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FIND.ONE dollar.

BUILD.ONE hospital.

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Kigali, Rwanda

On the large continent of Africa, there is a tiny country called Rwanda. ___________________________________________________________________________________

Rwanda

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, we learn:From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, we learn:From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, we learn:From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, we learn:

The Republic of RwandaRepublic of RwandaRepublic of RwandaRepublic of Rwanda is a small landlocked country in the Great Lakes Region of east-central Africa, bordered by Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. Home to approximately 10.1 million people, Rwanda supports the densest population in continental Africa, most of whom engage in subsistence agriculture. A verdant country of fertile and hilly terrain, the small republic bears the title "Land of a Thousand Hills" (French: Pays des Mille Collines; Kinyarwanda: Igihugu cy'Imisozi Igihumbi).

Note: Large print is text for primary grades and smaller print is supplementary information suitable for older students. You decide how much your group needs to hear.

The country has received considerable international attention due to its 1994 genocide , in which between 800,000 and one million people were killed. In 2008, Rwanda became the first country in history to elect a national legislature in which a majority of members were women.

Rwanda

Rwanda is a country of beautiful hills and fields.

http://www.educatingrwanda.org.rw/country.html http://www.educatingrwanda.org.rw/country.html http://www.educatingrwanda.org.rw/country.html http://www.educatingrwanda.org.rw/country.html is an interesting website for general information about Rwanda. It states:

Most of Rwanda lies 1500 meters above sea level, giving the country a cooler climate than expected, as it is approximately 120 km from the equator, in central Africa. The topography of Rwanda inspired the countries sobriquet, ‘Land of a Thousand Hills’.‘Land of a Thousand Hills’.‘Land of a Thousand Hills’.‘Land of a Thousand Hills’. The landscape is a succession of rolling hills, every hill covered by a patch work of farms. With 60% of the landmass arable, it is the source of livelihood for 90% of the populations, mostly subsistence farmers. The GDP per capita of US$250 (2003) is sustained principally by the cultivation and export of coffee and tea, the mainstay of the economy.

...and beautiful people.

The people of Rwanda have a rich and colorful history. Its people are known for their beauty and the richness of their dress and customs. Today, Rwanda's leadership has a plan called “20/20,” the main goal of which is to not be on the United Nations List of Poor Nations by the year 2020. Great progress has been made. Exports are up and modern buildings, roads and equipment have become a part of everyday life, especially in the cities.

Kigali, the capital city, has many new buildings and programs to help their people. Our hospital, Good Shepherd Hospital for Children will be located in Kigali, but will serve the country as a whole as well as surrounding countries since there is only one other dedicated pediatric hospital in all of East Africa.

“Under the leadership of President Kagame, Rwanda's strength is in its Government. At a time when many At a time when many At a time when many At a time when many African regimes are corrupt and selfAfrican regimes are corrupt and selfAfrican regimes are corrupt and selfAfrican regimes are corrupt and self----centered, Rwanda's Government is focused on improving the quality of centered, Rwanda's Government is focused on improving the quality of centered, Rwanda's Government is focused on improving the quality of centered, Rwanda's Government is focused on improving the quality of life of its people.life of its people.life of its people.life of its people. There are 54 independent African countries, most requiring some form of assistance. I chose to assist Rwanda because of its Governments vision and knowing my efforts would directly help the people of Rwanda.” Mark O'Kane, http://www.educatingrwanda.orghttp://www.educatingrwanda.orghttp://www.educatingrwanda.orghttp://www.educatingrwanda.org

Information from the home page of www.kigalimemorialcentre.orgwww.kigalimemorialcentre.orgwww.kigalimemorialcentre.orgwww.kigalimemorialcentre.org states:

The Kigali Memorial CentreKigali Memorial CentreKigali Memorial CentreKigali Memorial Centre was opened on the 10th Anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide, in April 2004. The Center is built on a site where over 250,000 people are buried. These graves are a clear reminder of the cost of ignorance. The Centre is a permanent memorial to those who fell victim to the genocide and serves as a place for people to grieve those they lost.

Rwanda is beautiful and peaceful now, but for years, war was a regular part of life in Rwanda. In 1994, approximately 1,000,000 people died in 100 days of killing. The Kigali Kigali Kigali Kigali Memorial CenterMemorial CenterMemorial CenterMemorial Center was opened on the 10th Anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide, in April 2004. The Center is built on a site where over 250,000 people are buried.

From www.wikipedia.com, the free encyclopedia:

The Rwandan GenocideRwandan GenocideRwandan GenocideRwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass killing of hundreds of thousands of Rwanda's Tutsis and Hutus political moderates by Hutus under the Hutu Power ideology. Over the course of approximately 100 days, from the assassination of Juvenal Habyarimana on 6 April up until mid July, at least 500,000 people were killed.[1] Most estimates indicate a death toll between 800,000 and 1,000,000,[2] which could be as high as 20% of the total Rwanda population.

The official figures published by the Rwandan government estimated the number of victims of the genocide to 1,174,000 in 100 days (10,000 murdered every day, 400 every hour, 7 every minute). Other sources put the death toll to 800,000, including 20% Hutus. It is estimated that about 300,000 Tutsis survived the genocide. Thousands of widows, many of whom were submitted to rape, are now HIV positive. There are about 400,000 orphans and nearly 85,000 of them have become heads of families.

There are lots of children in Rwanda. All of them have been affected by the war.

On http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/rwandahttp://www.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/rwandahttp://www.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/rwandahttp://www.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/rwanda----genocidegenocidegenocidegenocide----family.html family.html family.html family.html the New York Times records:

Among the thousands of children orphaned by the massacres in Rwanda, some of the most vulnerable and marginalized are those struggling to survive and recreate a family life without the support of adults.

Aid organizations estimate that there are 300,000 children living in such child-headed households in Rwanda. Most of these children do not go to school and have little or no access have little or no access have little or no access have little or no access to healthcare.to healthcare.to healthcare.to healthcare.

Meet Simon and Kedress who lead a group of churches in Rwanda today. These churches have a big vision for helping children. They were themselves children in Rwanda who were forced to run from their villages. They grew up without their families as refugees in Uganda. Later they fled to Kenya, where they married and worked to help others affected by the war.

Simon fled his village as a pre-teen. While he connected with his best friend, John, he was separated from his family and knew little about their welfare until he became an adult. He was fortunate enough to be cared for by a missionary who sheltered and educated refugee boys.

Kedress and her grandmother fled their village when Kedress was seven years old. Before long, Kedress’s grandmother died; and she was left without a family in the forest. Her struggles there made her very sensitive to the needs of orphans. Today, she and Simon spend a lot of their energies supporting genocide survivors and orphans whose parents have died from diseases such as AIDS.

__________________________________________________________________________________

www. Wikipedia.com www. Wikipedia.com www. Wikipedia.com www. Wikipedia.com gives this history:

A genocidal plan had existed since 1957, when the Hutu Emancipation Movement called the Parmehutu published the "Bahutu" Manufesto, where it reported the monopoly of power held by the Tutsi minority. In the 1960s, these denunciations led to the overthrowing of the monarchy and the establishment of the Republic headed by Gregoire Kayibanda. This was a regime which persecuted the Tutsi, who in many cases were forced to flee.

Some Rwandan children are very poor.

According to The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/rwandahttp://www.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/rwandahttp://www.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/rwandahttp://www.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/rwanda----genocidegenocidegenocidegenocide----family.htmlfamily.htmlfamily.htmlfamily.html,

children in Rwanda are very vulnerable as stated below:

Humanitarian organizations working in the region now report that Rwanda's children have been the most vulnerable to the poverty and exploitation which followed the ethnic conflict. The massacres have left several hundred thousand children either orphaned or separated from their parents. A recent Unicef report estimates that 700,000 children - 18 percent of Rwanda's 4.2 million children - still live in difficult circumstances.

Per capita income (2008 est.): $370. Purchasing power parity (2006 est.): $1,600.

Some have no parents. Many children are cared for by families in their churches. Some are adopted.

Simon and Kedress have adopted eight children. These children live in their home, but there are at least 70 other older teens and young adults who lost their families in the genocide that Simon and Kedress care for. They help them to find school fees, prepare for exams, find work and support them emotionally. Pastors from all the other Good Shepherd Churches also have adopted survivors, as well as many of its members.

Many children take care of younger family members. Do you see the girl holding the baby? Can you see the feet? This girl takes care of many other children.

According to http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/rwanda http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/rwanda http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/rwanda http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/rwanda----genocidegenocidegenocidegenocide----family.html:family.html:family.html:family.html:

Huge numbers of children have organized themselves into a different type of family model, a lot of them will be brothers and sisters,” Quigley said. “The majority are headed by young girls. These young girls are teenagers who have taken on the responsibility for 4 or 5 younger children.

Alphonsina Mukeshima is one such young girl. Only 15 years old, she looks after four younger brothers. Their father was killed in the 1994 massacres. Alphonsina and her brothers watched as he was hacked to death by a Hutu militia member. Their mother died shortly thereafter of an unknown illness, possibly AIDS.

Children in Rwanda are a lot like you. They go to school.

This is a picture of the primary school operated by Good Shepherd Church. The children are taught in Kinyarwandan, French and English.

There is little public education in Rwanda. School fees, though low by our standards, pose a major challenge to getting an education for poorer children, especially orphans.

Good Shepherd School was built specifically for orphans of the genocide. All orphans from the genocide are past primary school age now. However, there is still a great need for educating children without parents.

Many children become orphans every year in Rwanda, primarily from their parents not surviving HIV-AIDS. Most students at Good Shepherd School are in that category.

They dance!

In this picture, girls from Good Shepherd Primary School perform for a group of visitors from America. Their dance tells the Easter story.

Rwandans are known for their dancing; http://www.rwandatourism.com/culture.html http://www.rwandatourism.com/culture.html http://www.rwandatourism.com/culture.html http://www.rwandatourism.com/culture.html states:

Music and dance play an important role in the traditions of all Rwanda's peoples. The Rwandan people have a variety of music and dance which range from acts that demonstrate epics commemorating excellence and bravery, to humorous lyrics to hunting root. Traditional songs are often accompanied by a solitary lulunga, a harp-like instrument with eight strings.

More celebratory dances are backed by a drum orchestra, which typically comprises seven to nine members, and collectively produce a hypnotic and exciting explosion set of intertwining rhythms.

They celebrate special days with their families. Obviously, this picture is the celebration is a wedding. Below is a wedding experience as told by Jim Cox, a man who has lived in Africa and visited many times and currently serves with One Hundred Days, the organization building Good Shepherd Hospital for Children.

Pastor Simon told me to dress for a wedding. He and Kedress were excited about this so I complied, since I had never attended a Rwandan wedding. I knew this was going to be another African adventure. We drove through the dirt back streets of Kigali and Simon would point to palm frondspalm frondspalm frondspalm fronds fastened to a fence or a pole and said to me that these were traditional ways to direct guests to the weddingtraditional ways to direct guests to the weddingtraditional ways to direct guests to the weddingtraditional ways to direct guests to the wedding. So we arrived at the house of the groomwe arrived at the house of the groomwe arrived at the house of the groomwe arrived at the house of the groom where a tent was erected and many guests were to be seen eating and talking. We were late so the food was gone but we were in time for the ceremony. After a lot of greetings we were led under the tent and seated in prominent places. On my right were many empty chairs that filled at least half the tent. Being “deaf and dumb,” i.e. unable to speak the language, I sat and watched as a rising excitement stirring the crowd. Simon told me that the bride was comingSimon told me that the bride was comingSimon told me that the bride was comingSimon told me that the bride was coming. Soon the bride in a western traditional white wedding gown appeared followed by a large group of young women in attendant’s dresses. These women filed into the tent and the attendants had to get by me to sit in the chairs on my right. The bride and groom now sat down in front with two “mzee” (old menbride and groom now sat down in front with two “mzee” (old menbride and groom now sat down in front with two “mzee” (old menbride and groom now sat down in front with two “mzee” (old men.) Simon told me that the men were there to haggle over the bride price to haggle over the bride price to haggle over the bride price to haggle over the bride price and that was the primary purpose of this ceremony. He told me there were many stages in a Rwandan wedding many stages in a Rwandan wedding many stages in a Rwandan wedding many stages in a Rwandan wedding and this was one of them. The groom's family was now seated on my left and the bride's family on my right. The two old men were relatives who were to set the bride price. They began by telling jokes on each other with the crowd laughing in response. t seemed that this was a time when each family They began by telling jokes on each other with the crowd laughing in response. t seemed that this was a time when each family They began by telling jokes on each other with the crowd laughing in response. t seemed that this was a time when each family They began by telling jokes on each other with the crowd laughing in response. t seemed that this was a time when each family cast some dispersion on the other in fun and then got down to serious haggling.cast some dispersion on the other in fun and then got down to serious haggling.cast some dispersion on the other in fun and then got down to serious haggling.cast some dispersion on the other in fun and then got down to serious haggling. I suspect all this had been worked out in advance, but finally the two men agreed on gifts to be given and they were producedtwo men agreed on gifts to be given and they were producedtwo men agreed on gifts to be given and they were producedtwo men agreed on gifts to be given and they were produced————except for the goats which were in a pasture somewhere.except for the goats which were in a pasture somewhere.except for the goats which were in a pasture somewhere.except for the goats which were in a pasture somewhere. All this time there were photographers taking pictures and I realized that my strange white face was going to be in the wedding photos. I thought that a mistake had been made by putting me into the seat next to the attendants, so I jumped up and walked out of the tent. Soon an English-speaking, young man came over and asked why I had moved. I told him I didn't think the family wanted to try to explain to future generations about the strange white man. The young man assured me that my presence was an honor and asked me to return, which I did. All ended well, but I had experienced another African moment of panic when I didn't understand what was going on.

There are some things that may be different though; such as carrying water home and then making a drum of the water container.

Access to adequate basic sanitation remains woefully low at less than 10%, according to the 2005 Integral Household Living Conditions Survey.

In urban areas, a 5-year management contract to improve the performance of the public utility Electrogaz was terminated early by the government in 2006.

Figures on access to water and sanitation vary depending on the source of information, apparently in part because different definitions may have been used for access to an improved water source and improved sanitation. The fact that many rural water systems are not functioning properly makes it also difficult to estimate effective access to improved water supply.

Lack of access to water supply and sanitation has significant health impacts. In addition, it imposes a significant burden on women and girls who have to carry water. For instance, more than one in five households in Umutara is more than an hour away from its water source. This has implications for the quality of women's and girls' lives, their economic productivity and their access to education.

Sharing a desk...

This picture was taken in Good Shepherd Primary School. How long would you predict these children can sit still?

Girls smiling for the cameras with new hair cuts

Like you, sometimes children in Rwanda get sick. What would happen to you if you

Had a fever?

Fell and broke a bone?

Had a really sore throat?

Were in a car crash?

Could not quit vomiting?

Right away you would be at the doctor's office or the hospital. Right? You'd get medicine and help to make you feel better. In Rwanda, the children have a harder time getting to the doctor and the help they need.

The child in the picture was being treated for a tumor at the government hospital in Kigali and made a big impression on “our” doctor, Scott Sasser, MD.

Sometimes the clinics are too small to serve the people who need them.

This clinic is located in Butare, which according to http://www.rwandatourism.com/kigali.htm http://www.rwandatourism.com/kigali.htm http://www.rwandatourism.com/kigali.htm http://www.rwandatourism.com/kigali.htm is a large intellectual and cultural center:

Butare (HUYE now) was the largest and most important city in Rwanda prior to 1965, when it lost out to the more centrally located Kigali, 135km to its north, as the capital of independent Rwanda. Today the site of several academic institutions, including the country's largest university, Huye ( Butare) is still regarded to be the intellectual and cultural pulse of Rwanda. It is also an attractively compact and sedate town of shady avenues emanating from a main street lined with comfortable small hotels and breezy terrace restaurants.

The most prominent tourist attraction in Huye (Butare) is the superb National Museum, which houses perhaps the finest ethnographic collection in East Africa. Absorbing displays of traditional artifacts are illuminated by a fascinating selection of turn-of-the-century monochrome photographs, providing insight not only into pre-colonial lifestyles, but also into the subsequent development of Rwanda as a modern African state.

Sometimes the wait is too long.

This picture was taken of people waiting to get into a clinic in Kigali. One reason for the wait is the shortage of doctors in Rwanda. According to Scott M. Sasser, MD of Emory University, these are some comparable ratios of patients per doctor—all ratios are approximate:

Rwanda: 5 doctors/100,000 people

USA: 260 doctors/100,000 people

Republic of Georgia: 470 doctors/100,000 people

United Kingdom: 230 doctors/100,000 people

Kenya: 10 doctors/100,000 people

Sometimes the trip is too far when the only way you can get there is to walk, help is miles away and you don't feel so well.

Sometimes the hospital doesn't have enough supplies to take care of the needs of the children who come.

In all of Rwanda—in fact, in several surrounding countries—there is no hospital just for children. Good Shepherd Hospital for Children will be a modern facility that has good care in a fun environment. Patients will be TREATED and their families will be TAUGHT how to live healthier lives.

What two things do all these children share? • They all live in Rwanda. • They need medical care to be available.

How can we help Rwanda's children have the hospital they need? Remember Simon and Kedress, their 20 churches in Rwanda and their promise to help children? Their church has already built a primary school. Now we are helping them build a hospital just for these children. All the children in the pictures are children that Simon and Kedress know and are already trying to help.

They cannot do it by themselves. They need you and me to help. So what can we do?

Give one. Find one. build one. Wear your sticker home. Tell everyone how easy it is for you to make a BIG difference in Rwanda.

GIVE.ONE dollar.

FIND.ONE dollar.

BUILD.ONE hospital.

Be ONE in a MILLION!