Promoting Peace and Cooperation Amongst Children, through the Arts.
Today, PEARLS Rwanda and the Agati Library partnered to sponsor an event that promotes cooperation and peace amongst children by helping them to express themselves through the arts. It also has helped the children to discover natural talents. The children are very excited and our hope is that this will inspire other events and let the world know that Rwandan children love art and literature as much as anyone else. Unfortunately, it is a lot harder for the children in Rwanda to gain access to art supplies than an American child. How can we help them to have more art supplies? We can’t send paint over there, due to customs, but most other things are fine. The box in the photo below will cost around $100 to send to Rwanda. It is filled with art supplies and educational toys. Please contact gbswann87@gmail.com if you can help with the cost. With your help, “Swann” will be able to ship the toys. Through Damien Nkubana’s hard work as the CEO and Founder of PEARLS Rwanda, more events will happen to help promote peace amongst children.
As part of sponsoring this event, PEARLS Rwanda has provided meat and eggs from it’s farm to feed the children. What is better than a good meal, with a side of peace, and art for dessert?
Art Supplies for Two Rwandan childrenPEARLS RwandaManzi and PamelaChicken and eggs have been provided by the PEARS Rwanda Farm.Children’s Art Gallery
Damien, PEARLS Rwanda Founder, organized a football match between the female students at the school and girls from the community. He distributed to sweets to the participants. It has been a day of harmony between the students and surrounding community.
Damien says “There are great values to be learned and expressed through sport: sharing no selfishness), competition spirit, winning/success, balanced with tolerance and friendship.”
PEARLS Rwanda is pleased to announce that a primary student club from Group Scolaire SHINGIRO chose to help alleviate some of the burdens of their local community by carrying supplies to their colleagues grandmother’s house. The family struggles to meet their needs, so the students brought them gifts of rice and beans, 3 chickens, soap, clothes, and school materials. Damien, our founder, is one of their teachers. Thank you to Group Scolaire SHINGIRO for being a good example to the world. Murakoze Urakoze.
A big thank you to http://www.rustyartist.com and http://www.archifootprint.com for donating a sewing machine and supplies for the ladies to be able to make their own reusable sanitary pads. This will help girls be able to stay in school.
This past weekend, Damien provided a community lunch in the village of Shingiro. He also gave an educational session on the importance of raising poultry for food security.
Most recently, we have added 4 goats to the PEARLS Farm. There are 45 chicks on the way!
Did you know that in Rwanda chickens, goats, and cows cost about as much as they do in the United States except that in Rwanda, the average person earns 96% less money than the average U.S. citizen! Whoa! How do they get by? By being incredibly resilient and intelligent.
Unfortunately, sometimes the children are not able to go to school due to lack of food, school supplies, uniforms, menstrual pads, etc. Even the adult teachers, social workers, and counselors struggle to meet their own needs as they struggle to help others. In 2015, 39% of Rwandans lived below the poverty line.
Pearls Rwanda will be a true community centre that helps people achieve education, food security, and counseling. It is a centre based on non-violence and economic cooperation. Currently, we are working toward the realization of land and a building to implement our programs. As a start, we have begun a chicken operation!
There are 4 women who are victims of genocide in different ways. They have partnered with 4 women who have husbands in prison for being perpetrators of genocide. In the spirit of peace and reconciliation, they have come together and formed a food co op. Please click on the link above to support them.
From the author: Hello, my name is Brandon Swann. I go by “Swan”. I am a disabled veteran in the United States. From my disability check, I funded this chicken operation to stand in solidarity with my fellow humans in Northern Rwanda. Will you help me? I am also a member of the Peace and Justice Studies Association, a student at Kansas State University’s global campus, and currently living in a tent in Western Maine. I hope to gain support for Damien Nkubana, PEARLS Rwanda, and to continue my education to help in international peacebuilding with a bottom up approach.
Damien Nkubana is the founder of PEARLS Rwanda and the man in charge of the new chicken operation. He does so much more as he tirelessly travels from village to village using the University of Washington PEARLS framework to help counsel survivors of the 1994 genocide. More can be learned about Damien and The Centre, here: https://dontwantyourcivilwar.com/2021/07/01/healing-in-rwanda-with-damien-nkubana/
PEARLS Rwanda Educational Centre 