2015 Volunteer Trip: Muhanga, Rwanda

Terimbere-Rwanda Organization

Brenda and Denise Ingabire from TRO  cutting the ribbon for the new sewing-room

We also, in a small way, support the Terimbere-Rwanda Organization (TRO) in Muhanga Rwanda.

We have provided some funding for the TRO Women’s Cooperative.  These women have led harsh lives; the majority of girls and women who survived the 1994 genocide were victims of sexual violence or were profoundly affected by it.  

Participation in the TRO Women’s Cooperative begins with extensive counselling and leads to income generating projects such as a pig cooperative and a sewing cooperative. We have given and passed on donations to purchase pigs and have shipped sewing machines. 

We have also donated books and classroom supplies to the Amizero Academy, a relatively new preschool/kindergarten. The plan is that the school will eventually go up to the 8^th grade. 

Resources are still limited but the children learn, play and receive nutrition.  The Academy is focused on helping vulnerable children, and the TRO founder, Costa Ndayisabye  ensures that the majority of students are girls.  

Ron and Brenda with the Women's Sewing Cooperative

Brenda at the Amizero Academy in 2013

Black & Whilte Photo Credits Soling Photography

Go to the Rwanda & TRO label on the right 

for more stories and pictures

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2015 Trip: Kahama District Hospital

Unloading the Container in the Hospital Grounds
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Peter (back) and Joseph and Emmanuel

The medical resources in our 4th shipping container (the 3rd donated to the District of Kahama) included hospital beds and mattresses, 300 boxes of medical supplies, 15 boxes of medical books, shelves, cribs, walkers and canes. The hospital also received 33 boxes of dehydrated food to be split between the wards and the children's Amani Clinic. 

Students from the nearby Nurses School pick up text books

We delivered baby clothes and knitted blankets and hats

For more information, to volunteer or to make a donation contact me , mail to The One Person Project, 10108 Julia Street, Summerland, B.C. V0H 1Z5  donate on-line or make a payment into our account at the Summerland Credit Union (Summerland, British Columbia).  

           

Asante Sana!

Thank you!

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2015 Volunteer Trip: Amani Group

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We always check in with the Amani children and host a party.

Brenda Lowe in the Amani meeting area, which is adjacent to the clubhouse. 

The Kahama District Hospital has a children's Care and Treatment Clinic that provides AIDS treatment services, an HIV prevention program, and counselling and testing. In 2009 Dr Subi provided a clubhouse and some funding to set up a much-need social support group and asked if we would add our support.

The children chose the name Amani, which means peace in Kiswahili, and we became a part of their lives. The group quickly grew from under 20 children to over 200! Melinda, one of our committee members ensures that the children receive letters; she writes many of them herself and has solicited friends to write the rest. We provided funds to purchase tables and chairs for the clubhouse and have shipped educational resources, a TV/VCR, sewing machines and other resources.

A volunteer in our home-base in Summerland, B.C has donated around a thousand home-made cloth bags over the years and each child received one, filled with small gifts donated by members of our B.C. community.

Led by Nurse Flora the children sing a few songs as a thank you

We aim to provide up to $200 a month to provide food for the clinic. In their treatment the children receive antiretroviral drugs, which are are highly toxic; patients risk malnutrition and harmful side effects unless they can increase their overall caloric intake by as much as 40 percent. In addition, people with HIV/AIDS are more likely to be malnourished in the first place and extreme hunger is a cruel side-effect of the drugs. 

Thanks to the Okanagan Gleaners we were able to ship 74 boxes of dehydrated food (soup and fruit) to Kahama this year, and delivered a large portion of it to the clinic. 

Do contact me if you would like to donate to the Amani clinic or make a regular donation towards the food. 

You can donate on line www.theonepersonproject.org or at the Summerland Credit Union or mail to The One Person Project 10108 Julia Street, Summerland, V0H 1Z5 

Asante Sana!

Thank you!

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2015 Volunteer Trip: Muvuma Orphanage

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Children at the newly-built Muvuma Orphanage; carrying-in supplies from the shipping container. The orphanage also supports children and youth with albinism

It is hard to believe that before we came on-board on our 2013 trip the orphanage walls were only a few feet high.

In 2011 the Kahama District donated land so that two small orphanages could combine to become the new Muvuma Orphanage. A volunteer committee of local women worked extremely hard to raise funds for the new building, as well as looking after and finding funds for 18 orphans. We decided to add our support, and a medical volunteer on the trip, Nancy Comeau, donated $1,000 US towards construction, which allowed over four-thousand bricks to be added! 

Since then we have managed to send enough funds to finish the building. We still need to raise around $9,000 to get the interior to a stage where up to 50 children can be housed. Even so, the existing orphans moved in before Christmas, and the Orphanage Head, Lucia has been able to take in ten more orphans!

Brenda (One Person President) and some very happy children

A third of the 40' shipping container was dedicated to 

resources for the orphanage. 

We usually purchase bicycles locally, but took these 

donated bikes in the container. 

Bedding, curtains, pots and pans and utensils make a real difference when you have nothing. The Orphanage is wired for electricity but does not yet have power running to the property. 

Peter, our dedicated One Person volunteer

Two things that the children have not had in their lives before - mirrors and male-influences. The children and youth gravitate towards Peter and Ron, and most have never seen their own reflection clearly before. (The ponds are muddy!)

Contact me if you would like to sponsor an orphan, 

or the orphanage as a whole. To learn more about the Muvuma Orphanage or our other programs scroll through the blog - or click on a label on the right. Check us out on facebook for the latest news and pictures.

You can donate on line www.theonepersonproject.org or at the Summerland Credit Union or mail to The One Person Project 10108 Julia Street, Summerland, V0H 1Z5 

Asante Sana!

Thank you!

Like us on facebook to see all the latest pictures

2015 Trip

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Brenda (One Person President & Director) and Peter Smyth and Ron Ryde are heading out to East Africa on January 14th. Unfortunately it is the smallest volunteer group ever for the most demanding trip but they will be there for a few weeks and will have a team of local volunteers to unload the 12 meter shipping container. 

The numerous donated resources in the shipping container include a high compression brick machine designed and built by Ron,  Lawrence Slind and  Bill Lauritzen.  Ron's main role is to set up the brick machine and provide training to set up a brick business at the new Muvuma Orphanage. 

Bill, Lawrence and Ron, from Penticton, B.C.

As ever, we will be documenting the trip here and on facebook. 

Contact me if you would like to sponsor an orphan, 

or the orphanage as a whole. To learn more about the Muvuma Orphanage or our other programs scroll through the blog - or click on a label on the right. Check us out on facebook for the latest news and pictures.

You can donate on line www.theonepersonproject.org or at the Summerland Credit Union or mail to The One Person Project 10108 Julia Street, Summerland, V0H 1Z5 

Asante Sana!

Thank you!

Like us on facebook to see all the latest pictures 

UPDATE: The brick machine is not at the orphanage, it is not practical to run a business out of there at the moment. We have loaned the machine to two young men and Ron provided hands-on training.