L’Esperance Children’s Aid Rwanda

                                               Children’s Village Kigarama

                                                ANNUAL REPORT 2008

 

The following projects and activities were conducted at the Children’s Village Kigarama during the year 2008:

 

  1. THE ORCHARD PROJECT

 

The orphanage was able to transplant a total of 1000 more papaya trees and 500 more mangos trees during the year 2008. The orchard plot was several times cultivated and in between the small trees a variety of different crops were planted ( soya, sweet potatoes and other vegetables ). Erosion channels were dig out in the new plots and grasses planted at the border of all the terraces. The avocado trees and the mango trees are not pruned anymore.

Papaya trees are producing few fruits and in general they are not growing good enough. The harvest is very low and many of the trees are weak. Most probably the entire setting is not appropriated for papaya production. The mango trees are still relative small ( an average about ninety centimeters tall ). The majority of the avocado trees are almost formal trees. Many of them have already surpassed the two meters high. The pineapple plantation has about 6000 plants and a third of the plants are already in production ( an average of 500 pineapple fruits per month ). The first phase of the orchard project is completed. The harvest of the year 2008 was the following: 4478 Pineapples, 59 bunches of Bananas and 932 Papaya fruits. The value of the fruit production was around 1103481 RWF ( 1970 USD ). The total amount of fruit trees in the Orchard Project is the following: 1200 Mango trees, 2000 Papaya trees, 260 Avocado trees, 90 Banana trees and 6000 pineapple plants.

 

  1. THE VEGETABLE PROJECT

 

The Children’s Village was able to produce vegetables during the year 2008 in worth of 1343450 RWF ( 2400 USD ). Two Hectares of vegetable plots produced the following crops: 1326 corn, 1575 cabbages, 1500 red beets,  880 Kg tomatoes, 62 Kg. onions, 954 Kg. carrots, 308 Kg. eggplants, 120 leeks, 210 Kg. soybeans, 203 squashes, 2660 Kg. sweet potatoes, 178 Kg. beans and 233 Kg. green beans  The vegetable project provided to the orphanage a considerable amount of fresh vegetables. We are confident that the fresh vegetables will increase and improve the general health of our orphans and staff members.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. THE BABY HOUSE PROJECT

 

The official partnership between Germany and Rwanda ( Jumelage ) built at the orphanage a brand new baby house during the year 2008. The new house has exactly the same design and dimensions of all the other six houses in the children’s village. The house with four rooms and a main living room is completely finished. The house was also painted and decorated in the interior and the exterior ( the beams over the doors and windows ). A rain water catchment’s system was also installed with a capacity of 10000 liters. The Baby House has a capacity of lodging a maximum of eight babies. During the year 2008 the amount of babies fluctuated between six and eight babies. Already three grown up babies ( over two years of age ) left the baby house and were incorporated in the orphanage, allowing younger babies to be admitted. Three staff members care constantly for the babies with the support of several grown up orphans. 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. THE SOLAR FRUIT DRIER PROJECT

 

Engineers Without Borders, Johnson Space Center (EWB- JSC Texas ), came to the orphanage on summer 2008 and installed a solar fruit drier. This first drier is a prototype and was tested during the year 2008. Air is been heated up using the energy of the sun and is been directed into a closed chamber were the fruit lies on trays. Local materials were used for the construction of this drier. Even though Rwanda is located very closed to the Ecuador, the amount of sunshine during the year is not so high. The same fruit drier model was tested in Texas and fruit got dried after a period of 24 hours. This model will be improved during the next year 2009 and we are confident that its efficiency will get much better. The Children’s Village Kigarama is aiming to develop fruit drying techniques to be able to export in the future organic certified dried fruit. The solar drier project is only a part of this technology.

 

 

  1. THE ECO-LODGE PROJECT

 

Birambye International together with the Genocide Survivor Student Association (GSSA) worked during the year 2008 with the planning and design of the Birambye Lodge. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed among both parties. Birambye International worked out the Strategic Plan including many detailed designs and budgets. Birambye International run during the year 2008 an intensive fundraising campaign. GSSA together with the Children’s Village Kigarama started the process of securing the lake’s property.

 

 Due the excellent environmental technology of Birambye International and the very good relationships of GSSA with high rang authorities, the Birambye Lodge is aiming to obtain until fifty Hectares of land direct at the shores of the lake Kivu. The profits of the Eco-Lodge will cover the educational and health needs of the orphans living in the Children’s Village Kigarama. 

 

 

 

 

  1. THE SOLAR SYSTEM PROJECT

 

Wireless Rwanda from the Netherlands came at the end of the year 2008 to the Children’s Village Kigarama and improved the old solar system. Together with the expertise of Great Lakes Energy they installed eight brand new solar batteries. The improved solar system covers all the needs of the administration’s office and can supply to the orphanage two to three hours of light per night. Now the children can do their homework under adequate light conditions. Wireless Rwanda improved the solar system with the intention to install an internet connection at the orphanage. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. THE BACKING STOVE PROJECT

 

Jonathan Hodgson, our young volunteer from Colorado, built together with some of our children at the beginning of 2008 a brand new backing stove. Jonathan used bricks and designed the stove with the purpose to bake bread for all the children. Many friends from Colorado supported financially this project. It takes indeed several hours to bake enough bread for all the children, but each time that the kids get bread they celebrate a nice party. The backing stove apart of supplying bread is also an educational experience for the children. The stove is heated with firewood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. THE GARBAGE SYSTEM PROJECT

 

Jonathan Hodgson also designed and built during the year 2008 a new garbage system. In the past the orphanage had a serious garbage problem. The Children’s Village Kigarama did not have an adequate place where to dispose garbage. Jonathan included in his project three different elements. There is a composting place where all organic residues can be composted. There is also another place were garbage can be burned and another were unburnable garbage can be disposed under the soil. With the new garbage system the orphanage can now be kept clean and in order.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. THE KITCHEN PROJECT

 

Birambye International ( USA ) came in summer 2008 to the Children’s Village Kigarama and built together with our workers a very special kitchen roof. It is the first roof of this kind in the entire African continent. The roof was built using only local materials ( fabric, bamboo, cement and an especial additive ). The entire roof was built in the short period of two weeks. The roof has many advantages over the traditional metal corrugated sheets (stronger, last longer, cheaper, cooler ). The same type of technology will be used to build the cottages of the Birambye Lodge. The stoves of the kitchens will be built during the next months by EWB- Colorado. Those stoves consume much less firewood and proved a firewood reduction of about 60 to 70 percent. Two other kitchens are been built by our own workers during the first months of the year 2009. 

 

 

 

 

  1.  THE MAINTENANCE  PROJECT

 

Several different maintenance projects were done at the Children’s Village Kigarama during the year 2008. Each single project was different and unique. Over sixty meters of new stone paths were built to connect the different family unites. A strong protective wall and new stairs were built in front of the administration building. New green areas were added at the orphanage increasing the amount of flowers and lawns. A new shower and toilet room were built at the guesthouse and were decorated in a very special way.  The administration building was also painted and decorated with African designs and a beautiful mural. The entire maintenance project contributed to make the orphanage even more attractive. We express our thankfulness and gratitude to the following persons for running different maintenance projects : Jonathan Hodgson ( USA ),  Aja Diggelmann ( Switzerland ), Miriam Wyrwich ( Germany ), Ankie ( Netherlands ) and Deborah Jungbluth ( Germany ).

 

 

 

 

  1. THE INTERNET PROJECT

 

Wireless Rwanda from Netherlands ( Ankie and Peter Postma ) came to the Children’s Village Kigarama at the end of 2008 and installed an internet connection. The next step of the internet project is to install a solar system in one of our school buildings and supply low energy computers to the orphanage. Already some international contacts were done to provide in the future IT experts to teach IT courses at the orphanage. The internet connection is functioning properly and a wireless connection for the entire Children’s Village will be relative soon improved.

 

Communication is extremely important for the proper development of the orphanage. The internet connection will help us to keep an opened communication with the rest of the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. THE PLAYGROUND  PROJECT

 

Aja Diggelmann our young volunteer from Switzerland with the financial support of A Better World ( Canada ) built and designed in summer 2008 a wooden playground for our younger kids. The playground is located just beside the Baby House and provides natural entertainment for our children. The entire playground was designed and built in the short period of two weeks. Aja Diggelmann supervised as well all the construction of the playground. Part of this project included also the internal decoration of the Baby house and the construction of a small play ground in one of the rooms of the Baby house.

I want to express my gratitude and admiration towards Aja Diggelmann.

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

  1.  THE KINDERGARTEN PROJECT

 

Deborah Jungbluth ( Germany ) together with Ankie ( Netherlands ) moved at the end of the year 2008 the entire kindergarten into the Baby house living room. The Kindergarten functioned for several years at one of the rooms of the school building. Those school buildings are planed to host the Agricultural Vocational School. For that reason the Kindergarten was only provisionally there and we were never able to decorate it properly. Deborah and Ankie reorganized the entire teaching material, moved into the baby house and decorated the living room. Now our younger kids have their own place to go to school. Tiny babies together with little kids spend half a day together playing and learning. The new Kindergarten is called “A Joyful Noise.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1.  THE TAILORING SCHOOL  PROJECT

 

At the beginning of 2008 the tailoring school got a new main teacher. Belinaldo came with new good ideas and with the strong desire to improve the tailoring school. Over twenty students continued the two year long tailoring program and on March this year thirteen students got their diploma as trained tailors. In between the first year students ( over twenty ) continued with their training. The tailoring school purchased new sewing equipment and is aiming to start producing in big scale uniforms for the community schools. We hope that the uniform business will be a success and the tailoring school will become self-sufficient. The potential of the school is enormous.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1.   THE IRRIGATION TOWER PROJECT

 

The Children’s Village Kigarama was able to finish completely during the year 2008 the construction of the irrigation tower. All the elements to build soon an agricultural irrigation system are ready. In the last years a dam and a ram pump were installed on a downhill small creek. Water is been pumped from the creek into the tower.  EWB- Johnson Space Center used in 2007 the unfinished tower to build a water purification system that is functioning properly since then. Birambye International used the tower to obtain during the year 2008 wind data with the idea to use in the future wind power. Wireless Rwanda also used the tower during the year 2008 to install an internet wireless device powered with a solar panel. The irrigation tower is the highest point at the Children’s Village Kigarama. Maracuya plants were also planted around the tower to cover it with and to provide fresh fruit to the children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. THE HEALTH PROGRAM PROJECT

 

Katryn Clair, a medical student from the University of Colorado came during the summer 2008 to the orphanage to help us with the health of the children. Kate developed an entire health program that included medical documentation for each one of the kids and regular check ups for the children. Kate also established contacts with medical doctors in Kigali. Kate trained our mothers and father into first aid techniques and into checking the growth development of the children. Kate’s work at the Children’s Village Kigarama improved considerable the general health and hygiene of the kids. Kate started a very important project that will continue been developed during the next years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. THE MISSIONARY PROJECT

 

The Children’s Village Kigarama was able to conduct an evangelization in November 2008 in Nyanga very close to Ruhengeri. Around seventy from our children travel to Nyanga and stayed there for eighteen days. The main task of the children was to sing in the different choirs and to invite people to attend the meetings. The result of the missionary effort was that eighty-two persons decided to join the SDA-Church. One of the advantages that the children have participating in this kind of activities is that they travel all around Rwanda and by doing it, get to know better their own land. Two missionary activities are planed as an average per year.

 

 

 

 

 

  1.  THE VOLUNTEERS PROJECT

 

The Children’s Village Kigarama was blessed during the year 2008 with a group of young volunteers from different countries. Each one conducted different projects that help to increase the life quality of the children. Each one of our volunteers came very close to the kids and staff members, getting very well acquainted with them and becoming good friends. The orphanage provides a win-win situation where the growth and development of the volunteers is enhanced. The volunteers of the year 2008 were the following: Jonathan Hodgson (USA), Aja Diggelmann ( Switzerland ), Kate Clair (USA) and Miriam Wyrwich ( Germany ). We thank to each one of them for all the time and energy that they invested into the orphanage. The experience with each one of them was precious and enriched our lives.

 

 

 

 

 

  1. THE DONATION PROJECT

 

The Children’s Village Kigarama received during the year 2008 a huge amount of different kind of donations. Friends from all over the world supported the orphanage with different items like: cash, school materials, cloth, food, toys, office and house equipment, medicaments, tools and specific projects. The estimated value of all the donations was around 30 Million RWF ( 38000 Euros ). We appreciate enormously every single item that was given to us. We express our thankfulness and gratitude towards each one of our friends that supported and helped us. Without all the help that we received from our friends all around the world, it would have been impossible to improve the development of the orphanage and to increase the life quality of our children. In the name of humanity and in the name of each one of our children: THANK YOU!! YOU ARE FANTASTIC!!!

 

 

 

 

  1.  THE CHILDREN

 

The Children’s Village Kigarama took care of 103 children during the year 2008. The orphanage covered all their basic needs and provided them with a family home. The amount of children living in the orphanage during the year 2008 was the following: 19 kids from the age 0 to 5 years old ( 12 males and 7 females ), 45 children from the age 6 to 15 years old ( 25 males and 20 females ), 23 kids from the age 16 – 20 years old ( 13 males and 10 females ), 16 kids from the age 21 years or older ( 9 males  and 7 females ). The school attendance was the following:  3 Kids attended vocational training, 22 kids went to secondary school, 58 went to primary school, 20 small kids attended the kindergarten and only five babies stayed at the baby house. The kids are healthy and happy.

 

Sincerely Yours,

 

 

 

 

 

Victor Monroy, Director

L’Esperance Children’s Aid Rwanda

Children’s Village Kigarama

P.O. Box 5026 Kigali, Rwanda.

Tel. +250/0788545731

Email: lesperancerwanda@aol

Web: www.lesperancerwanda.org

          www.victormonroytrust.com