Month: September 2024

Lynette & Larry Rambo with our children and staff in Rwanda July 2024

September 24, 2024 | by Lynette Rambo

“Muraho.” A simple “Hello” in Kinyarwanda was all it took to become endeared to the lovely people of Rwanda when we were there in June. We have been back in the US for two months, but my heart is still in this land of a thousand hills. My husband, Larry, and I had the privilege of celebrating my 60^th birthday in Rwanda this year.  We saw gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, went on a safari, visited the Genocide Memorial (one of the most sobering experiences), attended Liberation Day at the capital stadium with 45,000 Rwandan’s, and more.  For me, the most meaningful days were the two spent with the children at Rising Above the Storms (RAS).

Lynette & Larry with RAS director Alice at the Learning Center in Kigali

I work for Cisco Systems. Cisco gives employees 80 hours per year of paid volunteer time, and I wanted to find a way to volunteer in Rwanda.  When a colleague learned I was going to Rwanda she introduced me to RAS’ founder Alphonsine Anderson, who also works at Cisco.  During our initial conversation, I asked Alphonsine what the children needed and wanted. She said they had been asking for a piano for years. That became my 60^th birthday goal – to raise enough funds to buy them a piano and throw them a party!  My original goal was to raise $2,400.  However, peoples’ generosity was so overwhelming that we raised more than $7,000 from Cisco colleagues, friends and family!

Lynette on the first day at the Learning Center

On July 2^nd, I met the four children we sponsor as well as the kids living at the center. The staff and I handed out clothing and shoes we brought from the US in our luggage. The children also shared their stories. I am so inspired by these kids and their resilience. Many have come from very tough situations. Some are orphans or have been abandoned. All are in the RAS program because of extreme poverty. If it were not for RAS, a lot of them would be on the streets.

Lynette presenting the piano purchased with some staff and children

On July 3^rd, Larry and I spent the day with the staff and around sixty kids at the center. They threw me an unforgettable birthday party with lunch, handmade cards, a cake, songs and dances they had prepared, speeches, and gifts. We broke into six teams and had a LEGO building challenge and read a story in both English and Kinyarwanda. During the party, we also presented the piano and the part-time piano teacher RAS was able to hire because of the generous donations.

We also announced the purchase of a laptop for one of the young men we sponsor to help him as he prepares for graduation and university. He is the sole provider for his three younger siblings. They are orphans who live with their grandmother. He was so happy that he started playing a song on the piano and singing. Nobody knew he could play!

Fabrice, one of the children Lynette & Larry sponsor playing the piano during the celebration

Our experience in Rwanda has been a gift that will keep giving. What has struck me most about meeting the children at RAS is this:

• How friendly, loving and hopeful they are. I got to hug a lot of Rwandan children (and adults)!
• The hunger they have for learning and the value they place on education
• They are also often hungry for food and do not know where they will get their next meal
• The impact the genocide is having on Rwandan society 30 years later. Recent epigenetics studies are showing that the trauma faced by genocide survivors has caused modifications to DNA that has led to increased risk of PTSD and depression in the children one and two generations later.
• The extreme poverty so many Rwandans live with. Even if they have enough to eat, malnutrition may still be a factor because of the lack of variety of available food.
• Appreciation for the simple things we take for granted in the US
• How far $1 US goes (1340 Rwandan Francs)

Rwanda and Rising Above the Storms has impacted me so significantly that my life and heart are changed forever. The work that RAS does in Kigali should be done in every community throughout the world so that no child gets left behind.

Lynette distributing clothes and shoes to needy children

As I think back on our travels, I am reminded of the beauty of this country and its volcanoes, jungles, and sparkling lakes. Even the smallest pebble dropped in water creates a ripple. Being the catalyst for positive change in one child’s life also creates a ripple. When given an opportunity, that child can be the catalyst for positive change in the world one person, one family, one community, one country at a time. I want to be the pebble that causes the ripple. Imagine how big the impact when we all drop our pebbles into the water together. 

Ndagukunda (I love you in Kinyarwanda).

If you would like to sponsor a child like Lynette click here.

Divine Ishimwe at the Rwanda Learning Center Summer 2024

September 9, 2024 | by Alphonsine Anderson

Divine is a remarkable 14-year-old student who was recently accepted into our scholarship program in Rwanda, designed for bright students facing financial hardship. This Spring she was preparing for her 9th-grade national exam, which would determine her eligibility to move on to 10th grade. Divine’s academic track record was consistently strong. However, we were shocked to learn that she failed. Initially, we considered placing her on probation. We have a long list of children waiting to get into our program, so we prioritize those who maintain higher grades. But something didn’t add up. After further investigation we discovered she was going through a lot of turmoil during the exam period.

Divine has been raised by her aunt, which isn’t uncommon for children in our programs. She never knew her parents. Her mother tried to end Divine’s life when she was just a baby by throwing her into a toilet. By some miracle, she survived. Her mother disappeared and Divine never saw her again. Her father also abandoned her and moved to another country. Then he resurfaced during the week of the national exams, critically sick and in a coma. She met him for the first time but couldn’t exchange a word with him. A few days later he passed away.

Adding to Divine’s immense emotional burden is the tragic legacy of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, a horror that Rwandans, including myself, know all too well. But for Divine, her family’s story is especially complicated.  Her mother’s family were perpetrators during the genocide, responsible for the deaths of people in her father’s family. This deeply painful and tangled history, combined with meeting her father on his deathbed, must have stirred unimaginable emotions as she sat for her national exams.  When I heard Divine’s story, I was deeply saddened by her ordeal. 

Her academic situation reminded me of a moment in my own life, during graduate school in Rochester, NY, when my younger sister was gravely ill, thousands of miles away. The stress caused me to get a B in a course when I normally received straight A’s. It made me reflect on how personal turmoil can weigh down even the brightest of students. If that was my experience, I can’t begin to fathom what Divine was going through at the time of her exams at 14 years old.

Divine’s story is one of many at Rising Above the Storms. Our students are resilient, but they carry burdens no child should have to bear. We may not have the power to erase their pain, but through education and emotional support, we aim to be a source of hope and light in their lives. I invite you to be part of this mission. Your support can make a real difference for students like Divine, offering them not just an education but the chance to rise above the storms in their lives. Together, we can help them find strength, healing, and the possibility of a brighter future.

Please consider sponsoring a child like Divine to support his or her educational costs and basic needs by clicking here.