Make Your Own Clothes

We went to a Tailoring School as well. The folks attending this school learn to make their own clothes. By doing this, they are able to make clothes for their families! They are also able to sell some of their clothes to provide for their families as well.

Shane may want to say more about the school, he particularly loved it. He told them that he too makes his own clothes. They gave him a standing ovation and at least acted impressed ;)

- chris lahr

IWE (Girl School)

IWE is a school for girls that teaches the first three years of high school (general subjects). The first pic shows an expansion they are building, using their own bricks! It's a lot cheaper to build when you make your own bricks!

The next two pics are a dormitory that they are in the process of building. They hope to house about 150 students, who have a difficult time commuting to school each day. We were told on more than one occasion that the way to build in Africa is to simply start building until you run out of money. It is not so much a lack of wisdom as it is a statement of faith that the money will eventually be there to complete the project.

We were told that someone from the States came and volunteered with them for a while. That person ended up bringing their family back and they were able to build one of the buildings, their desks and hooked them up with computers. ALARM has a tech guy come in once a week to teach computers to the girls.

- chris lahr

More Pics of IWE

Why? What's the Significance?

One of my favorite lines in the movie "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NfSm67PrQo) takes place when he has a group of friend in his basement. He spends hours going through pieces of evidence that might point to who stole his bike. Someone asks Pee Wee what this was all supposed to mean. It was a bad idea, he gets ticked and eventually says, "Why, what's the significance? I don't know!"

This is the official, "Why, what's the significance" post! The first pic is the Holocaust Memorial we saw in Berlin, the second pic is a collection of the bricks that are drying and waiting to be put into the kiln. The two pics remind me of each other a bit. Not really sure if there is a deeper meaning to it all. In fact the artist of the Holocaust Memorial said there was no specific meaning to the 2000+ slabs of concrete, and that it was left up to people's interpretations! So there you have it. I guess it's ok to have a blog that is open to interpretation now and then.

Making Bricks

One of our journey's in Rwanda lead us on a long windy dusty road through the counrtyside. They told us that they had just started another business that is helping sustain their ministry, they are making bricks! It really was cool to check out the process of it all.
The area where they make the bricks is a swampy area. They dig deep into the soil and they mold the dirt into a brick-like mold (go figure). They set the bricks out to dry for several days. Once they are dry they put them in a kiln for about 7 days. The result... bricks. They are not only able to sell them, they are also able to build their own buildings with them as well!

School Rules

Today is my kids first day of school (Alexa 3rd, Moriah K.), they love it and are very excited, they think school rules. It so nice having young kids who still think school is fun and they actually look forward to going!

In Rwanda not everyone can go to school. In order to go to school, everyone has to pay for it. As far as I could tell, they did not have a law stating that every child must be in school either. Though education seemed to be valued by many, actually sending all of your children to school isn't always an option. We were told that many families can only send some of their children to school, often they send the boys.

ALARM has a training school called, "Kabuga Vocational Training Center." In Rwanda students go to high school for 6 years. The first 3 years they study general subjects, the final three years they have a specific focus. The Kabuga Center is a place of focus. Currently they have two classes (18 guys and 1 girl in one, and 9 guys and a girl in the other). At the center they teach how to build with wood and mason, basic carpentry skills, welding and electricity.
The first pic shows one of the classrooms, the second is their workshop. They have plans for expanding quite a bit, but for now they build and tear down each year in this spot.

They also do not have a lot of supplies. Many of the supplies they do have are not in the best of conditions either. I asked the professor what the success rate was for the graduates in finding a job. Without hesitation he said there was a 100% success rate in finding employment! It seems to me that this would be a great initiative for someone interested in doing these sort of things to get involved in. They are doing so much with so little. It is amazing to think of what they could do if they had a few more resources.

Though no one asked me to do this, and I wasn't planning on saying this when I started out writing this blog, supporting ALARM financially is a good idea! The funds will be put to good use and the work they are doing is making a difference! http://alarm-inc.org/

Meet Alarm

Everyone reading this should take a moment and check out ALARM (African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries) www.alarm-inc.org

ALARM was started by our friend Celestin, who saw a great need for reconciliation and leadership after the genocide. Rwanda is about 90% Christian and yet many of them were involved in mass killing. I remember hearing in an anthropology class in seminary that Christianity is a mile wide and yet only an inch deep in Africa, in other words, many people take on the forms of Christianity, but that is about it. There is a powerful scene in the movie "Beyond the Gates" (http://beyondthegates-movie.com/) where the priest in a Rwandan village states, "People take communion because they are told to. Now they are killing each other because they are told to." He was referring to the fact that the people's faith was only an inch deep, it was not something that impacted every facet of their lives. ALARM seeks to train pastors and others throughout the 8 country region of Rwanda so that their faith will go much deeper and impact all of life. The next few posts will be some of initiatives started by ALARM to take things a bit deeper. Through meeting the folks of ALARM I have been challenged to look at the depth of my own walk with Jesus.
WEEP- Microfinance- Abanyarukundo

Our second day in Rwanda we started it off by meeting the women of WEEP. They greeted us with a song, which was beautiful. Shane tried to return the favor and sing them a song, but they all got scared and ran off (Just kidding). They shared a bit of their story. Many of the women had been raped and had lost loved ones during the genocide. Through this initiative they were beginning to put their lives back together. As you can see to the left, the women make their own clothes, baskets and soap. They also tie-dye some clothes which is pretty sweet.

It was inspiring to hear their stories. In the face of great adversity they were again finding meaning in what they could produce and sell. With the money they are collecting, they are also able to help several of their neighbors (many widows) as well. They informed us that after the genocide there were many, many kids that had been orphaned. It was not uncommon for folks to take in the kids and begin raising them as their own. Their logic was simple... if it had been one of my kids I would have wanted the same. As a result there are some pretty big families and provisions can be hard to come by at times.

Before we left, I told the women that I would tell my girls about them, and that they were real sheroes. I think about all the things people whine about here in the States (myself included) and yet these women experienced suffering and pain in a way I hope I never have to. Yet they are the embodiment of hope! They see a brighter future in Rwanda and in our world, and such hope inspires me.
- chris lahr