Wellspring

Inspired by Innovation.

Richard Taylor — Tue, 13 May 2008 19:31:04 -0600

On April 30th, I had the privilege to represent Wellspring at the fifth annual RL Peterson Awards for Innovation in Cambridge, Ontario. The awards are hosted by the Bridgeway Foundation, a forward thinking private foundation committed to helping non-profit organizations "engage in creative transformational projects both within Canada and the developing world." I sat there with other business and non profit leaders, celebrating how God is using the passion and creativity of his people to make a difference around the world, and in awe of the creativity being unleashed to find solutions to some of the World's most pressing problems.

Check out upcoming screenings for Hope Rises

Richard Taylor — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:25:03 -0600

Date

13 May 2008

News Description

Check out upcoming public screenings for Trevor Meier's film Hope Rises, beginning in Fresno, California on June 9th. Hope Rises tells the powerful story of Rwandans who are reaching out to bring healing for the next generation.

Confirmed Screenings:

Fresno, California

Saturday, May 17th at Clovis Evangelical Free Church
Sunday, May 18th at the Bridge Evangelical Free Church
Monday, May 19th at the Northpointe Community Church

Please contact Dr. Allan Hedberg at allanghedberg@sbcglobal.net for more details.

Kelowna, British Columbia

Sunday, June 8th at The House Church Community in Kelowna

Please contact Pastor Chad Johnson at chadmcjohnson@gmail.com for more details.

Vernon, British Columbia

Monday, June 9th at the Vernon Performing Arts Centre

Please contact Gerry and Shirley Malnis at gerandshirl@shaw.ca

Stay tuned for screening dates in your local area. We are planning and doing screenings in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, and Ottawa in the Fall.

Walls going up on new building.

Richard Taylor — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:50:39 -0600

Date

11 April 2008

News Description

The foundation has been laid, the floor has been poured, and the first bricks have been laid on a new dual purpose facility. Over the next two and a half years, this new building will provide offices and meeting space for the Whole School Development Program. Then it will be used for the Wellspring Academy Secondary School.

Volunteer Phil Eykelbosch, who is serving with Wellspring for three weeks, and helping make shelving and cabinets for new classrooms, had this to say in his April 3rd blog entry.

"Its really something to see these local crews working. What they lack in technology they make up for with man power. On the pour day the normal crew was supplemented with 15 or 20 guys from the neighborhood. All the concrete was mixed by hand and a placed with a wheel barrow. These guys really work hard. Even though the pour was relatively small it was spread over 3 days to minimize any damage should a rain storm appear. Now that the slab is complete, I've got two helpers with me in the shop...two local guys from the regular crew. Their names are Freddy and Benjamin. They both speak a little bit of English and they're both very smart and eager. It should be a lot of fun working with these guys." (to follow Phil's journey online check out http://philipinafrica.blogspot.com)

Funds are currently short for the completion of this building. If you can help in any way that would be much appreciated. Check out our Major Projects page to learn more and then learn how you can donate to this important project. Also, take some time to read our latest blog entry about David Ngirimana and his journey from night watchman to construction supervisor.

The Story behind the Walls

Jodi Komant — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:30:56 -0600

David Ngirimana has come a long way since he worked as a night watchman for a missionary family in 1998, just four years after the genocide. Then he was just a young man of 24 years at the beginning of a lifetime friendship with an African raised Canadian named Jeffery Komant. Jeff eventually co-founded the Wellspring Foundation and David now works alongside him and the rest of the Wellspring team as the Construction Supervisor. He and his crew recently completed the building of the entire Wellspring Academy primary school.

Almost Heaven

Jodi Komant — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:42:56 -0600

Last month, Wellspring’s 11 trainers completed a course on Servant Leadership, one of the first modules in the Whole School Development Program. The trainers were personally challenged by the material and experienced radical transformation in their own lives. Now the trainers have had the opportunity to lead almost 20 Head Teachers, Assistant Head Teachers, and PTA representatives from the schools Wellspring is working with through the same course. They are half way through the 4-week training and it has been so exciting to hear examples of how people’s lives are already being changed.

Meet Wellspring Trainer Beatrice Namango

Richard Taylor — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 10:21:57 -0700

Date

5 March 2008

News Description

Beatrice Namango is intensely dedicated to her calling as a teacher despite losing her family in the genocide and enduring years of abuse in the classroom. Now she brings that dedication to the Wellspring team, where for the first she says she has learned what love really is.

Beatrice remembers thinking she was wasting her time in her first year as a teacher. "While others were counting money, I was spending my time with chalk!" Soon she grew to like her job. She remained dedicated to her work through three diferent schools, a Principal who tried to take advantage of her, getting fired becasue she didn't give in to him, another Principal who verbaly abused her, low pay, long hours, and up to 211 students in a single year!

Beatrice says the most important thing she has learned working with Wellspring is what love really is. Learning about forgiveness during one of the trainings inspired Beatrice to go back to the Principal that verball abused her in order to set things right between them.

"Imagine walking down a path and you find a lion. You begin to run from the lion and you are just sure he is going to catch you, but suddenly something lifts you out of the lion's reach and holds you close and you know you are safe-that is what Wellspring is to me." From this safe environment, Beatrice will have the opportunity to impact many teachers with an experience similar to hers.

The Wounded Healer

Richard Taylor — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 10:25:05 -0700

In his book, The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen describes the great illusion of Christian leadership as the idea “that man can be led out of the desert by someone who has never been there.” “Who can save a child from a burning house,” he asks, “without taking the risk of being hurt by the flames? Who can listen to a story of loneliness and despair without taking the risk of experiencing similar pains in his own heart and even losing his precious peace of mind? In short: Who can take away suffering without entering it?”

Meet Assistant Program Director, Kirsten Lake

Richard Taylor — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:53:48 -0700

Date

22 February 2008

News Description

Wellspring is pleased to welcome Kirsten Lake as its new Assistant Program Director. Since joining Wellspring in January 2008, Kirsten has been key in helping our training team take the Whole School Development Program into Rwandan schools. Here is what Kirsten has to say about her reason for getting involved with Wellspring:

I was born and brought up in the Democratic Republic of Congo and have always had a heart for Africa, its people and development. In April 2006 I visited Rwanda on a mission team and through a ‘chance’ meeting with Yvonne Dyer learned about the vision and mission of Wellspring. Its vision for high quality Christian values based education through empowering teachers to produce creative, principled and capable leaders-problem solvers- brought immediate excitement. Aware of how important this is to the future of Africa and having a passion for God, social justice, children and thinking skills it was the perfect program. It offers an exciting opportunity to use my heart, head and hands in serving something I passionately believe in.

Training begins with 8 schools, 172 teachers, over 10,000 students.

Richard Taylor — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:44:51 -0700

Date

22 February 2008

News Description

February saw the Whole School Development Program launch in three districts and 8 schools with 22 head teachers and deputy teachers, 172 primary school teachers, and over 10,000 children.

Wellspring began with inception meetings in each school to explain the program to district leaders, school staff, and parents and community partners. For a great description of how these meetings went, take some time to read Jeff Komant's recent blog about our visit to Kabuga Primary School.

Wellspring is now running a four week course on servant leadership with 22 head teachers and deputy teachers. We are excited to see our Rwanda trainers already engaged in offering this training. The servant leadership course is designed to transform the entire way head teachers think about leadership in their school environment. As they learn to place the needs of their teachers, their children, and their school community first, school leaders will empower their teachers to make a tremendous impact in the classroom.

Hope for a Better Future

Jeff Komant — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:08:46 -0700

On a rainy, muddy Friday afternoon, I took our team of trainers to Gasabo District’s Kabuga II Primary School. Our purpose was to introduce the Whole School Development Program to the teachers and representatives of the parent community. As we waited for the meeting to begin I took a tour around the school and saw many of the 2000+ bright eyed little people that are taught by just 31 teachers. The school painted for me the perfect picture of what is happening in education in Rwanda today.