So many clothes to take!

I mentioned my cousin Zoey in my earlier post, and thanks to her I now have seven HUGE garbage bags full of clothes to take to Kigali with me in November. Thanks ZoZo!

Zoey (14) put a call out to all her friends and we had tremendous response. To all the teens and parents that donated, thank you very much for your support. I am taking the clothes to Faith Victory Association (in Kigali, Rwanda) and they're very excited because it's perfect timing for Christmas presents for the kids/babies.

Now I just need bags big enough to get them there. Ah it's a good problem to have. :)

Bella is mentioned in Valedictorian Speech

My cousin (Zoey) is graduating from grade 8 today and is the valedictorian of her class. She volunteers for Free the Children and is raising money so she can go to Africa next year and work with kids in Kenya.
Zoey and her family are helping me sponsor Bella's education, and Bella made it into Zoey's speech.

"...we are taught about the bigger picture, and reality is, we are extremely lucky. There are children around the world, who are our age, who can only dream of going to school and having an education as broad as ours. In the past year, I learned about a girl, who lives in Rwanda and has no family due to the genocide. Bella, who is our age, is just beginning school. She is 14 years old and has never stepped into a school in her life. She has never had the chance to play on the school yard or go on a school trip. She hasn't even had the chance to read a book. We all sometimes think of school as a burden, somewhere we have to go 5 times a week, but we should really be thankful for being able to attend school every day. These values of community and looking out for each other are something we have learned here..."

I'm really proud of you Zoey - have fun tonight!

Faith Victory Association's New Orphanage is underway...

Earlier this week I received a wonderful email from Dr. Immaccullee. She became a fast friend and is one of the most incredible women I have met. She definitely made our experience in Rwanda very special.

Immaccullee is the mother to six gorgeous children and is the Executive Director and Madam Chair for the Secretariat of National Steering Committee for social science research in the field of HIV/AIDS-MCP-Rwanda. This woman has a heart of gold and it was an absolute pleasure to spend two weeks with her and to meet many of the woman and children she helps at Faith Victory Association (FVA) in Kigali.
FVA has a mission to help eradicate poverty, reduce HIV infections and help communities in capacity building programs aimed at the transformation of society.

Here is the email she sent me:
Dear Melanie

hope you and your family are doing well.

we are thankful to God that we now have the relevant documentation and authorization to begin construction of the Faith Victory Association – Village of Hope, starting with the Orphanage - Phase I of the project.

It is with great joy that we inform you that we will be celebrating the launching of the construction of the village on Tuesday 22 June 2010 in Rusororo, Gasabo District, Kigali on the Village of Hope site. The launching will begin with a word of thanks & prayer, and then we will dedicate and anoint the site, thereafter the builders will proceed with their work and begin to lay the foundations.

We will begin with the construction of one of the Apartment blocks which will have four (4) homes.

We are truly thankful for the support given; and your participation in the realization of this dream. And as we continue to work together we shall see many vulnerable children’s lives being changed to the glory of God.

Once the launch is over and construction begins we will send you update and photos of our progress at the Village of Hope.

please convey our greetings to your family.

we miss you and we can't wait to see you again in Rwanda.

God bless you,

in unrelated news

Friends since we were 7yrs old, Hillary and I completed our first tri together on Sunday and we made sure to cross the finish line together!

oops typo. lol

thanks to my friend for letting me know that I requested sanity pads. OOPS! I'm still laughing about this typo, and am sure almost every woman in the world would like these if they were available!
Make that sanitary pads added to the list of items I'd like to take to Rwanda for the girls.

Good catch Jen!
:)

Buy art directly from Rwandan artists

If you're interested in supporting Rwandan artists directly, visit Ivuka Arts at http://ivukaarts.com/
This co-op has some incredible talent and I look forward to visiting them again in Kigali in November.

p.s. they ship internationally so pls ask for details.

Going back to Rwanda

I'm thrilled and so excited to be planning another trip to Africa!

Since my trip to Rwanda in December, I've been talking about going back and saving for the possibility of returning at Xmas this year (2010), but to be honest I didn't think it would happen because it's quite expensive to fly there and stay for two weeks. Despite what you may think about a developing country, Rwanda is surprisingly expensive.

On Friday I woke up with no intention of buying a ticket anywhere - my travel savings account was collecting dust...errr I mean interest...but that afternoon my colleague (thanks Justin!) sent me an email with a link to an incredible seat sale to east Africa. One that I couldn't pass up. So, by 7pm Friday night I had reserved my seat back to Rwanda in November, 2010 for two weeks. YAY!

Just as I did last time, I'll be taking items with me to donate to the kids at Gisimba Orphanage and Faith Victory Association. Here are a list of items - if you are able to donate anything, please let me know and I'd be happy to take it:
1. toothbrushes and toothpaste
2. clothing - all sizes, for men, women and children
3. stickers
4. balloons
5. soccer balls
6. small (light weight) books (preferably in English since this is now an official language)
7. sanity pads
8. bras
9. school supplies - notebooks, pens, pencils, paper, etc
10. If you have other suggestions, they are welcome...let me know.