Harwood Rwanda program hosts benefit concert at Zenbarn

January 10, 2024 | By Waterbury Roundabout 

The Harwood Union High School Rwanda Travel Study program will host a benefit concert this Sunday, Jan. 14, at Zenbarn in Waterbury Center. 

The Harwood Assembly Band will provide the tunes. In addition to music and beverages for purchase, the event will include a raffle and silent auction with proceeds supporting the program. 

Harwood students in Rwanda in 2023. Photo courtesy Tedin Lange

Raffle prizes include gift baskets with an assortment of Darn Tough socks, teas and coffees from local businesses, a handmade gift bag from Rwanda with various Rwandan crafts, and a gift basket full of winter attire. Auction items are ski passes, resort stays, gift cards to local restaurants, a handmade quilt, and more. 

Since 2004, students from Harwood have traveled to Rwanda as a cultural exchange project with an emphasis on recording experiences and learning through writing, photography and videography. The program was suspended 2019-2022 due to an ebola outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic. The trips resumed in 2023 with some two dozen students and several Harwood teachers as chaperones. 

This year’s expedition is planned for Feb. 17 through March 8. 

No cover charge. Event is 6-8 p.m. at Zenbarn, 179 Guptil Road, Waterbury.