Rwanda sisters - October newsletter

Sr. Dorien Peet has sent this newsletter on the latest developments in the Rwandan sister community. 

NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2021

VISIT

From 20 August to 11 September, Janny Oorebeek and sr. Dorien visited the sisters in Rwanda. The first week of our stay, two board members of the Friends of Sisters in Rwanda foundation were present: René van de Kieft (chairman) and Maarten van Ginkel (treasurer). A good friend of our Amerongen sister community also participated in the trip. For the three gentlemen it was the first introduction to the sisters and their work. They were very impressed by the enthusiasm of the sisters and their projects.                      

SISTER COMMUNITY

During our stay we experienced two celebrations of the sister community: the decoration of Philomène, which after her probationary year received the uniform and was officially incorporated into the community.

August 24, the official transfer of the leadership was celebrated: sr. Marie-Louise and her substitute sr. Domitille were consecrated for their new task and sr. Berthe was thanked for the years she led the community.

SCHOOLING

The sisters are aware of the importance of education, not only for children and young people, but also for themselves. Several sisters have completed or started a study. Internal training courses have also been given in recent months, e.g. in the administrative field. It is nice to see how the community grows in independence and joint responsibility.

KINDERGARTEN AND PRIMARY SCHOOL 

Fortunately, the school, which opened last year, was back in full operation, after months of silence due to corona. It was wonderful to experience the enthusiasm of the teachers and the children!

There are now a total of 320 children at school with the sisters (kindergarten and first three classes of primary school). Of these, there are more than 100, whose parents cannot pay the school fees. From the support fund, these children are helped, not only with school fees but also with a uniform, materials and school meals. The parents meet regularly in self-help groups, to share their experiences and to save for small projects (microcredits).

EXPANSION

In August the expansion of the school started and at the end of September it was already as far as you see in this picture! 

The sisters will be very happy if more children can be accepted, because the number of applications exceeds the possibilities they have now. They find it very difficult to say 'no' to the parents, who want their child so badly to go to the school of the sisters!

In addition to classrooms, a dining room, kitchen, library and offices will be realized in the new building.

TECHNICAL SCHOOL

On 11 October, secondary schools started again. A total of 62 students are enrolled, of which 14 are girls. Unfortunately, some of them could not start yet due to lack of money. How nice it would be if we could find sponsors for some students! 

WATER PROJECT

In September, the final touches were made to the water project. Due to several setbacks, it all took longer than planned, but now there is good hope that the water, which is supplied from the new source, will continue to flow! 

During the rainy season, full use can also be made of rainwater, for which special reservoirs are available.

The presence of water is even more important in corona time, because hygiene measures must be observed and that cannot be done without water!

AGRICULTURAL PROJECT

When visiting two farmers and a farmer's wife, we could see how the  participation in the agricultural course of the sisters changed their lives:

All three now have a good income, with which they can support their families, send the children to school and offer people work. Wonderful to see how hard they worked and how the fields were irrigated with eggplants!

In September, a group of 150 farmers started again, who indicated that they would like to learn how to work their land better and generate more income.

AFTERCARE ORPHANS

In addition to her task as director of the technical school, sr. Emilienne follows the children who have lived in the orphan village and are still sponsored.

Most children are doing well, but there are also very sad situations: young girls who get pregnant, children who have a hard time in the family where they live, great poverty, bad houses ...

From the foundation we try to help sr. Emilienne by making the necessary resources available. We are grateful for the sponsor parents, who sometimes support 'their' child for years!

For some children we are looking for (new) sponsors.

FROM THE FOUNDATION:

René van de Kieft gives his impressions of the trip:

We had been looking forward to it for a long time. Postponement again and again... and then finally we fly south, exciting!

After a long drive with many holes and potholes we arrived in Rubengera, where a meeting awaited us to never forget!

Honestly, I thought sisters were polite, kind, courteous and welcoming - they were, and also with a lot of humour, but sisters dancing festively together?

Then you cannot stand still and you feel like one of the family!

I was deeply impressed by what they all do in terms of work, with great dedication, in the sewing workshop, in the kitchen, on the land, wherever.

And so many children at the school, singing, clapping their hands and proudly speaking their first English words.

Can you imagine your own children standing at the school gate early in the morning after walking a while to enter?

I feel very grateful that I was able to experience these encounters and learn so much from this warm sister community, in a beautiful country where everything seems to flourish and grow naturally.

It no longer surprises me that Janny has pledged her heart to the Rwandans, just like others who have visited the sisters.

It's great that we can make a difference as a friends foundation. And.. that you learn again to be intensely grateful for everything that is common here. 

René van de Kieft

We are very grateful that Alice van Barneveld has joined our board as secretary. In September she started her task with enthusiasm. She will introduce herself in the next newsletter.

The month of December is in sight, with everything that goes with it. Maybe you're going to send Christmas cards again this year? Then we would like to point out the beautiful cards made by the Rwandan sisters. They can be ordered by mail: zr.dorien@zdh.nl or info@zustersinrwanda.nl

POINTS TO THANK FOR:

- the beautiful time we experienced as board members with the sisters

-the sisters were able to expand their chapel, which had become too small, thanks to a donation

-the expansion of the kindergarten and primary school could be started

-God saved the sisters from illness due to Covid-19

-the schools could start again!

POINTS TO PRAY FOR:

-new sponsor parents for some orphans and students

-wisdom for sr. Emilienne in providing aftercare to the children of the former orphan village

-wisdom for sr. Marie-Louise and sr. Domitille in leading the community

-finding ways to help people out of poverty

On behalf of all board members of the Friends of Sisters in Rwanda Foundation, I thank you for all your sympathy and for your prayers.

A warm greeting and God's blessing!

Sr. Dorien Peet

"Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, who is in heaven."

Matthew 5:16

"Abaja ba Kristo" (Rwanda) news

 

Dear friends and partners,

We greet you in the name of Jesus Christ, our savior.  We thank God that we can share with you along this way what the current situation of our country in general is and of our Deaconess community "Abaja  ba  Kristo" in particular.

We are very grateful for what God has done in our community. In December 2020, we held elections for a new community leadership team. Since 1 January 2021, this new team is operational; sr. Marie-Louise Niyonsenga is elected as leader of the community, her replacement is sr. Domithille  Uwiragiye. In addition, two secretaries and a treasurer have been appointed; Rev. Vincent Musabyimana  is the pastor of the community.

We are also grateful for the decline of the Covid 19 pandemic in Rwanda, where many initiatives have been taken to contain this pandemic. According to health officials, Rwanda has so far  (May 3)  25,490 corona patients, 337  deaths and  23,442  recovered.

The government has started the vaccinationprogramme,  with the goal of vaccinating 30% of our population by the end of 2021, and 60% by the end of 2022. (The population of Rwanda is 13,151,365).   

Rwanda received vaccines to be used to vaccinate a total of 171,480 people identified as priority at-risk groups, including healthcare personnel - people over the age of 65 or with underlying health problems, other frontline workers and people with disabilities.

In the meantime, quite a few sisters have also been vaccinated.

At the moment, many activities such as schools, public transport and commercial activities are open again and we continue to take measures to counteract the negative impact of Covid  19.

Some churches, which have met the requirements of the government, are accessible to a limited number of visitors, but a large number of churches are still closed. We hope that the Covid 19 situation will increasingly 'wash away'.

Dear friends and partners, we have celebrated The Passover and are allowed to live from the resurrection of Jesus Christ! He has conquered death! On behalf of the community "Abaja ba Kristo" I wish you God's blessing!

Sr. Marie-Louise Niyonsenga,

Community manager 'Abaja  ba  Kristo'

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, He has given us a new birth in a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

(1 Peter 1:3)

from left to right: zr. Emerthe, secretary; Ds. Vincent Musabyimana, spiritual caregiver; Sr. Donithille, second manager; Sr. Berthe, treasurer; 

Sr. Marie-Louise, first manager; Sr. Esperance, second secretary

Sisters in Rwanda - newsletter May 2021

SISTER COMMUNITY

We are grateful that it is possible to have regular contact with the sisters via social media. They are doing well, so far none of the sisters have become infected with the coronavirus! However, they notice that there is a lot of need in their environment, because people do not have a job and therefore no income. Because donations came in from various sides, they were able to help many people with food.

SCHOOLS OPEN AGAIN

Unfortunately, all schools in Rwanda went into lockdown, also the primaryschool, which opened last year, the kindergarten and technical school,. There was no question of homeschooling, because most pupils at home do not have a computer and often even no electricity. Fortunately, the schools are now open again and work can be done to make up for the backlog.

EXPANSION SCHOOL

When primary school opened in February last year, the sisters said that this building did not contain all the necessary spaces and that expansion was therefore urgently needed. Especially the lack of a kitchen and dining room was a problem. Moreover,  the former orphan village that serves as a kindergarten no longer meets the requirements. In this way, a plan was made for a new building on the site of the orphan village. Much to the delight of the sisters, the funding soon came to an end, so that hopefully construction can start this year!  

RUBENGERA TECHNICAL SECONDARY SCHOOL

The technical school is also back in full operation. Last year, a dorm for girls could be put into use. For the boys this is also urgently needed, they now live in a house that is far too small. 

Since January, Sr. Emilienne is leader of the school. For the time being, she will continue to take care of the children of the orphan village. With great commitment and ingenuity she combines these tasks: when for a boy from the orphan village was bought a cottage, she had the furniture made by students of the technical school, who earned their school fees in this way!

BABY PROJECT

The baby project was also stopped for a while because of the lockdown, but now the mothers can come again, while respecting the rules: face masks and distance. Sr. Marthe is happy to be helping the mothers and their babies again! Especially now that poverty has increased so much, this aid is literally vital for the little ones.

WATER PROJECT

Last year, construction began on site of its own water source for the sister community and buildings on site. That was quite difficult, because the ground turned out to be so hard that a few times the drill gave out. Finally a depth of 7 meters could be reached, where – as it stands – there is enough water to be found.

Now the final phase has yet to be carried out: the construction of 800 meters of pipe from the source to the grounds of the sisters! Once that is done, hopefully enough water will flow to provide the mother house, the guest house and the schools!

AGRICULTURAL PROJECT

Improvements have been made to the irrigation system in the field of the agricultural project, so that harvesting can be carried out more frequently. Church in Action regularly calls attention to this project. On their website there is a lot of information about it; it's worth taking a look at it.

We would like to draw your attention to the website, which is faithfully maintained by volunteer Rachel Pekkeriet. Together we try to keep the site as up-to-date as possible. You can also order postcards made by the sisters via the site.

On behalf of the board of the St. Friends of Sisters in Rwanda, I warmly greet you and wish you God's blessing!

Zr. Dorien Peet

News from ‘ABAJA BA Kristo’ Rubengera, Rwanda

News from ‘ABAJA BA Kristo’ Rubengera, Rwanda

Communaute Diocesses Abaja Ba Kristo-Rwanda (established 1984)

There is regular contact between the Sisters in Rubengera, and the Sisters in Amerongen (Netherlands). Visitors have been received from the Netherlands and Germany. 

Janny Oorebeek (Netherlands)

The Sisters
Five young women have started their probation and are doing well. They feel at home and take part in the community life. They are given lessons connected to the life as a Deaconess. Their accommodation is in a house in the former orphan’s village, and Sister Domitille takes care of them.
There are concerns for the ongoing health problems of Sister Evodie; she endures her illness bravely and is nursed by the Sisters.
Several of the Sisters have undertaken studies and achieved good results. Good education is seen as significant. 

Sister Anysie and Sister Emerthe have been seconded by the Anglican Church to support some young women in their call to diaconal work. The new community’s name is ‘Esther Sisters’. The sisters pray that more young women will join this service. 

The Orphan’s Village

The Orphan’s village operated for 21 years, but since March 2016, the houses in the Orphan’s village have been empty. The children are now being cared for by relatives or have been adopted into families. The foster families are under the supervision of Sister Emilienne, who visits the children regularly and monitors their well-being. Most children have settled in well to their new situation. With the support of the Dutch ‘Godparents’, they are able to continue their schooling or their professional training. The official closing of the Orphan’s village will take place during a visit by Sister Doren and Janny Oorebeek on November 16th, 2016. It will be holiday time in Rwanda, enabling many children to participate in the celebrations, including former residents.

New Project
In the coming months, a new project will be initiated: the Family Centre. This project will support the poorest families in the neighbourhood close to the Sisters. About 40 families have been selected to form self-help groups, in order to improve living conditions for their families. As well, a day care centre will be opened for children between 3 and 6 years, to prepare them for elementary school. The now empty buildings of the Orphan’s village will be used for the new project. It is anticipated the opening of the project will be January 2017. 

Rubengera Technical Secondary School (RTSS)
In March, certificates were presented to the first group of schoolboys trained at RTSS. The great news is that every graduate gained employment, and that is extremely unusual for young people in Rwanda. The rate of unemployment is high in the country, but there is a big need for craftsmen and artisans. In this way, the school plays an important role!

Sr Epiphanie cutting with the grain on precision framesaw

Agriculture project

In July, a new group of farmers, men and women, started a theoretical and practical training course. 

Please uphold in prayer the work of the Sisters of ‘ABAJA BA Kristo’ Rubengera in Rwanda. 

Website: http://www.abaja-ba-kristo.nl/

(The original report was prepared by Sister Dorien, Amerongen)