Back on the field. Back home

Back on the field. Back home.

Its been a while. We were 4 months in Europe. Though it was a long time away, we are so happy we where able to  be back home in Norway waiting for the arrival of our little treasure. She is such a beauty (objectively seen of course;)., Everything has gone really well.

We have now been back in Rwanda for about 2 months. Back on the field and back home. Especially with our new little family member, making a home here in Rwanda is important. We are aware that we are not just working here but we are also creating a home and a start for Sophia's. This changes a lot. Especially my role down here. I am primary a mum now and that limits my contribution in the project in some ways, but enlarges it in other ways. It is interesting how easy it is to make contacts with people with a little Muzungu baby (white baby) in your arms . People are so friendly and contact seeking. They really make us feel welcome. Beside opening t up for relationships it also gives me more integrity in the culture. Here are some few pictures of our daily life right now. 

Moses making us a chicken fest meal:)

Our new little kitchenhelp.

One feed wherever neccesarry

We got a car!

Hm...still dont like this:)

As for the project, am I happy to share that our first building is soon up. While we were gone all the papers got accepted and we could start making the foundation of the health center/office building. The last month Christian has been a part of building. I have attached a little video of the building process. We will not be able to finish everything yet, as we still are in need of the needed funds to finish the whole building. But we think we will be able to finish the office rooms so we can have a meeting place and also do work from there. Then we can, as money comes in, finish one room at the time. 
Video link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rh1jlwqkm4o1ud9/Building%20MDC%20part%201.wmv?n=318118818

Naa har taket ogsaa blitt lagt:)

It is also great to see that our garden is growing. We now got 10 new piglets. 
We are also working together with some local entrepreneurs and farmers that also would like to try out our method of raising the pigs in mobile fences to get the benefit of the fertilization of the land. Cause it works really well:)

We (or mainly Amiss) have also started 2 support groups for vulnerable women in the community. These groups are meant to create a place where those people that have fallen out of society can have a place to come together for fellowship and get support from each other. Helping each other financially, emotionally, spiritually and socially.  emotionally, spiritually. We want to help facilitate that as well as possible through teaching, question asking, encouragement and guidance. Amiss is doing such an good job here.

More info on the project in January.

Now first thing is Christmas:) Want to greet you with this one verse from the old Christmas hymn “Oh come oh come Emanuel”. May the king of Peace be among you in your homes and in this world full of conflicts. He is much needed!

Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind 

In one the hearts of all mankind; 

Oh, bid our sad divisions cease, 

And be yourself our King of Peace. 

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel 

Shall come to you, O Israel!

Merry Christmas to you all!

Packing to go to Europe for a time

So the biggest news is that me and Christian is heading for Europe for the next 3 months +. Leaving the 9th of July. Reason is I am 30 weeks pregnant and so we thought since we already planned to get home for summer holiday why not just give birth back home at the same time:). And so we will. The due date is 10th of September and its a girl! We are sad to be gone from Rwanda for so long, but we are super happy to have a little girl with us back and that we actually have the privilege to give birth back home with friends and family and great health services.

Before going home, here is a update on the project

Mike Tallon has gotten some gardening try outs going on. The purpose of these try outs is to be able to work with local gardeners. The government encourages the population in Rwanda to grow their own kitchen gardens for nutritional reasons. Not many people have this yet so that's where this project could help in that process. Also he want to be able to have training programs for local farmers. We have through him also been able to continue the process of growing some medical plants which we can use in relation to the health centre.

Aloe Vera?

Artemisia Annua Anamed

The nursery

The health centre building has not yet been started. The process of getting the building accepted by the officials has taken longer than expected. And when we finally got it accepted we learned that they had changed the law which meant the yearly taxes had gotten up a lot for projects like this. This brought us on another journey of redefining and dividing the land for the prices to go down. So now we are again waiting for acceptance for dividing the land before we again will go another round. Hopefully the next round will go faster though.  But hey, what I say we are learning much in the process;)

Its seems like we finally have gotten the water going as well:) The dry season has already started and the villages around has many days without water ahead of them. So these days people can come and buy water from us. This is a big blessing for the community.
As another part of helping the villages with the water situation we are planning on help build water tanks with the locals that are interested. With a average sized roof a decent sized tank which collects all the rain water would give a family more than enough water for the the dry season. The idea is that we as a project would raise money to give 2/3 of the costs of  the tank and the people the rest. This would make it possible for many people to do this and at the same time avoiding pure aid. The idea is that if people have to pay something for it, it is easier to take responsibility and ownership. The people committing themselves to this will also have to take part in building the tank and also helping the next person. This will give them understanding of the construction and then knowing how to maintain and repair and also they would have a group of people in the village that can continue teaching others. We want to be able to start this in the next dry season which will be in January/February. We hope by then to have raised the funds needed for this and found the people interested.

Last 'umganda' (monthly cleaning day/ volunteer day) we asked if we could spend it making a football field. Many men joined us to help. Then they suggested if we could all meet again next Saturday to continue working on the field. Cause they said "this is for us and our children and when they (our project) is donating land for this then we should take responsibility to see it finished:)  Yey!

All our projects requires daily running costs. And as we have wanted to make or all our projects self-sustainable we have for example started a pig business. We bought some pigs which will be able to pay the running for our guards. The great thing with pigs is that we are keeping them in a mobile fence. So when the pigs have dug up and fertilized one area we move them to the next plot. Then we can use this area for agriculture. The people here were to begin with pretty sceptical to having the pigs outside like that. But they soon noticed how happy the pigs are to be out like that. We are also going to invest in some milking cows soon (cause we have a have a big plot of land), that can help us cover extended costs.

The pigs in their mobile fence

I am also adding some pics from the baby and mum of whom I attended the birth few months ago. I have been a part of many births here lately since I have been volunteering at the maternity ward at the local hospital. But this one was a bit special for me. I have been thinking a lot lately about how i could be able to follow up pregnant women more here (hm... wonder why;) but seriously, also long before my own pregnancy). I am not a midwife, so I really feel limited in my knowledge here, but have read a lot and been seeking places to get practise. So this was the first women I was able to visit for this very purpose. They contacted me because she had contractions a few days and then it stopped, now she was afraid. We got to talk, I did some tests and I could tell her everything seemed to be fine and that she should not be afraid, just make sure she already now would pack here bag and plan for who would go with he to hospital and who would take care of the children (last time she didn't get to hospital in time and gave birth on the motorbike). So when her husband called just a few hours later asking if I could go with her I was happy to go (would not wonder if the birth could start because she finally relaxed). And because I knew the system I could be of some help. The baby came fast and with no complications :)

A strong mum and her strong baby few days
after the birth

A little big sister observing carefully

Marieth, my good friend and colleague
also holding the baby

Me and Christian have also bought an unfinished house in the village. As the cost of renting a suitable house for four years would amount to approximately the same sum as buying/building one. (just imagine) It was supposed to be finished some time ago, but now we don't know if it will be done even by the time we leave. It has been quit a process but I leave the story for those of you we get to meet. I can only say again: we are learning a lot! Anyhow we are very happy about the location, the land, the house and the price. Looking forward moving in there when we are back as a family of 3:) And did I say it has guest room with beautiful view?

The blue roof in the back is our house

The blue house in the forrest

Yes the windows glasses are brown, and that was
potentially a mistake;) 

View from the back

A day in the village

A few times a week me and Amiss are going for home visits to different people around in the villages here. We want to reach out to the poorest and weakest in the region. To encourage them and help them with basic health care and advise. This also gives us an incredible opportunity to see the conditions people are living under and what the needs are.

Some days, like yesterday, we ended up walking for an hour (one way) to get to the home of an old man. It was hot, but a beautiful hike! The rainy season has just started and the nature is coming alive again after a dry and rough period. Its incredible how green and fruitful everything turns. Here are some few photos from our walk and visit. To give you an little peek into the beauty of this nation and a snapshot of what our days looks like here at the moment.

Amiss, pastor Margareth and me

Yup, we are going all the way up there:)

There are always some children, some more shy than others

'

I am not sure what I am doing but surly trying to demonstrate something;)

Amiss and the old men

A fast growing bean field

This is apparently where the people in this area get their water from

Earlier this week we went to another village for some visits. One family we visited because their smallest child of one year did not develop properly. He could still not sit on his own neither turn from one side to the other nor crawl or even eat anything else than breast milk. His hair was light, pretty straight and thin. He is the youngest of 8 children. 

The husband in the family does not have a job. Due to their situation none of them have health insurance or money for school fees. They have a little plot of land where they cold grow corn and beans. Which is more or less the only thing they eat. Just a few days before we came for the visit they had been able to harvest all their beans. But since they do not have glass in the windows, thieves where able to sneak in and steal all the beans in the night. Meaning, what should have been a change in  diet and maybe their only source of protein was now gone and they had to continue eating corn porridge and only corn porridge...so devastating!

While we were there with them my mind worked hard to see if there were anything they cold do especially when it came to the child and his need of nutrition to grow and develop. I asked if they knew about the Moringa tree. They said they knew about it also where to find them, but they did not know their value. I was happy to explained to them its strong nutritional value, how they can prepare it and how much they should eat ever day for it to be sufficient for a malnourished child.

This little advise seems like a small thing when looking at the amount of challenges this family are facing. One would like to give them money for window, for insurance, for medicines, for food, for school fees and and...the challenge is though that around the corner is the next family with as devastating situation as this one. 

And the truth is that giving money never will be a long-term solution. 

There are times I give and other times I don't. I believe it is right to do it some times. But the idealist and maybe the realist in me would want to see a greater change in these lives. A change that enables them to  make that change themselves. That they become able to get their head above water and by themselves can start to create and live, not only survive. I guess that is why I chose to come here in the end.  Though many things seems impossible I have to believe things can change. 

And even if they don't it is still worth trying. 

The fact that the mother learned about a plant that is for free and that she can get herself to provide for herself and her children its pretty encouraging to me. This knowledge alone i know could already be  a small step which could potentially be life changing for them.  Especially for the malnourished one year old.