O Christmas tree. Your leaves are so unchanging.

Kites in our jacaranda tree on the lookout for a bite to eat

Our room with a view

Why not recommend Rwanda locusts on the NOMA New Year menu

Most people in our sector of Kimironko would describe this as a normal December. Practice runs of Händel’s Messiah emanating from dark skinned, white gowned choristers in the car park of our very next door’s Regina Pagis Church interwoven by lengthy trial sessions of Oh, come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant! Oh, come ye, oh come ye to Bethlehem ♪♪♪ ♫♫♪♪♫♫♪. Understandably, one may ask what is normal and what is not normal, as the rain season is on the wane and most days feel pretty comfortable with temperatures ranging from 23 – 28 degrees centigrade.

The past few weeks have brought a natural phenomenon that must be seen to be believed. Here we are thinking that bed bugs, fleas, cockroaches, mini sugar ants and the odd rat have been sent to test us until we suddenly become acquainted with swarms of locusts in biblical proportions.  Our house in KG 184 Street might as well be a film set for the sequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s “Birds”. Kites and magpies flapping their wings on our roof 5.30 a.m. in the morning. As the sun rises our green trees become a dark pit-stop for greedy African birds of prey that cannot wait to duck and dive into our garden to gobble up those crackly crunchy locusts for breakfast. We never did say that life in Sub-Saharan Africa was for the faint-hearted nor for people who prefer a quiet life in Queenstown did we?

Two friends happy with their new IDPD 2014 T-shirts

This is also the season for celebrating IDPD 2014, the International Day of People with Disabilities 3^rd December.  Work-wise the past couple of weeks have been inspiringly interesting with our events supporting this year’s United Nations theme Sustainable Development: The Promise of Technology. We try to promote how lives of people with disabilities may be improved with better access to technology and assistive devices.

Attentive student

One exciting initiative called “Meet the Computer” involved 30 young people who were invited to a half day taster session introducing them to basic computer skills, the keyboard, document editing and internet search. Several participants with severe disabilities doubted they would ever witness the day of gaining even the most basic ICT skills. It was amazing to observe them learning fast when facilitated by experienced trainers, sign language interpreters for the deaf and screen reading software for the blind.

Each and every one receiving an invite to this pilot session was excited, particularly one able but wheelchair bound Miss Nyirabazigaba who left her home in Gahanga at 3 a.m. in the morning to make sure she reached the Kimisagara training venue on time. This only became possible with the help of her sister. Back home, I do not recall ever having met an individual as keen to acquire new skills – living proof that disability is not inability.

Keen student who left home in Gatanga 3 a.m. to attend training in Kimisagara

Two friends enoying the new Rwanda Library Services  Braille books

Earlier in the year I was having a conversation with my good friend Donatilla Kanimba, Director of Rwandan Union of the Blind berating the lack of Braille books in Rwanda. As a child she  attended a boarding school for the blind in Kenya where three libraries stocked Braille reading material. Rwanda’s first and only national library was established two years ago with the generous support of Rotary and the US Embassy. To date the facility has not been accessible for people with disabilities, so IDPD 2014 provided a good opportunity to create a socially inclusive library service. With the backing of my employer, NCPD I took the lead on this very meaningful project.

On the morning of 2nd December 30 youth and children of mixed disability including deaf, blind and intellectual impairment turned up on the doorstep of Rwanda Library Services with high expectations. The occasion marked the first time the library was to host a group of people often overlooked when designing public facilities.

Our agenda included guided tours of the facilities, a demonstration of newly US sourced Braille books and writing equipment, installation of screen reading software in the computer room as well as reading activities for the children.

Edward Kalisa takes a keen interest in the children during Open Day

Our Guest of Honour, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Sports & Culture, Edward Kalisa followed the Open Day activities with great interest and got a sense of the action by interacting with the participants. He was particularly excited to discover their abilities and encouraged everybody to utilise the services available.

Our next challenge will be to consider how we engage with publishers interested in developing and promoting Braille books in Kinyarwanda.  Although Braille discussions took centre stage, other disabilities were also considered in this inclusive event where everybody felt encouraged to spread the word on Rwanda Library Services starting on the journey of being an inclusive facility for all.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all

Noheli Nziza n‘Umwaka Mushya Muhire wa 2015