Kim Coats, director of marketing & logistics for Team Rwanda Cycling, captures in her blog, A Life of Living Fearlessly, the duality of living in glorious Rwanda – a place full of beauty & joy, struggle & sorrow.
I miss Rwanda’s misty hills & people — especially my friends at Art of Conservation.
My friend Valerie, Art of Conservation teacher & translator.
These boys are delighted with their toothbrushes & paste. Likely, these are the first brushes they’ve had of their own.
photo credit: Art of Conservation
Seeing these beautiful smiles just makes my soul soar. It’s wonderful to see the donated items from friends in Iowa that Ellen Strachota, Tracy Levine & I brought in duffel bags to Rwanda are going to play a role in keeping more Rwandan kids healthy.
Julie Ghrist & her dedicated Art of Conservation team are educating, mentoring & simply helping people better their lives in northwest Rwanda.
Dian Fossey was smiling down from the heavens today on Nyange School as the Art of Conservation team introduced the AoC kids to Fossey’s important work to save mountain gorillas & her efforts to work with local communities to end poaching of gorillas & other wildlife. AoC teachers led the kids in a discussion about poaching & what to do should they come across people mistreating animals.
AoC volunteer Ellen Strachota – binoculars & notebook in hand – mimics Dian Fossey’s field work for AoC kids to draw.
To reinforce today’s lesson, AoC kids drew & used water colors to paint pictures of other forest animals considered “vulnerable”, including the tree hyrax & black-fronted duiker.
AoC artist, Eusebe, gently assists students with their artistic expressions.
One of the coolest things about AoC is their holistic approach to working with schools. In addition to their health & conservation enrichment program, AoC gifted the rain catchment systems at Nyange & Rushubi schools, providing supply of fresh water for the schools & communities for hand washing stations & cleaning. The water can be boiled for good drinking water.
Ni ah’ubutaha [“so long” in Kinyarwandan].
The Art of Conservation kids at Rushubi School enchanted us with a welcoming song & dance. What an enthusiastic performance – one we’ll likely never forget.
Nuko, nuko! [Kinyarwandan for Bravo!].
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