Sunday, June 28
We arrived home yesterday (Saturday). God blessed us. It was a good trip.
The last couple of days, of course, are the busiest, trying to finish all the details that had been put off for two weeks.We met with the Education Minister, who is quite enthusiastic about the K-Light, especially now that we have a cell phone charger that works off the light. It means that people living or teaching in areas lacking electricity now have the ability to communicate. Also, the health department will be issuing the package of K-Light, charger and cell phone to its health workers. This allows them to send in health data on a daily basis and will enable the department to start gathering statistics and plan better distribution of medical care.
The Foundation did a major overhaul of its Beacon Program. We had several non-governmental organizations that wanted to do the program last year. The problem is that they wanted to control the funds – paying the women that they decided. Koinonia has several non-negotiable conditions and one is that the women handle their own funds. This visit we formed our own cooperative and hired our own full-time employee, Beata. She will organize the women into working groups of 7-10. Each woman is given 6 free K-Lights, which she can sell and then come back to the Rwandan company, Murika, and purchase more at a discount.
On the last day, the Methodist Church presented me with a beaded staff for moral leadership, etc. I also bought a hat made entirely of wood that I can use here for golf.
