Amahoro (greeting of respect, meaning “peace”)! I’m Jun-kwon Park from HUMAN IN LOVE Burundi Branch. HUMAN IN LOVE families, how have you been?
[ (from the left) HUMAN IN LOVE Burundi Branch local staff Alponso, HUMAN IN LOVE scholarship student Lazabuwa and his family, HUMAN IN LOVE Burundi Branch Mr. Jun-kwon Park ]
Burundi went through a chaotic period due to riots and protests against the third consecutive term of the president. However, I’m very relieved and pleased that the country has been restoring stability.
And today, I would like to deliver you the news from Rwanda after a long time.
For about two weeks from Aug. 2 to Aug. 16, there was a short vacation between the second and third semester for the Rwandan scholarship students. Students who live in the dormitory of the far-off schools come back home during the vacation. HUMAN IN LOVE scholarship students also came back to Rweru for the school break.
As we gathered after a long interval, I thought that it would be great to do something meaningful with the scholarship students during the vacation. Then, I came up with the idea to repair the most deteriorated house of a student who is in need with the scholarship students. By voluntarily repairing the house, the scholarship students would be able to know the importance of cooperation and learn how small help can cause big change.
So, I and Alponso, the local staff of HUMAN IN LOVE, discussed and prepared for the voluntary work before the vacation approached.
August of Rwanda is the dry season when no rain falls and the ground dries up. Rweru is especially hit by sweltering heat since it is located in the lowland of the country. Therefore, we set the rules to limit the working hours of the scholarship students to five hours a day and to take turns for works that require physical strength including mixing the cement or carrying water.
In addition, Alponso visited each house of the scholarship students and checked their conditions to select the most deteriorated house for repair.
[ The front of the house before repair ]
The house of MANIRAREBA Radjabu who is studying in the second grade of G. S. Rilima was eventually selected as the target house.
Radjabu’s family is in severe financial difficulty. Radjabu’s father passed away when she was young (even though she’s still young), so her mother had to raise four children by herself. Rweru is a place where many poor refugees live. After taking shelter in neighboring countries to avoid the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, they came back to their hometown in several years and settled at the place. In the case of Radjabu’s family, they are regarded as poor even in this area.
[ Dark inside of the house and bamboo bed which all family members share ]
The condition of the house was very poor. Parts of the old house were torn down and all of the windows have fallen out. The door was battered and the inner side of the house was very dark even though it was daytime. There were no straw mats to lay out on the bare ground and the whole family has been sharing a single wooden bench weaved out of bamboo. It was difficult to build the whole house for Radjabu, but we decided to cement the outer wall of the house so that it can withstand storms, change the broken door and newly hang the windows.
Finally, I and the scholarship students of HUMAN IN LOVE started to repair the house of Radjabu from Aug. 6 to Aug. 7 for two days.
[ Mr. Jun-kwon Park and the scholarship students mixing cement ]
We had to mix the cement to apply it on the outer wall of the house, and the male students’ were outstanding! They looked so used to this task. The female students also helped to carry the water and cement.
[ Students helping with the repair of the house ]
I also have an experience of mixing the cement, but since it was a quite a while ago, my hands were scraped and even bled. I was somehow ashamed. I had a chance to talk with the scholarship students while mixing the cement with a shovel, such as whether they are familiar with this kind of work, or how their school life is. Through the conversation, I learned that not only the scholarship students but also our local staff Alponso get a job during the holiday when they stay home. Some of the students told me that they even worked in construction sites in Rweru.
The conversation with the students reminded me of my childhood. My family was quite bad off during my childhood so I also had to work. I made fishing nets at home or four-colored pens. I was able to work in a construction site or get a part-time job only after I got older, but when I heard that these students worked in construction sites in much younger ages than me, I was heartbroken. At the same time, however, I was proud of the students for not giving up their dreams and living their life to the full despite financial hardship.
[ Students are having a snack ]
Meanwhile, some of the scholarship students were mentally suffering. Some students were exhausted since they had to study while working as well, and some thought that they are living in a pathetic and miserable situation. Some of them were even envious of Korean students because they thought they have lots of money so they don’t have to work and can get jobs easily. So, I told the story of myself and Korea.
I told the students that there are lots of poor people and those in need in Korea. Also, I told them people have their own weight of life and concerns, including myself. But the students did not believe me or said, “Don’t lie to us. Aren’t Koreans all rich?” So I told them about my own experience of getting a part-time job for school expenses and the story of our older generation who did not fall into despair even in economic difficulty and achieved the “Miracle on the Han River.”
[ House repair is almost done ]
In addition, I said that all people are living in various environments regardless of the country, and those who only blame the situation and give up cannot change their lives. The life of a person who works and thinks hard about his/her future path despite hardship is much more realistic and beautiful than that of a person who does not know the value of life and work even if he or she is affluent.
In conclusion, I encouraged the students by saying, “Your family is facing financial difficulties, but you are still doing a great job. Let’s keep searching for your future and dreams by looking at the positive side without giving up.”
As we had an honest talk while repairing the house, two days went so fast. We carefully applied the cement on the outer walls of the house and we installed a new door and windows. After the voluntary work, HUMAN IN LOVE gave school supplies to the scholarship students for the next semester.
[ Scholarship students are receiving school supplies for the next semester ]
Two days were too short, but it was great to spend a meaningful time doing the voluntary work together and sharing our thoughts and concerns with the scholarship students.Through a video clip, Radjabu’s mother delivered a gratitude message to HUMAN IN LOVE. She said, “The house repair was a great help for our family. Thank you very much for helping. It was a great pleasure to work with you together, and I would like to thank all of you once again. May God bless you.”
Radjabu also said, “Thank you very much for repairing my house. I would like to thank all the efforts of HUMAN IN LOVE. My house was very old but HUMAN IN LOVE provided big help and I don’t know how to thank you all. May God bless you.”
