Support the Rwandan children and villagers of Kansoro

Imagine:

- Not having enough money to meet your family’s food or health needs.

- Living in a home with no running water. And a roof that leaks, badly.

- Seeing your children denied access to public education because you can’t afford fees for school uniforms, books and meals.

- Having no employment opportunities. Whatsoever.

- Watching your lovely, elderly neighbors struggle for daily existence.

- Yet, being happy in a way that many western societies can’t fathom!

Welcome to Kansoro, in central Rwanda in the foothills of Volcanoes National Park.

So, here are some of the hard realities facing the Kansoro and Nyabutaka communities:

- These wonderful people are very poor and vulnerable, malnutrition is quite common, especially among children. None of the homes have running water, making proper hygiene a challenge. The most common meal is beans and potatoes, frequently just 2 meals a day.

- Very few have the means to afford any type of health care. Yet health insurance for minor illnesses costs a mere $3 per year per person. Yes, that is correct.

- Although the Rwandan government provides public school education from 1st through 12th grades, the students’ families are responsible for paying fees to cover school uniforms, books and meals. If the family is unable to pay these fees, the student is denied access to schooling, this happens to as many as 1 in 5 children. Once a child leaves school, it is rare that they return. Of course, this is devastating to the child’s future. Yet, these fees range from just $350 to $500 per year, depending on the student’s age.

- There is an elderly population that struggles for existence on a day-to-day basis- food security, leaking homes. Many have no family members to assist or support them. Their neighbors love them, but are poor also.

- A number of these villagers were hunters, expelled by the government from their ancestral homelands in Volcanoes National Park. These families are experiencing dramatic culture shock, shifting from the mountainside to the village, from hunting to an uncertain future. Living on the mountainside, these families were self-sustaining, it is a difficult adjustment to be uprooted to a new and dramatically different way of life.

- These are remote mountain villages with very few employment opportunities. The unemployment rate is 35%, Nearly all of the villagers are farmers who work others’ land for about $2 per day. Developing employment opportunities would alleviate malnutrition, allow parents to cover their children’s school fees so they can continue their education, and allow families to afford health insurance.

Hi, I’m Randy, my wife is Nona, we live in Florida and want to tell you about an amazing lady we met in Rwanda, and Her personal mission to assist the children and villagers living in Kansoro and Nyabutaka. We traveled to Rwanda to visit Volcanoes National Park, where the mountain gorillas live. She was our guide for the day for village walks through Kansoro and Nyabutaka. We learned that She has a deep connection and devotion to these villages.

She is the 31 year old mother of three beautiful daughters, ages 1, 5 and 7. Her husband is an accountant. She was born in Kansoro (now lives in nearby Musanze, fka Ruhengeri), the third of eight children, Her parents were subsistence farmers. She has a degree in Tourism and Travel Management and has been working as a tour guide for 10 years in and around Volcanoes National Park. More significantly, over Her adult lifetime she has devoted herself to the development, goodness and welfare of the communities of Kansoro (700 residents), visiting them on a near daily basis and committing substantial personal, time, effort, expense and passion to support these villagers and improve their lives, especially the children.

Although these villages are very poor, their positive spirit left an indelible impression us, especially the children. Likewise, Her personality and enthusiasm for improving the kid’s lives were infectious. We were so inspired that at the end of the afternoon, when we parted ways, we gave Her $200 to assist the villagers, asking Her to focus on the needs of children and the eldest. In several days time She sent us photos of happy children and villagers with backpacks, composition books, clothing and food handouts to the neediest.

Since leaving Africa in late June, we have maintained frequent and robust contact with Her, seeking a deeper understanding of the children’s and communities’ needs and her vision to solve them. We developed plans designed to result in quick results for low cost.

We then helped Her to create the Umarava Foundation website, based on the development of a Vision Statement and Mission Statement.

Umurava translates to zeal, dedication, determination, enthusiasm or devotion. It describes someone who puts their heart, energy and discipline into what they do.

And now we are posting this GoFundMe account seeking your help in fulfilling Her vision of improving the children’s and villagers’ lives in Kansoro.

The initial goals of umuravafoundation.org are as follows:

1. School Dropout Prevention- this is the most cost-effective path to improving a child’s life and future! The uniform, book and meal fees cost… $350 to $500 per year, depending on the child’s age.

2. Feed the Elderly- many of the elderly villagers have no family, it is common for their homes to be in poor condition. Monthly food needs for an elderly couple cost only $80 to $90. The cost to replace a failed roof is only $300 to $500.

3. Jobs Program for the Able-Bodied- research and plan development are currently underway to identify and evaluate viable projects resulting in gainful self-employment and trade schools.

4. Adopt-a-Family Program- If you would prefer a more personal and long-term arrangement, please visit our website

Any of these initiatives will allow the wonderful people of Kansoro and Nyabutaka to live with greater pride, dignity, comfort and peace.

Why this is important to us? We deeply believe in Her and Her goals. Throughout our lives we have always had a soft spot in our hearts for and desire to assist those who are struggling, as well as a deep admiration for those who make it their passion and mission to help those who are in need of help. The villagers’ positive spirit in the face of such difficult conditions, combined with Her relentless energy to help Her people captured our hearts. Another factor is the low cost of support, how far the money goes. Imagine insuring a child’s future by keeping them in school for just a couple hundred dollars a year, or feeding an elderly couple for just $80 per month! We endeavor to assist Her through our own contributions and by helping to spread her story.

We hope you can make a contribution and will share this post with friends and family. If you desire your contribution to meet a particular need, just let us know! Thank you for taking the time to read this story.

Clarity, forthcomingness and transparency:

1. Our connection- As stated, we met Her while visiting Rwanda, She was our tour guide through the villages. Since returning home, we collaborated to develop assistance plans and the GoFundMe content. That is how much we believe in her! We have also provided additional donations towards the villagers’ needs.

2. How the donations are being transferred- GoFundMe only supports 20 countries, Rwanda is not one of them. However, GoFundMe DOES explicitly allow someone in a supported country (we’re in the US) to open a posting for someone else in an unsupported country. In these circumstances a transparent plan for the transfer of funds is necessary:

a. I have opened a new, separate bank account (at a bank I do not have other accounts with) that will only be used for transfer of funds from GoFundMe and to Umuravafoundation.org.

b. Likewise, She has a bank account that is used only for Umuravafoundation.org.

3. umuravafoundation.org is working towards being named as an official charity organization by the Rwandan government. It is a multi-step process that requires demonstration of actual and specific accomplishments and not simply hopes and goals. Contributing to Umuravafoundation.org will allow us to achieve the status and accomplishments to gain this certification.