Nothing out of the ordinary for here...

• The IRC six month pilot has ended but when they discovered Mark had no alternative funding strategy and only enough money to keep the organisation running for two months they provided us with a partial extension through to December!
• One of my boys has been in hospital with a drug overdose. Another four have been in prison for various things from smoking marijuana, playing urusimbi (local gambling game) and false accusations of stealing.
• I’ve been in trouble with the authorities over my visa, it being one for tourists not workers. The government have deported lots of foreigners in Kigali without the correct papers. The government have tabled a new law that prohibits NGOs having more than one foreigner working in Rwanda.
• We’ve met some of the street girls and started developing a programme for them.
• The boys stole a kitten for me which is adorable!
• We’ve had lots of visitors, each bringing something unique.
• We’ve built a cooking shelter now the rains have returned.
• We’ve started planning a sexual health workshop for the boys and one for the girls too.
• We’ve taken in another boy, an 8 year old who’s mother died of AIDS a month ago and who’s father then ran away to Uganda abandoning him, although it’s been a rough ride since then.
• We’ve had a few boys get unsettled by a few developments.
• I’ve had to deal out pay cuts because Sacca’s in such an awful financial predicament.
• We’ve started planning a programme to provide domestic support to HIV households.
• We’ve done lots of different activities with the boys including photo projects and football training and competitions.
• We’ve made progress adding recreational attractions to the centre including a volleyball net, football posts and nets, swing, hammock, rope ladder etc in an attempt to distract the children from wandering off to the market to play urusimbi, smoke marijuana, sniff glue and other undesirable things!
• We’ve started doing some work on children’s rights with the children. We’ve linked up with some new Child Protection committees IRC has set up to prevent separation and assist with reintegration.
• Oswald, my educator, has been in Kigali getting a new false leg and will soon be off to Solidarity Camp, the obligatory brainwashing of all new university students when the army spend a month filling your mind with political propaganda and reminding you who’s in charge of the country.
• It’s been busy but fairly smooth within the centre.
• Outside in the wider world things have been getting a little edgy. Lots of NGOs have been accused in government reports and statements of inciting ethnic tensions (largely meaning they employ too many Hutus and / or are favouring Hutus in their projects).
• The start of the Gacaca has brought new estimations of the actual number of genocidaires, inflating it from 100,000 to 500,000 as prisoners start identifying their accomplices who have been living free and as brave witness start testifying.
• Killing of witnesses is becoming increasingly prevalent, even including prominent figures – last week a Rwandan singer.