Open letter to Aban committe from a volunteer on the ground

Some individuals have the power to decide: ‘Yes, you will be hung tomorrow morning. Life will be taken away from you’ or ‘yes, tomorrow, you will be with your family. Your life will be given back to you.’ Quite an important decision!
You, Abana Committee people, are about to have a meeting to decide whether or how further financial help should be provided to a little school in Rwanda. It is a very important decision too. You can say ‘Yes, here are x thousands dollars, buy this, this, and that. Who do we write the check to?’ And then you can go back to your current life, including more fund raising for further help, perhaps. Or, you can say: ‘No, giving you money, material help is a waste. What do you have to show for what we gave you in the past? You do not deserve any more money!’
Being on the ground, here in Rwanda, at the school every day, seing the children outside and inside Rugerero Primary, I have a view that is in-between these two extremes. The objective need for help is so obvious that I won’t even elaborate on it. Something needs to be done now if we want to improve the quality of education at the school. Yes, the help provided by Abana so far could have borne more fruit, but yes, some definite progress has been made. The magnitude of what is needed is such that we need to be patient and perseverant. We also need to have a good understanding of how the process of change, modernisation, attitudinal shifts is taking place in Africa in general and in Rwanda in particular. My view is that we must have faith in a small number of individuals there who know what is required and who are already doing a lot to make things happen. We must also hope that those people who are more lethargic, unmotivated or what westerners would label ‘lazy’ will gradually become more motivated and proactive.
My view? Should we provide further funding to install solar panels, to buy more equipment for the school, to provide the poorest children – who go to school barefoot and without a pen or notebook – with uniforms, note books and pens? Yes, we should.
I have come to the conclusion that the key for more funding to help these children is to form a solid communication channel between Abana Australia and a small group of local people who understand what needs to be done here and who know how to manifest changes. I have identified at least 5 or 6 of such people. They come from different backgrounds (people from the school, from the local community, from the local authorities, from local; NGO’s). They are the people with whom Abana, Australia should have an ongoing dialogue and monitor the progress. They are the people who should make your generous donations go a long way. I would be very happy to bring these people together and get them to liaise with you on a regular basis. This, in my opinion, would make a huge difference. This is the view of one lone volunteer on the ground...