Holiday Highlights 2011

SNEAK PEEK:

V O L U M E
Highlights
from the holidays and new
year

5th annual
Roz Carr Memorial Day @
Imbabazi

Check out
our new music room!

Imbabazi Insider
International
Women’s Day
2 ,
I S S U E
4
D E C
2 0 1 1 - M A R C H
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Holiday Highlights 2011
It’s a winter wonderland! This holiday
season the children
got busy decking the
halls of Imbabazi in
style!
INSIDE
THIS ISSUE:
Vestine Gets
Married!
2
SoundSchool
2
Roz Carr
Memorial
Day
3
Imbabazi
Spotlight
4
Int’l
Women’s
Day
4
Contact Us
5
Don’t forget cookies
for Santa!
Music & dancing to
celebrate the holidays
and the New Year!
Gifts for
every child and staff member, made possible by
Santa and his “little helpers” (aka our generous
friends and supporters!)
PAGE
2
2012 has already been full of joy, good news and special
events at Imbabazi — here are a few highlights:
Meet Newlywed Vestine Nyirahabineza
On February 24th, friends, family and staff gathered in Gisenyi to celebrate the marriage of our own Vestine Nyirahabineza. She and her husband Ignace Ukwimpaye
were wed by the Mayor of Gisenyi at the district-level government office. Following
the official ceremony, the jubilant newlyweds and their guests gathered at a nearby
guesthouse for photos and a lovely reception. Vestine came to Imbabazi in 1996 and
moved to Gisenyi following completion of her secondary school studies. She currently works as a receptionist at a local hotel and enjoys brushing up on her English.
Congratulations to Vestine and Ignace, may the New Year bring you much joy and
blessings!!
SoundSchool Opens at Imbabazi
The New Year got off to a rockin’ start
with a visit from Carly & Andrew of
Australian-based NGO SoundSchool!
Imbabazi is extremely fortunate and
honored to have been chosen as the
second site for this amazing project
(the first is in New Delhi, India) which
provides musical instruments and
lessons to disadvantaged children.
Thanks to SoundSchool and their
fundraising efforts in Australia, we
now have an orphanage music room
equipped with a full drum kit, 3
acoustic guitars, an electric guitar, a
keyboard, an amplifier, microphones,
tambourines, harmonicas, and more!
To celebrate this special occasion, the
children cooked a delicious
meal for our guests and
then put on a small performance to showcase their
appreciation AND musical
talents: their Bob Marley/
Kenny Rogers rendition was
a big hit!
We are currently in the
process of hiring a music
teacher and establishing
weekly music lessons for
IMBABAZI
INSIDER
the children of Imbabazi and the
surrounding community. Murakoze
cyane – a BIG thank you to Andrew,
Carly and everyone at SoundSchool
for this amazing gift which will no
doubt enrich the lives of countless
children at and around Imbabazi.
For more information on SoundSchool, check out their website at
www.soundschool.com.au.
VOLUME
2,
ISSUE
4
PAGE
Roz Carr Memorial Day
On November 25th, we hosted the 5th annual Roz Carr Memorial Day to celebrate the life of Imbabazi’s beloved founder. It’s hard to believe that 5 years
have passed since Roz’s death, but thanks to the generosity and support of visitors and friends we have been able to
carry on her work and establish the necessary foundations to help ensure that it
is continued well into the future. Roz
Carr Memorial Day is one of the most
special days of the year at Imbabazi; it is
a day for the children to remember their
dear “Madame Carr” and for all of us to
reflect on the life and work of this remarkable woman.
A modest woman born in New Jersey, Rosamond Carr moved to Africa with her husband Kenneth Carr in 1949 in
search of passion and adventure. When their marriage failed and ended in 1955, Roz was faced with the tough
decision of returning to her comfortable life in America or staying in Rwanda to live on her own. She decided to
stay and was offered a position as manager of a pyrethrum plantation in the foothills of the Virunga volcanoes
called Mugongo. Although unsure of herself at first, Mugongo became her home for over 50 years until her
death in 2006. As a single foreign woman living in rural Rwanda managing hundreds of acres of pyrethrum on
her own, Roz’s life was full of ups, downs, adventures, and everything in between. Nothing, however, could have
prepared her for 1994 – Roz was evacuated to America at the start of the genocide where she watched the television with horror as her beloved Rwanda was plunged into 3 months of chaos and destruction. Her return to
Rwanda in August was met with the greatest sorrow and heartbreak she had ever known, but also her greatest
joy: in the aftermath of the genocide and just shy of her 82nd birthday, Roz made the decision to create a home
for lost and orphaned children. The Imbabazi Orphanage opened in December 1994, and Roz dedicated the last
part of her life to ensuring its children had a permanent home and were well-cared for. Today, the Imbabazi
Foundation and Board of Directors strive to carry on her legacy and mission.
Over 150 people attended the ceremony – current and former children of Imbabazi, local leaders and dignitaries, community members, foreign residents and
Peace Corps volunteers, staff and their family members, and even some visitors
from overseas! Attendees converged at Roz’s gravesite for a prayer and moment
of silence before being led into the gardens for a magical morning of entertainment. The children and young adults currently living at the orphanage took the lead in organizing the
event and put together an amazing schedule full of
poetry, speeches, acrobatics, music, skits and traditional dance. To conclude the day’s festivities, the
children served a specially cooked Rwandan meal
to guests in the orphanage dining room. Thank you
to all who attended this special event and we look forward to seeing more of you next year!
Are you interested in helping us continue Roz’s important work for the children of Rwanda?
Your donation can help feed, clothe and pay school expenses for a child at Imbabazi Orphanage.
We also have a number of larger, ongoing projects in need of funding. Please see page 5 for
information on how to contact us and/or make a donation.
3
PAGE
4
Imbabazi Spotlight
Fabrice Mutangana,
known to everyone as
“Directeur,” has been
at Imbabazi since he
was a tiny baby. Now
16 years of age, he has
grown into a healthy
and happy young man
here at the orphanage.
He is currently in his
last year of primary
school (grade P6), and this term he finished 1st in
his class of over 70 children! We are so proud of
him! He will continue to study hard in order to
succeed on his national exam at the end of the
year and advance to secondary school.
Directeur is a very talented artist and athlete. In
his free time, he likes to draw and play soccer
and basketball. His dream is to one day become a
driver or doctor and to visit his sponsor in
America.
teur
c
e
r
i
D
&
de
un
Tuyik
Good things
come in small
packages! One of
the youngest
children at Imbabazi, Tuyikunde
just celebrated
his 12th birthday
in February. He is currently in grade P4 at
nearby Kanyundo Elementary School where his
favorite subjects are English and Science &
Technology. His English is getting better buhoro
buhoro (slowly but surely), and during this
school holiday he has been studying every day
in order to improve his
grades next term.
When he is not at
school, Tuyikunde
enjoys cooking — he
can often be found in
the orphanage kitchen
helping to prepare
meals for the children.
He also likes riding
bikes, watching movies (his favorite is Harry Potter!) and helping to
care for our dogs.
When he finishes his studies, Tuyikunde hopes
to go on to university to study medicine and
become a doctor. He is one of several children
at Imbabazi currently in need of a sponsor — to
learn more about Tuyikunde or our sponsorship
program, please contact us! (see page 5)
Happy International Women’s Day!
On March 8th, we took a moment to celebrate International Women’s Day, an
important day in Rwanda and around the world to celebrate the power, potential and progress of girls and women. Here at Imbabazi, we gathered all of the
females living and/or working at the orphanage and celebrated with an afternoon tea party! While we feasted on toasted coconut cake and local Rwandan
tea, we discussed issues important to women and girls at Imbabazi, in the
wider community, and in Rwanda in general. The festivities were concluded
with a small speech and traditional dance party. Happy International Women’s
Day from all the ladies of Imbabazi Orphanage!
IMBABAZI
INSIDER
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Gisenyi, Rwanda
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www.imbabazi.org • imbabazi.blogspot.com
General Inquiries: [email protected]
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Imbabazi
Orphanage was founded by an American
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are tax-deductible
woman,
Rosamond
(Roz) Carr, in the wake of the 1994 name
for readerstowho
want more
information
Fax: 555-555-5555
genocide in Rwanda. Rwanda was Roz’s home for over 50
and can be made through Partners In Conservation, a regisE-mail:
[email protected]
years.
Since opening,
the orphanage has been home to nearly about the organization.
tered 501(3)(C) organization. Donations can be made online
500 children. Today, the orphanage has responsibility for 91
children.
Operations are lead by an international board of
Your business tag line here.
at www.imbabazi.org/donate, or by sending a check payable
directors and the onsite management team.
to “Partners In Conservation” (indicate Imbabazi OrphanThe orphanage provides a loving environment for the
age on your check) to:
children to grow and develop emotionally, socially, and
We’re on the Web!
cognitively. Our focus is on education and helping the
example.com
Partners In Conservation
children gain the necessary skills for independent living, such
Columbus
Zoo & Aquarium
as English training, computer skills, and life skills. We strive
P.O. Box 440
to continue Roz’s vision and legacy. The Imbabazi operates
Powell, OH 43065 USA
solely by the donations of kind and generous people like you.
We’re on the web!
www.imbabazi.org
Coming Soon @ Imbabazi: Roz Carr Museum
The building pictured below was first built as a pyrethrum drying house on Roz’s 200+ acre pyrethrum plantation known as
Mugongo. When the pyrethrum industry collapsed in the 1970s, the building fell into disrepair until 1994 when it was refurbished
and converted into the first home of Imbabazi Orphanage. There were 2 dorms on the top floor (one for the girls, one for the boys)
and a large open area on the ground floor for eating and playing. By 2005, Roz had acquired so many children that new dorms
were built to accommodate them all. This building now houses many resources for the children, including a computer lab, music
room, library and classroom. Not only is it historically significant as the original site of the orphanage, but it is also the only original
pyrethrum drying house still standing in Rwanda. Thanks to a generous grant, we recently received funding to restore this building
to its original glory. Soon it will house a museum for visitors to learn more about the amazing life of Roz Carr, her friendship with
Dian Fossey, the founding of Imbabazi Orphanage, and the process of pyrethrum production and drying. More to come on this exciting project in future newsletters!