came out that due to their insistence on asking for amounts they were sure of and Ildephonse's big mistake of not trusting the copybooks (makeshift account-books), he handed out more money than due, so we had to step in and fill the hole in the accounts, thanks also to some leftovers from donations. However, apart from these unhappy details (mostly due to inexperience and excessive trust, on Ildephonse from our side and on the mothers from his), the numbers are quite positive: around 250 mothers cashed savings for nearly a million RWF (1000GBP), which means that, as we hoped and believed, despite their lack of belief in the idea and their financially desperate situations, they were, on average, able to send at least one child to school through saving rather than receiving aid. 

We won't be carried away by the apparent success, as they've all got more than one child and they also need uniforms, stationery and fees for two more terms, yet it is a very encouraging beginning. 

The big issue is: will it continue? Lots of doubts about that, with us gone before it was all more firmly established, but that's something the Bishop and WCR (the Methodist Mission Office who sent us and is now taking us back) will have to answer to the Boss upstairs.

2015, completed!

Yes, it happened 50 days ago, but now it's officially completed even as far as our picture collection is concerned, with the two latest and last albums, one for Christmas and one for swimming: enjoy (if you can still take it...)!

Home visits to say goodbye to the children

Yes, the time has come to do my rounds to say goodbye to the home-based children; not easy but a must.
Some are children and some are young adults, but for different reasons (severity of their conditions, area where they live, etc..) they don't attend the church's special needs school and they spend most of their time at home.

Their mums now feel more confident because they know what to do with them (thanks to the training I gave them) and they all have wheelchairs and toilet chairs, so everyone's life is a bit easier, and I've found a local physiotherapist (independent from the school), who will be available to support the mums and their children if needed and this is such a relief for me.

Thanks to my friend Helen's donation, I was able to give each child some colouring books, colours and, for the more able ones, an abacus to learn some math at home and, for the more severe ones, colourful plastic bibs.

Unfortunately a couple of children were sick and I am not sure if I will be able to see them before leaving.

So here are some of the children.

 

Daniel, 4 1/2 yrs old, with his paper chair!

Kagaba, 18 yrs old

Beatrice, 13 yrs old

Lamistone, 10 yrs. She is an orphan and lives with her grandmother. She should be able to start in a special needs school next week. I am so happy for her! 

Mugisha, 13 years old.

Josieanne, 30 yrs old. She has been working with me and she has been trying to learn to colour well so to be able to decorate paper items and has learnt to make necklaces too.

 

 Silvie, 30 yrs old, very happy with her colouring materials. She has recently starting moving around with a walker thanks to her mum's help and supervision.

I was very happy to see the toilet chairs I built last year still in perfect condition and being used every day.

Eme, 5 years old.

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Mums' cooperative goodbyes

Last Friday the mums' cooperative group organised a farewell lunch for Elena. We met at our house, cooked together and shared a Rwandan lunch, consisting of plenty of rice, Ubugari (Cassava bread, very sticky!!!), Isombe (Cassava leaves and vegetables cooked with cow foot), a mix of vegetables and cooking banana and even a mixed salad.

Unfortunately not all the mums could come but it was lovely to spend some time together to recognise what we have achieved in the past year by meeting weekly for training and other projects.

Some of the food we cooked was grown by them in our garden as one of their projects. Even though this project must end when we leave (because the church won't allow them to continue), it was a good one and for a while they had some extra food and on the same day they collected plenty of big pumpkins to take home.

After having lunch together we had some time for sharing and praying. The mums have finally chosen the name for the cooperative Duhumurizanye Babyeyi, that means "parents will confort each other". Elena was thanked for being there for them, for all she taught them and because thanks to the activity we did, now they have realised that together they are strong and they can work for a better future for their children and be able to help each other whenever in need. Elena was very touched by their words and that helped her realise that even if we spent only one year together, we have actually achieved a lot, thanks be to God!

Elena was also given an appreciation banner: such a sweet present and touching words.

So it was a beautiful day with plenty of food, stories and prayers. 

Addition

We know, some of your are still reeling and some others are being treated for a nervous breakdown after viewing only a couple of albums, but we really love you, so we've added four new albums to the gallery page, to complete the "August Holidays" section.

Oh, if that's not enough, there's also an addition to the "Rwanda's" series, with a new collection dedicated to its "flora".

So, if you can still watch some more beautiful pictures... enjoy!