By Berthe ABAHUJINKINDI

This year, we launched the advanced programs for Senior Five, beginning with the Professional Skills programs such as modern farming, photography and video editing, electricity and water system, cooking skills, art, traditional art, sewing, recording and guitar. Midway into the program, we began a new form of Tikkun Olam which was previously called Umuganda to be held the last Saturday of each month and is now running parallel with the Clubs for Senior Five kids.

Professional Skills

The kids of Senior Five began the year with the Professional Skills program which is advanced in nature as compared to the Enrichment Programs that are taught in Senior Four and Enrichment Year. These professional skills possess varying degrees of difficulty; the major issue was the lack of didactic materials and until now we continue to struggle with this issue. But overall, the kids enjoy these programs so much that they display their level of commitment, motivation and knowledge which is very important for their adult life after they leave the ASYV. 

Clubs

In June, the kids from Urumuri grade began participation in six new clubs. These clubs were created specifically for the Senior Five kids and each family has delegated four kids in two of the existing clubs. These students are delegated in order to help their younger brothers and sisters improve the quality activities performed in the clubs and to promote the leadership spirit among them. Clubs include the Tutoring club, Languages Development club, Centers Management club, Guest and Tourism club, IT club and Sport club. Senior Five’s club activities has brought new blood, new ideas, and innovation in the ASYV way of life.

Tikkun Olam…A New Approach

The year of 2011 gave birth to a new change in Umuganda activities that were normally held the last Saturday of each month in a location where the students regularly worked with local residents. Last year’s plan, was designed to have the kids from Senior Five teach Tikkun Olam at Rwamagana in order to spread spirit of Tikkun Olam everywhere.  After a period of discussions, the village staff offered another suggestion; instead of going to Rwamagana, the students can do advanced Tikkun Olam in the areas that are closest to home.   This idea of combining Umuganda and the Tikkun Olam is mainly due to the village’s economic condition resulting in the need for Senior Five to teach the Tikkun Olam in three different sectors.  We took eighteen (18) students and divided them into two shifts to teach an illiterate population from the Rubona sector.  One shift is staffed with nine kids from three learning sites, Karambi cell, Rugarama and Rubona center. Each learning site has six kids rotating in two shifts.  A second group of eighty-four (84) kids teach in two primary schools; forty-two kids teach at Bicumbi primary school and forty-two kids at the Byinza primary school. The students rotate their shifts in a small group of twenty-one kids.   The third group of twenty (20) kids teach technology skills to the Rubona secondary school students.  They also alternate into two shifts of ten (10) students and once a month, every student from the Urumuri grade does Tikkun Olam including Umuganda.  This group totals 158 in S3, but they would never have received the opportunity without our students giving them that chance.