November 2009

Time seems to be running away with me and we are already mid-November, so this news will be short, in anticipation of a more comprehensive account in December.

I was in Kigali from late August to early November to see the end of the school year. The children are doing very well, attendance is very good and the levels of achievement are good. I was particularly impressed with the levels of reading and English in Primary 2.

We have had several good excuses for celebrations – my birthday, the wedding of Denys, one of our students and the betrothal of our cook, Françoise.

We have finally finished the boundary wall and we have painted much of the interior of the building. We have established a new classroom and we now have some accommodation for volunteers.

Most importantly we have finished the toilets! These will replace the old and unhygienic pit latrines. All the waste will be recycled and used a fertiliser for the gardens. We have an arrangement with a local garden centre to use the waste to make compost. All we have to do now is to hope that the children use this new facility as they should! The community is very interested in this project and the local leaders are hoping to build community toilets at some time in the future. We have been very lucky to be able to work with Eugene from Kigali Institute of Science and Technology. He specialises in waste management and has been a huge help to us.

A second group of tailors has now graduated and we are working on setting up a co-operative for the new year. So, lots achieved and much more to do!

Bye from us for the moment, I hope your holiday preparations go well.

More news shortly, but in the meantime I wish you all peace, happiness and good health. Meg