Hello, for those of you who do not know me, I am Marita and I have been working with Ubaka U Rwanda since it was founded in 2008. I am one of the Trustees, help out with the website and attended the same university as Becky and Lucy.
I am also the only trustee who until now never visited the charity in Rwanda. When my finance Dave suggested to spend our honeymoon in Africa – there was no question that it will include a visit to Ubaka U Rwanda.
Shaun introducing us to all the boys
We were first welcomed by Shaun, our US Representative who works 10 months a year as a fire fighter and spends two months a year with the boys at the centre. Unfortunately I missed Becky and Evode who were on a visit in the UK at the time.
Shaun gave us the tour of the centre which is located in a lively district of Kigali called Nyamirambo. It is amazing how we (and you) have managed to create a home for the boys who a few years back had nothing and would have had a very bleak future without your help.
Mueza and his best friend the radio
I spoke to Muneza who very timidly confessed to me that he never expected to return back to school. He told me how from the age of 7 he was living on the street. They used to sleep underneath a bridge, which is where Evode found them and prayed with them. However; there was no place for them to go until money was donated for Evode to rent a house for them. Still at the beginning they had no mattresses and the boys used to bring cardboard boxes to sleep on. Now he is 16 and has been back to school for five years.
This visit has put life into perspective for me and i got the chance to see lots of things including one of the biggest vaporizers on sale online. Muneza’s story is just one of many boys who have found a home with Evode and Becky; and hopefully we will be able to help many more.
Our unforgettable visit
There are so many more stories which I would like to share about you on my visit to the centre but I wanted to let everyone know how much we the supporters enrich the lives of those boys.
You can read about our dinner with the Ubaka U Rwanda boys here.
More to come soon
Marita