This post features student writing.

The half-painted tree looked as if it was drooping, but after two hours of painting, the mural began to morph into something other than a banana tree. Today was our last day at AVEH; it was filled with paint and emotional goodbyes. Lucia had begun the mural three days ago, with very limited time to finish. Today the mountains and the tree trunk were done, but we still had to paint the sun and the leaves. With minimal color options and time running out, Lucia, Julia, Molly, Madeline, and I did our best to finish the mural with the help of Joseph, the professional painter. About half way through we were informed that Divine was leaving for the day. Divine has been working with us at AVEH as our translator and friend and she hangs out with us during the day when she can after our service work. Divine said her goodbyes and we all gave her huge hugs. After she left, we returned to the mural. About an hour later, the mural was completed. It was almost time to leave, so we said our final goodbyes to the children and to the women who work so hard every day to provide for these children. My friend Kelia and I danced for the last time to music for a few minutes and then we were on our way back to the guest house. Saying goodbye to everyone was difficult, however it’s comforting knowing that we made a lasting impact at AVEH through our work.

–Ellery

While we have been staying in Nyamata we have been working with the CECHE Foundation. The goal of this organization is to provide homemade chairs to children with disabilities. With the help of Theogene and Roger, we have created our own chairs made out of cardboard and cassava glue. We have put in work almost everyday to be able to complete them. Today we put on the final layer to our chairs which was a very exciting moment! Each group was able to add their own designs to the chairs, which made them unique.

At first, I thought of our help as a burden more than a service to the workers at CECHE since most of our groups made numerous mistakes which Theogene then had to fix. But completing the chairs today put the whole project in perspective and forced me to acknowledge all the time and commitment we put into the chairs. It made me appreciate the fact that we started with two pieces of cardboard and finished with a chair that will potentially help a child navigate their disability.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to create our wonderful chair which will be used for a long time.

I also had more time to hang out with the children at AVEH today, which I always enjoy. I spend most of my time with Antoine, but even that time is passed mostly in silence because Antoine cannot speak. But the presence of another person always seems to make him happier. His calm energy soothed me after a stressful morning of meticulously painting the mural we’ve been working on at AVEH. I loved being able to share an amazing moment with Antoine even though we weren’t playing a game or having a conversation.

–Molly