We would like to thank Mother Bear Project founder Amy Berman, and all the knitters and crocheters, for sending a much-appreciated shipment of their amazing and cute bears to Rwanda.
We are very proud that these are the first Mother Bears to reach Rwanda, after some 184 000 bears have been sent to Africa over the last 19 years!
Aline Umutoni, CITW Community Co-ordinator, did a fantastic job of distributing all the bears to our Children in the Wilderness schools, with the remaining bears to be donated to Nyaruzizi Nursery School, situated very close to Bisate Lodge.
There are 38 small students in the nursery school, and we know they will be very grateful to each receive a bear each! We have supported this small nursery through CITW with school supplies, desks, etc. and are so happy to continue the support with these wonderful gifts.
The Bears were distributed as follows…
Bisate Primary School (near Volcanoes National Park): 56 children in the nursey school, 352 children in Grade 1 and 291 children in Grade 2. Total children 699.
Nyaruzizi Nursery School, Bisate Village: 38 children
Gisunzu Primary School (Gishwati Forest): 56 children in the nursery school, 103 children in Grade 1 and 52 children in Grade 2. Total children 211.
Akayange Primary School (near Akagera National Park): no nursery school, 117 children are in Grade 1 and 88 children in Grade 2. Total children 205.
The total Bears distributed across the four schools amounts to 1 153.
Thank you all once again… also a special thanks to Aline, who cruised through Rwanda from one side of the country to the other with her vehicle full of bears!
All pictures by Aline. On some days there was heavy rain (it is the rainy season here in Rwanda) so Aline had to take some of the pictures inside.
