Nyungwe Forest

On many of our trips to the field to visit coffee farms and wet-mills we traverse the ruggedly beautiful Nyungwe forest in the southwestern corner of Rwanda. Nyungwe National Park is the largest montane forest in East and Central Africa stretching some 1,000 square kilometers and bordering Burundi to the south. The mountains range in altitude from 1,600 – 2,950 meters and boast an array of flora and fauna including 13 primate species (chimpanzees and the Colobus monkey are among the most notable), 300 bird species and 250 different tree and shrub species.

Despite the beauty of the forest, the road through the park is probably the worst “paved” road in Rwanda. Winding its way over mountain passes; the pot-hole ridden asphalt brings travelers dangerously close to the edge of cliffs at times and leaves backs aching and stomachs churning.

An overturned truck, an accident, armed military patrols, speeding buses, wandering tourists, fallen down trees and curious monkeys can all be seen on a typical drive through the forest. The diversity of the forest and the range of scenes one can come across just on the main road makes every journey through Nyungwe a new adventure!

Gihinga Primary School

The small roadside village of Gihinga in Rwanda’s Southern Province has approximately 6,800 inhabitants, most of whom are coffee farmers. Farmers grow coffee, bananas, beans and cassava. Gihinga Primary School was established in 1946 and currently has about 1,300 students enrolled.

old building

interior of old building

According to the Ministry of Education, normal classroom size should be maximum 45 students per room. Gihinga’s student enrollment far exceeded that with approximately 80 students in each of 16 classrooms. The need for extra classrooms was evident as the school was still using one of the original buildings made from mud bricks; the building was in dire need of replacement. Other classrooms were very dark inside and made it difficult for the children to see the blackboard adequately (there is no electricity at the school).

new classrooms

  

Our Community Aid program, in collaboration with Shenga Coffee Washing Station and the local community, built an additional 4 classrooms at Gihinga. The new building was inaugurated in February 2010 and the construction project also included replacing metal roofing sheets in all the classrooms with transparent sheets to allow more light in.

interior new classroom