Week 3.....

This week we have continued work in the Munazi village tree nursery. We started making pots of soil which will be used to plant seeds in. 

We also spent one morning this week at the juice processing plant helping with labelling.

The previous team had made energy efficient Canarumwe stoves for a few families in Wimana village. We returned to the village and visited one of the families to ask about their opinions of their new stove. We found out some benefits which include using up to 70% less firewood, retaining heat for longer and quicker to cook food. They also mentioned that others in the village are interested in getting Canarumwe stoves as they have seen the difference it has made. In the next few weeks we plan to visit other beneficiaries to gather more feedback.

On Thursday afternoon we ran English class for adults and teenagers. We included revision of Basic English, like months of the year and greetings.

Then on Friday we had an afternoon of sport with the RDIS staff. It was a great chance to get to know some of the staff outside the usual work setting!

We were back at Compassion International Saturday morning. This time we were teaching two classes; one in entrepreneurship, and another on life events and timelines.

We are hoping for a busy week next week, continuing on our projects!

Murabeho! ICS Muhanga Team 

Muraho! Hello!

We are the new ICS Tearfund team in Muhanga, working with RDIS for the next 2 months! There are 6 of us in our team; 4 from the UK and 2 from Rwanda.

(From left to right: Isaie, Debs, Claude, Mya, Beth and Amy)

After a full day of travel we were happy to arrive in Kigali and join with the other teams for a brief orientation with Tearfund.  We then made our way to Muhanga where we were warmly welcomed at our new home, Azizi Life.

We also had a great welcome at RDIS and were briefed about some of the projects we may be involved with. Our first week focused on introductions to staff and members of the community who we had a chance to meet and build relationships with. We found out more about RDIS projects, including Zion Hill Nursery School, the Youth @ Risk Program, the local juice processing plant, Compassion International (Centre RW 727), and Munazi village’s tree nursery.

The last few days of the week we started work in the tree nursery at Munazi. It was rewarding to see the difference we could make to the seedlings with just a few days of weeding. It was also nice to be able to give something back and start to help and return the kindness and hospitality we have received. This is a great project to be involved with, especially as we are able to carry on the work started by the previous ICS team!

Saturday morning was our first day at Compassion International. We had the opportunity to observe a few of the lessons and meet the children and young people that attend the centre every Saturday. We are looking forward to continuing to work here and starting at the other projects.

It was great to spend our day off walking around the valleys, looking around the local market and experiencing life in Muhanga properly for the first time - it was nice to get familiar with our new home! We spent Sunday morning at the local church in which we have become involved with the English worship team, following on from previous ICS teams.

Murabeho!

Muhanga ICS Team