Global Capacity News: September 2012

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!

Matthew Peter is born!

We are overjoyed to announce that the son of our young student Jeanette has arrived! Matthew Peter was born around 8 PM Rwanda Time (2 PM Eastern Time) on Thursday, September 13.  Matthew weighs 5 pounds, 7 ounces and has big, bright eyes. He is very vocal and alert. 

Mama Jeanette is doing well too! 

More pictures to come soon!

Read more about her story at http://globalcapacity.org/help-save-a-babys-life/.

Jeanette learns how to clothe a baby.

Executive Director Matthew Heinz feels the baby, which was two weeks ago.

Please pray for our 2012 trip!

Pray-ers:

As you probably know, Global Capacity’s annual trip to Rwanda begins next week. Joe Knight (a board member and program committee chair) and I are headed there on Sunday, August 19. We will be there for 1 ½ weeks, returning on Wednesday, August 29.  We’ll be staying at a motel in Kigali, which is about a ten minute motorcycle ride from Akindege, which is the village we work in. 

I am encouraged by Colossians 2:6-7 today:

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

I pray that our roots will grow deep into Jesus and that our lives will be built on Him. 

Below is a rough agenda so you know what we plan to be doing each day. This is subject to change of course, but it should give you a good idea about our purposes and goals for the trip.

Agenda:

Sun, Aug 19 – Leave Washington Dulles at 11 am

Mon, Aug 20 – Arrive Kigali at 12 pm; stop by Akindege; get settled in Kigali

Tues, Aug 21 – Akindege: program planning with staff (Yvonne and Michael); student and family visitation

Wed, Aug 22 – Akindege: program planning with staff; buy handmade goods at the Market for our Marketplace Parties; student and family visitation

Thurs, Aug 23 – Akindege: staff development; student and family visitation

Fri, Aug 24 – Gitarama (town) and Bukomero (village): Visit the Umuryango Boys’ Home and Azizi Life

Sat, Aug 25 – Akindege: take pictures; host student workshop give out third trimester supplies

Sun, Aug 26 – Stay in Kigali, visit Genocide Memorial; do laundry; rest

Mon, Aug 27 – Akindege: finish up program and staff discussions; train our pregnant student Jeanette on baby care

Tues, Aug 28 – Leave Kigali at 4 pm

Wed, Aug 29 – Arrive Washington Dulles at 9 am

General Prayer Requests

That our goals are met

Lots of energy and perseverance

Good health

Wisdom in program planning, staff development, and buying handmade goods

Understanding for Jeanette as we teach her about baby care

Find ways to encourage Yvonne and Michael in the tough circumstances there

Protection

Matthew:

Theresa and Elliott as we are away

Focus on tasks in Rwanda and not work back home

Joe:

This is Joe’s first trip to Africa, so it will be new, exciting, and challenging for him. Pray that he adjusts well to the culture shock and doesn’t miss what God wants to teach him.

Thanks for partnering with us in prayer, it means more than you know!

-Matthew 

Global Capacity News, August 2012

'Help Save a Baby's Life' Financial Goal is Reached   We are thrilled to announce that our financial goal for the 'Help Save a Baby's Life' campaign has been reached! You may remember that we were raising money for our student Jeanette's unborn baby boy. Jeanette is HIV-positive and due at the end of September. Our hope is to give the baby a chance at a full life by taking certain measures to block the transmission of the virus to him. Measures include: taking antiretroviral drugs, having a C-section delivery, and formula-feeding after he is born.  You can read more about what we raised money for here.  Thanks to the support of our generous donors, we are able to provide Jeanette with everything we set out to give her. We will see her in Rwanda later this month and will be bringing supplies with us and training her on baby care.  Thank you to all who gave and have showed concern for Jeanette and her baby!  Student Spotlight: Thierry  Thierry has just completed his second trimester of Secondary 5 (11th grade). He enjoys being part of the choir and traditional dance team at church and  is thankful for all Global Capacity has done for him. Studying construction is his dream. He is excited for the opportunities this section will offer him for his future. Thierry loves to draw and hopes to attend University after Secondary school for architecture or engineering. He is thankful to put his natural talents of drawing towards his future. Many times in his younger years his drawing is what enabled him to earn money for food. Although this gave him some finances to live his heart was to continue school. He stopped drawing so he could attend school. He completed his Secondary 5 yearly project. You can see his blue print drawing in the photo above. Without the support of Global Capacity he would never have been able to have the tools to complete this project in a good way. These tools paid for by his sponsors will not only enable him to do well in school but they will also help in obtaining work afterwards. Here in Rwanda, having the tools of your trade go a long way in obtaining employment.

Helpful Resources What We Do Monthly Plans Marketplace Parties Online Donations Unicef/Rwanda Upcoming Events August 19 - 29: Summer trip to Rwanda [Matthew Heinz and Joe Knight] September 3: Third trimester begins for our students Fall Events: Rwandan Marketplace Parties About Global Capacity Global Capacity is a nonprofit organization with the mission of improving lives in Rwanda, Africa through agriculture, business, and education initiatives. Our main focus is the Right2School program, which provides scholarships for secondary and vocational school for extremely poor children in the village of Akindege. Our hope is for education to be the means of equipping students for community development and for changing the cycle of poverty in their lives. Contact Us Comments & Questions Unsubscribe

Save a Baby's Life Financial Goal is Reached

We are overjoyed to announce that we have met the goal for our 'Help Save a Baby's Life' campaign! Thank you to our donors for providing the funds and partnering with us as we help to save Jeanette's baby's life! The baby is due at the end of September, so stay tuned for updates.

For more about this campaign:

Help Save a Baby's Life (http://globalcapacity.org/help-save-a-babys-life

We would like to introduce you to one of our scholarship students, Jeanette.  She is 14 years-old and is in S-2 (8th grade). Jeanette loves being in school and has big dreams of being a doctor one day. Jeanette was diagnosed with HIV a couple of years ago, having caught it at birth from her mother. This young 14 year-old made a tragic choice this past year and as a result, became pregnant.

Not only is Jeanette in a fight for her life, but so is her six-month unborn baby boy.  We are focusing on two things: keeping Jeanette healthy and preventing the transmission of HIV to the baby. There are measures this young mother can take to keep the virus from passing to him: taking antiretroviral drugs, having a C-section delivery, and feeding him formula instead of breast milk after he is born.  

The estimated costs for the remainder of the pregnancy and care of the baby are close to $2,000: ultrasounds, blood work, transportation, C-section delivery, baby formula, bottles, HIV testing, and healthy food. 

We are asking that you join us in helping to save Jeanette's unborn baby's life by enabling her to prevent the transmission of HIV.  We can reach this very possible goal by having 100 people donate just $20. Will you help to bring her healthy baby boy into this world? 

About HIV/AIDS in Rwanda 

It is estimated that 170,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in Rwanda (World Health Organization)

130,000 children (ages 0 to 17) are orphans due to HIV/AIDS in Rwanda (Unicef) 

22,000 children (ages 0 to 14) are living with HIV/AIDS in Rwanda (UNAIDS)

In 2009 approximately 370,000 children were born with HIV, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa (UNAIDS)

New HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa have dropped by more than 26% since 1997 due to prevention measures (UNAIDS)

Helpful Resources

• Unicef/Rwanda
• WHO
• UNAIDS
• AVERT

Hope and Resilience Recap

Presentation at Free Dinner and a Movie: As We Forgive event

Tuesday, July 25, 2012

Good evening everyone and thanks for coming out to our movie night. We are all in different places with our understanding and experience of the genocide. Some folks here have been to Rwanda and in doing so have met survivors and maybe even murderers. Others haven’t been there but might have seen movies about the genocide. Yet others here tonight might have just had their first glimpse into the horrific event and the entire scope just hasn’t hit them yet. No matter what place you are at, we are all humans and share the universal emotions of hope, reconciliation and forgiveness. 


Many of you are familiar with our work in Rwanda but there are some new faces, so a special welcome to you. Our main focus is the Right2School program, which provides scholarships for middle school and high school students in Rwanda. Our scholarships pay for all of the expenses that our students incur while they are in school. These costs are: tuition, school materials, health insurance, transportation, a mattress, sheets, pillows, a lockbox, a mosquito net, a basin for washing and laundry, a squeegie for cleaning, a towel, soap, toothpaste, a toothbrush, and two school uniforms. As you can hopefully tell from the long list of items we provide that we care deeply for our students.  Because we want them to reach their highest potential, we are doing our best to give them the most positive experience possible while they are in school. 


Why are we providing scholarships? The Rwanda Govt has said that only 1 in 10 kids between the ages of 13 and 18 years of age attend middle school or high school. That’s 10%. That is a ridiculous number that we are working to change. These kids have been dealt an unfair hand in life due to the situations they were born into. We see it as our responsibility to work with the youth in Rwanda to help create a better future for themselves, their family, and their country. We currently have 35 students that we are supporting, ranging from 13 to 22 years-old. 


There are three efforts we are working on for the rest of the year, which are on the back of your tickets: Monthly Plans – http://globalcapacity.org/monthly-plans


Help Save a Baby’s Life - http://globalcapacity.org/help-save-a-babys-life


Rwandan Marketplace Parties – http://globalcapacity.org/marketplace-parties


So, that’s a bit about what we are doing. 


The subject of hope seems to be very timely for our community and for our nation. This past weekend, my wife and I watched the reports on TV about the movie theatre massacre in Colorado. We were stunned. Who could fathom that a night out to the movies could end in such tragedy, such despair, such suffering. Every life is precious – but somehow when a 6 year-old girl is murdered the crime seems even more heinous. How will her parents move on? On a local level, this past year has been devastating as we have dealt with the child abuse trial and the charges against Jerry Sandusky and accusations against Penn State leadership. As a community we were shocked over what was happening in our Happy Valley over the past 15 years. The victims of the child abuse have a lifetime of healing to endure. What will it take for them to come to a place of peace, reconciliation, and forgiveness over what has happened to them? Yes, we are all indeed broken individuals in need of answers and resolve. 


As I have gotten involved with people’s lives in Rwanda, I have witnessed the resilience of the human spirit. They have an assurance and confidence about them that is remarkable and surprising. They don’t let the tragic past keep them down but rather stick their chins up high and work towards overcoming the history they have been dealt. The people do not want this event to define their identity but rather virtues such as hope, perseverance, and strength. Time and time again I am amazed at their resilience, and I know that we have a lot to learn from them. We are going to be hearing from one of our students, Isaac, who is in 11th grade.  


Watch Video of Isaac


Our students have seen more evil, more death, more pain than most of us will ever endure in a lifetime. What is it that brings someone hope when they have nothing left? You might not have experienced loss on the same scale, but surely in your life you have dealt with some sort of it. What is it that makes you overcome it and move on? How is a person able to forgive their parents’ murderer and call them a friend and neighbor again? Truly the human spirit is full of resolve and resilience and the people in Rwanda are testament to that. One day we can hopefully say the same about those in Aurora, CO or the victims here in Happy Valley and beyond. 


It has been our pleasure to work in Rwanda and provide hope for the extremely poor students there. As Isaac said in his video, we are giving him hope by providing him with an education. In most if not all cases, school is giving these kids a much better and brighter future and we are excited to see them fulfill this. 


Thank you very much. I’ll be sticking around during the discussion, so feel free to ask me any questions.


-Matthew Heinz

Prayers needed ASAP for Jeanette!

Pray-ers:

I don't usually post prayer requests on this blog but this is urgent....

I have a very urgent prayer request for our 14 year-old student Jeanette. As you know, Jeanette is HIV positive and is also seven months pregnant. She was getting better with her meds but now her health has taken a turn for the worse. 

For those who don’t know much about HIV (and I don’t either), the virus attacks and kills white blood cells (these cells look after the immune system and keep us healthy).  The white blood cell count in a healthy person is more than 1200. The number of cells decrease when a person is HIV positive. When an HIV positive person gets below 200, they are considered to have contracted AIDS.

The latest count in Jeanette is 41, which is fatal.  If her drugs do not kick in more and work immediately, she will die and so will the baby. 

Her due date is Sept 26.

Please join us in prayer as we pray for a miracle. God is bigger than this. This is heartbreaking stuff, especially for a 14 year-old. Today was one of the hardest days for our partner Yvonne as she walks through this with Jeanette and her mom Sara.

Thanks.