Schools
Christ the King School located in Seattle, Washington and Mburabuturo Primary School located in Kigali, Rwanda
CKS is a private K-8 Catholic school dedicated to serving its local and global community.
The Umubano program at CKS began back in March of this year, when Marie Berry, Joe Stockton, and Melissa Cushman did a presentation for the 4th-8th graders about their trip to Rwanda in 2007 and the Umubano program. The students decided that Umubano was a program that they wanted to participate in, and quickly started writing letters to their partner school, Mburabuturo Primary School in Kigali, Rwanda. The CKS students were then able to hear the Director of Rwandan NGO Amani Africa speak at school to talk to them about students their age in Rwanda. CKS students then initiated a school supplies drive when they found out that schools in Rwanda often don’t have basic supplies like pens and paper. These supplies were taken to Rwanda last summer.
In the last month, CKS students received their response letters from Mburabuturo Primary School and were led in a discussion about what their Rwandan pen-pals had to say. The students then participated in a workshop where they evaluated what they had done in the program so far, and what they wanted to accomplish over the rest of the school year. The students decided on 4 fundraisers for their sister school: a jog-a-thon, a movie night, a car wash, and a t-shirt design contest. They will also be making a scrapbook for their sister school, sharing their culture and experiences. Their sister school will then create one for them. In December, the CKS students will participate in an Art Workshop where they will look at drawings made by Rwandans their age and use those as catalysts for their own art.
Blaine Middle School, located in Blaine, Washington
Blaine Middle School started the Umubano Sister School Program in October 2008. The program is lead by 6th grade Language Arts/Social Studies teacher, Paul Minckler. Mr. Minckler and his his students have now successfully written letters to their sister school and are awaiting their responses. Blaine Middle studies world geography, language arts, social studies, science, math, computers, leadership, band/choir, and physical education. Extra curriculars include football, volleyball, track and field, wrestling, basefall, softball, and cross country.
Blaine’s sister school is Ecole Primaire Kinunga (Kinunga Primary School), located in Kigali, Rwanda. Kinunga has 1,111 students and only 22 teachers, including NTAKIRUTIMANA Viateur, who is the lead teacher at the school for the Umubano program. The students have now received their first batch of letters and are in the process of writing their responses to students at Blaine Middle. Students at Kinunga study math, science, geography, civics, history, english, French, Kinyarawandan, dancing, and music. Extra curriculars include planting trees, gardening, and sports.
West Orange High School, located in West Orange, New Jersey
Mrs. Dana Pearl’s French classes have now joined Umubano Sister School Program and are currently writing letters to their sister school in Rwanda. The students are really excited about the program and are looking forward to meeting their new pen pals!
Girl Scout Troop 1437, Robinwood Elementary School, located in Franklin, Wisconsin
Check back for updates!
Stories From On The Ground
Last month, I had the privilege to co-facilitate an art workshop with 8th grade students at Christ the King School (Seattle, WA). The workshop was led by Caroline Kleindienst, an artist and activist who is now partnering with Umubano on several arts education projects. At this art workshop, the students were confronted with drawings by children their same age who live in a home for street children in Rwanda. Their drawings depicted images about daily life in Rwanda and scenes of conflict and violence that the kids had witnessed. The children in Seattle were introduced to the reality of life in Central-East Africa, the genocide in Rwanda, and the challenges of establishing peace in a post-conflict country. After discussing the drawings of the Rwandan children, Seattle students were invited to paint their thoughts, feelings, and suggestions for possible solutions. To start a cross-cultural dialogue, the students in Seattle sent some of their pictures back to their partner school in Rwanda, Mburabuturo Primary School.
This workshop was incredibly eye-opening and meaningful for the students. I saw it across their faces as soon as they starting picking up the Rwandan childrens’ drawings. The students got a chance to see with their own eyes the stark images that these street youth carry around with them everyday. Rwanda may be in the process of rebuilding, but the experiences of the genocide are still ever present in the minds and hearts of both young and old. This is why education and dialogue are crucial for the development of Rwanda and the healing process in a post-genocide climate. Youth especially need outlets to talk about their hopes, fears, and experiences. Umubano Sister School Program is trying to be a part of that process by connecting students, facilitating cross-cultural learning, and enhancing access to educational resources in the US and Rwanda. -Melissa Cushman To view some of the drawings created by the Rwandan children, visit Caroline’s website at www.carolinekleindienst.net |