Helping Rwandan Children out of Poverty

Later this week, we are expecting confirmation from Jersey Overseas Aid for their grant funding of our projects in Bugarama later this year. We presented them with an ambitious three-year programme which includes three major construction projects in three different schools as well as some smaller projects. We have worked very hard with the Chief Executive Officer at JOA to provide substantial information on the needs analysis and the impact which these projects will bring, as well as the assurance that the procurement processes will be fair and transparent and the budget estimates reasonable and rigorous. This has entailed a great deal of correspondence going backward and forward to our partners in Rwanda and we are confident that we have presented a package of proposals which the Commission can accept.

Our main construction project starting later this year will provide Muko School with six additional classes which will provide an increased choice of advanced level subjects and enable more students to progress to year twelve in secondary education.

In addition, we will be working at a smaller scale project in Ryankana School, where we will be renovating existing classrooms, improving the teaching and learning environment by putting in new doors and windows, plastering the walls and providing covered verandas outside. The construction of new classrooms here next year is part of our three-year plan.

In the meantime, back in Jersey, our team of eight volunteers has been hard at work raising additional sums to contribute to the above works. We have taken on two large painting jobs as well as a large garden transformation project. These works enable the team to bond together before our visit to Bugarama in November. In addition, we have done a bed push through St Helier one Saturday morning, giving out balloons and shaking our buckets. We even had a gorilla in tow. We also held a very successful Quiz Night.

Back in Bugarama, one of last year’s projects was the construction of a basketball/volleyball court at Muko School, following on from the one we built at Mihabura three years ago. This has spawned an inter-school multi-sport tournament, which is now coming to its conclusion. Competition has been fierce, but it seems Muko will triumph in the inaugural year.