Rwanda Partnership
Rwanda Partnership
Not Charity - Justice
 | Our campaign for 2009-2010 is "Building Blocks"Having already been successful in building houses for Rwandan families ravaged by HIV, we now want to build "half-way houses". Orphanages already exist, which is as well in a nation where adults are comparatively rare. However at present there is little opportunity for children to be assimilated back into society. That is where we come in! The Sponsored Walk has so far generated over £10,000. Your ongoing support for the Rwandan campaign saves lives every day. Please continue to be generous in this new venture. To see images of the Sponsored Walk 2009, click here. To see the video of the Sponsored Walk 2009, click here. |
The discrepancy between the lifestyle experienced by students in the United Kingdom and students in Rwanda is an accident of birth. In all other respects children are the same. We therefore have a duty to support our brothers and sisters in Rwanda, not because of philanthropic charity, but because it is a simple matter of fairness. This justice is a two-way process. We have much to learn from the children of Rwanda, as visits by staff and students have repeatedly shown.
What Can We Learn from the Children of Rwanda?
Picture this:
It is a bank holiday. The teachers are taking part of their annual leave. Word quickly gets around that a few visitors have arrived from England. Within an hour every student is sitting silently in class without supervision.
This is exactly what Mr. Power and Mr. Higson experienced. Were the situation reversed it would be interesting to see what, if anything, would happen.
Small Things Make a Big Difference
Picture this:
A boy has been withdrawn from a football. His head is streaming with blood. He is very argumentative. He is upset. Why? A cheap plastic football, given by St. Michael's School, is on the field for the first time. The boy suffered a bad tackled and is slightly injured. He is not arguing because he has been hurt, but because he wants to go back onto the field.
Have you heard the children of Rwanda sing?
What sports facilities do the children of Rwanda need to achieve their high standards in gymnastics?
The Legacy of the 1994 Genocide
It is almost impossible to comprehend what the country went through in 1994. Estimates of the numbers murdered in one month of the genocide vary between 800,000 and a million. Meanwhile the "civilised" world watched and did nothing. Of the survivors, many were raped to deliberately infect them with HIV. Today 1 in 8 Rwandan adults are infected with HIV. In our sister village of Mbuga 50% of the adult population is believed to be infected. As adults die young (average life expectancy is 38), children are left to fend for themselves, creating a self-fulfilling cycle of poverty.
Children are Unstained by the Genocide
The adults of Rwanda carry a heavy burden. However the children have no memory of it. Their cheerful and happy approach to life is an inspiration to us all. They are an extraordinary example of how we overcome the harshest adversity.
How Does St. Michael's Help?
In our 50th Jubilee Year of 2005, we made a pledge to support our brothers and sisters over a sustained period of time. In the first place, we donated toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap and cleaning materials. We sent plastic buckets. Focusing on hygiene helps reduce risk of infection and sickness.
On the Friday nearest to St. Michael's Day (September 29th) we dedicate our sponsored walk to Rwanda. We similarly dedicate the proceeds of our Lenten campaign. In both cases, the focus is not on raising huge sums of money, but creating awareness of how small amounts can make a big difference. Despite this, the school has typically raised a combined annual total of £40,000. This makes us one of the United Kingdom's top schools for enterprise awareness.
Our partnership with Sister Bridget's order is our safeguard that every penny raised goes directly to the people (i.e. no administration costs).
So far we have provided the following:
- medicines
- cleaning materials
- an ambulance truck (see below)
- houses (see below)
- training for new teachers
- education programmes for HIV awareness
Currently we are "walking on water". The importance of reliable clean water is a focus of many world organisations, and with good reason.
The Truck
In one year we funded a new four-wheel drive truck for Mbuga. We have all laughed at Top Gear's attempt to "kill" a Toyota Hi-Lux. It was the perfect choice, because it is virtually indestructable. A question often raised is why it was necessary to fund a seemingly luxorious vehicle. The answer is simple. Whilst ordinary vehicles are adequate for Rwandan cities, in outlying places like Mbuga, there are no roads in our sense. We should also bear in mind that the truck is expected to perform a wide variety of tasks. On any one day it could be an ambulance, a hearse or a delivery vehicle. For this campaign we were joinedby the children of Sacred JMI, who undertook to pay for the wheels (a car is made up of many small parts).
If you would like to see a slideshow of our truck, either click on the image above or click here.
Rwanda Kwiesera: Rebuilding Houses - Saving Lives
Every St. Michael's student is saving lives every day. This is a bold but accurate statement.
Picture this:
When Mr. Power and Mr. Petrie visited in 2006, they met Jonas. Jonas had already lost his wife and was suffering the effects of HIV. He was not expected to survive more than a few months. His beautiful children were wearing dirty rags. Mr. Power and Mr. Petrie had earlier witnessed the death of a similar victim earlier in the day and understood that the outlook was very bleak for both Jonas and his prospective orphans.
When Mr. Power revisited in 2007 with Mr. Higson, Jonas was still alive and his children were flourishing. Why? St. Michael's students funded the £750 he needed for a new home. Where previously Jonas and his family had slept on wet mud to a semi-open sky, his new corrugated iron-roofed house provided him with a dry, hygenic environment. This slowed the progress of his HIV to the point that he could reintegrate into society and work.
If you would like to see a slideshow of our Rebuilding Houses programme, either click on the image above or click here.