As Scotland finds itself in the upswing of a third Covid-19 wave we are still in a position where travel to Rwanda is impractical. Even in Rwanda where the virus did not appear to have as big an impact as in Europe, cases are on the increase again. Despite this, we are fortunate that our projects on the ground are able to work on.
At Rugende, five miles to the east of Kigali, our children's day-care project has been able to open up again after being in lock-down. Besides being looked after so that their mother's can look for work, the children are fed.
The Rwandan schools have been broadcasting classes over the radio and we have distributed radio sets to families. The schools are now on holiday but one of our older children at Nyamirambo has a place on a road-building course and we have been able to provide him with the materials he needs to do this before leaving school and hopefully finding work.
Through our travels and connections we have meet children whose families need support. One of these is Emmanuel who is not yet a teenager. Emmanuel's father is in his seventies which means that Emmanuel, the oldest of several siblings, is the effective breadwinner. This family is one of several that we are able to supply with food.
Like many organisations in the pandemic, Mission Rwanda has been forced to adjust to working remotely. Funds are able to flow to where they are needed and the work continues. Still, it will be good when we are able to get back into Rwanda once more and continue to develop our projects.