~by Tom & Renata Hewett ~
The day started with a conversation with Sally Stuart that was vital ‘inside information’ for what we would experience later. LWA started in 2017 but Sally’s been to Rwanda 16 times so I was curious about the early motivations & eventual ties to LWA. Compassion International inspired Sally’s early visits and during this time, Gilbert (founder of LWA) was a student and occasionally her driver around town. On one such drive, Sally arranged to stop at a facility that cared for the children of Kigali who suffered from all manner of disabilities. Gilbert accompanied her inside and what they found was a complete chaos. It was this visit that inspired Gilbert to open a school/clinic that would provide a better environment for learning and development of children with disabilities.
After a wonderful lunch all of us took some time to check out the Gift Shop of items made by Love with Actions mothers. We all are bringing back fun gifts for family and friends as well as keepsake memories of our trip.
Today was Renata and my first time to enter the LWA Academy’s classes and physical therapy rooms. Tom found a classroom full of enthusiastic P1 children (1st grade) listening to a children’s story being read in English. With many languages spoken in Africa Rwanda has one common language, Kinyarwanda, and now they are learning English as well. Renata also visited a classroom of P2 Children. They welcomed me with songs and singing poems. They then played some games and it touched my heart when they made a circle and two children grabbed my hands to be a part of the game!
Next we visited a room where Jean deDieu was about to make an impression unlike anything we experienced before. At age 3, JD experienced a SEVERE brain injury and was in a coma for months. Now 12, he continues on what will be a life-long recovery of basic motor skills but it is impossible to convey the power of JD’s SMILE, DETERMINATION, and ENTHUSIASM for each accomplishment he makes. Whether he will ever talk again is unknown but he can walk, understand language, and give 100% to whatever small improvement to his motor skills is coming next. I’ve never come close to seeing someone so completely injured yet so captivating with their smile and commitment to figuring out all the basic skills that are now taking years to relearn what he formerly did at age 3. I hope JD eventually surpasses what we all can do and is TEACHING US how it can be done.
The afternoon ended with time on the new playground swinging and spinning. There was also a spirited game of soccer with the kids, teachers and St. James volunteers. It was so fun to watch! It was a beautiful day and we look forward to the happenings tomorrow.
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