Projects

Well, with only 3 weeks of regular class time, and about 11 weeks in Rwanda left, the reality of leaving is hitting hard.  These days I’ve been staying busy teaching, visiting friends and wrapping up my projects.

One project I wanted to do since arriving at my school was The World Map Project.  It’s a project started by a Peace Corps Volunteer in the 70’s to paint a mural of the World.  Now there is a manual with instructions and advice on how to complete the project so there have been hundreds of maps painted by Peace Corps Volunteers all around the world.  I wanted to do it; first of all, because I love maps, I could sit and look at a map of the world for hours.  Second of all, I wanted to provide a good resource for my students and make the school look a little bit nicer.  So I made a plan and set out with a few students to paint a 12 foot by 6 foot map in the school library. 

Although, I wanted to do it and was excited about it, I sort of dragged my feet through the whole process.  We started the project back in February and just finally completed everything this month.  I was resistant just because I was nervous, I had never done anything like this before, and my students definitely hadn’t, so each time we had to complete a new step, tracing the map, painting in the countries, labeling the map, etc. I worried it was going to be a huge disaster.  Finally I learned I just had to go for it and hope it all worked out, which in the end it did! 

The students really did most of the work.  We gathered groups of volunteers usually on a Saturday or Sunday for a few hours, to complete each step.  First they traced the entire map using a projector we borrowed from the health center, another day they painted in each of the countries, then outlined them and finally labeled each of the countries and oceans.  The only part I really had to help with was the painting.  The truth is most of the students had never painted in their life.  They’ve never had an art class to learn any of those skills, so even the basics, like how to use a paintbrush was new to them.  After they “painted” the countries, I then spent many hours after school and on the weekend touching up each of the countries, which I actually really enjoyed and found quite relaxing.  Other than that though, the work was all theirs. 

When we began the project I promised them a party at the end to celebrate their work.  So finally last weekend we had a small party with Fanta, cake, and of course speeches.  It was nice to hear some of the students’ comments about what they learned and appreciated about the project.  After speeches were finished, each student that participated signed their name on a plaque I made to hang below the map.  It was a great conclusion to an awesome project.  I do hope the students who participated learned something and hopefully other students in the future will make use of the map will learn something too.  No matter what, it was, without a doubt, a HUGE learning experience for me.

I have to give a special thank you to, Janet Rezac, Joanie Tupy, Carol Pavek, Mary Turek, Lynn Picha, Karen Pauly, Peg Svoboda, and my mom, Margie Pexa, who are all part of a monthly Scrabble Club.  Every Christmas, instead of trading gifts or doing a Secret Santa, they pool their money and donate it, usually buying gifts for a family who may otherwise not have any presents for Christmas, an awesome idea, right?  Well, last year I was the lucky recipient of their generosity and was able to fund my project!  I honestly don’t know if it would have happened without their help, so the school, students and I truly appreciate their kind and generous donation!  Thank you! 

Tracing (as you can see, we had to stand on chairs, on top of tables to reach the top,
I said a prayer each time we worked that no one fell and broke any bones)

Painting

Outlining

Labeling

And the final product!

Another project happening at my school is the building of two, 40,000L underground, rainwater catchment tanks.  I wish I could take more credit for this project, but basically all I did was send a few emails and make a couple phone calls.  Through another Peace Corps Volunteer I was connected with a Non-Governmental Organization called Water for Life based in Kigali.  It’s a husband and wife team (Nick and Jen Greener, Nick’s actually from MN) who work to fund, organize and complete these water projects in schools, health centers and communities all over Rwanda. 

Although the government of Rwanda is working hard to improve the infrastructure of the country, water is still a problem.  There are water taps spread through my community that are controlled by a single, country-wide water company.  People in the community take containers of all sizes, pay to have them filled at these taps and then haul them back to their home to use for everything; drinking, cooking, washing etc.  There is also a tap at the school students use to get water which is included in their school fees. 

The Eastern Province is notorious for being hotter and drier than the rest of the country.  The only seasonal changes we experience are 2 rainy seasons and 2 dry seasons.  This past dry season was difficult, we went weeks without rain and the taps were dry for 5 or 6 days at a time.  You never knew when the water would come, but when it finally did, it was usually for an hour or two at the most.  My theory is that the water company turns the water on and off in an effort to ration it until the rain comes again.  Unfortunately, even in the rainy season the tap is still dry from time to time, as is the case right now.  When there isn’t water students walk every day after school, about 30 minutes each way to fetch water from the lake nearby.  Obviously this isn’t ideal.  Another frustrating part is that when it does rain it’s not just a little drizzle, but huge, heavy downpours, and you just have to watch all the water drain away unused.  This water project is amazing because, it will catch the water from the school buildings and collect in these huge tanks.  The students will then be able to use the water for bathing, washing and cleaning.  YAY!!!  It will also help alleviate erosion and flooding, both of which are also big problems at the school.  Right now the workers are in the midst of putting gutters on all the buildings and soon we’ll have water!  I’m SO EXCITED!!!  I’ve have been so grateful to have the opportunity to work with Nick and Water for Life.  When Nick first planned to come to my school, I was so nervous; I wanted to project to happen so badly and I was prepared to have to convince him that we needed it.  It was nothing like that, we were approved right away.  This was because Nick knows the reality; clean, reliable water and these tanks are needed everywhere, and Nick is so eager to help anywhere he can.  The project is funded by donations Water for Life receives and also by the school.  It is important that the school pays for part of the project so that they feel like they have made an investment, and therefore, are more likely to care for it and maintain it into the future.  Check out Water for Life’s website for more info about the awesome work they are doing. Water for Life - Rwanda

One of the tanks

The workers put up the gutters (check out their homemade ladder)

I have one last project I’m currently working on.  I’ve collaborated with an awesome teacher from a school in Rwamagana who was a facilitator at our GLOW Camp in August.  We are working together to plan a 2-day workshop on October 13^th and 14^th to promote GLOW Clubs in area schools.  We are inviting two students and one teacher from 7 schools in Rwamagana District to attend.  We will discuss gender equality, life skills and provide participants with the tools and resources necessary to begin a GLOW Club at their school.  The details have all been worked out and so far everything has gone fairly well, I’m just holding my breath hat everything falls into place and it will be a success.  Keep your fingers crossed for me that all goes well! 

In other news, I just found out there will be a new Peace Corps Volunteer coming in to replace me when I leave.  This is typical for Peace Corps and I had expected that I would take over for someone who was leaving when I joined.  In Rwanda, however, because Peace Corps just came back into the country in 2008, they are still establishing new sites, so I was the first in my village.  When my group came in we were about 65 which meant they have to find 65 sites for each of us.  Now the new group that arrived a few weeks ago, is only about 35 which means not everyone from my group who is leaving will be replaced.  For some this is good, because, for one reason or another, their site just isn’t good for a Peace Corps Volunteer.  Peace Corps staff has evaluated everyone’s sites and has hopefully weeded out the bad sites for the new volunteers.  Thankfully my site was chosen as a good one!  I advocated to be replaced because  I really love my school and village.  It’s a great location, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved in the community and my school has awesome leadership.  Listening to other volunteers talk about their headmasters or headmistresses, I know my headmaster is far more organized and motivated than most.  Nick (from Water for Life) who has worked with many other schools and organizations throughout the country has also made the same comments.  They are looking to the future and have seemed to appreciate my help.  Ultimately, I think it’s a good site because a new volunteer will be utilized appropriately, supported and valued.

I have to admit though, it’s a little strange to think about someone else coming here, living in my house, working at my school, visiting my friends.  I guess you can say I’ve become a little possessive.  After all the hard work of developing relationships, working on projects, suffering through the dry season, etc. it’s a little hard to imagine someone new coming in and taking over what has become my life and home here.  Obviously, it would be much worse if no one was coming at all, and I’m thrilled that I’ll be replaced (just that word- replaced- makes it difficult).  Hopefully though, some of the work I’ve put in here will make things just a little bit easier for the next volunteer.  

I've been making an extra effort to take pictures of everything and since I have fast internet I thought I would also include some pictures from this morning at Umuganda.  The last Saturday of every month, from about 8am-11am all stores and restaurants close and technically no one is even allowed to drive on the roads, everyone is expected to be participating some sort of community volunteer activity.  Often times people are cleaning public spaces, repairing roads, etc and sometimes it is organized to help an especially poor family in the village build a new house or latrine.  It varies in each place and from month to month.  At my school their is a club for survivors/orphans of the genocide who gather on Umuganda to clean, weed and cut grass at the Genocide Memorial in my village. So this morning I helped them out.  

Cutting grass (this is basically how all grass is cut in Rwanda)

The Group

Sending all my love,
Annie