The always helpful trader and local council Phenias recommended us to buy more
land on the opposite hill of Karengera called Gitwa, due to the increasing
number of students. Pastor Heridioni, who supported us, already lived there. We
quickly reached an agreement about the desired land with the local residents and
were happy to be now owners of another 2 hectares of good land.
With unpaid assistance, the local people helped us to build a dirt road so that
the trucks could bring the necessary building material for the planned school
buildings.
Water was urgently needed for the construction of the vocational school and
then for the primary school! Far up in the jungle a good spring could be found.
The precious water flowed in PVC pipes passing Karengera to Gitwa, where it could
be stored in a several thousand litres cistern.
Primary school
All the families living south of Karengera welcomed very much the opening of this new school.
Not only the 40 children of the nursery school and the teachers appreciated the
shorter distance to their school, but also the 550 primary school pupils.
This centre has been connected to the public electricity grid several years ago,
so that the computers can be used, unless a blackout stops the lessons.
Secondary school
Rwanda requires all boys and girls to complete 12 years of basic education,
six
years of primary school and 6 years of secondary school, offered in day schools
by every school centre. In contrast to boarding schools, the low school fees
enable children of poor families to receive a good basic education. The parents
are obliged to provide a hot lunch for their children in order not to study all
day on with empty stomach. Our task was to build a large dining hall with
kitchen for the 900 students.
Vocational school
300 young people are trained in our
boarding school to become carpenters, bricklayers, mechanics, electricians and
tailors. Rwanda needs good trained professionals to help achieve the ambitious
goals of President Paul Kagame. He wants to make Kigali the "African
Singapore"! Recently, the media reported that VW is investing heavily in
Kigali and is making the first cars screwed together in Africa. Right next to
it, the smartphone "Mara Phone" is produced. Billionaire Warren
Buffet caused another surprise with his announcement to build and operate the
largest agricultural research centre in northern Rwanda.