Another school year is behind us! This week we concluded the lessons. You see, unlike in Europe -- in Rwanda the school year lasts from mid-January until the end of November.

What tremendous joy there was on the last day of school!  Especially for those who successfully completed their programs. Those who did not ‘fare’ so well in their studies will have to wait a little longer for their holidays... they have to ‘warm their chairs up a bit longer’ and pass all the subjects.  Of course, we are here to help them so that they too can leave the schoolyard with smiles on their faces... just a few days later!

But, although there are no more classes, the school is still very much alive. The students of three sections – carpentry, builders and tailors – have remained behind in order to complete their practical work.

The builders, for instance, do their practical work by building another classroom for the primary school. There is no better way to gain experience than to do construction work. They are aware of that, so the construction site is very much alive and cheerful – especially when they know that they don’t have to rush home to study.

The carpenters are rapidly completing the production of desks and chairs for the new primary school classrooms in our school workshop. That is their final practical work before leaving the school. You should see them! They’ve become real masters of carpentry. I’m really proud of them!

And the tailors: they are really working hard, and the sewing machines are ‘ticking away”.  Here we have a rule which states that students who have completed their second year of the tailoring course have to make school uniforms for all the future first-year beginners of our school who will join us in January.  Just like they were greeted by their uniforms on the first day of school, they are now making uniforms for the future students.

Out of a total of two hundred and eighty students, around one hundred completed their education at the end of this school year. I trust that they will know how to make clever use of the knowledge and experience the have gained here, and quickly find employment. I wish them a happy and blessed journey into the grown-up world!

For our teachers there is still no rest, because we organized all sorts of seminars for them. They are receiving additional training so that they can pass on their knowledge to the future generation of students with the highest possible quality.

Recently, two volunteers, Jayne Carlielle and Alan Michael Webb, arrived to Kivumu from Canada. They will organize an English language seminar for all of our teachers plus teachers from three nearby Primary Schools. I look forward to it because they were here last year and did a great job! I have no doubt whatsoever that these teachers will again this time learn a lot from them in order to perfect their English.

There! As you can see, it’s never boring here! We work hard, but that also brings us a lot of joy!

Translated by: Branimir Mlakić • • • Edited by Valerie Kae Ken

Photo Gallery