Teen Headed Household

Greg and Dan Petrick reporting...... Great day today working in a teen headed household near Urukundo. The house is occupied by an 18 year old who is in charge of his four younger brothers since their parents died 3 years previously.

We left at 6:30am for a 15 minute ride to the house. Kevin, Dan and I followed our translator, with Kevin driving the truck, on the crazy roads of Rwanda with the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car. One truck was loaded with tools to install a permanent cement floor. The home was 3 small rooms with dirt floors each about 90 sq feet. The building supplies, bags of cement, sand and bricks had been delivered the day before.

The technique is very different than what we use in the US. The dirt floor is first leveled with picks and axes. This proved a challenging task as the dirt was packed tight from years of boys trampling all over it. Next a level string was installed and we began laying pieces of brick as you would a patio to create the base. Cement with lots of sand was then troweled in and permitted to set a bit. Cement powder was continually sprinkled on the top, along with water and troweled to a smooth finish. On the first day the leveling process was completed as well as the laying of bricks and one room cemented. The second day we would be completing the other two rooms and a hallway.

For me the hardest part was carrying the water from the valley far below to the house in 5 gallon cans. Not only is the altitude an issue requiring numerous stops but, as a male we are often the brunt of much laughter from the local women who are responsible for water delivery. Apparently it is very unusual for an adult male and certainly a white adult male to carry water. We enjoyed their laughter and simply smiled knowing we had brought some joy to their day. Dan focused on the very dark and dusty interior brick laying process while Kevin moved lots of bricks and sand from the outside in and did a little brick laying. Concrete installation was left to the expertise of a local mason.

We will never forget the smell of the small dark interior, the constant audience of neighbors on the hill, chickens in the yard, and the smell of beans on the fire. Most importantly, we will not forget the help of the boys. The ones living in the home weren't the only ones to help. A couple of neighborhood kids would drop in and help for a bit before heading up the road. The sense of community was nothing short of inspiring. Of course we received joy from getting a chance to help out, but the memories are what we will take back with us to our homes and throughout our lives. They have provided us with a gift of appreciation for what we have, which we will continue to cherish.