Friends Of Rwanda Aid News No. 14. December 2009

From the moment we were met by David at Kigali Airport Arrivals, and wrestled our way out to the car amid a sea of beaming African smiles we felt completely at home and very excited to be back. That first brochette and slug of Mutzig beer consolidated the effect and by the time we reached Munezero House we were raring to go. It was brilliant to see 'the team' again and we really felt as though we were reuniting with old friends, not people we'd only met once before. They are masters of 'welcome'. We had wondered whether two months might begin to drag a little. Not so! Full on, full time. So much to do, organise, build, teach, assist, support, and then some. Never a dull moment - some highly exciting ones, many very satisfying ones and quite a few frustrating ones, it would have to be said. As a number of building programmes had been scheduled to coincide with Martyn's time out there, in order that he could cast an 'expert' eye over the proceedings, he was immediately in overdrive. He was meeting with contractors, receiving tenders for works, looking for someone suitable to fill the newly created post of construction manager, visiting sites - and mopping his ever-dripping brow. Building of the new 'progressive houses' on Nkombo island began and took remarkably swift shape. One visit we were pacing out individual plots, two visits later we were looking at timber clad frames. Damascene, the contractor, was doing a great job, and was happy, and quick to take on board any of Martyn's suggestions or 'adjustments': the composting toilet chambers were quickly rectified with a concrete lining, and the kitchens increased in size to suit the original drawings. The repairs and strengthening works on the farm manager's house at Murangi Farm got underway and before long the 'ring-beam' was in place and the building declared 'sound'. Gad is delighted with his 'en suite' bathroom- and will be even more so when his shower curtain and rail arrive from England with Ali or Neil. Jeremie, the builder in Rwanda, wanted to charge about £200 for these items. We preferred the B&Q option at about twenty quid. Jean Claude was employed as Construction Manager and is learning not only the ropes on the professional front, but also more and more English each day. Although his English was fair to begin with, it certainly needed some tweaking in order to cope with all that is expected of his role, and he is putting in a good effort. He was initially a little reluctant to join in the English lesson in Munezero, but having had a go, he had long lists of words for defining each day afterwards. Work has begun on a nursery in Bweyeye, alongside the Primary School previously funded by the charity. The smile on Thomas, the builder's face when we handed him the first cheque was magnificent and within less than a minute he was already on the phone instructing deliveries of materials. We now also have an agreed site for a nursery on Nkombo, which has room for expansion should this be a future project. Tenders for the immediate work are currently being accepted. Further building programmes had to be put on hold as the question of TVA (basically VAT) exemption continued to be thrashed out. It was certainly the most frustrating part of our time out in Rwanda, and I suspect will continue to be for some time to come. Two very frustrating visits to Kigali to attempt to meet with - or at least bash on doors of - various ministers and Rwanda Revenue bods resulted in some progress, albeit slow and confusing. But we feel we must press on with it as the money saved on the TVA can be much better deployed elsewhere, actually helping the needy. On the education side, I was able to help for a couple of weeks before the end of the school year, giving English lessons to some of the students at Mururu secondary school. Jo, Martyn's niece, and resident computer expert, also gave some computing lessons, as well as networking the computer lab there ready for the additional computers earmarked for the lab due to arrive on the container any day. Unfortunately the container should have arrived whilst Jo was in Rwanda so that she could have checked all the computers and set them up ready for the new school year. Further bureaucratic delays, courtesy of our "friends" at Rwanda Revenue, meant that the container remained held up in Kigali awaiting necessary exemption paperwork even as we left Rwanda. Frustration pretty nearly boiled over. Hopefully delivery of the container will be imminent… Lessons for Rwanda Aid staff who wanted to join in continued to be held in Munezero House. The 'Beginners' group - of Francoise (cook), Cyriak (day guard), Faustin (night guard) and various assortments of Prince and Patricks' children was well attended - and great fun! Such willing, eager and enthusiastic learners are rather a joy. The Headteachers of the primary schools we have helped came to Munezero House for a meeting which went very well. They relished the opportunity to get together and discuss issues affecting them all, such as the changeover from French to English instruction, and building of extra classrooms to accommodate the new 9 year schooling programme. As heads isolated by their position, not to mention their location, they seldom have such an opportunity to discuss and problem solve together. They decided to elect a committee to facilitate easier communication between themselves and each other, and also Rwanda Aid. Hopefully this will at least lighten their mental load by being able to share their difficulties. On the medical side, the Outreach programme is going to be extended so that it makes more visits per week, going out on more days and on more visits in a day. In this way it can reach more people and offer greater assistance. The Children's Village, Ngwino Nawe, has also been included on the regular rota and will be visited every fortnight. It is hoped that this may help to reduce some of the medical bills currently incurred by the Village. At the farm Gad is now producing enough elephant grass to support his animals which also frees up Patrick from his previous frequent deliveries of the grass from elsewhere. Anyone who read the last Newsletter will be familiar with our fame and super-close connections with the Rwandan government. I think we could almost exempt ourselves from TVA by now… The two Prime-Ministerial visits to Nkombo Island and Ngwino Nawe were certainly highlights in our duty calendar. We just hope that the good impression made by both these projects yield great things! The Welfare Programme continues apace. Jonas does a fantastic job of following up on the most needy people in various circumstances and trying to offer them the most appropriate help for their situations. The Rwandan staff are a brilliant bunch who are very hardworking, well motivated and genuinely want to do the best for the people they help. In recognition of all their efforts we followed our full staff meeting - an event we continued from having had one when David was there and very valuable in itself for what it achieves in giving staff the opportunity to air their ideas or concerns - with a staff meal, cooked by Francoise and really well received. It was a great evening, appreciated by all. Sadly there wasn't time, in the end, for the planned 'Grand Table Tennis Challenge': maybe next time! It was quite an emotional wrench to leave our happy time there - though the lure of a chocolate muffin was certainly strong. Now we are back in England without the constant excited squeals of 'muzungu, muzungu!' and without the Pied Piper attraction to merry bands of children, and to be honest, we miss it. Nicky & Martyn Harris