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[ccarr]

13/08/2008


Hope Centre Burundi News Letter - no1

We have now been in Burundi for one month. What have been some of the impressions and experiences we have had in that time?

The people in Burundi are so industrious. They work so hard, whether carrying loads on their bikes or on their heads. They walk miles every day to their fields, and other places of work. Everyone seems to be busy, and those who are standing about are begging for work. Charles had a guy at the market plead with him, saying he would do anything, clean, cook, work on the building site, anything, if he would just give him a job. We have been quite amazed by how those with physical disabilities are very much part of the working community. They all seem to have a form of large tricycle which is propelled by turning pedals on the handle bar (we're not sure yet who provides these). They use the tricycle as if it were a large handcart and pile it high with goods for transport and also friends and family. Frequently others are pushing the tricycle to help with the heavy loads. It seems as if possessing the tricycle gives them the resource they need not just to get around, but to make a living also.

Another impressions is that the people are generally happy, smile frequently and greet each other enthusiastically. In Bujumbura, they are also very well dressed and always try to look their best. They may only have one set of clothes but they try to keep them clean and ironed. They are also very committed to their exercise. We can't imagine why, but there are always lots of people out jogging, even doing press-ups at the side of the road. If we had to work as hard as they do each day, the last thing we would be doing would be strenuous exercise in the evening! Sunday also seems to be 'Sports' day. Many people get up at 6am to go running before church, and packs of kids can be seen running along the side of the road, some of them with no shoes on their feet. There are also football matches on every available piece of ground and beach on Sundays, with crowds watching and boys selling peanuts and drinks. Some of the players have shoes but many play in their bare feet.

Charles has turned into a true Burundian driver. The Highway Code here seems to be very simple. There are only two laws:
1. He who dares wins
2. He who hesitates is lost

We have tried to figure out who has the right of way at junctions and roundabouts but these seem to be the governing rules at all times. Driving is made even more hazardous by the fact that there are so many bicycles on the road carrying the most incredible loads. I am hoping to do a photo montage of what these guys are carrying on the back of their bikes which we will put on the website soon, but so far we have seen someone with four desks, another with five full size barrels, yet another with full length tin sheets, and the obvious array of bunches of bananas, stacks of reeds and racks of bread. The most people we have seen on a bike is four. What do these guys put in their tyres? Another hazard is the mini-vans which are mostly right hand drive and, therefore, the main passenger door opens directly onto the road. When you are driving past, the minivan stops abruptly and people pile out into the middle of the road. The roads in Burundi vary in condition. There is tarmac on the main roads but there are often killer potholes and the edge of the road fades away in places. The side roads in suburbia are mostly dirt and some are passable only with a four wheel drive. Night-time driving is made even worse as all of these hazards are compounded by the lack of street lights, lack of headlights on many cars, and absolutely no lights or reflectors at all on the bikes.

Saturday seems to be wedding day in Bujumbura and at the moment there are many weddings with hundreds of guests, dressed in all their finery, in a cavalcade of bikes, cars, trucks and mini-vans. The strangest thing is that they all gather on the main roundabouts after the ceremony to have their photos taken. This totally blocks the main thoroughfares through town with all of the guests parking randomly all around both sides of the road. Apparently one of the main roundabouts has a special tree called the 'Love Tree' which newlyweds want to be photographed next to. Because of the parking chaos we haven't been able to get photos yet but hope to do that soon.

The good news is that we are expecting our 40' container to arrive in the next two weeks.

If you want to see images of how the work is progressing on the 'Hope Centre Burundi' building site then click on this link or copy the link and paste the link into your browser:

www.HopeCentreBurundi.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?board=inburundi

Our contact details are below.

Charles & Val

www.HopeCentreBurundi.com

--------------------

Here are different ways to contact us in Burundi

Email:

Val Carr = vcarr@HopeCentreBurundi.com

Charles Carr = ccarr@HopeCentreBurundi.com


New Mobile Phone Numbers:

Val Carr: (00257) 79239810


Charles Carr (00257) 79239809


Our House Phone Number:

Use this number sequence and you will only pay 4p per minute.

Dial: 08444 287287 & wait for a voice and then..
Dial: 00257 22259608

Please email us and let us know if you don't manage to contact us on these numbers.


Please Note: Our old mobile numbers are about to be disconnected so it is advisable that you only use the contact details above.

[ccarr]

29/08/2008

Hope Centre Burundi News Letter - no2


This is the second Hope Centre Burundi News Letter. You can un-subscribe from this list at any time by visiting www.HopeCentreBurundi.com.

This is just a short email to let you know that progress is good on the Hope Centre site. If you haven't already then I would recommend that you take a look at the following links. At the end of each week I upload the images taken from the building site and then create a web page for that week with a story about that week. Although you can find these by visiting www.HopeCentreBurundi.com I have put direct links to each week for your convenience. I'm really only doing this because it takes me a few hours to create the pages and edit the images and last week we only had three people click on the link for that week and I think that I am responsible for one of those clicks.


It's well worth taking the time to visit these links as I think you will be encouraged by what you read and see. Not only that but it also encourages us to know that you are dropping in for a visit.

The following links can be copied and pasted into your browser:

1a. The day we had to leave for Bujumbura:   http://www.eulogia.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1216400733

1b. Final preparations before the work begins:   http://www.eulogia.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1216578062


1c. Today we started working on site:   http://www.eulogia.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1216660473

1d. The building work starts with a security fence:   http://www.eulogia.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1216927353

1e. The first week of work is complete:   http://www.eulogia.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1217088829

2. The second week of work is complete:   http://www.eulogia.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1217619498

3. Week Three's Work is Complete:   http://www.eulogia.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1218261656

4. Week Four's Work is Complete:   http://www.eulogia.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1218871135

5. Week Fives Work is Complete:   http://www.eulogia.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1219525860

6. Week Six's Work is Complete:   http://www.eulogia.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1220037756

Out of interest, you can also see a mirror of these pages at the main Westhill and Elrick Community Council Website:   http://wecc.proboards80.com/index.cgi?

Thanks for taking the time to read and it would be good if you can encourage others, who are interested, to join the mailing list at:   http://www.HopeCentreBurundi.com

[ccarr]

13/09/2008

Hope Centre Burundi News Letter - no3


This is the third Hope Centre Burundi News Letter. You can un-subscribe from this list at any time by visiting: www.HopeCentreBurundi.com.

We have all settled into the new rhythm of life in Burundi. The boys started school this week which involves an early start as they have to be in class for 7.30am. They seem to be enjoying it – especially the fact that everyone speaks English – this makes them feel much more a part of things. Language is still a real barrier for all of us. Val is improving her French and we are all trying to learn Kirundi. It is a very complex language so it is quite hard to get by the initial ‘hello’, ‘how are you?’ and ‘thank you’.

We have managed to sort out another house to rent when the people who own this house return on 4th October. The new house has all the basic furnishings and is quite large. It also has lots of fruit trees in the garden but we will need to get all of the essentials (plates, cutlery, bedlinen, kettle, toaster etc.). Finding all of these items in Bujumbura is an adventure in itself. We will, however, have plenty of room for anyone who wants to come and visit. We also managed to buy a car from a friend here in Burundi. It is not a 4x4, but it has been lifted, and coped with a drive along some very rough tracks up country last week.

Work on the site is going well. We now have around 25 people working each day. There are around 10 permanent workers, then a variety of ‘journaliérs’, some of whom are students. Pastor Leonard seems to be arranging the rota of workers to ensure that many of the families in Gatumba have someone who is working on the site (and, of course, receiving wages), which is a great way of ensuring community support for the project. We have around 6-8 women working alongside the men, doing exactly the same labouring work. They carry the water to the site, help mix the cement and carry it in heavy buckets on their heads to the masons.

We have also managed to buy a seven tonne truck to help with all of the excess material which needs to be brought into the site to cope with the raised floor levels of the houses. We now have the foundations for all six houses in place and three houses up to floor level (which is around 600mm above ground level). We hope to get as many of the foundations finished as we can before the main rains come. These usually happen from mid-September onwards and it has already rained during the day once this week - the first rain we have seen in daylight in the two months we have been here.  Of course, when it rains here, it rains in torrents, but when it has been as dry and dusty as it has, the rain is very welcome.

Last week we enjoyed a trip up country to Rutana, near the Tanzanian border. The scenery as we drove through the mountains was so spectacular that the boys didn’t complain once about the long drive. There is so much to see as you drive – boys pushing bicycles laden with goods up impossibly steep hills, freewheeling with their sandals on the tyres down the other side; women carrying babies on their backs and pots on their heads to and from markets in the small villages along the way. Just past Rutana we helped the local people survey the difference in levels between a spring on the hillside and the water tank at the clinic in the valley, where they hope to pipe the water to. They were very grateful for our help and somehow managed to serve us Cokes and Fantas. We have no idea how they managed to get these without transport in this place which is 30 miles from the nearest town. You can see pictures of the trip to Rutana here:
  
http://www.eulogia.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1220735467

Please keep checking the website for the weekly progress updates.

Week 7 - Pictures:   http://www.eulogia.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1220735467

Week 8 - Pictures:   http://www.eulogia.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1221289501

[ccarr]

05/10/2008

Hope Centre Burundi News Letter - no4


This is the Forth 'Hope Centre Burundi' News Letter.

You can un-subscribe from this list at any time by visiting: www.HopeCentreBurundi.com.

This week newsletter is really just a text version of what has been posted on the Hope Centre website but without the images. Val is in Uganda so I am writing this report without her spell checking skills.

New Contact Details:

We have a new rented house and a new phone number. It's expensive for us to call the UK but by using a special number calling from the UK it will only cost you 4p per minute so if you get a chance then we would love to here from you. The new number is:

Dial: 08444 287287 & wait for a voice and then..
Dial: 00257 22259608

To read another newspaper report about our experience here in Burundi then follow this link to the relevant page of the Donside Piper:

http://www.donsidepiper.co.uk/news/Westhill-family-on-a-mission.4551454.jp

If you buy the paper then please consider keeping a copy of it or scan it into a computer and send it to us or we could collect when we return for Christmas.

In case you missed it. Last weeks video clip of Hope Centre is now also on YouTube. Here is a link to the YouTube Clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW80OaIIm3o

Progress on site:

Because the rains are coming it is important that the workmen and woman have a shelter and that the materials and blocks can be protected so we have built a shelter which is almost complete. This will allow the block production to continue.  To allow the shelter to be built we employed even more workers this week. There were a total of 35 workers this week. As I write there is now another soil block press sitting at the airport ready for collection. This additional block press will insure that we have enough blocks to complete all six houses within the one year and provide additional work for two or three more workers.

Work is going extremely well and well within the time limit that we had allowed but we do know that not all the money that will be required for completion has been donated yet so please consider how you can help. We will need at least another £33,000 to complete the basic build and a little more if we are to landscape the site with paths, flowers, trees and children's play things. Furniture etc is cheap but that will also be an additional cost. If we run out of funds then work will just have to stop but I would hate to see the workforce being temporarily laid-off. Every little helps so there can be many different ways to help. Check out the Mission International pages for fund raising ideas.  

Friday is pay day on site and to keep a record of all payment we ask each worker to sign a sheet but many of the workers are uneducated. This is something that we are hoping to address with the building of a vocational school after the orphanage is complete. So many of the workers can't write or sign their name so they provide a finger print in place of a signature.

New Rented Accommodation.

Yet another very busy week for us. We have moved out of the temporary accommodation that we have been living in for the last three months and into rented accommodation that should see us through to the middle of next year.

The house has all the beds, tables and chairs but almost nothing else. We have had to find and purchase everything that a house needs for us to be able to cook, sleep,  and clean etc. We have become experts at bartering in the markets. Basically everything that is imported is very expensive, much more than we would pay in the UK and everything that is made locally is ridiculously cheap.

For some reason there has been a problem with water and electricity this week. The water keeps going off for many hours at a time. A real problem when you need to shower. The electricity has been off for the last three days so the fridge/freezer has fully defrosted. All our laptops have now fully discharged. This is being written on my pda as it's the only peace of technology with any battery life left. This is also the reason that the progress update is a day late but power has finally been restored. Having said all that we are really enjoying our selves. The kids are happy and living by candle light is fun.

The house is large and beautiful but the rent each month is no more than what our oldest son is paying to rent a flat in Aberdeen. For those that are considering or have already donated to the project then please be aware that your money is not being used for our accommodation. All money's received are 100% used for the work of Hope Centre. There are no payed or subsidised staff working for Mission International.

Incidentally, also as I write, Val is in Uganda for a few days to give support to Hugh Henderson (Mission International Director) and a team of students from Menzieshill High School in Dundee who have saved up and traveled to Uganda to help out there. Val used to also be a student at Menzieshill High School.

Traveling In Burundi.

Armed police here often stop vehicles and some times they are just looking for money so if they find anything wrong with your vehical or documentation they will ask for a fine. This is ok as long as you get a receipt but with me traveling many miles every day to and from Gatumba some days I may be stopped two or three times. Often thy don't ask to see my document but ask for a bottle of water or a fanta. I have never given them anything and tend to give them a lecture about their abuse of their position. This normally takes them by surprise and they wave me on.

One day this week as I was heading into Gatumba I was stopped by this police man that was standing on the road with his hand up. The police often stop you there as the Gatumba road is known for it's ambushes so I asked him if he wanted to see my documents but instead he asked me where I was going. I said Gatumba and Hope Centre. He said that he was also going to Gatumba and proceeded to get in. I didn't really mind so was just going to accept it but then he signaled to three of his friends to also get in the car. At that point I said NO, and told them all to get out of the car and proceeded to give the policeman a lecture  about him abusing his position and warned him that I should report his behavior to his superiors. After this he thanked me and waved me on.

I did do something wrong this week that merited a fine. I made a U-turn on a duel carriageway that everyone makes U-turns on all the time but there was a 'No Left-turn' sign on one of the opening on this dual carriageway that I hadn't noticed. This was because the paint on the sign was almost completely worn off. I only saw it later.  Unfortunately for me I did this maneuver right in front of three armed traffic police who immediately blew there whistles and forcefully made me pull in to the side of the road. I could see that they meant business and they started to talk to me in French but I only speak English and told them so. They all looked at each other and obviously decided that they weren't going to get any where with the communication and just waved me on. I have now decided not to learn French as it may end up costing me more money.

Thanks for taking the time to read this letter.

Charles.


View the online reports with images:

Week 9 - Pictures: http://www.eulogia.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1221893080

Week 10 - Pictures: http://www.eulogia.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1222514970

Week 11 - Pictures: http://www.eulogia.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1223239811

[ccarr]

04/11/2008

Hope Centre Burundi Newsletter - no5


This is the Fifth 'Hope Centre Burundi' News Letter.

You can un-subscribe from this list at any time by visiting: http://www.HopeCentreBurundi.com

What’s new in November?

Well October and November have brought the rains, which makes the temperature a bit cooler, thankfully. The thunder and lightning which accompany the rain are spectacular. We sat on the balcony at the hotel by the beach one evening and watched the most wonderful light show over the mountains in the Congo. Better than any Guy Fawkes fireworks (and much warmer too!) It is strange when it rains when the boys are in the lake and the pool - it makes no difference to them as they are wet already and just carry on as they are. In town we have been caught in some dramatic torrents where the rivers are running down the main streets as drains fail to cope with the deluge. We took some photos of Josh, Maggie and I trying to wade across the road, much to the amusement of all of the locals who were sheltering in a nearby shop.

Josh and Maggie were with us for two weeks and we really enjoyed having them here. We took a visit up to Gitega, to an established orphanage there, to give them an idea of what we are trying to achieve in Gatumba. You can see some of the photos here: http://www.HopeCentreBurundi.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1225532010

The boys are continuing to enjoy school, and the friendships they have made there. John got a certificate of merit for artistic and creative work. Samuel seems to have been very involved (possibly the instigator?) in some inter-class riots where they were kidnapping kids from the year below, beating them up, then returning them to class (while the teachers were out at a meeting). Apparently it was all in good fun. Matthew is struggling a little in English with the emphasis on grammar and syntax, also with the teachers dictating lessons for the kids. This is the kind of approach where his dyslexia causes him the most problems. He is, however, doing really well with his French.

We are really enjoying being in our own house now and having our own things around us. It is a big house with plenty of space for anyone wanting to come and visit. We have been so humbled by the circumstances of our house staff and their gratitude for the pittance of a wage they are paid (although we pay them well by local standards). Odfax, our housekeeper is 33. He is married with three children age, 5, 3, and a baby. His father died some years ago and his mother has remarried, abandoning her original family, so Odfax is also responsible for his younger brothers and sister who are aged from 10-19. He walks a long distance to work and we wanted to get him a bike. The accepted way to do this is to give him a loan of money, then take a small amount off his wages each week. He earns so little we felt that this was going to cause difficulties for him, so we decided that we would raise his wages effectively to cover the amount he was paying back for the bike so that he had no less money in his hands at the end of the week. It will take him 30 weeks to pay back the money for the bike, then he will get the extra money in his wages. He was so grateful and told us this was a miracle for him and his family, as he had been trying to figure out how much he could possibly afford to lose each week and still keep everything together. It is very humbling and we need so much wisdom, as we want to be kind to these guys who work so hard, but don’t want to cause dissatisfaction and problems with other people’s workers whom we know are paid less. Wages in this country are generally very low and what we are paying our workers is more than teachers are being paid right now, so you can see the potential problems. If teachers could earn more as housekeepers, then the school system would fail and we would have another generation of uneducated adults with no prospects for improving their lives.

We have been relatively untouched so far by events in the Congo, although the border is less than 3 miles from the site in Gatumba. There does seem to be an increase in the military presence along that road, but no sign of unrest or trouble. Gatumba was the site of an infamous massacre of Congolese refugees in 2004 so there is a history of conflict between the Burundian rebels and the Congolese in this area. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatumba

The unrest at the moment, however, is focused in Goma which is around 100 miles north, on the Rwandan border and the international community appears to be intervening so we hope the current violence does not spread south. The whole situation in the Congo is such a mess, with so many rival factions and other countries involved in arming these factions, and plundering their vast mineral wealth, that it is impossible to see a solution at present. Our Burundian friends have expressed the hope that gold will soon be able to be mined here, as it is in Congo, but I must admit, we consider that possibility with some serious misgivings. Anyone with a further interest in the situation in the Congo should read Michela Wrong’s excellent book “In the footsteps of Mr.Kurtz: living on the brink of disaster in the Congo” which is the most readable of the tomes investigating the history of the problems there, with many stories from those who have lived through the reign of the various ‘kleptocrats’.

Work on site is progressing well, although to the naked eye there does not seem to be much change on a weekly basis. Foundations and drainage are all very important in the flood plain we are building on but do not look very exciting in photographs. The workers who are making the blocks are doing extremely well now and, when the time comes to build the walls (which will be soon) we will have thousands of blocks ready to use. We are still employing around 30 people on site and Pastor Leonard is doing a great job of ‘pastoral care’ with them all. They have a small microfinance project going where they each contribute a small amount each week which is given to a different worker in turn to enable him or her to purchase bigger items they need for their family. They also all helped contribute to the hospital fees of one of the workers who was seriously ill with TB. Thankfully he has now returned to work, although we did employ his wife while he was ill, to continue to provide some income for the family.

We are hoping to receive the container we shipped from UK (at the end of June!) this week. This will bring many of the tools and building supplies which will improve and make easier some of the jobs on site. The bureaucracy involved in getting this container to site without paying outrageous fees (and without losing half the contents) will be a challenge however.

We have been very encouraged recently by donations we have received for the project (both big and small) and would like to thank everyone who has donated for their generosity and kindness. It is good to know that we are working together to ‘make the world a better place’ as the Mission International logo states.

Charles & Val

View the online reports with images:

Week 12 - Pictures: http://www.HopeCentreBurundi.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1223703888

Week 13 - Pictures: http://www.HopeCentreBurundi.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1224273339

Week 14 - Pictures: http://www.HopeCentreBurundi.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1224877547

Week 15 - Pictures: http://www.HopeCentreBurundi.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1225532010


We have a new rented house and a new phone number. It's expensive for us to call the UK but by using a special number calling from the UK it will only cost you 4p per minute so if you get a chance then we would love to here from you. The new number is:

Dial: 08444 287287 & wait for a voice and then..
Dial: 00257 22259608

[ccarr]

This is the Sixth 'Hope Centre Burundi' News Letter.


You can un-subscribe from this list at any time by visiting: http://www.HopeCentreBurundi.com

What’s new in January 2009?

Well the big news from December was that the container arrived. Charles was very relieved to receive all of the building tools and materials, especially the cement mixers. He had to take some time, however, to explain the differences in mixing concrete by hand (which requires a whole group of people to turn the sand, gravel and cement) and using a cement mixer as they still had a whole group of people trying to fill the cement mixer at once. The big diesel mixer is petrol driven and can be taken to wherever it is needed on site which involved another change of thinking for the workers.

We also received in the container lots of clothes and household items which had been donated for the work here in Burundi. It was so great to receive these and we were quite emotional as we sorted through the boxes and saw all the clothes for the children and the sheets and towels. The household items have been stored for now on top of the wardrobes in our bedroom until the first house is finished.

The last two weeks before we left was rather hectic.

The boys had exams right up until the day before we left. In Africa they have exams at the end of every term which are taken very seriously and contribute to their overall year mark – which determines if they proceed to the next year. This was all new for the boys. They were expected to do some serious revision for each exam and, Samuel especially, had up to three exams each day. Even John had exams in each of his subjects.

I spent the last two weeks bent over a sewing machine and running back and forward to the market. I had volunteered to do the sewing for the Christmas Nativity play which took a great deal of time, wrestling with a 10 metre by 3 metre backdrop and measuring and making costumes for all of the children. Most of the women in Burundi work full time - the wages are so low that both partners have to work. Even in our church there are very few women who have much spare time, so that is why I took responsibility for doing the stage set and costumes. I also had to find and buy small gifts, and make gift bags and tags for all of the 43 children and young people (Christmas wrapping paper is not available), and buy small presents for our staff at the house and our 37 workers on site.

We returned to UK for two weeks over Christmas and New Year and enjoyed spending time with our families and those friends we managed to see. After 5 months, going from 30°C in Africa to -3°C in Aberdeen was a real shock but, thankfully, my sister met us at the airport with our winter coats.

The day we arrived we visited Crombie Primary School in Westhill who presented us with £1,000 which they had raised to pay for the furniture in the children’s houses. We talked with them about what Christmas was like for children in Burundi and saw some of the display boards that our friend, Anne, updates on the school notice board each week.

While we were away Pastor Leonard managed to arrange for the President of Burundi to come and visit the site, which was very exciting for him, Vincent the site supervisor, and the workers on site. When we returned this week they were keen to tell us exactly what he had done, where he had gone and what he had said. The visit was televised on Burundian National television. We hope to try and get a DVD copy if we can. Full Report Here: http://www.HopeCentreBurundi.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1231575727

We were delighted to receive photos from Pastor Leonard of the children with their presents at the site on Christmas day. This is the first time many of them have seen where their new houses will be, as some of them are currently being cared for by various different families around the city until the houses are finished.

The progress on site is also impressive to see on our return. We knew it would all start to look much more real when the walls went up and this is certainly the case. This week they have started to put the doors and windows into the first house which is great to see.

Yesterday we received the boys’ reports from last term and they have all done very well, even with the French. The school here has definitely been a positive experience for them in terms of teaching them how others value education. This term I have started to go into the school two mornings a week to help with learning support for some of the children from the orphanage linked to the King’s School.

So, we are settling back into life in Burundi. It hasn’t been too hot and the water and electricity have only gone off once twice each this week. The boys are getting back in touch with their friends and were delighted to see 3 hippos at the shore on the day we arrived back. That was a true Burundian welcome back!


Charles & Val


View the online reports with images:


Week 16 - Pictures: http://www.HopeCentreBurundi.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1226086797

Week 17 - Pictures: http://www.HopeCentreBurundi.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1226695250

Week 18 - Pictures: http://www.HopeCentreBurundi.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1227336762

Week 19 - Pictures: http://www.HopeCentreBurundi.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1227944302

Week 20 - Pictures: http://www.HopeCentreBurundi.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1228561974

Week 21 - Pictures: http://www.HopeCentreBurundi.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1229159087

(The Presidents Visit and Christmas at Hope Centre)
Week 25 - Pictures: http://www.HopeCentreBurundi.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1231575727

[ccarr]

This is the Seventh 'Hope Centre Burundi' News Letter.

What’s new in March 2009?

Somehow we find ourselves in the middle of March, when it feels like January was only last week!

At the end of February Val had an additional trip to the UK to sit her viva for her PhD, which she passed pending some minor revisions to her thesis. Prior to this we had asked if anyone in our home church, Westhill Episcopal, had any Playstation 2 games consoles, games or dancemats which we could donate to The Crib (the orphanage linked to the school our boys go to). They responded generously, as we knew they would, and we received four consoles, and lots of games. Two have gone to The Crib, one for the boy’s house, one for girl’s, with lots of games and a dance mat. One has gone to Matthew’s friend who was so desperate for one and is absolutely delighted. One other we are just waiting to see who to give it to. Matthew and John have just about moved into the Crib as they are down there most afternoons showing the kids how to play the different games, organising riotous sessions with the eye toy, and just hanging out and playing football.

We also asked our housegroup for any single and children’s bedding and were again overwhelmed by their generosity as many of them went out and bought new packs of sheets. Val couldn’t even bring it all back, but we have some friends who are coming out to visit at Easter and they will bring the rest, including 100 water proof mattress covers (originally destined for the oil rigs but now surplus to requirements) which another of our friends managed to obtain.

Work on site is, meanwhile, progressing well, without too many delays during the wet season. The final coat of interior rendering is almost finished on the 1st house and the roof trusses are going up on the 2nd house – you can see photographs at www.eulogia.co.uk/ .

In the middle of January we had a costing meeting where we realised that there was only enough money to continue working until the end of February, given the rising cost of materials (especially cement). We are so grateful to those of you who responded to our requests for help on the website and have received almost £8,000 in further donations which have enabled us to continue with the work on site. With the remaining budget we plan to concentrate on completing two houses first, and seeing Pastor Leonard and his family and some of the children move in, then continuing with the next two houses whose walls have been started. We are still looking for ways to raise further money to ensure completion of all six houses and would welcome further donations or fundraising suggestions.

Some of the issues which have caused delays and the increase of costs on site have been:

* The delay in receiving the container and especially the cement mixers
* The time and cost involved in raising the foundations higher
* The time taken by masons to build with the earth blocks (this has been a learning process)
* The falling value of the £ - last July we received 2,300 bif to the £ - it is now only 1,700
* The cost of cement which has risen by one third since last summer

We are, however, very proud of the quality of the houses, which is something many people remark on. These houses will stand for a long time while the mud brick houses (and even the clay brick ones) around have to be constantly repaired when there is heavy rain and flooding.

Some of you may already be aware that we will now be returning to the UK at the end of May as Val has been offered a research post at Lancaster University. This was not something that we had planned for but it seems like this is the right decision for us as a family at this time. Val spent a day in Lancaster at the end of February and found a lovely house to rent with lots of space for our friends to come and stay and also good schools for the boys. We feel that this move gives us the opportunity to return and earn more money which we hope can be used to continue to support the work in Burundi.

Take care and keep in touch!


Charles & Val

Archived Newsletters:
http://www.HopeCentreBurundi.com/home/index.php/topic,63.0.html

[ccarr]

Christmas 2009 Newsletter

Registered Charity No: SC038645
Mission International

2009 was a great year for Hope Centre in Burundi. Thank you all so much! Because of your support Hope Centre has become a reality with most of the original orphans now living in the three completed houses, with beds to sleep in, tables to eat at, and inside bathrooms. House number four is almost complete.

Pastor Leonard, the workers and the children of Hope Centre have also been very busy and have produced a healthy crop of vegetables as well as planting fruit trees and farming chickens.

Although life has improved greatly for these children, we are far from finished. Our immediate need is for funds to complete and furnish house four - for window glass and mesh, toilets, sinks and showers, beds, mattresses, tables and chairs. We would also like to build a more secure wall around the site to replace the woven mats and poles. Then it would be great if we could complete houses five and six. Even after all the houses are complete we hope to continue to address the needs of the local community by providing a clinic and vocational school, both of which are sorely needed in Gatumba.

So for 2010 I am asking you to consider whether you can possibly help some more. If you consider how much we in the west will have spent this Christmas and think about the fact that, in Burundi, the average yearly salary is only $100 or £62 (that's about $0.27 or £0.17 per day). I'm not asking you to give everything up and go to Africa (although I wouldn't stop you if you felt this is what you had to do). All I am asking is that you consider whether you can possibly continue to support the work in Burundi. Apart from the good that it will do for these people who live in extreme poverty, you will also have a feeling of satisfaction knowing that you have made a positive difference in someone else's lives.

The problem that we have here in the west (and I'm as guilty as anyone else) is the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality. Whether we see the needs and problems or not they still exist and it's you and I who have the responsibility to help address them. If you are interested in helping in some way then here are a few ways to help.

1. Firstly, all information and news about Hope Centre is updated regularly on the Hope Centre website so please visit it regularly. Here is the address:

        Hope Centre Website: http://www.HopeCentreBurundi.com

2. You can make an instant donation using PayPal or just using a credit card. Here is a quick link to the relevant page:

        Quick Donate: http://www.eulogia.co.uk/quick_donate.html
   
    or the 'GiftAid' option page:

        GiftAid Donate Option: http://www.HopeCentreBurundi.com/home/index.php?action=page;sa=giftaid

3. Fund raising events can be fun. Consider: Coffee Mornings, Car Boot Sales, Sponsored Cycle Runs or Walks, Making Calenders and saving up your loose change.
    Here some examples of what others have done:

        A Cafe: http://www.eulogia.co.uk/home/index.php/topic,403.0.html

        Marathon Run: http://www.eulogia.co.uk/home/index.php/topic,378.0.html

        Cycle Run: http://www.eulogia.co.uk/home/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=3

        Hunger Lunch: http://www.eulogia.co.uk/home/index.php?topic=223.0

        Event Sponsorship Form: http://www.eulogia.co.uk/home/index.php/topic,71.0.html

        Many More: http://www.mission-international.org/getInvolved.html

4. If you have a website then you can add our Code to your Home Page and direct visitors to the Hope Centre Website or to the Donations page.
    Here is the link to our code page with several options for you to choose from.

        Code Page: http://www.eulogia.co.uk/home/index.php?action=page;sa=link_code

5. We have created business cards that you can download and print. This has the Hope Centre website address. These can be downloaded from here:

        Business Cards: http://www.eulogia.co.uk/home/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=27

6. Join a team. We are hoping to take a small team to Burundi in August 2010 to do further work on Hope Centre and work with the children. If you are interested in joining the team then please leave a message on the website or email us direct. We have now set-up a new page on the forum for you to discuss this visit or ask questions. Here is the direct link:

        2010 Burundi Visit: http://www.eulogia.co.uk/home/index.php/board,51.0.html

Thank you once again for all your support in 2009. I trust that 2010 will be great year for you all.

Many Blessings

Charles & Val Carr

6 Redwood Heights
Lancaster
LA1 3FG
Home: (01524) 847917
Mobile: 0780 5424 558

ccarr@hopecentreburundi.com