Twese Hamwe 2007

‘TWESE HAMWE’ * * 'All together' 2007

In large parts of the world children are obliged to work to pay their studies.

A small group of women - in Rwanda - tried to offer children real chances and in ’88 set up the Socio- Cultural centre ‘Twese Hamwe’. They gather and teach children to play, dance & to get to know the alphabet, simple things which are however necessary in the development of youth.
The aim is minimising the possible social moderate conflict between poor, illiterate and/or orphan youth and studying youth, by offering them a functional literacy and access to a profession training (sewing, domestic economy etc...)

This large devotion also overwhelmed Evariste back in Rwanda after 40 years searching for his roots.
As ‘Twese Hamwe’ didn’t have the necessary resources to extend, cooperation with Belgian sponsors was promised.
But how do you start something like that?

In 1998 the city of Kigali assigned them an area of +/- 1/2 ha. This area was not suitable for cultivation and therefore development was started. In 1999, after the area was fenced off, a tent (a gift of UNICEF) and some straw huts were placed.
A play garden was constructed with, among other things, a basket ball field and swings.

Each Saturday the children gather, helped by their parents and members of the association, to maintain and improve the area by planting flowers and trees.

The children get education in the tent but when temperature outside is high, it becomes unbearable warm. In 2002, the situation of the tent is piteous and the wooden construction  was damaged by termites.
A metal construction is build and in 2002 the roof sail is replaced by sink plates. This metal skeleton had to be closed with bricks.
Contact was taken with a Belgian cooperative that financially wanted to help on the condition that a department “Sewing” was included in the project. This cooperative donated 6 sewing machines and belongings.

Teachers were search for and found.

But by the establishment of this department the children lost their class room, which they didn’t appreciate.
The matter was discussed with the children and one of them proposes to treat bricks to lower the costs of building a new room. He, similar as others, had to do this before to be able survive. All his comrades followed its example and this in an infernal din of enthusiasm. The adults couldn’t do anything else then agree and also started to work themselves. A month later the bricks were lying in the sun to dry. Afterwards the bricks were piled up in a pyramid shape, leaving 2 wholes to make fire under the bricks in the traditional way, during two weeks, after rubbing in this tower with clay.

Resources to purchase all materials came from the central Building and Industry, after negotiations with Evariste.
Granite was introduced in the basements by the adults, after which the children put the bricks one for one.
The result: a real class room!!
Current water and electricity serves were installed as well as sanitary installations.

To give also the adults the opportunity to study in the afternoon (their children studying in the morning), ‘micro-credits’ were assigned.
The 120 registrations to these credits have been doubled since then.
The parents could become a member ‘Hozobana’  = fund for ‘school solidarity’ and in one or two years pay back their credits; on top of that they got five ewes by group of five thanks to ‘Westerns Union’.

A sub-pilot project was launched, called ‘Green brigade’, in the framework of ‘Protection of the environment’.
The pick up of household rubbish of 80 houses by a group of 20 women is a financially independent project, with extension to gardening.
Monthly meetings take place and on these occasions everyone is sensitised for the public training programme, the birth restriction, the suppression of Aids and the sexually transmissible sicknesses.

On 26 June 2006 ‘Wereldsolidariteit’ decided to support the project.
We presented them the concretisation of our model project: socially economical gardening and picking up garbage in Kigali, a project resulting in 20 families who can take care themselves for their life needs (grown at this moment to 50 families).
Because of this more than 300 persons are united and therefore a need for a large polyvalent room came up.

18 July 2005 the basement and a large part of the preparation work were established.
But because of a restriction in chopping wood, bricks couldn’t be baked anymore.
No wood = no bricks. Sounders and roof covering are in place, but the filling with bricks between the sounders and walls had still to be finished.
After some more months this all became feasible thanks to “Textile central C.S.C.”.

 For our next project we now ask your special attention:

Keeping an eye on hygiene and environmental protection we also want the waste products to be treated by the brigades. Recycling, compost....
For that purpose it necessary to realize a covered, closed but also ventilated building.
The skeleton and roof are already in place.

The walls, electricity and water are missing.
Given the fact that the area is an inclined area, current water started to erode grooves and therefore drainage works need to be done.

You can support us by:

A gift: large or small... on bank account 737-0211176-50

Thanks to your gifts we can pay teachers, purchase materials and guarantee the maintenance of the centre.

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Follow-up of the project

Minutes of the activities 2007

Introduction

The activities of 2006 were prolonged, with the exception of the literacy of minus 15 year old youngsters. One should not forget that the main purpose of the Centre is guiding teenagers, especially from poor families.
Therefore we want to put our energy in educations.

Activities 2007

Literacy of adults
The Centre keeps on learning adults (older than 15) the alphabet if they wish so.
In 2007 15 certificates were handed out.
We noticed that after the literacy most beneficiaries wanted to learn more. That way we find people in all educations (sewing, household, painting textile) who learned to read and write in the Centre. The ambition showed by these youngsters, after they learned to read and write, is a real encouragement for the Centre to continue.

Sewing education

In 2007 14 certificates were handed out. The same year the Centre had problems with the payment of the teacher; the AFCD stopped their help. Therefore the Centre started to ask a small contribution from every student (3000 RwFr/month) to purchase small material (needles,…), electricity (to iron). UTEXRWA keeps on deliver tissues for the practical lessons.

The green brigade

This project exists for 3 years now. It all started with one brigade (10 persons) and today there are 5 (50 persons). Each brigade works independently: has its own customers, controls his incomes and time usage. To keep the competitiveness they are support by the Centre.
In the minutes of 2006 we thought about raising the monthly salaries for the brigades by starting treatment of waste products by which to save money on fuel, taxes, maintenance and reparation of the vehicle. We got a financial support from “Wereldsolidariteit” to complete the building where waste products were treated. This task was completed but the treatment of the waste products will not take place in the Centre after a change in law (from today on these kind of activities have to be executed outside the city).

Painting textile project

40 women followed a 1 year education at “Women for Women” and ended in September 2007. 12 of them followed the textile painting education. As for the brigades the Centre guides them to manage their business well, to search for customers, to deliver good work. The Centre stresses mainly on a spirit of solidarity and the importance of the group. Of course this project needs extra financial means.

Seminar

The Centre organized a 15 days seminar on mushroom cultivation. This education program, given by AJADEJAR, handed out 12 certificates. The 12 persons, delegated by 5 associations of the Sector Kacyiru, choose “Twese Hamwe” as the “project leader”. The women who participated in this seminar was asked to spread their knowledge in their direct environment.

Entertainment

The Socio Cultural Centre “Twese Hamwe” remains a gathering place for youth from the surrounding districts for manifestations and all kind of games (especially during school holidays).

Functioning costs 2007

Conclusion

In comparison with the years before we didn’t get any external support in 2007 to pay the teacher. The Kacyiru district carried the costs of the literacy program for adults and the women of the development (AFCD) took these for the sewing education.
Thanks to self manageable small projects the Centre was able to keep on functioning (e.g. by several manifestations in the polyvalent room).
In 2007 62 families got a monthly income. This allows them to pay the school costs and health insurance for their children.
In 2008 we hope even more families can benefit.

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