8/14/2019 Comfort Rwanda Newsletter, Autumn 2013

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NewsletterAutumn2013

Comfort Rwanda, 82 Arden Grove, Kilsyth, G65 9NU, Scotland

E-mail: enquiry@comfortrwanda.org.uk !01236-827251

Web: www.comfortrwanda.org.uk SCOTTISH CHARITY: SC030369

TEXT GIVINGIf you would like to donate a small amount (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10) toComfort Rwandayou can now do so by text....Just text RWAN22 x to 70070

This October saw the completion of the

second of eight two week trainings at the

CTCR. Phil Arbon and Alistair Macindoe

taught on the gospels and pastoral care

respectively.

The CTCR, administered in partnership

with the Free Methodist Church in

Rwanda under the bishop KAYINAMURA

Samuel, but also open to other

denominations coodinated by RUGABIRA

Theophile from Harvest Church, takes

place at two locations in Rwanda -

Muhanga (formerly Gitarama) and Kigali. The course has been designed to equip pastors

with some of the skills and knowledge required to lead local churches. The assessed

programme of study requires significant commitment from the nearly 60 students enrolled

Christian Training College of Rwanda (CTCR) - Our Autumn Appeal

Comfort Ceilidh - St Andrews NightComfort Rwanda invite you to this years Comfort Ceilidh. This is agreat opportunity to meet up with the wonderful Comfort Rwandafamily of supporters, hear project updates, share great food andenjoy music played by the fabulous S

porrandipity. The Ceilidh willbe held at Chryston Parish Church (Main Street, Chryston, GlasgowG69 9LA) on St Andrews night, Saturday 30th November, from 7pm.Tickets are 5 for an adult or 15 a family. Available from yourComfort Rwanda church rep, the Comfort Rwanda office (82 ArdenGrove, Kilsyth G65 9NU, enquiry@comfortrwanda.org.uk) or if you

can assure us of your attendance we can put tickets aside forcollection. Last year was very full so do please get a ticket inadvance. There will be crafts on sale and an opportunity tocontribute to the ongoing work of Comfort Rwanda.

Cattle project

The two cows purchased in the spring are

expecting happy arrivals next month. Both cows

are yielding milk which has been drunk by visiting

groups at the guest house! The cattle shed is

finished, the herders accommodation is built and

the area is fenced.

Much work has been done (some by visiting

groups) to extend the area of fodder grown on the

5 hectare site. This has been successful and we

expect to add a further two cows shortly. Due to the clay content of the lower valley the

small well that had been sunk is not yielding water as hoped and a piped water source has

been brought in from a nearby spring. In the medium term we would want to extend the

project to cover 15 hectares and build up a high quality herd of Friesian cows. In the long

term we would want to extend the project to other areas of Rwanda.

Congo schools

Comfort Congo are now running three schools for some of the most vulnerable and

poor people on earth. These schools are: Kizeye school in Kaziba, Salugaba SecondarySchool at Karambi (a small secondary school most of the older children from the area

are fully occupied trying to find food or ways to get some money to survive but it is

important to encourage children to continue in education to prepare them for the

future) and Walugaba Primary School at Karambi which has 222 pupils of which 42 are

pygmy children, 124 are refugees from the camps, 34 are vulnerables and orphans, and

20 others. It is particularly encouraging to see the care taken to include the pygmy

children who are traditionally despised and marginalised.

The head teachers of the schools have asked us to consider the following urgent needs:

chalk, desks, benches, toilets, books, a table and chair for an office, staples, notebooks,

paint and teacher salaries (some are currently are unpaid, others receive 30 per

month).In the medium term we would like to help the schools buy the land they are situated on

and build proper breeze block classrooms. This will cost around 6000 per classroom.

Izzy teaching at the new venue in Muhanga

We are pleased to announce that Comfort Rwandas Callum Henderson has been confirmedas the Honorary Consul for Rwanda to Scotland.

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and for some this is quite a challenge! The passion and sincerity of the

men and women on the course is moving and challenging to us and we

want to meet that challenge by providing them with the best training

possible.

Most of the pastors come from very poor backgrounds and the

programme is offered free. The aim is to equip church leaders who have

been denied training because of war, exile or poverty with a quality

programme of accredited study which may also lead to further training

at suitable theological institutes.

Comfort Rwanda covers the salaries of two translators/administrators

(who are doing an excellent job), the accommodation and food costs of

pastors, administrative and venue costs totalling over 20,000 per year.

(Lecturers cover all their own travel and accommodation costs).

At present there is very little income designated to the CTCR and we

would like to build a stream of income that can help sustain this

programme of teaching and prepare the way for expansion in the future.

We are already being asked about extensions to the programme for

further levels of study.

Our Autumn Appeal is to ask if you would like to support theCTCR. If so please either download and fill in a standing order form

f r o m h t t p : / / c o m f o r t r w a n d a . o r g . u k / r e s o u r c e s /

CR_Bankers_Order.pdf. One-off donations can be made by cheque

to Comfort Rwanda, 82 Arden Grove, Kilsyth, G65 9NU, or via http://

www.charitychoice.co.uk/comfortrwanda/ Live links are at the

bottom of this mailing

CTCR - Our Autumn Appeal cont...

Plans for Coffee for Congo events are coming together all

over. Coffee for Congo is encouraging as many people as

possible to host events, big and small, to raise funds for building the

maternity clinic at Rusayo, North Kivu. This maternity clinic will serve

refugees and displaced people of the area.

More than 1 in 30 women in the area are die in childbirth and the

people are urgently and deeply in need of this facility. We need

around 35,000 to finish the building,

fit it out and equip it. We are aiming toraise 10,000 of this by having as

many Coffee for Congoevents

going on as we can. The target week

to do something is the week

beginning 20th October, but we are

delighted for any events to take place

at any time! There are lots of resources available at http://www.comfortrwanda.org.uk/

comfortcongo/ or ask us for paper copies. Get involved and make a difference!

The Maternity Clinic so far...

As foreveryone whocomes to me

and hears mywords and

puts them intopractice, I will

show you whatthey are like.They are like aman building

a house, whodug down deep

and laid thefoundation on

rock. When afloodcame, thetorrent struck

thathouse butcould notshake it,

because it waswell built.

Summer visits to Rwanda

We have had some terrific visits to Rwanda over the summer period. Visits by school groups

from Kilsyth Academy and Arbroath Academy were hugely enjoyable and informative, with

great groups of students and teachers. Two large church groups of 20 and 22 people from a

variety of churches throughout Scotland also visited as did representatives from Tools With A

Mission.

Two groups went to DR Congo, one of 11 in July and another of 5 in September. Visits were

made to the building work at the maternity clinic as well as to Gesom hospital where we are

presently sending rape survivors for surgery. A number of rape survivors groups were visited

and encouraged and shared their very difficult stories with us. Our partners were very keen

for us to visit the schools they are running and the Comfort Congos fields in Rusayo which

were out of bounds due to rebel activity in July but were showing good growth of cassava,

beans, cabbage and sweet potatoes in September. We also visited the sewing projects for

vulnerable women and rape survivors, and the pineapple juicing project for ex-child soldiers.

Dumbarton Village

In September a visiting group were

privileged to be in Jari for the opening andconsecrating of a new house for a

su r v i v i n g

w i d o w ,

Veneranda.

Veneranda

has showna m a z i n g

grace and

love in the way she has recovered from thegenocide. She is always thinking of how to

help others and has looked after a

genocide orphan with considerable

challenges in their behaviour. At the

ceremony the sector executive secretary

announced that he would like the villageto becalled after the partner church and

so a sign has been made at the VTC

announcing this part of Rwanda as

Dumbarton village.

Ihmure Vocational Training Centre

We know you will be keen for news of theIVTC. The team in Rwanda are gearing up for

next year and an electricity course will be

added to the syllabus. It is exciting to see the

workshop now being built and we are

hopeful this will be ready for the new year.

The students are making some excellent

items and we are looking at ways to utilise

the VTC for other projects such as house

building and benches and blackboards for

school.

Building the workshops at the IV TC

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