Friday, September 30, 2011

Meet Jeanne from the sewing class

Name: Jeanne Kubwimana

Birth day: December 30th 1983

Father: Jean Ntakabanyura

Mother: Leocadie Nyiraneza

Jeanne was born in a family of 7 children, she lives with her parents, father is 57 and mother 54 years old, they all depend on agriculture activities, some of us had chances to continue their education, one is 3rd year university, senior 1 in one of the schools around home and the last born is primary 3, then we sent our brother for carpentry at least to gain some knowledge. Her completed sewing program but she is home there is no income to buy a sewing machine.

Jeanne is a single mother with 3 children, since I met him he was not interested in explaining to me of where he came from, introducing to relatives, he abandoned the family and he never come back, It is really hard for me to get food and necessity for my children unless I get casual employment like working in the field, carrying stones in construction places, fetching water and other small jobs and all these were not supporting even ¼ of what we need.

This training opened up at a right time, not only gaining knowledge but washed away stress, loneliness and opened my eyes for tomorrow, I am hoping that everything I have achieved from city of joy will a key to the entire community. In conclusion, thanks in everything you do for us may our Lord multiply them.

Friday, September 23, 2011

City of Joy Business Plan

9/23/11

1 Project Overview “City of Joy” will be a comprehensive Christian community of

services and experiences offered to all ages. • City of Joy will be located in the Village of Bikire, Ngwa Cell,

Mukingo Sector, Nyanza District, South Province, Rwanda. • The first phase will be the primary school-Joy Christian School

(JCS).


2 City of Joy Vision:

A Christ-centered community of loving God and loving others.

Mission: City of Joy, a faith- inspired organization, empowering people with Christian passion. Through formal and informal programs and experiences, City of Joy will achieve its core value of creating a community of grace.

Value: To create a community of grace where the love of God is manifested in the love of neighbor through faith development, intellectual formation and community services (concern for the poor and marginalized).


3 Joy Christian School

Vision: To form Christ-like, intellectually competent and socially responsible leaders of tomorrow.

Mission: Joy Christian School, a faith inspired-organization, aims at empowering people with Christian passion, intellectual competency and strong social concern. Through formal and informal education, and economic empowering programs, Joy Christian School will achieve its core value of creating a community of grace.


Christian School will achieve its core value of creating a community of grace.

Value: To create a community of grace where the love of God is manifested in the love of neighbor through faith development, competent intellectual formation and community services (concern for the poor and marginalized)



Why Joy Christian School (JCS)?

1. Christian Values -Loving God and loving others is the basis of the Christian faith

and this can change the world by challenging our students to exemplify

Jesus’ life. 2. Education system (recent change from French to English):

-Need for Strong and affordable English medium school. Currently, majority of poor and middle class Rwandans cannot afford quality education because of high charges by private schools. -Due to shortage of good English Medium schools, many parents send their children to neighboring countries, Uganda and Kenya.

3. Social Economic Realities: -Great need for economic empowerment of rural and poor urban communities (people who cannot afford quality education for their children). -Great need for socio-spiritual accompaniment due to the effects of the 1994 genocide.

Critical Factors/Hopes and Challenges

Strengths – Founders’ international experience and English as their first

language. – Co-founder is an experienced teacher.

1

Have initial capital to buy land – Dependable collaborators and supporters (churches and

charities) – Strong Local and international network

Weakness – Both founders are not of Rwandese origin. – Dependence on donors and well wishers to fund the project. – Brand equity (new in the market).

Opportuninities – Stable political atmosphere. – Accordance with recent changes in academic shift from

French to English medium of learning. – No strong competition. – High demand. – Low living and operation costs. – Many people from USA willing to volunteer as teachers and

Staff. • Challenges

How to secure students who can contribute financially. – Enough source of Funds. – Competitors can copy our strategy.


Concept of JCS Beneficiaries

472,000 children in Muhanga and Nyanza* 25% (118, 125) of children are from upper middle class

families which can afford tuition and boarding fees.

35% (165, 200) are children of civil servants, small business holders, and farmers who can afford tuition fee and a certain percent of accommodation charges. These will need partial scholarships.


3 4

4 0% (188,800) are rural and poor urban residents; and orphans. Although they cannot afford private education, they can contribute to tuition fees through part-time jobs at JCS.

* Our estimates of the population of Muhanga and Nyanza, our target areas, is approximately 1.5 million. We assume that pre- school and school going children make up to 30% of the population


Joy Christian School’s Service Plan

Plan1 • Upper Middle Class

Will pay full tuition fees. – Will pay up to 80% accommodation and transportation fees.

Plan 2. • Middle Class

Will pay 75% of tuition fees – Will have the options to either pay up to 80% accommodation

cost or to be day scholars and pay 50% of daily transport organized by Joy.

Plan3 • Rural and Urban poor

Highly subsidized tuition and accommodation fees. – Parent will offer contribution in the form of labor—each

parent will do work at JCS once a week and the payment will

go into tuition fees. – Rural farmers will be given the opportunity to sell their

produce (food stuff and animal to JCS at a competitive price) and pay certain percentage to JCS for tuition and accommodation fees.

They will be a priority for accommodation at school since they have no electricity and other amenities that support learning at home.

Plan 4 – Community service through informal education whereby JCS

will engage rural and urban parents in income generating activities that will enable them to contribute toward education of their children at JCS.


Financial Forecasts-JCS Summary of Financial forecasts Average tuition fee per child per year (year 1 to 6) $200. • Average salary per month $400 per person ($4,800/year/

person). • Cost of Construction of one classroom is $12,065. Total

construction cost (20 rooms by year 7) will be $241,300. • Teacher student ration is 1:20. • Aggressive fundraising of up to $560,000 by year 7. • Optimal use of facilities to generate income of $39,000 by the

end year 7. • Beginning of year 8 capital expenditure will decrease; less

construction of classrooms and offices. • Services revenue will increase beginning of year 8; wedding,

conference, summer camping, sports, etc charges.


Future Projects

Community Church – weekly services, daily chapel time for students.

Community Medical Clinic –serve the school and neighborhood.

Community Center. – Public Library. – Recreation Center with swimming pool, weight room,

gymnasium, practice fields. • Fully accredited University. • Housing for staff. • Dormitories for children primary and secondary schools. • Vocational training center – English classes, sewing,

agriculture, carpentry... • Conference Center- host weddings and events- income

generator. • Missionary Training Center.

Help train those called to be missionaries all around the world.


11 Action Plan 12 Benefits to the Community

Economic Impact- create over 100 jobs in first three years. • Resources – many of the facilities will be open to the

community to use. – Public Library, Recreation Center with swimming pool, weight

room, gymnasium, practice fields. • Increase property values. • Attract many new business and families to relocate. • Vocational training center – sewing, agriculture, carpentry... • Conference Center. • Missionary Training Center.

Help train those called to be missionaries all around the world.

Teaching English to the adults-starting Jan. 2012.

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Friday, September 9, 2011

Meet Febronie from the Sewing Class


Name: Febronie Mukamana

Married: Sunday, September 4th, 2011

Birth day: January 1st 1981 Mukingo Sector, Nyanza

Father: Vincent Kayibanda

Mother: Belina Mukagatare

She was born in family of 7 children, 1 is a boy and 6 are girls. 2 are in secondary school s.2 and s. 1 at Nyanza Secondary school , we have been living with our mother because our father died in the 1994 Genocide when we were still young though am the first born so I took the responsibility to help our mother taking care of my brother and sister especially the ones at secondary school and the last born who is in primary school, I got married recently and it is a new experience in my life. Previously, my life was to stay home because I could not get financial support to complete my education, I had no job except growing food which was not enough to support in all we needed in daily life, the little we could get from agricultural activities was distributed to the students sometimes friends were adding some thing, I came to know city of Joy through cell leaders because I gave them bad time requesting support for secondary school and didn’t work, I joined other girls in sewing association, we trained making designs and different way of making clothes, developing friendship with girls from different areas and share life experience, am proud of what I have achieved, after the training am determined to apply the skills to help other girls and children in making our brighter future.

Sponsored Children in Rwanda

History of the children sponsored by City of Joy
Recent Student Sponsorships


1. Name ; Rosine Uwimpuhwe ( 12 years girl)
Sponsor: Myers
Birth day: 2000 (don’t know for sure the birth day)
Grade: P.3 Mwanabili primary school
Father: Emmanuel Kayitare
Mother: Jeanne D’Arc Mukandanga
She was born in a family of 8 children and last born, some her sisters got married in different parts of the country she doesn’t have an idea of where they live, others she heard that they live in Kigali working, Father abandoned them saying that he is going to Kigali to work for money but he never come back, the mother married with another man who does care of her, sometimes they send her to the grandmother 70 years old to ask for school supplies, and the little she get is just for survival. One of the things she is interested in, she likes to study, hand ball/ tennis, she is able to read and write Kinyarwanda and little a bit of English, she also like read some books and Kinyarwanda Bible.
One of the challenges Rosine is experiencing is where to get school uniforms, supplies and medical Insurance because her grandmother could not afford the expenses.


2. Name: Mariam Imuduhaye
Sponsor: Finnertys
Birth day: 2005 (no one knows for sure the date of her birth day) You can pick a day and celebrate it.
Grade: Primary 1 (first grade)
Father: Ephrone
Mother:
Mariam is an orphan, her mother died in2005 and adopted by Beatrice Nyarambabazi a 51 years old, this came into her mind when she was at funeral service they introduced that any good Samaritan to take the baby, even people related to her were not willing to volunteer because Mariam was too little, 2 brothers were taken to the grandmother 70 years old and she live with asthma ( breathing problems) the lady was not very sure to whether children are in school or not, but she promised to gather detailed information concerning the family.

Beatrice doesn’t have any husband and the information is hidden.




3. Name: Genevieve Mumporeze
Sponsor: Millers
Birth day: 1992 Rutete cell, mukingo Sector (don’t know for sure the date of her birth day)
Grade: Senior.1 (seventh grade)Nyarutivu secondary school, Mukingo Sector
Her father died in the 1994 Genocide, mother did not take care of her she got married by a second after the death of her father, she has 2 brothers who born from the step mother, The 1st Born 17 years old joined the national university of Rwanda Butare since last year and the second one completed high school in some schools in Nyanza but there is no way for him to complete his Education.


Genevieve lives with her aunt Rachel a 51 years old and her husband 69 years disabled, they actually live near by the school. Other than Genevieve they have 3 children supporting in education :- Joseph 16 years old senior 1 student at nyarutovu secondary school, Petronia 13 years p. 5 Nyarutovu and Claude p.2 in same school, this have limited support for their children complete school, Eg. Uniforms, exercise books, medical insurance etc. particularly Genevieve fail to acquire basic necessities (For personal use) . Before during her holiday, she had been working as a house keeper and stop when school starts, so some people avoided her because they knew that as the school starts she will go back to school, this time she is depending on family friends to get little support for education, she declared that current semester 10 exercise books will be required, a pair of school uniform, 5 pens and mutuelle de santé. She is dreaming one time to join a university.


Thursday, September 8, 2011

Just One Thing

Remember the scene in the movie City Slickers? Where Curley tells Billy Crystals character that the secret to life is "just one thing"! That just one thing is my theme in Rwanda in a funny way. You see life here is very different than America. In America I enjoyed multi-tasking and working on various projects and checking off those goals on the the "to do" list. Each day I would look forward to taking steps toward planned goals.

In Rwanda "the one thing" is just that..one thing. If as my friend Isaac at Victory Orphanage says, you can accomplish "one thing" in a day you should be feeling very proud. The pace of life, the lack of communication between government organizations and businesses all tend to bottle neck the process of "getting it done." So I have lowered my expectations dramatically. If I can accomplish one thing each day I will have an amazing week! Type A personality people may find Rwanda culture frustrating! lol

Open My Eyes Lord, I Want to See Jesus!

One of the misconceptions that I grew up with was that Western Christianity had all the answers and it was our job to share this with the world. My perspective has changed...dramatically. The song "Open My Eyes Lord" is now bringing truth to the matter. God is working all over this world. My narrow view of how God works has been widened through the years. God may work one way in America and in a very different way in Africa. Same God, same message of Jesus, same "substance" but different "forms" and "styles" that the Holy Spirit uses to speak the Truth.

A problem arises when we think that "form/style" is as sacred as the "substance". It is easy to apply American, Western "forms" to Africa. We want African Christians to act and speak like American Christians. We judge that someone doesn't have a valid faith because they don't express themselves the way we do.

I have learned a lot in our 16 months in Rwanda. I have learned to open my eyes and see God working in His Kingdom in ways that I had trouble seeing. I have learned to appreciate the many "styles" and "forms" that faith comes..all the while seeing that the substance of Jesus is constant. When we step aside and begin to see God and all that He is doing around us the world becomes a much more exciting place! Maybe our role as evangelists is just that...to help people see God working in this world! How irresistible is Jesus when we are able to see Him working all around us?

Friday, September 2, 2011

Meet Esther from the Sewing Class



Esther Niyonsengo
Esther was born in 1991. Her family has seven children. Esther's parents both died, her dad in 1994 (probably the genocide) and mother in 2000. Her oldest 2 sister got married and live far from her home.

Since 2007 Esther has been heading the household because she lives with 2 young brothers and a sister who was suppose to be in senior six but due to lack of tuition money she dropped out of school. Another brother is attending vocational training in carpentry work and the youngest sibling is in primary 2 (second grade).

To keep their life moving they grow some of their own food because they can’t get money to buy food. So every day her siblings work in the field.

During this time of hardship Esther got pregnant and the young man wouldn’t marry her. She is getting donations from friends to help her son, Allen, who is 1 years old.

After some time, her friends and her came up with an idea to form an association of young people who are heads of their households. Cell and Sector leaders came up with an idea of ways that they could develop themselves. Esther was invited to join a sewing class at City of Joy that would give her the skills to start her own business.

Esther hopes that her skills in making wonderful things, designs and clothes will develop into a career. She says she is encouraging her friends in the sewing class to work hard in order to improve the welfare of their families.