Our Trip to Rwanda a Success!
Our
annual trip to our village in Rwanda was a smashing success. We accomplished
more than we thought possible and are excited for the direction we are headed.
The two individuals who made the trip over are Executive Director Matthew Heinz
and board member and program committee chair Joe Knight. Below are a few of the
many highlights:
Meeting
with our 35 students
We
had the privilege of meeting with our students at our office for a few hours.
Each of them introduced themselves and shared what area of study they are in
and their vocational aspiration. It was so very encouraging to look out over
the crowd of kids and know we are helping to make a difference in their lives
as well as the nation's future.
We are in it for the long haul
The
philosophy we have adopted for our program is that we are in it for the long
haul. Our work can be difficult and challenging because it's a people program,
specializing in the success of our youth. Just like any teenager, our kids some
times break the rules, misbehave, or deliberately disobey their authority. But
these reasons are not enough to kick them out of our program. We care
about each individual as a whole, not only how they are doing academically. We
want to see the other aspects of their lives succeed as well - their character,
their morals, their social skills, and their health.
Baby
Care for Jeanette
We
were able to visit with our student Jeanette while she was nine months pregnant
and train her on baby care. She was absolutely delighted that we brought her
over 50 cans of baby formula, bottles, clothing, and other baby supplies. She
had many questions and we are convinced that she loves the baby very much and
will make an excellent mom.
Her
baby was born on September 13 and weighed 5 pounds, 7 ounces. She named him
Matthew Peter and he has big, brown eyes and is very happy. For the first 28
days of his life he will be taking antiviral retroviral drugs to help fight off
any chance of contracting HIV. We are hoping and praying that the measures she
took to avoid passing HIV to him were successful. Jeanette is recovering well
too.
Visit our Facebook page for more pictures and details!
