Volunteering in Rwanda – Mary Watkins

Mary Watkins began as a primary school teacher, and then worked for Welsh Water as an education officer visiting schools. Water Aid was founded by water companies in the 1980s, and Mary was selected in 2008 to go to Rwanda as their representative. This led to her and her husband volunteering for VSO in Rwanda – for one year initially, 2013 – 2014, and later for another year in 2018.

Mary described Rwanda as a beautiful, green and lush country; very hilly and with a lot of rain. Most of it is above the height of Ben Nevis and this contributes to maintaining a general temperature of 20° – 25° all year round. It is a similar size to Wales but has a much denser population at around 13.5 million. The land is terraced for farming and one main crop is tea. She informed us that 'Yorkshire' tea comes from Rwanda. The capital city is Kigali, which is modern and clean.

Mary went to Rwanda to train teachers. At the time she arrived in 2013, nursery schools were just being introduced. She knew nothing about teaching nursery age children, let alone training nursery teachers and had to learn on the job. 

A big initial obstacle that she met in all the schools she worked in was a lack of age-appropriate furniture in the schoolrooms – and sometimes a lack of any furniture at all. The second major hurdle was to move teachers away from simply 'repeating words after the teacher' as the primary method of education.

Mary is clearly a creative and natural teacher as she found ways of using whatever was available to create teaching resources, such as bottle tops for learning numbers and counting; making a dice from a toilet roll tube; cutting open milk bags, toothpaste tubes and juice cartons for all sorts of purposes. Eventually she produced a book which showed what could be used as a teaching resource, how to make it, and how to use it. She continues this work from home in Wales to this day.

Over the time that Mary was volunteering in Rwanda she worked in more than 100 schools. To travel to the different schools she was transported on the back of a motorbike through muddy dirt roads, across rickety bridges, and even occasionally by boat to reach schools on islands. 

Her husband was asked to teach tag rugby. Having expected about 18 students to turn up, over 200 arrived! This eventually led to Mary and her husband being part of the charity 'Friends of Rwanda Rugby' which has been most successful. 

As well as training teachers, Mary has also helped trained tailors through the Isooko project, by raising funds to provide sewing and knitting machines. She had brought along a selection of the colourful and beautiful products made by the women of the Isooka project, which included fabric elephant toys and giraffes, dolls, aprons, bags of various sizes, hats and other items – all very reasonably priced. She explained that 50% of sales went directly to the workers and the remainder was used to fund further projects and to provide necessary equipment. The members enjoyed browsing the items and there were quite a few happy sales.

Gwirfoddoli yn Rwanda – Mary Watkins

Dechreuodd Mary Watkins fel athrawes ysgol gynradd, ac yna gweithiodd i Dŵr Cymru fel swyddog addysg yn ymweld ag ysgolion. Sefydlwyd Water Aid gan gwmnïau dŵr yn y 1980, a dewiswyd Mary yn 2008 i fynd i Rwanda fel eu cynrychiolydd. Arweiniodd hyn at hi a’i gŵr yn gwirfoddoli i VSO yn Rwanda – am flwyddyn i ddechrau 2013-2014, ac yn ddiweddarach am flwyddyn arall yn 2018.

Disgrifiodd Mary Rwanda fel gwlad hardd, gwyrdd a gwyrddlas; bryniog iawn a gyda llawer o law. Mae'r rhan fwyaf ohono uwchlaw uchder Ben Nevis ac mae hyn yn cyfrannu at gynnal tymheredd cyffredinol o 20° – 25° trwy gydol y flwyddyn. Mae o faint tebyg i Gymru ond mae ganddi boblogaeth llawer dwysach, sef tua 13.5 miliwn. Mae'r tir yn deras ar gyfer ffermio ac un prif gnwd yw te. Dywedodd wrthym fod te 'Swydd Efrog' yn dod o Rwanda. Y brifddinas yw Kigali, sy'n fodern ac yn lân.

Aeth Mary i Rwanda i hyfforddi athrawon. Pan gyrhaeddodd hi yn 2013, roedd ysgolion meithrin newydd gael eu cyflwyno. Doedd hi’n gwybod dim am addysgu plant oed meithrin, heb sôn am hyfforddi athrawon meithrin a bu’n rhaid iddi ddysgu yn y swydd.

Rhwystr cychwynnol mawr y cyfarfu ag ef yn yr holl ysgolion y bu’n gweithio ynddynt oedd diffyg celfi a oedd yn addas i’w hoedran yn yr ysgoldai – ac weithiau diffyg unrhyw ddodrefn o gwbl. Yr ail rwystr mawr oedd symud athrawon i ffwrdd oddi wrth ailadrodd geiriau ar ôl yr athro fel y prif ddull addysgu.

Mae Mary yn amlwg yn athrawes greadigol a naturiol wrth iddi ddod o hyd i ffyrdd o ddefnyddio beth bynnag oedd ar gael i greu adnoddau addysgu, megis topiau poteli ar gyfer dysgu rhifau a chyfrif; gwneud dis o diwb papur toiled; torri bagiau llaeth agored, tiwbiau past dannedd a chartonau sudd ar gyfer pob math o ddibenion. Yn y diwedd, cynhyrchodd lyfr a oedd yn dangos yr hyn y gellid ei ddefnyddio fel adnodd addysgu, sut i'w wneud a sut i'w ddefnyddio. Mae hi'n parhau â'r gwaith hwn o gartref yng Nghymru hyd heddiw.

Dros yr amser yr oedd Mary yn gwirfoddoli yn Rwanda bu'n gweithio mewn mwy na 100 o ysgolion. Er mwyn teithio i'r gwahanol ysgolion fe'i cludwyd ar gefn beic modur trwy ffyrdd baw mwdlyd, ar draws pontydd simsan, a hyd yn oed yn achlysurol ar gwch i gyrraedd ysgolion ar ynysoedd. 

Gofynnwyd i'w gŵr ddysgu rygbi tag. Wedi disgwyl tua 18 o fyfyrwyr i ddod, cyrhaeddodd dros 200! Arweiniodd hyn yn y pen draw at Mary a'i gŵr yn rhan o'r elusen 'Friends of Rwanda Rugby sydd wedi bod yn fwyaf llwyddiannus.

Yn ogystal â hyfforddi athrawon, mae Mary hefyd wedi helpu i hyfforddi teilwriaid trwy brosiect Isooko, trwy godi arian i ddarparu peiriannau gwnïo a gwau. Roedd hi wedi dod â detholiad o’r nwyddau lliwgar a hardd a wnaed gan ferched prosiect Isooka, a oedd yn cynnwys teganau eliffant ffabrig a jiráff, doliau, ffedogau, bagiau o wahanol feintiau, hetiau ac eitemau eraill, i gyd am bris rhesymol iawn. Eglurodd fod 50% o'r gwerthiant yn mynd yn uniongyrchol i'r gweithwyr a bod y gweddill yn cael ei ddefnyddio i ariannu prosiectau pellach ac i ddarparu offer angenrheidiol. Mwynhaodd yr aelodau bori'r eitemau a chafwyd cryn dipyn o werthiant hapus.

Newsletter – February 2025

February meeting:
    10th February in Ararat Church Hall, Whitchurch Common, 2 pm.
    Main speaker – Mary Watkins: 'Volunteering in Rwanda'

Outings and events:
    Royal Mint, 20th March

    Plantasia, Swansea and a boat trip, cost around £40,
    date to be confirmed (possibly June 12th) 

 

    20th Anniversary meal , date to be confirmed (possibly April 10th)
    Clayton Hotel, Cardiff
 

    IT TRAINING with AbilityNet – Thursday 6th February
    Room 1 at Ararat, 2pm. £5 charge to cover the cost of room hire.

Information
    Link to the Glamorgan Newsletters.

    MyWI site (registration and log in required)

Groups:

    Choir: Wednesdays (excluding 19th February) / 11.30 am
    Memorial Hall, Rhiwbina

    Book Group: Wednesday 12th February / 11.00 am
    La Cucina da Mara, Whitchurch

    Craft Group: Monday 17th February / 10.30 am
    41 Cherry Orchard Road, Lisvane

    Tangle Art Group: Wednesday 14th February / 2.00 pm
    5 Court Close, Whitchurch

    Family History: Monday 24 February / 2.00 pm / 113 Pantbach Road

    Sunday Lunch Group: 16th February / 1.00 pm / Llanishen Golf Club
 
    Poetry and Prose Group: Monday 24th February 2025 / 11.00am
    The Ark coffee bar, Ararat / Topic: Wales

 

Following meeting:

10th March in Ararat Church Hall, Whitchurch Common, 2 pm.
'Celebrating Wales' – competitions for members:

    – cooking: Welsh cakes and chocolate cake

    – craft: clothing for a Welsh costume doll

    – photography: 'daffodils' / 'two of a kind' 

    – poetry: a limerick

    – choral speaking

 

Celebrating Wales at the March Meeting – entry details

 

Here are the options for entering the competitions at the March meeting:

1. To be handed in at the MARCH Meeting:

Cakes

• 12 Welsh cakes (to be eaten later) 
• Chocolate cake – not less than 6 ins diameter

2. To be handed in at the FEBRUARY Meeting:

Photographs – 5x7 ins

• daffodils 
• two of a kind

Craft – an item of clothing for a Welsh doll’s costume

Poem – a limerick beginning “A Lady In a Welsh WI..."
(Only one per member) 

(All entries in the above categories to be submitted under a 'nom de plume'.)

3. To be performed at the MARCH meeting: 

Choral speaking (not less than six voices) – an extract from "Under Milk Wood":

“Hush, the babies are sleeping, the farmers, the fishers, the tradesmen and pensioners, cobbler, schoolteacher, postman and publican, the undertaker and the fancy woman, drunkard, dressmaker, preacher, policeman, the webfoot cocklewomen and the tidy wives. Young girls lie bedded soft or glide in their dreams, with rings and trousseaux, bridesmaided by glowworms down the aisles of the organplaying wood. The boys are dreaming wicked or of the bucking ranches of the night and the jollyrodgered sea. And the anthracite statues of the horses sleep in the fields, and the cows in the byres, and the dogs in the wetnosed yards; and the cats nap in the slant corners or lope sly, streaking and needling, on the one cloud of the roofs.

You can hear the dew falling ......... ”

Wales Air Ambulance

At the January 2025 meeting, Whitchurch WI was delighted to present a cheque for £1,300 to Catrin of Wales Air Ambulance.

My Life as a Butlins Redcoat

Rosemary described Billie Butlin as a genuinely nice man, and an astute businessman. He saw an opportunity in the early 1930's to provide a service and also create a business.

 

 

At that time, anyone who could not afford to stay in an hotel used a bed and breakfast place or boarding house. In these establishments holiday makers were required to be off the premises from after breakfast until early evening. This meant that holiday towns were full of people sitting on benches and frequenting coffee bars, especially when the weather was inclement. They had to be out and about with nowhere to rest, read or play games in private. Billie Butlin's first holiday camp was in Skegness. Although facilities were rather basic, every family or group had their own chalet which was available to them throughout the day. The cost of being at Butlin's included three meals a day, entertainment, competitions and activities, and every camp had a private beach. Only drinks and exceptional activities, such as horseriding, incurred an extra cost.   

 

Over time, further holiday camps were set up, such as in Brighton and Barry Island. The camps also had shops, facilities such as barbers, and beautiful, professionally maintained gardens. Photographs were taken around the camp every day and displayed the next day for people to buy. Every photograph was an advert for Butlins -- and example of Billie Butlin's skill as an entrepreneur. 

 

 

The entertainments were a good starting place for new talent. It was a great opportunity for them as they would be given a whole season of employment. Performers who later became stars appeared at Butlins, people like Ringo Starr, Dusty Springfield, Jimmy Starbuck and Rod Hull. 

 

In 1939 three of the Butlins camps were taken over and used for army training, but returned to being holiday camps after the war. Billie Butlin also branched out into hotels where the accommodation was a bit more luxurious. All camps were maintained to a high standard however, with beautifully decorated performance halls. 

 

 

Rosemary showed many fascinating photographs of Butlins holiday camps. She herself became a Red Coat in the 1960s at the Pwllheli camp. The Red Coats arose from a suggestion that the camps needed people to show guests around and inform them what activities were available that day and where they were taking place. Rosemary had trained as a dancer but worked as a general Red Coat helping in all areas of the holiday camp. She said that it was an enjoyable life but hard work. The days were long and they had to aways display a cheerful disposition even if they were very tired. 

Fy Mywyd fel Côt Goch Butlins

Disgrifiodd Rosemary Chaloner Billie Butlin fel dyn neis iawn, a dyn busnes craff. Gwelodd gyfle yn y 1930au cynnar i ddarparu gwasanaeth a hefyd i greu busnes.

 

 

Bryd hynny, roedd unrhyw un na allai fforddio aros mewn gwesty yn defnyddio lle gwely a brecwast neu dŷ llety. Yn y sefydliadau hyn roedd yn ofynnol i bobl ar eu gwyliau fod oddi ar y safle o ar ôl brecwast tan yn gynnar gyda'r nos. Roedd hyn yn golygu bod trefi gwyliau yn llawn o bobl yn eistedd ar feinciau ac yn mynychu bariau coffi, yn enwedig pan oedd y tywydd yn arw. Roedd yn rhaid iddynt fod allan heb unrhyw le i orffwys, darllen neu chwarae gemau yn breifat. Roedd gwersyll gwyliau cyntaf Billie Butlin yn Skegness. Er bod y cyfleusterau braidd yn sylfaenol, roedd gan bob teulu neu grŵp eu caban eu hunain a oedd ar gael iddynt drwy gydol y dydd. Roedd y gost o fod yn Butlin's yn cynnwys tri phryd y dydd, adloniant, cystadlaethau a gweithgareddau, ac roedd gan bob gwersyll draeth preifat. Dim ond diodydd a gweithgareddau eithriadol, megis marchogaeth, a achosodd gost ychwanegol.  

 

Dros amser, sefydlwyd gwersylloedd gwyliau pellach, megis yn Brighton ac Ynys y Barri. Roedd gan y gwersylloedd hefyd siopau, cyfleusterau fel barbwyr, a gerddi hardd, wedi'u cynnal a'u cadw'n broffesiynol. Tynnwyd lluniau o amgylch y gwersyll bob dydd a'u harddangos y diwrnod wedyn i bobl eu prynu. Roedd pob ffotograff yn hysbyseb i Butlins – ac yn enghraifft o sgil Billie Butlin fel entrepreneur. 

 

 

Roedd yr adloniant yn fan cychwyn da i dalent newydd. Roedd yn gyfle gwych iddynt gan y byddent yn cael tymor cyfan o gyflogaeth. Ymddangosodd perfformwyr a ddaeth yn sêr yn ddiweddarach yn Butlins, pobl fel Ringo Starr, Dusty Springfield, Jimmy Starbuck a Rod Hull. 

 

Ym 1939 cymerwyd drosodd tri o wersylloedd Butlins a'u defnyddio ar gyfer hyfforddi'r fyddin, ond dychwelodd i fod yn wersylloedd gwyliau ar ôl y rhyfel. Ymestynodd Billie Butlin hefyd i westai lle roedd y llety ychydig yn fwy moethus. Fodd bynnag, roedd pob gwersyll yn cael ei gynnal a'i gadw i safon uchel, gyda neuaddau perfformio wedi'u haddurno'n hyfryd. 

 

 

Dangosodd Rosemary nifer o luniau hynod ddiddorol o wersylloedd gwyliau Butlins. Daeth hi ei hun yn Gôt Goch yn y 1960au yng ngwersyll Pwllheli. Deilliodd y Cotiau Coch o awgrym bod angen pobl ar y gwersylloedd i ddangos gwesteion o gwmpas a rhoi gwybod iddynt pa weithgareddau oedd ar gael y diwrnod hwnnw a ble roeddent yn cael eu cynnal. Roedd Rosemary wedi hyfforddi fel dawnsiwr ond bu'n gweithio fel Côt Goch gyffredinol yn helpu ym mhob rhan o'r gwersyll gwyliau. Dywedodd ei fod yn fywyd pleserus ond yn waith caled. Roedd y dyddiau'n hir a bu'n rhaid iddynt i ffwrdd ddangos agwedd siriol hyd yn oed os oeddent yn flinedig iawn. 

Newsletter update – January 2025

An outing has been planned:

Royal Mint, Llantrisant
Thursday 20th March, in the afternoon.
Guided tour £10 plus cost of coach approximately £15.
Please pay a non-refundable deposit to secure a place.
Balance to be paid at the February meeting.

IT Training
The next session will be Thursday 6th February
2 pm in Room 1 at Ararat
Topic: Accessing Public Services on-line
Please note there is a £5 charge to cover room hire.

 

–

Newsletter –January 2025

January meeting:
13th January in Ararat Church Hall, Whitchurch Common, 2 pm.

Main speaker – Rosemary Chaloner: ‘My Life as a Butlins Redcoat’

It is time to think of which resolution you would like to vote for in 2025. Please follow the link for details.

We were sorry to hear the sad news that Margaret Wheeler has died. I'm sure all members who knew her join us in sending our sincere condolences to her family.

 

Outings:

Details of outings, sign-up sheets and payment are all available at the meeting.

The 2025 outings are being planned, so look out for notifications in future newsletters.
 

IT TRAINING with AbilityNet – for future sessions there will be a charge of £5 to cover the cost of hiring a room. You can sign up for the next session at the meeting.

Our Charity – Wales Air Ambulance
 
There will be the presentation of a cheque for £1300 at the January meeting. This is an excellent achievement and thanks are extended to all members for their contributions to the fundraising effort. The final fundraising event of 2024 was the sale of Christmas cakes baked by our expert cook, Chris Soughton. £50 was raised from their sale – though there is one payment outstanding. You know who you are! Please pay Liz for your cake at the meeting. Thank you.

Information

Link to the Glamorgan Newsletters.

MyWI site (registration and log in required)

Groups:

Choir: restarts on Wednesdays (excluding 15th January) / 11.30 am / Memorial Hall, Rhiwbina

Book Group: Wednesday 15th January / 11.00 am / La Cucina da Mara, Whitchurch

Craft Group: Monday 20th January / 10.30 am / 41 Cherry Orchard Road, Lisvane

Tangle Art Group: Wednesday 15th January / 2.00 pm / 5 Court Close, Whitchurch

Family History: Monday 3rd February / 2.00 pm / 113 Pantbach Road

Sunday Lunch Group: 26th January / 1.00 pm / Butchers Arms, Rhiwbina
 
Poetry and Prose Group: Monday 27th January 2025 / 11.00am / The Ark coffee bar, Ararat / Topic: humour and limericks

 

Following meeting(s):

10th February in Ararat Church Hall, Whitchurch Common, 2 pm.
Main speaker: Mary Watkins. Topic: Volunteering in Rwanda.

 

Advance notice for the meeting in March:

A Celebration of Wales: an opportunity to compete in several categories

– cooking: Welsh cakes and chocolate cake

– craft: clothing for a Welsh costume doll

– photography: 'daffodils' / 'two of a kind' – 7" x 5" photograph

– poetry: a limerick

– choral speaking

Details to be confirmed soon.

	Happy New Year!