Didier's First Day of School

Today was Didiers first day at Sonrise Primary. Yesterday afternoon, Tom, Christian, Joris, Jamie and I went to the village to get Didier. When we arrived, he came walking down the dirt road, backpack slung over his shoulders. He had very few school supplies with him. Fortunately, the day before, Joris (B2R intern and Sonrise graduate) and I went to the Musanze Market to get the school supplies we knew Didier would need. These supplies included vaseline, toothbrush, toothpaste, towels, bedding, a blanket, shoes, soap and a bucket to bathe with. He was ready to go! Didier was so excited and eager to get in the car that he could hardly stand it!

Christian helping Didier.

We stopped at our house to pick up his school supplies. Didier enjoyed a Fanta Citron on the front porch while Tom gave the new students a pep talk on starting a new year at school. Didier asked us what the big black box was in the corner of the room. We realized that this was his first time to see a television! I immediately turned on the t.v. and popped in a Leap Frog Learning DVD. He didn't quite know what to think by the colors and sounds.

First t.v. ever!

When we reached Sonrise, we gathered Didier's items and carried them into the boys dorm. We were greeted by Didier's two older brothers: John Lambert and John Claude. They were so happy to be reunited with one another.

In the car heading to school

Today I was thinking that seeing the t.v. may not have only been Didier's first time to experience something new. Last night, he most likely slept in a bed for the first time, covered with the warmth of his very own sheets and blankets. He woke up this morning and put on clean clothes and ate a breakfast of rolls and porridge. He attended class with a new notebook and pen. He met new friends that he will keep throughout his time at Sonrise. He will get three meals a day and meat once a week (most Rwandan's get meat once a year).

I am honored and blessed that because of my parents, this child will get the education to change this country. Didier will have one of the top educations in Rwanda. I started thinking: I wonder what he will grow up and be...maybe a scientist who will find the cure for AIDS or a doctor who will save thousands of lives...the possibilities are now endless thanks to the education he will receive at Sonrise. But for now, he just gets to be a 6 year old little boy.

Photos courtesy of Jamie Ankenbrandt.

One Week Back

I arrived in Rwanda last Monday night after spending 5 days in London with my mom. I looked at The University of London's Institute of Education masters program for Education, Gender and International Development. Loved it! I met with the Senior Lecturer for the program and the guy who helps all the international students.

Photo by Lynn Walker

Rwanda is so lush and green as this rainy season comes to an end. The drive from Kigali to Musanze is as pretty as ever. I started work at Sonrise last Wednesday. Until I get my teaching assignment from the new headmistress, who is from Australia, I offered to start organizing the library. There are so many books in the work room! The Primary administration staff at Sonrise want to eventually see "Library Check-Out" on the students schedule...YAY!!!! So I have spent the past 3 days organizing, shelving and logging the books.

It's so fun to see the new little ones at school. Some of the new P1 students are so little! They are precious and so sweet. Some of them have never been around a "Mzungu" so they hold my hand and touch my hair. I have a new P2 friend, Trengo, who is from Uganda. The first day, he came up to me and said, "Your bodyguard has arrived!" Now, he follows me around telling people he is my bodyguard!

There was one little face I was searching for and I never found her...Diane.

Diane was in P1 last year. Teacher Christine told me last Thursday that Diane became very sick over the holidays. So, on Saturday, Christine and I took a taxi bus to Diane's village to visit her. The drive was about 40 minutes and it cost 500 francs which is $1.00. We sat in their living room and talked with her mother and father. They fed us lunch: meat, potatoes and peas. We learned that they cannot afford to send Diane to Sonrise this year because they spent so much money on her medical bills. When I heard this news, my heart sank. I knew that I had to do something and that I had been brought to visit her for a reason. I am currently in the process of getting Diane a sponsorship for school this year. Since school started 3 weeks ago, I am trying to act fast! She is on the road to recovery and if we get the money we need, she can start school as soon as possible!

Sunday afternoon, Tom, Chris (Sonrise graduate and B2R intern) and I went to the village. I taught some of the kids "Doggie, Doggie, Where's Your Bone?" and "Heads Up 7 Up". It's extremely difficult to explain the rules to a large group of kids who don't speak much English but we managed!

"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do." -Edward Everett Hale

Photo by Lynn Walker