One Year After Lockdown: There’s Still A Lot to Celebrate!
Just about a year ago, we made the difficult decision to go into lockdown in order to ensure the safety of our community. During that time, our college kids came home and our senior staff remained at RVCV as we went into quarantine. As we reflect on those days spent together, we feel grateful for the unintended positives that resulted.
While reminiscing about last spring, Esther Athumani (18) explained, “we don’t normally get to all be together, so for me, I really enjoyed getting to spend the time with my brothers and sisters. The tournaments that we did every weekend were also one of my favorite parts.” Having everyone home at the same time for an extended period was a rare opportunity for our entire family to enjoy each other’s company. Faraja Dawite (18) echoed her sister’s sentiments saying that the volleyball tournaments were her favorite memories from quarantine (she was part of the winning team). Ema Vicent (18) and Ismail Abdalla (20) also shared their favorite memories of playing soccer and spending time at the gym with friends.
During quarantine, we were still able to keep our community safe by conducting COVID-19 prevention trainings and providing transport to our partner hospital FAME for anyone in need of medical attention. Once TCF’s Rural Community Health Clinic was able to safely resume its operations, we began seeing on average 20 patients per day!
TCF is so proud of the students at Gyetighi Primary School (GPS) and Oldeani Secondary School (OSS) for their academic success despite school being closed for three months. 100% of the GPS students passed their Standard 7 National Exam while OSS ranked as the #2 school in the district for the first time in school history.
Over this last year, we were reminded that when we work together, any challenge can be overcome! Thanks to the support of our staff and the global TCF family, we were able to continue providing our community of 10,000 with the tools and opportunities they need for a brighter future.