The head teacher addresses pupils at Muko School in Rwanda, where it is hoped Jersey volunteers will help build new classrooms later this year

ISLANDERS are being invited to consider joining a group on an overseas aid project in Rwanda.

The charity Hands Around the World are looking for a team from Jersey to go to a school in the village of Bugarama in the south of Rwanda to help build new classrooms to accommodate the increasing number of children moving from primary to secondary education.

Joanna Touray, the charity’s education and development manager, said: ‘The team will go out for four weeks in October/November. As well as helping with the building, the aim of the project is also to build cultural bridges and form lasting friendships.

‘We believe in “giving a hand, not a handout” and in working alongside local people.’
Situated on the shores of Lake Kivu, Muko School is supported by the UK-registered charity RSVP, which was set up by Rwandan couple Simon and Jane Mbarushimana and is run entirely by volunteers.

This building project will be organised by Hands Around the World, a charity founded and headed by Jerseyman David Steiner, and which now has a Jersey branch.
Mr Steiner visited Muko School last autumn and learned much about the 1994 genocide and how Rwandans are still working to recover.

‘Rwanda still lies very much in the shadow of the 1994 genocide – everyone aged 15+ has personal memories of “the war”, as they call it,’ he said. ‘The country is trying hard to rise from the tragedy of its past and schools like Muko are doing their best to improve the prospects of thousands of children and teenagers. They need help to do it, however, and we are delighted to be able to support RSVP in this valuable work.’

Hands Around the World are looking for men and women of all ages, with and without building experience, to join the team. Ms Touray added that volunteers would need to be ‘enthusiastic, committed, adaptable and willing to “muck in”.’

If anyone is interested, they can find out more by attending one of two meetings – on Monday 22 February at St Martin’s Public Hall and Tuesday 23 February at St Paul’s Centre, both starting at 7.30 pm.

• Further details can be obtained from Mike Haden, a trustee of the local branch who will be leading the group and who led the last Hands Around the World project to Mossoro in Brazil to assist street children in a slum area. He can be contacted on 07797 787149 or by e-mail at mikehaden2@hotmail.com

• More information about the charity can be found at www.hatw.org.uk.