12/13/2018 0 Comments Last days in NyamashekeAfter a full week in Kigali we made our way back to Nyamasheke for our final four days to pack and prepare to leave. I had a full day at the office transferring the remainder of the resources to the office and to create what I hope will be a really useful space for the Nyamasheke team. Glyn gave me a lift down carrying four rice sacks and a box on the moto (sadly no picture) and then Gilbert helped me transfer the resources and the bookcase that we had had made for the house I donated to the resource room. ![]() On Monday morning I still had quite a lot left to do. ![]() I was determined to throw away as little as possible as we don't really have a good place for rubbish at the house (there is no collection and so everything gets buried in the garden). So I was really happy when I managed to turn old toothpaste tubes into a useful (and very pleasant smelling!) maths resource... But by Tuesday everything had gone. The junk room at the house was empty and the resource room was full! Lionel surprised me with a visit to say goodbye The job is finished so - time for the pub. Sandy the dog came and joined us. Then the following day was our very last day so it was cleaning and final packing. Both Gilbert and Theo stayed with us Theo was very pleased with his hi vis jacket - perfect for a guard! ![]() We invited the neighbours around and gave away the household goods that we no longer needed. Glyn had to say goodbye to his bike and drive it back to the RwandaAid office in Kamembe. Gilbert had to have one last 'sit' on the bike before it left. ![]() On our last night we shared a beer with Theo and Simba the dog! The 'lowering of the flag' was the final ceremony!! ![]() This morning we travelled to Kigali to fly home. On the way I was messaged by Chantal who asked me to call in and see her as she wanted to say goodbye! what a lovely lady! Now we are sat at the airport waiting to board our flight. Another amazing adventure, another amazing year in the Land of a Thousand Hills. We will be back next year as our next exciting chapter will be to run the charity Friends of Rwandan Rugby. But in the meantime Rwanda - thanks and goodbye for now. We will miss all those wonderful friends we have made. But we won't miss the hand/foot washing of clothes! ![]()
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At the end of year programme review meeting all 300 volunteers and staff had an opportunity to come together to celebrate the work of VSO and to reflect on the year's work. I was honoured to be asked to represent the international volunteers to cut the huge birthday cake! The review meeting took place over two days. On the first day I was leading a series of workshops with another international volunteer, Jessica, about how to gather and write stories to spread the word about the work of VSO. JMV and I were also asked to present at another workshop about how international and national volunteers can work together and how each of us benefit from working with each other. ![]() Lots of time to spend with my team The meeting was at the Nobleza hotel in Kigali. The grounds are beautiful and the weather was perfect. ![]() Then when the meetings were finished it was time to party!
Happy Birthday VSO Rwanda! 12/13/2018 0 Comments VSO Rwanda celebrates 20 yearsVSO has been working in Rwanda for 20 years. Over the past few weeks the volunteers and staff have been celebrating. The first big event was an umuganda (community work). In each of the 30 districts across the country the volunteers planted 200 trees in local schools. These were a mixture of trees that would provide shade and stabilise the soil and fruit trees that would provide food. I planted a passion fruit tree. In Nyamasheke we were also celebrating the success of the Strengthening School Readiness project that works with nursery schools. The nursery teachers were all rewarded for their hard work with a gift of beautiful fabric and the top teachers were given a bike. In true Rwandan style there were lots of speeches and I was a bit surprised when Claude - one of the VSO staff called me up to make a speech about what it is like to be a volunteer in Rwanda! Cheers Claude! Speeches, singing and dancing - a great way to celebrate
The schools all closed mid November for the long school holidays so I thought the last few weeks would be less hectic! Wrong! A school in Cyato sector approached Lionel asking if we could go into the school to teach the teachers how to make some teaching aids. It was their holiday and they wouldn't be getting any help with transport money. I was delighted they were so keen. Cyato is one of the furthest sectors so it also meant another long journey through the stunning countryside. The weather had been quite dry (but not very dry) so we didn't have the challenges we had had earlier in the year with deep, slippery mud or thick dust. Thomas came to my house at 06:30. Seven teachers from three different schools came to join us and from 8 until 1pm we worked away making a whole load of teaching aids which Lionel then demonstrated how they could use them with children. This is so important as often teachers have teaching aids and resources but then have no idea how to actually use them effectively. I was very proud of Lionel - the youngest member of the team who has developed into a fine trainer. His enthusiasm and eagerness to learn and try anything out has always been so rewarding for me. We stopped in Rangiro centre to greet Thomas' wife and for me to give little Michael their 2 year old son a small gift although he was far more interested in his dad's moto! ![]() Then back on the bikes heading for home and a last chance to admire the scenery. ![]() Past the busy market and then home. Another lovely and rewarding day.
11/26/2018 0 Comments Clearing the 'rubbish'!As we have such a large house here in Rwanda (four huge bedrooms) - one of them I have turned into what I call my resource room and Glyn calls my 'junk room'. We are both right - it is rubbish / junk but they make fantastic resources. With time running out I have been really trying hard to turn my rubbish into teaching aids to share with the team before I leave. It is a big job as it seems everyone has been collecting their junk for me this year! This is what my room looked like yesterday - Today the team arrived to help me. We packed a lot of stuff up and then used our motos to get it to the office where we were going to set up a resource room in one of the spare rooms (well I hope it is spare!) They were very creative with our 1000 bottletops snake! We stopped to play the shopping game and to try out the 'Show Me' boards. ![]() ![]() Well done everyone! We have made a good start on our Resource room! 11/26/2018 0 Comments The final workshop.Last week we had two days with the three teams from western province all getting together for a capacity building workshop.
Twenty national and international volunteers all had a great couple of days developing our skills as mentors and looking at resources we can use to demo model lessons and to help teachers how to teach in a more active way. It was great - no need to say any more - I will let the pictures tell the story. This is the fabulous Ancille (who i have been calling Antoinette!) I first met her several weeks ago when I visited her school to work with her and the other English and Maths teachers in the school. Ancille started teaching in 1976 and teachers P1 which is the first class in school. I watched her teach that day and she was full of energy and the kids loved her. The two hour training we did with the teachers she was so enthusiastic right the way through exclaiming with delight at even the simplest of teaching aids. The photo of her holding the place value fan is to feature on the cover of the next maths book but we needed to check she was happy with that. So Leopold and I set off at 8am to find her. We knew she lived near the school which is in a very remote area and nearly a two hour drive by moto. We reached the school and she came to meet us. She lived nearby and invited us to her house. After Leopold showed her the picture we were going to use, she disappeared into the kitchen. She had cooked a meal for us. I should be used to it by now, but Rwandan hospitality is always so incredible. It was 10am - and there was beer! I have been told several times it is rude to refuse so ........ After eating and drinking I presented Ancille with the place value fan that features in the photo on the book and thanked her and we left. No sign of Thomas my moto driver - he had gone off to the lake to buy fish! So while we waited the Sector Education officer suggested we joined him for a short meeting for what he described as rapport building. In a bar! Thomas finally appeared and we headed home. Half way through the journey we stopped as Leopold's moto driver realised it was the last time we would be together and wanted some photos! Photo shoot done, we headed for home.
11/25/2018 0 Comments Turning teachers into film stars!Last week I was in Kigali to work on the next part of the BLF project. BLF is a huge project that is funded by DFID (UK Aid) and works right across Rwanda with all primary schools and lower primary teachers who teach English and Maths. In its first year we have introduced what are called 'Toolkits'. The main part of the toolkit is a book that the teachers work through. We are nearly finished with the first book so next year the second book will be introduced. As well as the book there are also video and audio files for the teachers to use. I was thrilled to be asked by Chantal who is writing the Maths resources to help with this second book and also one of the videos. The schools are all going to be given a large box of resources that Chantal and I have chosen and the video is all about the materials. Last Friday we spent a day with the teachers who were going to appear in the video going through the script and introducing the resources. Then on Saturday we had a full day filming. Chantal had a wedding to go to so we started at 8am, she was hoping we would be finished by 12.30. We started with the children. A P3 class had come into school (despite it being a Saturday and the first day of the school holidays!) looking very smart in their uniform. We had thought it would take about an hour and a half to do the children's scenes. I was so happy to see the children using the "show Me' boards as this resource is something I pushed really hard to be included in the package of materials and I really do believe they will revolutionise teaching in the classroom. ![]() Four hours later......... Time for a quick lesson with teacher Aaron to explain how to use the number cubes... Then a bit more filming with the children.. Finally we were ready to start with the teachers. I was vey happy that the rice sack charts I had spent weeks making were used in the filming and we had them decorating the classroom as well. Needless to say it took longer than we thought, Chantal didn't make it to the wedding and the sun started to set! The final shots were taken in the dark using lights as we didn't finish until 6.30pm.
huge thank you to the teachers and children who were so patient and worked so hard on what was the first day of their holidays! I look forward to seeing the finished product but don't envy Diane and the film team who have to edit an epic amount of footage! 11/11/2018 0 Comments Time is running!It is hard to believe but we only have about 5 weeks left in Rwanda. I am working flat out to try and get everything done before we return home to Wales. The schools have now closed for the end of the academic year so the school visits have stopped. I will miss my long journeys with trusty Thomas who has kept me safe all year. I have really enjoyed visiting schools, working with teachers and even taking demo lessons which are always a huge amount of fun with children so eager to learn. Even in a class of 60 there are no behaviour issues. ![]() It hasn't always been possible to reach the school on the moto if the rain and mud is really bad so occasionally we walk. Every school we visit we do a training that lasts around 1.5 to 2 hours. The teachers are generally really enthusiastic but there is one teacher who has really stood out from the rest. Antoinette has been teaching for over 40 years in P1. All through the meeting she tried out everything, screeching with delight at any new teaching aid we showed her. We observed her teach and she was the same with the children - so energetic and lovely with the children. One of those teachers that just love the job. The picture above is going to be used on the next book that will be given to all P1,2,3 Maths teachers in Rwanda which I am delighted about. The teachers love to see the teaching aids we have made from assorted rubbish. This round of school visits the igihumbi insoka . (1000) snake has been a big hit. ![]() Teaching the children has been such fun! One school visit that I will always remember was when my friend Sarah was visiting and we had a chance to teach together. We used to work together for joint visits to the wetlands centre in Llanelli - who would have thought that we would get another opportunity to team teach! I have been honoured this year to work with the delightful Chantal who is the lead on the Maths resource that we are using with the teachers. Currently the programme is using 'Toolkit 1'. Toolkit 2 is being released next year after I have gone but I have been able to work with Chantal on it - in particular the resources side of things. Next year all of the schools will be given a big box of materials for Maths. The resources are all professionally produced and Chantal tasked me with producing similar items using waste materials - bottletops and cardboard for example. It has been great fun. We also worked on 24 wallcharts - large posters covering a variety of maths areas. Chantal asked if I could reproduce them on rice sacks - the idea being that if schools want more than one copy they can duplicate them by copying onto a rice sack. I thought she just wanted a few done as a sample. I did 5 and sent her pictures. She thanked me and said I could bring them all up to Kigali! so 24 posters it was! Fortunately, Seth, one of my Rwandan colleagues has great handwriting and he came to my house one day to help and did two. Yesterday I finally finished them. The next five weeks will fly I am sure. The challenge now is to turn all the rubbish I have accumulated into useful teaching resources.
10/22/2018 0 Comments Abashyitsi - visitorsWe have been very lucky to have visitors come out to stay with us this year. The past few weeks we have had an opportunity to use our spare rooms! My cousin Lorna, husband Richard and their (and our) friends, Dot and Glyn came to Rwanda for a three week holiday. They packed in a lot and certainly 'did' Rwanda. Aside from spending a week with us they visited Akagera National park staying in the wonderful Ruzizi Tented Lodge and spent a few days in Kigali staying at the aptly named Heaven Hotel. Then they flew to Kamembe and came to join us in Nyamasheke. After they left us they spent time in Karongi and Rubavu by the lake and a few days in Musanze - as I say they 'did' Rwanda and really loved what the country has to offer as a fantastic holiday location. We packed a lot into the week they stayed with us. We took a boat to the island of Gihaya to visit the women's cooperative to buy a few baskets. Tara primary were very happy to see us, the school has received some money to buy books for the children ![]() We visited St Kizita's nursery that Lorna and Dot have helped to support since it first opened 18 months ago. ![]() ![]() Lots of opportunities to enjoy the lake and the hot springs. ![]() Rwanda grows a lot of coffee and we really enjoyed a visit to Jean Paul's coffee plantation, washing station and dry mill. ![]() Enjoying the beautiful garden at JPs house It was lovely having visitors and for them to really appreciate the beauty of Rwanda.
And I really appreciated having all the bedding washed before they left! Thanks! |
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December 2018
Preparing to go back to our second home
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