Parish Church of St. Luke, Formby

A parish news sheet

On the road to Shyira

This page is based on a news sheet describing Shyira parish, to which we are linked.

Quick find

Shyira is in the hills of Northwest Rwanda. It was selected as one of the first missionary posts which led to the East African Revival because of its location and agreeable climate.It was natural for the early missionaries to provide for all the needs of the people, and from this the church in Rwanda has developed a holistic ministry. In Shyira there was not only a church, which would become the cathedral church of Shyira diocese, but also both primary and secondary schools and a hospital.

Shyira's isolated position in the hills was to be the cause of its problems in later years. The genocide of 1994 ended after 100 days, and many of the Interahamwe militia, who had been responsible for the murders, fled to Zaire, now Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC. Shyira had resources of value to the militia; a hospital with drugs and a secondary school with potential recruits. It is fairly close to the DRC border, and incursions continued for several years. Only in 1999 was comparative peace restored when the local population ceased to provide support and hiding places. In fact many of the local people had been murdered in the incursions, and those remaining could take no more.

The damage to Shyira's infrastructure was enormous. The hospital was devastated, and schools were stripped of desks, etc., which were used for firewood. The diocesan headquarters moved to Ruhengeri which was safer and had better communications.

St. Mark's Church, Shyira

Gorrilas

It is this damaged parish with which we at St. Luke's are linking. St. Mark's church in Shyira has a new minister, Emmanuel, who is awaiting ordination. Emmanuel will receive very little income-the church has little money to pay him-so he will need to farm to feed himself and his family. This, of course, will reduce the effectiveness of his ministry.

Our group from St. Luke's received the most amazing welcome at St. Mark's, and in the rest of Shyira. There was singing and dancing, welcome speeches, and gifts to bring back to St. Luke's. The experience was quite unbelievable, and made the difficult ride from Ruhengeri well worthwhile.

While in Shyira we presented gifts from people here to the hospital and primary school and to MU. We have video and other photographic records of our experiences in Shyira, and will be showing these over the coming weeks. In particular we will be using the Rwanda evening on 20 October to tell of our experiences.
It was not all hard work. The fitter members of our group took a morning off to go into a National Park to see the mountain gorillas. This really was an experience not to be missed.

A Maternity Hospital with no Midwives!

It was a terrible shock to visit the Maternity Hospital in Shyira and was a stark contrast to Maternity Services in the UK, writes Jane Morgan. The most shocking aspect was the fact that not only were there no Doctors in the hospital, but there weren't any Midwives! The staff consisted of five trained nurses, one male nurse trained to Level 1, Ambrose, who was responsible for the management of the hospital and was most senior, two female nurses trained to Level 2, and two female nurses trained to Level 3. Nurse Education in Rwanda is not to the same standard as the European Community and is more on a par with Secondary School education in the UK. Midwifery education in Rwanda is only just beginning and still isn't fully established to address the desperate shortage of midwives. Although the staff were committed, the hospital would benefit greatly from Midwifery staff. By definition, a midwife is responsible to give the necessary supervision, care and advice to women during pregnancy, labour and the postnatal period, to conduct deliveries on her own responsibility and to care for the newborn. Provided a woman doesn't experience any ill health in pregnancy, women do not require the services of a Doctor (who deals with complications); solely midwives care for the majority of women in this country.

The Maternity Hospital in Shyira is an old, decrepit building. It is located at the top of very steep, stone steps, an uncomfortable climb after a long walk for a woman in labour. Inside the building is a stone corridor with four rooms leading off it. There were two small side rooms which were used for women in labour or immediately post-delivery. Each room was dark, with stone floors and walls. They both contained an old bed with little bedding, and a very old wire cot, again, with no bedding. An old oil lamp on the window ledge provided the light. The delivery room was opposite the side rooms so that when the woman was ready to deliver, she would walk across, deliver her baby, then walk back to her room. The delivery room had a large hole in the pane of glass in the window, offering no privacy. The room itself was cramped and bleak, the only furnishings being an old-fashioned delivery bed in the middle and an old pair of baby weighing scales next to the bed. The stainless steel sinks were dirty as very little water came out of the taps. An old cupboard stood in the corner of the room, with very little in it. The large ward area contained more old beds and cots, again, with little bedding. During our first visit, there were three women in the beds. One woman was pregnant and was miscarrying. She had her toddler in bed with her, one woman had had her baby, and the third woman had also had her baby, but she was ill with malaria. Outside were toilets and showers in a makeshift tent provided by Save the Children. It was difficult to see what state they were in as I did not have the courage to go too near due to the repugnant smell!

The number of women who have their babies in this maternity unit is approximately 1100 per year. This figure is very similar to the number of women who have their babies at Southport Maternity Hospital. The contrast in the buildings, staff, and maternal and perinatal outcomes are vast.

The staff and women were delighted to receive our gifts. We gave each woman a new towel, block of soap, baby outfit, baby wrap and a 'Guide knitted' blanket. It was good to see their enjoyment at receiving these gifts, but very humbling to see the joy a simple gift gave. Bishop John shared our concerns about the Maternity Hospital and the women's lack of dignity when they visit this place. For this reason the money donated from St. Luke's and friends (about £6,500) will be used to start rebuilding the Maternity Hospital, beginning with the Delivery Room.

Two Doctors from America will be going to work in the Hospital complex from Autumn this year, but we need to pray for the Maternity Hospital that it will gain Midwives on its staff to care for the mothers and babies and to teach the existing staff Safe Motherhood practice.

New born baby

Eva - Headmistress of Shyira secondary school.

Schools

Eva, the headmistress of the secondary school, gave us a tour of the school and spoke quite clearly of the problems of the school and its students. For example, when asked about how many were below the poverty line she gave a wry smile and said "almost all".

Students at Eva's school come from all over Rwanda, having passed a national exam which entitles them to go to secondary school. However, having passed the exam there is still the problem of funding to attend school, because the government does not normally pay for secondary education, although it partially funds the school.

Eva told us that the fees are 9000 Francs a term, about £15, except for the first term of year one and year four when they are 15,000 Francs, or £25, to provide uniform. The total fees are therefore £45 per year, or £55 in years one and four. A little extra to help with shoes and travel would be welcome.

We have promises of sponsorship for 27 children, and Eva, in conjunction with Bishop John, has produced a list of her most needy students. An evening will be arranged shortly for people who have promised sponsorship so that they can see Eva on video, and learn from her about her school and its students.

The primary school building and teaching facilities are in a much more desperate situation than the secondary school. The school has no state funding, depending on school fees of less than £1.00 per year (Which many parents can't pay!) and on the diocese, which is very short of money. Many desks, windows and the roof were damaged in the genocide and incursions, and there is a serious need for repair.

Our gifts of books, etc. were well received, and will be put to good use by the staff of the school.

The People

On the surface the people of Rwanda, and of Shyira, seem quite happy. They have a smile on their faces, and are always ready for a good sing and dance. However, appearances can be deceptive, for many people are still suffering trauma from their experiences of the genocide, and from the loss of family members. Emmanuel said his family came through the genocide quite well, "only losing three members!" There is deep hurt, but also a deep faith in the Lord.

What ended the genocide? According to Archbishop Kolini it was not the gun but prayer. He asks how else could there be a halt to killing almost simultaneously across much of the country. Little wonder then, that the people display a great faith, a faith that we can all learn from. Prayer plays an important role in everyday life. Augustin, who acted as our guide, would always ask that we pray before setting out on any journey. As Christians, they have a lot to teach us.

Rwandan families tend to be quite large, with perhaps eight or more children. There are many orphans and it seems that most families take in orphans in addition to their own children. However, there are still a lot of "Child Headed" families and street children.

Well behaved children

What of the future?

It is a cause of great joy that Rwanda is now at peace. It has good government and its army is well trained and professional. Reconciliation is of major concern, and the country is expecting free elections. There is no sign of corruption.

The people there believe that their prayers have been answered as peace has come, and they ask that above all we pray for them, as they will be praying for us. So, please remember the country and people of Rwanda in your prayers, and pray particularly for Shyira diocese and parish and their many needs, thinking of the hospital, schools, and Emmanuel as he commences his duties as pastor.

The future of the parish link is in the hands of the PCC. We have established the link, and an invitation has been given for people from Shyira to visit us. It seems inevitable that we shall have more people going there in the future, and this we can do with more purpose now that we have spent time in the diocese and parish.

While we were in Rwanda we felt challenged by the state of the hospital, and wondered if we can raise more funds toward its rebuilding. Also Bishop John asked if we are able to provide for Emmanuel so that he can work full time as a pastor, not having to support his family by working as a farmer. Just two issues for the the future.