“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi
Ntarama Centre and Medical Clinic Nearing Completion (February 2008)
We are very excited to share these recent photos of the community centre and medical clinic which we are supporting in Rwanda. We have received word from Rwanda that it is in the final construction stages of painting and clean-up. It is expected to be complete within 7-8 weeks.
Volunteer Trip Summer 2008
Plans are underway for a group of volunteers from the Calgary area to visit various development projects wupporting widows and orphans in Rwanda and participate in volunteer work. If you are interested in joining us, please contact us info@inspireafrica.org
Chestermere High School Students 4 Change
In December 2007, a group of dedicated students hosted a pot luck dinner/silent auction evening to raise funds for the Ntarama Community Centre in Rwanda. Please contact us for more information.
Canadian High School Students Raise Funds for the Ntarama Community Centre.
In December 2007, students at Chestermere High School near Calgary, Alberta hosted a silent auction & pot luck supper to support the fundraising efforts of INSPIRE!africa, N4A's Canadian affiliate. Please contact us for more information.
Mothers and Daughters Trip, July 13-29, 2008
For a small group of mothers and daughters INSPIRE!africa has organized a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in Rwanda. The focus of the trip will be to understand the impact of the genocide, visit projects which are supporting widows and orphans and to spend some time teaching English and computer skills at the Ntarama Centre. We have also organized a visit to the famous Mountain gorillas and will end the trip with a wildlife safari in Kenya. For more information, download the brochure.
Download the INSPIRE!africa September 2007 Newsletter
Update on the Ntarama Centre and Medical Clinic: August 2007
Construction has begun on the community centre and medical clinic. Local orphans have been helping to clear the ground for the building site, as well as cooking food and collecting water for the construction workers. It is estimated the building will be complete by November and the facility will be functioning in January 2008. A local facilities manager will be hired and the search for doctors, nurses and teachers will begin soon.
Fanshawe College School of Contemporary Media Rwanda Film Project
This August, INSPIRE!africa was fortunate to partner with a team of students from Fanshawe College in Ontario who traveled to Rwanda to produce a documentary film about the work which INSPIRE!africa is supporting through SURF and Solace Ministries. The students’ role in Rwanda was to work with a non-governmental organization (NGO) to explore the work of that NGO as it relates to the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. The team has recently returned with 125 hours of film and 2,500 photographs. They have begun their work of editing all this footage into their final product which will be completed in November. Check out this link to personal blogs and photos of the trip.
Summer 2007 Volunteer Work
In June and July, Alix MacDonald and INSPIRE!africa volunteer Colleen Fleming created and authored a beginner’s English as a Second Language teaching curriculum that was sent to Rwanda and put into action by volunteers from the UK and Canada this August. The intent of the curriculum was for English speaking volunteers to train Rwandan teachers so they could use the materials to teach their own students throughout the year. Colleen, who is a language teacher in Calgary, provided creative resources and best practice strategies that any teacher would benefit from in their classroom.
In August, INSPIRE!africa volunteer Judy Archer took part in the delivery of English lessons at Solace Ministries in Kigali, Rwanda. Judy taught 3 classes per day for a week and witnessed, first hand, the thirst for knowledge as 150 students showed up each day for these free classes. We will have some stories and photos on our website from Judy’s
trip soon.
Opportunities in Rwanda
Volunteers:
If you are interested in volunteering at the Ntarama Centre and Medical Clinic next year, please let us know. We will be looking for volunteers to teach English and computer classes. Also, as the local community identifies additional training needs, we will be looking for volunteers with skills to help meet those needs.
YOUNG PEOPLE SUPPORT INSPIRE!africa
June 8, 2007 - Ivy Fraser, a grade 12 student at Ernest Manning High School in Calgary organized a very entertaining and successful fundraiser at the Wildwood Community Centre on Friday June 8, 2007. Over 100 people attended and enjoyed singing by the Hot Timalis, African dancing by students of the University of Calgary dance program, and lots of yummy snacks. Ivy assembled 45 valuable items for the silent auction and raised $5,600. How impressive!
At the event, Griffin, aged 9, made a donation of $27 from his ‘sharing account’ to support 1 year of literacy training for an orphan in Rwanda. He was very excited to be sharing a bit of what he has to make life a little better for someone so far away.
Thank you to everyone who attended and also to Ivy for her initiative and success.
On May 6, 2007 friends of Rae gathered at Om Sweet Om Yoga Studio in Calgary to celebrate her 11th birthday. Instead of gifts, Rae had each of her friends donate to INSPIRE!africa. Margaret McQuiston talked to the girls about what life is like for many African children their age and how the $130 they donated would be used to support children in Rwanda. They thought this was ‘very cool’.
OTHER FUNDRAISERS FOR INSPIRE!africa
We are thankful to the generosity of Suzette Allan and Ken Toews who hosted an INSPIRE!africa fundraising Martini Party in May and raised over $530. Guests were invited to donate to INSPIRE!africa and treated to various types of delicious martinis donated by Suzette and Ken and to a lovely evening of socializing in their beautiful home.
First INSPIRE!africa Fundraiser a Success!!
The week of February 19 was an incredibly fulfilling week for me. All the hard work we had put into building INSPIRE!africa since the idea came to me only 7 months previously, had come to fruition. It was heart warming to see so many people come out to the events we planned during the week and to express such interest and support for the work we are doing. My expectations were exceeded as well as our goals of increasing awareness of INSPIRE!africa and the Rwanda Girls School project, raising $20,000 and having an enjoyable evening. I am truly grateful to many, and especially to those who enthusiastically volunteered and donated their services and money to make the week such a success. To everyone who came out to our events as well as those who volunteered to made it possible, thank you all for being inspired to make a difference!
Sincerely, Margaret
For more information about our events, check out the following:
An Inspiring Evening – the first INSPIRE!africa fundraiser raises $36,000 for the Rwanda Girls School.
Did you miss the event but want to see the photos - A very special thanks to Chris Bolin who captured the evening so well.
From One School to Another – a local school gets involved in the Rwanda Girls School.
Corporate Calgary Kicks In – Calgary business women show their support for the women of Rwanda.
International Travel Studies - Rebecca Tinsley shared her experiences with the International Travel Studies Program and guests at the Calgary Academy
An Inspiring Evening
On February 22, 2007, an energetic and compassionate crowd filled the Virginia Christopher Fine Art Gallery in Calgary for the first INSPIRE!africa fundraiser and raised $36,000 for the Rwanda Girls School.
About 200 guests came out for the post-work event that featured passionate speeches about why Africa, and more specifically, the Rwanda Girls School, needs our support. In addition to the fantastic food provided by Vue Cafe, attendees were treated to African drumming provided by Ibrahim Diallo and Batafon, fabulous items in a silent auction and of course, motivating words from the event organizers and special guests.
INSPIRE!africa’s Margaret McQuiston kicked off the event by recounting her own trip to East Africa last May and what encourages her to try and make life better for those who live there. Margaret spoke about how she met people who were determined to rebuild their lives, families and communities. It was this willpower that inspired her to help others by establishing INSPIRE!africa.
Andy Amour, spoke from a very personal place as he discussed what the genocide has done to his homeland of Rwanda. Andy, a high school teacher in Calgary, spoke of how his own family back in Rwanda has taken in orphan children because those kids have no other adult to care for them. AIDS and the genocide have torn his country apart but the people have hope for a brighter future when education becomes a right rather than a privilege.
Finally, Rebecca Tinsley spoke about the Rwanda Girls School and the importance of education in helping Rwanda rebuild. Rebecca talked about how an educated population of women will help turn the country around. To do this, you start educating the girls, who then become mothers educating their children and their community. The ripple effect is enormous. Once again, Becky’s talk was both inspiring and moving, particularly when she spoke about how Rwandans see themselves as survivors not victims of the genocide, and it is for this reason she believes there is real hope for the future of Rwanda.
All the money raised from the silent auction items and the shopping list donation items will go directly towards start-up costs for the Rwanda Girls School. Many people expressed their interest in sponsoring a girl with tuition, room and board. Although the school will not be in full operation until January 2009, INSPIRE!africa is looking into ways that supporters will have the opportunity to begin their sponsorship of girls by assisting potential students to prepare for the very critical grade 6 exams. More information will be available soon on this website.
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From One School to Another
Students at Strathcona Tweedsmuir School learn the value of education.
The two schools couldn’t be more different. One is an exclusive Canadian private school with a proud history; the other is struggling to exist in a country whose own recent history is less proud.
But on a cold, snowy morning last February, the students of Strathcona Tweedsmuir School in Okotoks connected with their fellow students on the other side of the planet.
On February 22, INSPIRE!africa Board Member Alix Macdonald, volunteer Sandra Engstrom and Becky Tinsley, one of the founding members of the Rwanda Girls School, headed out to the country. The trio spent the day meeting with Strathcona Tweedsmuir students and building a connection between two very different schools, one in Canada and one in Rwanda.
Becky went to the school to raise awareness and educate both students and staff about the opportunities to support education in Rwanda that will become available as the school grows.
Drawing on her extensive experience as a journalist and aid worker in Africa, Becky spoke about both the Rwandan genocide and the current crisis in Darfur. Directly and honestly, Becky explained how we can help put a stop to the current genocide in Darfur as opposed to standing by like the international community did with the Rwanda situation twelve years ago.
“All three of us were filled with hope when we left the school,” explained INSPIRE!africa volunteer Sandra Engstrom. “The students were incredibly captivated and asked such insightful questions that we were really motivated to bring these two schools together. This future generation of social activists has had their interest sufficiently peaked!”
These budding future activists were out in full force at the first INSPIRE!africa fundraising event later that evening. Students from Strathcona Tweedsmuir welcomed guests and manned the coat room throughout the evening.
Many thanks to these enthusiastic volunteers for helping to drive this organization forward and for reaching out, one school to another.
By Sandra Engstrom – Volunteer INSPIRE!africa
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Rwandan Message Reaches Calgary Academy
INSPIRE!africa kicked off the February awareness and fundraising week at the Calgary Academy, a private school dedicated to preparing students with learning challenges for today’s changing world.
The International Travel Studies Program welcomed Rebecca Tinsley where she began by sharing her experiences in the former Yugoslavia and witnessing the impacts of "ethnic cleansing", a polite euphemism for genocide.
In her slide show, Rebecca gave a face to the countless victims of the genocide in Rwanda and explained how their plight has not ended, due to the difficulty in bringing the perpetrators to justice. She related stories of victims living next to the people who carried out heinous acts of violence against family members.
But Rebecca's story was not one of despair; rather, it was one of hope - a hope for the future of the people in Rwanda and a longing and desire to move past their experiences and continue to grow as a nation. The people she introduced us to do not want pity. They want opportunities and the Rwanda Girls School gives them that opportunity.
Rebecca is an inspiring individual. She has seen the impacts of man's inhumanity to man. Rebecca works tirelessly to assist in changing the course of Rwandan history and we thank her for that.
By Sean Beaton- Director of the International Travel Studies Program
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Corporate Calgary Kicks In
To wrap up the week, on Friday February 23 Rebecca joined a group of senior executives during a breakfast at the Bow Valley Club. Rebecca spoke about both the beauty and the horror that is Rwanda through pictures and stories from her many trips to the country. She also talked about how the people of Rwanda are moving on from the genocide with great determination and support from various development initiatives. Rebecca noted how the Rwanda Girls School will play a significant part in this rebuilding process. She ended by inviting everyone to come to Rwanda and speak to the school girls about their experiences as Calgary’s female leaders.
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