The gang, all ready to run together.
Heads up, folks! This one is going to be a long one, but a good one. Unlike many years past, this trip was the most unique I have ever experienced and I surely wasn’t alone. For those just showing up, we had six different visitors during a short but eventful ten days. I think it will suffice to share how each day took place, which will include Run the 1, a Gisenyi excursion, street kid outreach, and much more. For those who don’t want to read a lot, I am writing this at the airport during a layover on the way home. We currently have raised 13k, getting closer to our 15k goal. AMAZING! The trip was incredibly impactful for everyone involved and has lit a path to future trips with more visitors. Read on if you are interested in where we are going and whether or not you want to join us. I also added a TON of pictures. And, as always, thank you for supporting these incredible kids.
A bunch of new and old goobers!
NEW AND OLD FACES
Remember, I have never been away from Rwanda for more than a year since 2008, and now it has been three. There were a lot of faces I knew and plenty that have moved forward into their adult life. There were also new kids who I hadn’t met. All of this is to say that the guests and I never had a dull moment as we got to know everyone. It was so meaningful knowing that so many kids from the last ten years and more have made it and now I get to witness the full cycle of what we are doing to help these kids. On a lighter note, I was also able to use some of my old jokes and games that had gotten stale over the previous decade due to a fresh audience!
Sunish, Clever, and I at Clever’s university in Musanze.
UNIVERSITY EXCURSION
Sunish came to visit this year. His last visit was ten years ago. He has been sponsoring Clever since 2010. Clever is now in his last year at his university. We were able to visit him and see where he lives and goes to school. The whole gang came and got to witness one of the best examples of what Ubaka U Rwanda is capable of. Clever was so happy to share his life with us and we were all able to talk and spend time with him like never before. It was truly sweet to watch Sunish get along with Clever, even more so than they did ten years ago. We even took him out to dinner before we left. Clever is studying to become an electrician and is set to finish up in October.
A blurry shot at night, but here is everyone at the end of the run. We walked back to enjoy the city lights and relax together.
RUN THE 1
After traveling all day and getting home at 11PM, I grabbed Ben Holmes at the the airport at 3AM and we tried to get some sleep around 4AM. We woke around 8AM while the kids were in school and the others were touring Kigali. With little sleep and no experience in Rwanda whatsoever for Ben, he and I took off running. I took Ben around to all of the different homes we have stayed in over the years, showing him where we came from and our progress since. We ended up running and exploring Kigali for about two and a half hours. Then we grabbed lunch and stretched for a bit before taking off for another hour and a half run in the heat of the afternoon. By 5PM, the kids were home and all excited to go running as well. Sunish even made a friend at a local guided tour, Marie, who joined all of us. Some visitors noted how nice it was to watch someone’s first experience with the kids. Even Russell MacDougall, not known for his running skills, joined us for the steep climb to the local stadium. Once Evode got home, we took off. It was the greatest way to close out Run the 1 that I have ever experienced. I have always imagined the kids running at the same time as us in the past, but there truly is no one better to be running with or for than those kids. We celebrated and had a nice walk back home.
Cool kids!
In the end, the lot of us put in some miles. All in all, Sunish ran well over ten miles that day, Amanda walked and met us at the stadium. and Ben Holmes and I ran for close to five hours for the day. Was it exactly a marathon? I don’t know, because I wasn’t going to run through Rwanda checking my “fancy” phone the whole time. If anyone wants to get a perfect mileage, please feel free to join us next year! Jokes aside, Run the 1 has always been special, but I can’t find the words to say how wonderful it was this time.
Sitting in on a mentor session with Evode and the kids from the street. I can’t always make out everything they are talking about, but it’s really special to watch regardless.
OUTREACH
On Monday and Friday, kids that are currently living on the street came to the home to play games, have lunch, wash, rest, and discuss their futures with Evode. It was here that our guests got to witness the evolution of a street kid in Rwanda, from being on the street, to living at Ubaka U Rwanda, to going to university and living on their own. It is quite a journey. We had a wonderful time showing the kids love and support. We played soccer, of course, but we also played Rwandan music with them and got to watch Evode mentor them. Watching Evode work with the kids is a thing of beauty. One aspect of the outreach is meant to help some of the kids find a way to make their homes work with their families if they have any. Another aspect is to get some of them ready to potentially come home to Ubaka and prepare to be successful in school and at home. It is my most sincere wish that I see as many of those faces as possible the next time I return to Rwanda.
Lake Kivu. The kids were timid at first because they had never seen or jumped into such a big body of water before.
GISENYI
Over the years, I have always tried to take the kids on a field trip of sorts to get them life experience and create special memories. I had more help this year, thanks to the visitors. Ten years ago, we took our kids three hours outside of Kigali to Lake Kivu in Gisenyi. None of our current kids have had that experience, so it was time to rent a bus and do it again. The kids didn’t slow down all day. Watching them see their beautiful country like never before was a highlight. They were actually too timid to jump in the water at first because they had never seen such a big body of water before, but once they got going, they were off! My personal highlight was coaching one of our little ones to jump off this platform that was probably six feet above the water. He was extremely proud afterwards. People were tired on the way home, but we sang songs the whole way back and enjoyed each other’s company. I’m fairly certain they enjoyed a day that they will remember for the rest of their lives.
Maxine, lounging around while we play soccer.
MISC
In between all of these highlights were moments upon moments of sharing and bonding. Seth and Alison introduced a simple but wild game, called Happy Salmon, that had all the kids laughing and yelling their different cards to one other. All of the visitors had multiple reading sessions with the many books they brought for the kids. This was one of many examples where we got to watch Amanda, our resident teacher, shine through. Of course, soccer match upon soccer match was had. We even had enough visitors to put together a Visitor vs The Kids match, which did not work out well for the visitors, but sure was fun! I watched as Sunish was able to teach one of the kids how to run routes as a wide receiver playing American football. He was a natural. I watched Russell and Holmes give their chemistry skills a go with some of our secondary students. There was a night where the kids kept trying to spell our names and were having trouble, so we flipped the roles and had them shout out their Kinyarwanda names as we tried to write them. There were dance performances, sharing of games and food, countless laughs, and more that cannot be quantified.
Fisto, Beni, and Boneri, before they take off to school in the morning.
IMPACT
It has been sad every time I have left, but I have never seen the kids this upset before. It could be because of the time away - they hadn’t had any visitors over the past three years. It could be because some of the kids are new and not used to seeing me come back again and again. It could be because the trip was so short. However, it cannot be overlooked how well Sunish, Russell, Amanda, Seth, Alison, and Ben got along together and with the kids. The kids had one heck of a week and came home from school every day to a bunch of friendly faces ready to engage, laugh, learn, teach, play, and bond. The kids got to experience many things that they never thought they would. So, tears were shed as we all shared our words about how much this trip meant, and the kids had their say too. I had a feeling this would work out well, but I had no idea just how special it was going to be for all the kids.
Russ and I, looking out at Kigali from the home on a peaceful evening.
THE PATH
All of this leads to me to what is next. Well, short term, stay tuned, because I plan to get some words and thoughts from our visitors and long-time supporters who were just there. We have a plethora of pictures and videos to share as well. Long term, though, I am sold on Run the 1 taking place in Rwanda so long as I can be there, and, hopefully, with others. I want to start making Rwanda more accessible so more people can witness all of the support they have given over the years and reap the rewards of seeing it and enjoying a relationship with the kids. We have such a beautiful home now that is capable of supporting kids and guests alike for years to come, and, for anyone reading this, you deserve to enjoy it and feel it. Come this April, I plan to look at dates for April 2024. I will set and share them as soon as I can. And, if all works out, the plan for years to come will be to set dates in April well in advance so those who are interested can plan properly. I hope those who are interested will reach out and we can get working on another adventure to show these kids just how much love and support they have.
Alison, enjoying her time with the kids on an outreach afternoon.
In the true spirit of Run the 1, there were no negatives. Everyone involved, from the kids to the guests, to Evode and Becky and our supporters, had an absolute blast, grew closer, raised everyone’s spirits, and secured a bright future for truly amazing kids and the future of Rwanda. But, dare I say, no year more than this year brought everyone this close. So, as sad I was when I left, I was more happy to think of this reinvigoration of Run the 1. I can see where we can go from here so people can make the plans they need to and see all they have helped to create from afar, and the kids can see how even more special they and their home are.
Amanda had a great time capturing shots of the kids on outreach days while we played soccer.
If you are still reading this, thank you so much. I hope this may give you hope for the future. I may have finally used every way to say thank you there is, but I will never stop saying it anyway. THANK YOU. Enjoy the rest of the photos!
Reach out!
KOMERA
Shaun Sullivan
This shot is taken from the kitchen. Before it was finished, there wasn’t an opening here to serve the kids. This was my first time getting to use it properly and it was really nice.
Holmes and I stopped to enjoy the view while we were running around Kigali.
We couldn’t ask for better dogs at home. They are protective, but they are kind above all.
Gabriel, sitting next to Amanda, is one of the oldest boys at the home now. It has been awesome to watch his growth over the years.
We hadn’t even taken off yet and spirits were high!
A quick nap was almost impossible.
Fiston came to visit. He and I go back to 2010. Fiston is now living on his own and making a life for himself.
Everyone is looking on as Holmes attempts to write one of the kids’ Kinyarwanda names by hearing it only. We did this for fun and to show them that it was understandable that they spelled our names wrong at times.
There he goes. Most likely wasn’t right!
Alison, taking charge while playing a ridiculously funny game called Happy Salmon.
None of this works without Evode’s love and committment to the kids. He is one of my best friends and an inspiration to me. And, of course, I made sure Marshall made it in the picture too.
Beautiful Rwanda
Going over Kevin’s school grades to see how he has been doing. The smiles show you he has been doing great!
For those who remember the first fundraiser we did in 2011, “The Walk for Porridge.” not only helped Ubaka U Rwanda, but also a school for street kids at the time. These young men came from that school. I still visit them every year because we remain close. Holmes got to see them this year which made it even more special for both sides.
Bus buddies, Beni and Fisto.
Walking towards our beautiful, fully-realized home after all these years.
They got me. I miss ‘em.
Serenading Marshall
We busted out a jam session with the kids from the street. It was so much fun and so sweet.
Sunish taught a lot of kids things on this trip. I don’t think anything was as sweet as when this boy took off running with the mini djembe after his lesson.
I loved this because Francois refused to leave Evode's side when he started walking. And, at the steepest part, we started “assisting” him too and had a laugh over it.
We also have a daycare in the morning for local toddlers. They are a handful, but oh so adorable.
Francois, cooking the morning porridge. This was the first time I saw the kids cooking with gas. In years prior, they had to use charcoal. The gas is easier, of course, and it’s probably better not to be inhaling all of that charcoal grit now.
Just one more picture of our boy Marshall.
Seth, reading with Francois.