WESTERN PROVINCE 

NGOMA—As the 1994 Genocide is most famous for claiming the lives of a million, it did much more than that. In various place of Western Province, infrastructure was demolished beyond repair. Such involved schools, hospitals and business buildings.

Ngoma primary school, located in Mugonero saw mass destruction of its buildings but through a small primary school in Denmark, the school has been rebuilt after years of neglect.

Memorial sites and demolished buildings is all that would welcome one to this school. On several occasions directors would give up their government jobs when transferred to Ngoma primary school. Even when its constructions had improved, people still called ‘unequipped.’

"I am proud to see that I have even challenged the government in getting foreign help for this school because it had been deserted for a quite long time,” says Samson Karenzi, director of the school.

According to the government, it considered closure of the school because it was beyond repair and perhaps plan on building another one in future.

"Looking in my pupils’ eyes day by day would give me the courage to work to the development of the school than its closure,” says Karenzi.

"I saw no hope for them getting access to learning because there are no other schools around.” That is when the Adventists Development and Relief Agency came in.

"There was nothing much I could do than linking them with pen pals abroad,” say Dr. Peter Isaboke, head of ADRA in Mugonero.

The first funds sent to Ngoma primary school last year were sent in the name of a Christmas gift. That gift really enabled the school to build two fully-furnished classrooms. Windows and doors of other classrooms were repaired as well.

"To a child classrooms mean less that’s why we arranged and bought some uniforms with the remaining money,” say Karenzi.

"If I would get a chance to see the friend that bought me a uniform I would be very delighted,” say Emmanuel Bwiza a former Primary-4 student at the school.

Now, through staying in touch via email, the grade 4 class at Johanness Kolen school in Denmark is sending another Christmas gift this December. The school will used it to construct and renovate the school further.

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