Meet the IREME Team (Post #8)

 Before I go on, I want to introduce the incredible IREME Team who hosted me in Nyabirehe.  Again, IREME is the local organization that partners with Move Up Global and does the hard work on the ground every day.

  Olive is the Executive Director of IREME. She initially had the idea to start IREME and leads it fearlessly and with kind grace every day.  She is trained as a teacher, so she leads the education projects.  

 Nicole and Nili tried to give me serious pictures, but this is who they really are.  Their exuberance, joy and humor make IREME a wonderful place to work.  Nicole is the Social Entrepreneurship Manager, overseeing the garden, chicken and school feeding projects.  She also manages the soap making enterprise.  Nili is the Information Technology Systems Manager.  He runs the computer lab, manages all the technology at the school, and gives IT training to staff and teachers.  Both of these people work incredibly hard and have skills way beyond what their resumes show.

 Titien is the Monitoring and Evaluation Assistant.  He helps Nili with all the IT projects but is also in charge of all the data collection and analysis.  This job will grow exponentially in the next few months and years.  Titien also served as a photographer while I was there and is the only IREME member who made it to the top of Bisoke when we went hiking.  (see later post)  He keeps the team trendy and modern.

 Benigne is the Financial Manager, keeping the budgets and books straight.  Her gentleness and calm keep everyone else grounded and in line.  As other members get creative, she keeps reminding us all that we need to manage our finances and keep the receipts!  

 Jean Damascene is the Community Health Worker for Nyabirehe.  We are lucky because he also serves as the lead CHW in the district, so he is really great at his job.  At first, he can be a bit quiet, preferring Kinyarwanda and French to English, but once you get him up on a home visit with a group of children, he turns on and is an invaluable teacher.

 Theogene joined IREME recently as a part time CHW. He currently spends most of his time with Nicole, helping set up the community outreach kitchen gardens.  He will most likely transition to also doing some student health screenings as we roll out the next phase of health projects. 

 Charlotte runs the guest house and cooks for the team.  She used to run a restaurant, so if you are lucky enough to enjoy her cooking and care, you will not forget your meals.  She took such sweet care of me during my trip, doing my laundry, bringing me hot water to wash when the pump was down, and having anything I needed to be comfortable.  She is just a sweetheart.

  Mugisha is the Manager of the Chicken Farm.  He is a veterinary technician and everyone in the community comes to him with questions about animal care.  An updated picture will follow soon, but Mugisha currently works 7 days a week for more than 12 hours a day.  He keeps the chicken house meticulously clean and is diligent about teaching anyone who visits about hygiene and contamination.  He is currently looking to train an assistant so he can take some time off, but he is absolutely wonderful and so good at this work.