The ride to Yvonne’s family home was in silence – we were all making an effort to breathe new energy into the remainder of our day. We were so welcomed at Yvonne’s home – love was in the air, laughter surrounded us – their smiles were contagious – we felt the heaviness lift. Yvonne’s mother was so thankful and appreciative for Yvonne’s opportunity to continue with her education.
In Rwanda only 15% of the students that pass the national exam are accepted by the government to continue their education. Although Yvonne passed the exam with high scores she was not in the 15%. Her mother encouraged Yvonne to repeat high school so she would have another opportunity to retake the test. Thus, the Esther Home Scholarship opportunity was offered to her and the alternative option of repeating high school was no longer considered. Yvonne’s family consists of five girls and one boy. Her brother and one sister shared the visit with us.
Yvonne’s family returned to Rwanda after the Genocide in 1994 from Brundi. After an lengthy conversation we learned that Yvonne’s mother had been sponsored by Women For Women International for one year learning new skills – she was proud to show us her tie dye work that she accomplished during the training with WFW.
Yvonne’s leadership and superb English skills landed her the position of the Esther Home Leader - voted on by all the girls. It was a wonderful visit and it truly took the edge off of what we just had encountered earlier in the day. We ended our visit with a photo session, lots of hugs and well wishes.
Our day concluded with a meeting with our attorney – after much conversation and frustration about the decision - we finished our discussion in agreement that filing for a judgment would be the best course of action. A few phone calls later, a Wednesday court date was scheduled. Although we did not feel convinced that this would change the situation with the minister we felt somewhat energized by moving forward.
As we laid our heads on our pillows we surrendered ourselves to a deep sleep. We ended our day with sadness in our heart but with such love and great affection for Yvonne and her family – we felt blessed.
To our loving family and our great community of friends – we hold closely your spirit, love and support – we are profoundly thankful!
In Rwanda only 15% of the students that pass the national exam are accepted by the government to continue their education. Although Yvonne passed the exam with high scores she was not in the 15%. Her mother encouraged Yvonne to repeat high school so she would have another opportunity to retake the test. Thus, the Esther Home Scholarship opportunity was offered to her and the alternative option of repeating high school was no longer considered. Yvonne’s family consists of five girls and one boy. Her brother and one sister shared the visit with us.
Yvonne’s family returned to Rwanda after the Genocide in 1994 from Brundi. After an lengthy conversation we learned that Yvonne’s mother had been sponsored by Women For Women International for one year learning new skills – she was proud to show us her tie dye work that she accomplished during the training with WFW.
Yvonne’s leadership and superb English skills landed her the position of the Esther Home Leader - voted on by all the girls. It was a wonderful visit and it truly took the edge off of what we just had encountered earlier in the day. We ended our visit with a photo session, lots of hugs and well wishes.
Our day concluded with a meeting with our attorney – after much conversation and frustration about the decision - we finished our discussion in agreement that filing for a judgment would be the best course of action. A few phone calls later, a Wednesday court date was scheduled. Although we did not feel convinced that this would change the situation with the minister we felt somewhat energized by moving forward.
As we laid our heads on our pillows we surrendered ourselves to a deep sleep. We ended our day with sadness in our heart but with such love and great affection for Yvonne and her family – we felt blessed.
To our loving family and our great community of friends – we hold closely your spirit, love and support – we are profoundly thankful!
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