Jan 10, 2008 — The efforts of a local school club to send a Rwandan orphan to another year of school appeared to be thwarted Wednesday when the students learned the money needed had doubled. But their distress turned out to be short-lived, as more community members came to the cause — this time, adults.
In December, right before Christmas, the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School World Religion Club raised tuition through a school raffle for Vicky Umuhoza to continue her education for another year. Barbara Young, Kean photography teacher and advisor to the group, learned Wednesday that the school's tuition has been doubled since last year.
The day after Christmas, May Adams Cornwall, Waste Management Authority executive director, sent a letter to the Source Open Forum, praising the youngsters she had read about, and volunteering to provide the following year's tuition for Umuhoza.
By Thursday, Cornwall had saved the day. Having read her letter, Young contacted her Wednesday and by Thursday, Cornwall had raised another $400 through her staff.
"It wasn't that tough," Cornwall said Thursday evening.
"I've got some great people in my office," Cornwall said. "They have been behind me all the way. I don't want to take credit for this — it' a real good group of people."
Cornwall said she was touched when she read about the Kean youngsters helping the Rwandan nine-year-old. "That same week, we had so much stuff here about youth killing each other. What a breath of fresh air that was, a great way to get involved," she said.
She added, "Now, after this charitable donation, we should look at taking care of our own here at home."
The Kean students had learned of Umuhoza through Sonya Melescu, a local photographer and colleague of Young's, who had told them of the situation. Melescu had met Peace Ruzage last year in Rwanda, where she had traveled to meet the women she was sponsoring through Women For Women International, an organization that supports women in war-torn regions with financial and emotional aid and job-skills training. (See "Rwanda Orphan gets Another Year in School Thanks to Local Students.")
Ruzage had contacted Melescu to help. Umuhoza, 9, is one of three children Ruzage has cared for since their mother — Ruzage's sister Irene Humura – died in 2003 of HIV/AIDS. She was infected when she was raped during the 1994 genocide. Victoria has two brothers: Maurice Ruzindana is in his first year at Rwanda University, while Babu Junior just finished his third year at secondary school.
Ruzage wrote Young Wednesday, saying the tuition had been doubled from $420 to $840. Ruzage said she had looked at alternative schools, but found them "terribly uncared for."
Young said the 11 students in the World Religion Club had gotten to work immediately on another fund-raising effort. "They had decided to do a Valentine's Day raffle here at the school."
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