From Volunteer Danielle
Category: Art of Conservation (AoC) | Date: Jul 18 2009 | By: Julie
Hi! My name is Danielle Boyd. I am from Sugar Land, Texas. I attend Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas where I will be finishing up my last year as an Early Childhood Education major.
This is me at Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge in Kinigi last night. This is the area where the schools with Art of Conservation are located. I am here for three weeks.
My prior experience to this volunteer job has been at home teaching K-5th grade. I also volunteered in Thailand for a month planting trees and teaching a third grade class English. Every project is different and I always learn something new from every experience.
This is me working with some of the students from Rushubi Primary School on the foundation of the rain water tank. This effort is to promote healthy living to the children and the community. Muhawenimana took a strong interest in what I was doing, so we decided to pair up and work together to finish my part. I thoroughly enjoyed working with all of the students. Their concentration during this activity amazed me. Not one child left their mural until they had perfected every detail. They each took pride in their art work which to me reflected a lot about their drive in another aspects of their lives.
Here I am helping Innocent (one of the staff members at Art of Conservation) learn different computer skills. Since he does all of the assistant work, he has taken a special interest in improving his computer skills.
Taking a break from the project work visiting Group 13 in the Volcanoes National Park. This was a very new and eye opening experience for me. After working with Art of Conservation for the last few days I had learned a wealth of information about the gorillas and other animals. However, being able to see these amazing creatures in the natural habitat really struck me deeper than I had expected. No one can really describe what it is like seeing these fantastic creatures interacting with each other. It is something that I feel everyone must try to experience for themselves.
Here is Group 13 playing, resting, and eating during my one hour viewing time. After watching them for a few minutes they moved up towards the top of the mountain. It was quite a challenge viewing them but it made the experience even more memorable.
I will be blogging more during my last two weeks in Rwanda.
Danielle
Tags: children, conservation, gorillas, mural, one-health, painting, rwanda
“You Live in a Very Unique Part of the World”
Category: Art of Conservation (AoC) | Date: Jul 14 2009 | By: Julie
And so here we are at the end of our second semester of conservation education classes. The children are on three-week break before resuming their third and final semester of the 2009 school year. With approximately 63 hours of conservation learning classes already completed and about 42 more hours to go, these 150 kids are truly growing into ambassadors for Rwanda’s mountain gorillas.
On the last day of the semester, following a 20-point exam, we put together pieces of a puzzle of a world map. We hope that this exercise helped to enlighten and reinforce to our students that they do indeed live in a most unique and vital ecosystem that deserves protection and further understanding.
Our students knew the word ‘puzzle’ as a type of game, but never as a ‘tangible’ game.
Kids take turns putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
The puzzle is complete and now it’s time to really examine our world!
More Art Lessons, a Dentist Comes To Town, and Thank You Nicole
Category: Art of Conservation (AoC) | Date: Jun 10 2009 | By: Julie
Thank you Nicole for the June 7th donation. We appreciate your interest and financial support. Please keep tuning in.
Today, children are studying how to draw the male and female human head in front and side view. AoC teacher, Eric, demonstrates how to draw properly proportioned faces and the kids put forth a great deal of concentration to make their own drawings accurate.
Following Eric’s directions and demonstrations on the chalkboard, our
students focus on drawing the human head in proper proportions.
Pencils and then later conte crayons are today’s medium.
Richard Reckmeyer, DDS, is visiting Rwanda from the U.S. in hopes of establishing an oral health training program to teach locals how to perform basic teeth cleanings and extractions. His program is modeled on similar successful initiatives in Kenya and Tanzania. He is interested in AoC’s lessons about basic oral health care and wanted to see how many children were following through with AoC’s recommendations for teeth cleaning. (Please click here for AoC’s post on Keeping our Teeth Healthy) Photo by Molly Feltner.
Students enjoy Richard’s kind and engaging attitude even when the doctor asks the tough questions such as, “How many times did you brush your teeth yesterday?”
Richard puts on his best silverback imitation during practice of Mu Birunga. Photo by Molly Feltner.
Tags: art, conservation, gorillas, kids, public health
Public Health Connecting with the Protection of Mountain Gorillas
Category: Art of Conservation (AoC) | Date: Jun 08 2009 | By: Julie
You may recall our request of support for the purchase of 2 rainwater tanks to be used to harvest much needed water at the two schools where we work. (Rainwater Tank Appeal-Kids Staying Healthy)
Fortunately our project was able to endow the purchase, installation, materials, cleaning supplies, and training for a tank per school. I must admit it’s been a much more elaborate activity than I first imagined!
The school directors acted swiftly with the arrangements of transporting the water tanks from Kigali to Kinigi. Once the big black plastic containers were offloaded and resting in the schoolyards, construction of a foundation and the installation process was speedy.
Now, over the next few weeks, we are conducting trainings on the maintenance and usage of the water tanks with the schools’ teachers. They will then take it upon themselves to create a schedule of when the schools’ classrooms and toilets will be cleaned using water from the water tanks and cleaning supplies donated by AoC. Additionally, the new hand-washing stations placed next to each classroom must be maintained with enough water and soap.
Innocent offloading the supplies needed for maintaining the water tanks and cleaning classrooms and toilets. Rushubi Primary School, Kinigi.
Our lesson for the day is finished, children return their drawing boards, and soon the school’s teachers with arrive for our first day of training. Jerry cans, plastic buckets, soap, towels, and more will be distributed to each classroom and block of toilets.
Getting down to business, Valerie translates during the training. Photo by Molly Feltner.
Teachers receive our manual which contain instructions on maintaining the rainwater tanks, the usage of the water, and a list of supplies needed to perform these activities.
We are providing much needed supplies to ensure that these schools are kept clean and sanitary. Sanitary schools means healthier students and a lesser risk of human-animal disease transmission. Brooms and mops for classrooms and toilets. Photo by Molly Feltner.
Tags: gorillas, staying healthy
Fun Run for Gorillas and Peace
Category: Art of Conservation (AoC), Ministry of Sports & Culture - Rwanda, Sports for Gorillas | Date: May 27 2009 | By: Julie
The 5th Annual Run for Peace Marathon in Kigali with the 2009 theme “End Violence Against Women and Children” proved to be an enlightening event for our students. Most of the students had never been to their nation’s capital, let alone participate in a national sporting event. It was amazing to see these children from rural villages standing in Amahoro Stadium at the race starting line, excited to see themselves on the JumboTron and ready to run. Many of the children ran the 5K straight through, beating adult runners, while others preferred to walk and take in the sights of Kigali. Afterwards we all crossed the finish line, we enjoyed lunch in the stadium and stayed to watch the winners of the half and full marathon come in.
The whole event went without a hitch, including the dreaded 4:30 am departure from Kinigi, much to my relief. The buses arrived at the Kinigi schools on time and everyone was there and ready to go. The students had spent the night before at the school to avoid coming upon a forest buffalo in the early morning hours when the wild animals are prone to move out of the forest in favor of the cultivated lands.
Valerie, Eric, and US photographer / writer Molly Feltner, who is volunteering with AoC, arrived in Kigali before the race to participate in a mini-expo showcasing Rwandan organizations that work with disadvantaged women and children. The Art of Conservation booth displayed a selection of our interactive learning tools (photo above shows children enjoying the masks), students’ “peace” pictures (see previous post), t-shirts, and tiles. Photo by Molly Feltner.
While our donation basket at our expo booth collected a mere 500 Rwandan francs (about 90 cents), we did succeed in fulfilling other missions such as raising awareness of the project on a national level and giving our students an enlightening and fun experience in the capital city.
AoC art teacher, Eric, discusses our students’ peace drawings with expo attendees. Photo by Molly Feltner.
The Amahoro Stadium’s loud speakers announce the 5K Fun Runners to proceed to the starting line inside the stadium. Our group is ready to go!
And we’re off!
We all completed the 5K course and now it was time to watch the runners of the half marathon and the full marathon from the stadiums bleacher. Runners from Kenya and Tanzania won in both races.
Race is over… I am relieved and also extremely appreciative of the effort Valerie, Eric, Innocent, Molly, and the schools directors put forth in making this a great field trip.
Please click here for more information on Molly Feltner.
Please click here if you would like further information on Rwanda’s Ministry of Sports and Culture.
US Student Volunteers bring Music and Dance to Rwandan Classrooms
Category: Art of Conservation (AoC) | Date: May 16 2009 | By: Julie
A group of student volunteers from Simpson College arrived in Rwanda ready and willing to work hard… and that they did. Professor of music, Virginia Croskery led the group with each member bringing incentive and originality to the classrooms of eager kids.
Our movie above gives a brief look at the teaching we did with KaiserCartel’s commissioned song for AoC, Mu Birunga.
Valerie (pictured left) introduces Professor Virginia Croskery and her volunteer students to the children. Virginia teaches vocal pedagogy, diction, world music, and studio voice.
With music playing aloud, Jeremy, the lone male of the group, counts the bars before the vocals come in.
The volunteers create simple choreography.
I wanted the children to get a taste of other types of dance, music, and performance so I asked Virginia and Shannon - one of the talented students studying to be a professional opera singer - to belt it out and wow, when the kids listened to Shannon’s superb voice, their mouths dropped in amazement and the classroom was shaking with fantastic energy.
Thank you, Virginia, Quelly, student volunteers, and Simpson College for allowing for this opportunity of bringing expertise, inspiration, and exposure to our kids in Rwanda.
Looking forward to your next bunch of volunteers to help with Art of Conservation.
BRAVO!!! ENCORE!!!! BRAVO!!!
Tags: children, gorillas, music, simpson college
Students Plant Trees for Conservation
Category: Art of Conservation (AoC), Rwanda's Park & Tourism | Date: May 05 2009 | By: Julie
As part of AoC’s efforts to teach the children living around Parc National des Volcans about conservation, each of our 150 students planted a seedling in groves around their schools. The seedlings aren’t meant to be food for wild animals that live in the park. Instead, they’ll be used primarily for soil conservation. Soil erosion is a big problem in hilly Rwanda, where nearly every available slope has been cultivated for agriculture. Once the students’ trees mature - which won’t take long in this wet, equatorial climate - their roots will act to hold the soil in place. They’ll also provide habitat for birds and insects like bees, which provide honey the communities can harvest to feed their families.
Below is a video made during our tree planting week set to the tune of “Sow A Little,” by New York-based musicians KaiserCartel. This is a commissioned piece made for our project. Enjoy!
Photograph by Molly Feltner 2009.
The beginning of a little forest. Photograph by Molly Feltner 2009.
Celebrating the hard work. Photograph by Molly Feltner 2009.
Tags: children, conservation, gorillas, local community, planting trees
Kids Helping Gorillas
Category: Art of Conservation (AoC), Ministry of Education - Rwanda, Ministry of Health - Rwanda | Date: Apr 12 2009 | By: Julie
AoC works with populations located next to Volcanoes National Park where research shows there is strong evidence suggesting that many primate species are susceptible to many of the infections that people are afflicted with and that the transmission of infection can occur in both directions.
Hence, Valerie, Eric, Vince, and I stress these Staying Healthy Tips (below) to our 150 students over and over again. Then we ask them to stress these Staying Healthy Tips to their mom, dad, and siblings over and over again!
Staying Healthy Tips banner hanging prominently in classrooms where Art of Conservation works.
Tags: children, conservation, genetic similarities, gorillas, prevention
-
-
100% of your donation, minus a small bank fee, will go to your intended purpose.
Donations made here are safe.
-
Donations Received
- Sep 28th Peter B. USD110.00
- Sep 23rd Stockshot S. USD210.00
- Sep 8th Mary G. USD165.00
- Aug 27th Bart H. USD500.00
- Jun 7th Nicole D. USD40.00
- May 5th Susan L. USD93.50
- Apr 5th Susan L. USD93.50
- Jan 18th Ludovic L. USD55.00
- Nov 17th Douglas B. USD275.00
- Nov 5th Mary G. USD165.00
- Nov 4th Mell F. USD120.00
- Oct 27th D M. USD220.00
- Oct 25th Sara G. USD165.00
- Oct 23rd Mary G. USD100.00
- Aug 7th Joan G. USD500.00
- Jul 5th Virginia C. USD200.00
- May 9th Theresa S. USD50.00
- May 1st Theresa S. USD30.00
- Apr 17th Theresa S. USD25.00
- Mar 31st Theresa S. USD25.00