Monday, July 23, 2012
July 23: Safari Adventure
On Sunday we headed out to Akagera game park on safari. Lama's cousin Billy arranged 2 Land Rovers for us with drivers. It took about 2 hours there and back and we spent about 4 hours inside. We saw lots of zebras, impalas, taupies, water buck, water buffalo and a few giraffes. We even saw a baby giraffe and some baboons but the latter were a bit shy and ran away from us. The highlight seemed to be the hippos. One female came entirely out of the water and was walking on land. She tolerated us taking photos of her for a while before returning to her pond. It was a long, hot dirty day with not much in the way of washroom facilities but we had a great time.
Maria
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
July 22: An emoitional day
We officially left Gashora today. In our way back o Kigali, we stopped at Nyamata. Nyamata is a genocide memorial. It was originally a church. During the genocide, the Tutsis often sought protection in churches. However, priests and other heads of church were infamous because they would call out to the Tutsis and say things like "come here, you'll be safe, we'll protect you" and then as soon as the churches were up to capacity, they would call over the Hutus and the Hutus would come and there would literally be massacres in these churches. Churches were a place for Tutsis to die. Hutus would climb to the roof and open fired down onto the Tutsis, they would throw grenades through the windows and after the smoke cleared and the bullets stopped, they entered the churches to finish off the survivors and the wounded. The church we visited had the bullet holes still in the tin roof and the clothes of the deceased hung over the church benches. In the center of the church, there were stairs that led downstairs where there was a huge glass case with some of the skulls and other leg and arm bones organized and displayed for us to see. It was rather gruesome. To think that this happened in a church. It's more than a disappointment in humanity. Out the back of the church we're mass graves and more crypts with coffins piled high. Everything was draped with purple and white cloth. These were the colors of remembrance.
"How can you still claim to be Christian after all of this?" was Lisa's comment on the priests and so on who fronted protection and allowed the Tutsis to be killed. Man, woman, children - there were no exceptions.
After leaving the memorial site, we headed into Kigali. On the way, I was processing the experience and thought to myself "how could something so ugly, so hideous, happen in a place so breath-takingly beautiful?". Then I thought about how far Rwanda has come as a country, how much it has developed. I think rwanda's strength is what makes the country so beautiful. They had gone through atrocities but yet, now their healthcare systems exceed those of many other countries in Africa. It's an incredible thing. Ask any one of our team member about it, they'll tell you the same. The dedication of Rwanda's people to make their country a better place is amazing. They don't want to be known for the genocide. It's nicknamed the country of a thousand hills, not the country who was destroyed by genocide. It's true, rwanda suffered greatly from the genocide but the development since then completely overpowers their loss.
On our way to Kigali, I saw a couple interesting billboards that show rwanda's development. There was one sign that read "there is no room for corruption in Rwanda" and another that had pictures of condoms, promoting contraception. Rwanda is trying to go against the stereotype of Africa being corrupt and trying to promote family planning. These two things are very important.
TTAA time!
1. The dirt roads: some people get nauseous because of the super bumpy dirt roads, but I love them. I enjoy the hour-long bus ride from Gashora to Kigali not only because of the scenery but because of the dirt smell. The dust that is kicked up by the bus wheels smells like Africa. It's the greatest.
2. Hand-painted signs: if you look closely at the signs on brick walls in front of stores, you'll see that they're actually hand painted. How they get it so neat, I have no idea. I cant even draw a straight line to save my life. They're so good that you'd think that they're printed.
3. Rolling hills in Rwanda: if you're looking to fall in love, come to Rwanda. I have visited three times, and every time, I fall in love all over again.
My guest star today is Heather. She will be putting in her two cents later tonight. Now, we just came back from the genocide museum. I had been there already before, but I went in again anyways because there were particular rooms that I wanted to spend some time in. My father says this was my third time, I only remember this being my second time... Anyways, I skipped all of the fine print story-telling and headed to the picture rooms. There were two picture rooms: one with the adults, the other with children. In the adult room, photographs of lost loved ones were hanging clothesline style off of the walls. This way, you could touch the photos and flip them over as some of them had messages written on the backs. There was a projector in the room which showed a film featuring survivors and what they remembered about family they had lost. I watched the whole thing once before going to each wall to look at the pictures. I sat there trying to remember their faces. I found myself moving the photos along the wire so that the covered ones could be clearly seen instead of being hidden behind others. I felt like their faces needed to be seen. They had such beautiful faces. Some of the photographs were sometimes so blurred that you could barely see the picture, others were worn, torn and stained. Some of these photographs given by surviving family members were the only photos they had of their loved ones. I went around the entire room repeating the same thing: sit down, stare, remember, fix, stare, remember... I did the same in the room with the photos of the children who were brutally murdered during the genocide. There is a very powerful and incredibly depressing part of the museum which is exhibited at the end of the museum. It is comprised of several rooms with very large pictures of individual children. In front of these portraits, there are plaques with the names, something like their favorite food or favorite toy, and the last line would describe how they were murdered. There is incredible shock value here and it really breaks your heart. To see these children, one of which was 15 months when they were killed, and their smiles and the little things that helps get to know them.... And then reading how they were killed.... It's very depressing... It makes me angry just to think about it.
M
Hey guys, it's heather again! First off....my bags came!!! Both of them, at the same time :) ok now on to the important stuff.....we found a burger joint for lunch. Mr Chips. If you are every in Kigali, and missing home this is the place to go! Burgers, fries, and yes, chicken strips! I think this was the first bit of meat I have had all week. After we ate we head to the genocide memorial, but not before seeing 5 wedding parties pass by as we wait for the cab. They had a videographer standing in the bed of a truck filming the "limo", which was a more fancy car with tool and flowers wrapped around it. Weddings are a huge deal here in Rwanda, so spending a few years salary on them. Ahhhh, tradition.
Now on to the tough stuff, and Mali did an awesome job of bringing what we saw to life. I'm not going to lie, I am having trouble writing this today. What you see in the museum is real. Seeing the movies, reading books, does not even begin to tell the story of what happened here. Seeing the photos as she mentioned, and putting actual faces to the stories, is something I will never forget. The genocide happened....over 2 million people died in 100 days, 100 tutsis every 20 mins....almost 20 years ago, but this country is resilient. They know there history and it will remain with them forever, but they forgive. Amazingly, they forgive. I truly believe that is a big reason for their progressive recovery, making it one of the most successful countries in Africa.
Once we completed the tour, we went to the Nackumat. Like our version of super target but with only one selection of everything. We bought a few things, sat at the coffee shop and had iced tea (filtered water!) I had a chance to call my sister via video chat since we had a good wifi connection. I got to see my sister, brother in law, and nephews. It was just what I needed after the emotional afternoon I just had. Thank goodness for technology, it allowed me to see my family across the globe and reminded me that it is in fact the reason for the first trip to Rwanda with Softchoice Cares many years back.
We headed back to our hotel, La Pallisse Kigali with little time to get ready for our most fancy dinner of the trip. It is called Heaven, and it is :) I looked it up om the internet before coming to rwanda, and the website does not give it justice! Nestled on one of the many hills in Kigali is this beautiful open air restaurant. The minute you walk in, it smells of sweet flowers and delicious food. We take our seats after checking out the great view of the city at night....which is beautiful. We were joined by Lama (our Rwandan leader) and Rogers and William (the 2 young gentlemen who design and over see the kitchen gardens). As soon as we sit and take a look at the menu, the manager tells us we are in for a treat as there are a group of 15 or so African dancers to entertain us. Orphaned children from the ages 5-15 came out and did several dance routines. Wow. Adorable. Amazing. Just a few words I thought in the first 10 seconds. They danced for about 45 mins, and there was a donation jar if you wished to contribute. They perform to pay for their schooling, and the restaurant matched what was raised. I am pretty sure they did quite well! We then ordered food, passion fruit margarita and Filet of beef for me! Whoa, meat for both lunch and dinner??? As the night wrapped up we started a series of cheers or speeches. It was a chance to express appreciation on both sides for the week we spent together. Saying good bye to the people you work next too, share life experiences, and have great respect for is the hardest part of these trips. Real connections, friendships, are made in such a short time....despite any language barrier.
Tough day........ We got back to the hotel a little after 1:00 in the morning....that 5:30 wake up was tough! Although the time here in Rwanda is finishing, this country and the people have made an impact and are within my heart.....as Rogers put it last night, from a vein that pumps blood.
Heather
My TTAA
1. Water. The people of Rwanda amaze me in so many ways, but the one that still causes me to have such a reaction is the way most get water. Children and adults walk for miles up and down hills with Jerrycans strapped to their bike to get water. It is never much at time since water is heavy and the walk is so great. It is just a part of their day, and something I never thought about...that has now changed.
2. Smells. Every where you go in Africa has a unique smell, some favorable and some not at all. I haven't experienced any other place with so many different smells, and know it will be one of the many things I don't forget.
3. Utilization. Everything in this land is utilized completely. From clothing, crops, animals, bikes, water, reeds, manure (including an eco-toilet and i will let you figure that one out) and most importantly the top of your head :) where the people here can balance anything as they walk.....nothing is wasted and excess does not exist.
Mali & Heather
DWC Participants
Rwanda, July 2012
"How can you still claim to be Christian after all of this?" was Lisa's comment on the priests and so on who fronted protection and allowed the Tutsis to be killed. Man, woman, children - there were no exceptions.
After leaving the memorial site, we headed into Kigali. On the way, I was processing the experience and thought to myself "how could something so ugly, so hideous, happen in a place so breath-takingly beautiful?". Then I thought about how far Rwanda has come as a country, how much it has developed. I think rwanda's strength is what makes the country so beautiful. They had gone through atrocities but yet, now their healthcare systems exceed those of many other countries in Africa. It's an incredible thing. Ask any one of our team member about it, they'll tell you the same. The dedication of Rwanda's people to make their country a better place is amazing. They don't want to be known for the genocide. It's nicknamed the country of a thousand hills, not the country who was destroyed by genocide. It's true, rwanda suffered greatly from the genocide but the development since then completely overpowers their loss.
On our way to Kigali, I saw a couple interesting billboards that show rwanda's development. There was one sign that read "there is no room for corruption in Rwanda" and another that had pictures of condoms, promoting contraception. Rwanda is trying to go against the stereotype of Africa being corrupt and trying to promote family planning. These two things are very important.
TTAA time!
1. The dirt roads: some people get nauseous because of the super bumpy dirt roads, but I love them. I enjoy the hour-long bus ride from Gashora to Kigali not only because of the scenery but because of the dirt smell. The dust that is kicked up by the bus wheels smells like Africa. It's the greatest.
2. Hand-painted signs: if you look closely at the signs on brick walls in front of stores, you'll see that they're actually hand painted. How they get it so neat, I have no idea. I cant even draw a straight line to save my life. They're so good that you'd think that they're printed.
3. Rolling hills in Rwanda: if you're looking to fall in love, come to Rwanda. I have visited three times, and every time, I fall in love all over again.
My guest star today is Heather. She will be putting in her two cents later tonight. Now, we just came back from the genocide museum. I had been there already before, but I went in again anyways because there were particular rooms that I wanted to spend some time in. My father says this was my third time, I only remember this being my second time... Anyways, I skipped all of the fine print story-telling and headed to the picture rooms. There were two picture rooms: one with the adults, the other with children. In the adult room, photographs of lost loved ones were hanging clothesline style off of the walls. This way, you could touch the photos and flip them over as some of them had messages written on the backs. There was a projector in the room which showed a film featuring survivors and what they remembered about family they had lost. I watched the whole thing once before going to each wall to look at the pictures. I sat there trying to remember their faces. I found myself moving the photos along the wire so that the covered ones could be clearly seen instead of being hidden behind others. I felt like their faces needed to be seen. They had such beautiful faces. Some of the photographs were sometimes so blurred that you could barely see the picture, others were worn, torn and stained. Some of these photographs given by surviving family members were the only photos they had of their loved ones. I went around the entire room repeating the same thing: sit down, stare, remember, fix, stare, remember... I did the same in the room with the photos of the children who were brutally murdered during the genocide. There is a very powerful and incredibly depressing part of the museum which is exhibited at the end of the museum. It is comprised of several rooms with very large pictures of individual children. In front of these portraits, there are plaques with the names, something like their favorite food or favorite toy, and the last line would describe how they were murdered. There is incredible shock value here and it really breaks your heart. To see these children, one of which was 15 months when they were killed, and their smiles and the little things that helps get to know them.... And then reading how they were killed.... It's very depressing... It makes me angry just to think about it.
M
Hey guys, it's heather again! First off....my bags came!!! Both of them, at the same time :) ok now on to the important stuff.....we found a burger joint for lunch. Mr Chips. If you are every in Kigali, and missing home this is the place to go! Burgers, fries, and yes, chicken strips! I think this was the first bit of meat I have had all week. After we ate we head to the genocide memorial, but not before seeing 5 wedding parties pass by as we wait for the cab. They had a videographer standing in the bed of a truck filming the "limo", which was a more fancy car with tool and flowers wrapped around it. Weddings are a huge deal here in Rwanda, so spending a few years salary on them. Ahhhh, tradition.
Now on to the tough stuff, and Mali did an awesome job of bringing what we saw to life. I'm not going to lie, I am having trouble writing this today. What you see in the museum is real. Seeing the movies, reading books, does not even begin to tell the story of what happened here. Seeing the photos as she mentioned, and putting actual faces to the stories, is something I will never forget. The genocide happened....over 2 million people died in 100 days, 100 tutsis every 20 mins....almost 20 years ago, but this country is resilient. They know there history and it will remain with them forever, but they forgive. Amazingly, they forgive. I truly believe that is a big reason for their progressive recovery, making it one of the most successful countries in Africa.
Once we completed the tour, we went to the Nackumat. Like our version of super target but with only one selection of everything. We bought a few things, sat at the coffee shop and had iced tea (filtered water!) I had a chance to call my sister via video chat since we had a good wifi connection. I got to see my sister, brother in law, and nephews. It was just what I needed after the emotional afternoon I just had. Thank goodness for technology, it allowed me to see my family across the globe and reminded me that it is in fact the reason for the first trip to Rwanda with Softchoice Cares many years back.
We headed back to our hotel, La Pallisse Kigali with little time to get ready for our most fancy dinner of the trip. It is called Heaven, and it is :) I looked it up om the internet before coming to rwanda, and the website does not give it justice! Nestled on one of the many hills in Kigali is this beautiful open air restaurant. The minute you walk in, it smells of sweet flowers and delicious food. We take our seats after checking out the great view of the city at night....which is beautiful. We were joined by Lama (our Rwandan leader) and Rogers and William (the 2 young gentlemen who design and over see the kitchen gardens). As soon as we sit and take a look at the menu, the manager tells us we are in for a treat as there are a group of 15 or so African dancers to entertain us. Orphaned children from the ages 5-15 came out and did several dance routines. Wow. Adorable. Amazing. Just a few words I thought in the first 10 seconds. They danced for about 45 mins, and there was a donation jar if you wished to contribute. They perform to pay for their schooling, and the restaurant matched what was raised. I am pretty sure they did quite well! We then ordered food, passion fruit margarita and Filet of beef for me! Whoa, meat for both lunch and dinner??? As the night wrapped up we started a series of cheers or speeches. It was a chance to express appreciation on both sides for the week we spent together. Saying good bye to the people you work next too, share life experiences, and have great respect for is the hardest part of these trips. Real connections, friendships, are made in such a short time....despite any language barrier.
Tough day........ We got back to the hotel a little after 1:00 in the morning....that 5:30 wake up was tough! Although the time here in Rwanda is finishing, this country and the people have made an impact and are within my heart.....as Rogers put it last night, from a vein that pumps blood.
Heather
My TTAA
1. Water. The people of Rwanda amaze me in so many ways, but the one that still causes me to have such a reaction is the way most get water. Children and adults walk for miles up and down hills with Jerrycans strapped to their bike to get water. It is never much at time since water is heavy and the walk is so great. It is just a part of their day, and something I never thought about...that has now changed.
2. Smells. Every where you go in Africa has a unique smell, some favorable and some not at all. I haven't experienced any other place with so many different smells, and know it will be one of the many things I don't forget.
3. Utilization. Everything in this land is utilized completely. From clothing, crops, animals, bikes, water, reeds, manure (including an eco-toilet and i will let you figure that one out) and most importantly the top of your head :) where the people here can balance anything as they walk.....nothing is wasted and excess does not exist.
Mali & Heather
DWC Participants
Rwanda, July 2012
July 22: the Genocide museum, dinner and profound speeches
Yesterday was a day I was looking forward to the least, the day of two genocide museum tours, but it ended up probably the most meaningful day for all of us with a wonderful, reflective supper at the end. It started with our smiling 12 year old "Big Dog" helping to swing our suitcases up into the truck for the journey back to Kigali. We feel conflicted about Big Dog- he is obviously a hanger-on looking to ingratiate the muzungus, and he's skipping school to do so, and the Covaga women don't trust him, but he's such a hard worker and he seems to want to succeed. Lama has taken him under wing like an adopted son, and it seems to be bringing out the best in Big Dog. We picked up William and Rodgers and drove to Nyamata memorial site, where several thousand Tutsi took shelter at the local church, packed in like a concentration camp box car, and the priest collaborated in giving them up to slaughter. The pews of the church were stacked high with an incredible number of ragged clothes of the victims - no pictures or bones, just empty clothes that that once had people inside them. In the back yard of the church is a crypt where underground the are rows and rows of skulls, most of them machete-fractured, and stocks of femur bones that make you want to puke. We all emerged speechless from the experience, gave individual donations, and wrote short phrases in the memorial book like "never again" or "forgive but not forget". What I think we all felt was how incomprehensible this killing spree was given how peaceful And law-abiding Rwanda is now, only 18 years later. Nick said the peaceful forgiveness was fully evident 4 years ago. How have they turned things around is nothing short of a miracle. We didn't talk a lot in the bus afterword, and got back to normal camaraderie at lunch in Kigali at a Toronto-based hamburger joint called Mr Chips. Most of us wanted a taste of North America after a week of carb-based meals in Gashora, and the cheeseburgers and fries were gobbled up. The vegetarians had a good feed of fish and chips.
Next we went to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Museum. It's a much more informative site, taking you through colonial history where the Belgians used the Divide and Conquer technique of giving leadership privileges to the Tutsi minority based on racial profiling as a taller, lighter-skinned tribe, and cemented the differences with identity cards of Tutsi, Hutu, and Twa. Just before independence the Belgians guiltily pulled a switch and fired the Tutsi leaders and replaced them with Hutu leaders in preparation for majority-rule democracy. Lo and behold, just like in Sri Lanka and Uganda, the majority took revenge on the "collaborator" minorities. Picture and large print panels showed how the Tutsis survived pogroms from 1959 to 1990, with hundreds of thousands becoming refugees in Burundi (like Lama) and other neighboring countries. The info panels get more detailed from 1990-1994, showing how the Tutsi Rwanda Patriotic Front based in Uganda attacked into Rwanda trying to force the government to stop the pogroms and allow the refugees to return; the French government stopped the rebel army and there was a ceasefire, but Hutu extremists inflamed the population with hatred against Tutsi invaders. Despite sponsoring the Arusha peace negotiations and sending a small blue beret ed peacekeeping force, the UN ignored warnings that the Rwandan government was supporting Hutu extremists planning a much larger pogrom of genocide, not to create refugees like in the past, but an extermination. The museum uses video interviews with 5 or 6 genocide survivors taking us through how their neighbours turned on them and became brutal killers based on inflammatory radio propaganda. Videos also show how village justice courts got perpetrators to confess their crimes to their victims in public, and how difficult it was for victims to forgive them, but incredibly the victims all supported the idea of moving on through forgiveness. The museum doesn't overdo a guilt trip on the Hutu majority, it just relies on promoting compassion for the victims, and it also has 3 rooms showing other genocides in Europe (WW2 Germany, Armenia, and Bosnia) and Asia (Cambodia (1972-74) and America (Columbus Spaniards) to show that African genocide is not unique. The museum ends with pictures of children victims in happy family photos, and gut-wrenching captions like " hacked to death " or "head smashed in"' etc. You then go outside to large-slab tombs where over 250,000 people are buried, with simple purple and white flower bouquets on top, purple for freedom and white for peace. There are also a few understated and tasteful gardens full of symbolism about past mistakes and future hopes. Very well designed and powerful. I was the last one back on the bus, but no one scowled at me for keeping them waiting - there was just silence again as we all took in the enormity of the tragedy.
We were glad to return to La Palisse to unload our bags and to get a shower. We dressed up for a special farewell dinner with Lama, Rodgers, and William, reserved for 7:30, but the bus arrived after 8:00 (Rwanda time). We ran into a Saturday night traffic jam going downtown and arrived at 8:30. Rodgers and William arrived a few minutes later - the restaurant is called Heaven. As soon as we ordered drinks, the manager announced we would get a special African dance performance by a children's group singing for donations for school uniforms (they are orphans). They had great costumes and a strong drummer, and we're a delight to watch. Corie noticed the manager seemed to have a Canadian accent, and sure enough comes from Listowel, Ontario. He liked the beautiful backyard patio and has been training wait staff and the local woman chef through a temporary French chef, as he would like to return to Canada, but leaving a top performing restaurant in his wake. The food is locally bought and all restaurant tables, mats, etc., and he showcases local artists. We enjoyed a great meal and used our own wine (corkage fee), but the highlight was after-dinner speeches led by Nick who thanked our 3 African hosts in Building Bridges with Rwanda for being excellent organizers so we all felt busy and useful in Covaga. Lama followed by thanking us for our dedication and he gave us a bit of personal history relating to the Genocide Museum, that his family was threatened in 1959 and became refugees in Burundi, and he was lucky enough to get a UN-sponsored education and spent 30 years in Canada (mostly Vancouver), but he longed to return home to put his Economic Development education to good practice, which he did in 2008, hearing that Rwanda was stable. His daughter thought he was crazy, but he feels he is doing successful work with young Rwandan interns and North American partners. You could feel the commitment in Lama's voice. (later when we returned Lama home to his modest house on a dirt road, we realize how much he is dedicated to his vision). Nick asked others for comments and Amy and Corie, our gregarious ladies, talked about the positive energy in Rwanda compared to other countries, the genuine welcome by the Covaga ladies and the joy of the children. Maybe it was the wine but mostly the spirit of camaraderie - we all said heartfelt words in spontaneous turns. Lisa was amazed at the willingness to forgive in Rwanda, much more than her Irish ancestors have done. I praised the 3 African hosts for showing compassionate and intelligent role models for African men like Nelson Mandela has done. Rodgers shared his vision of helping educate Rwandan children and parents about balanced nutrition with the kitchen gardens, and William thanked us for our continued support. Maria and Mike added words of praise for Rwanda's progress, and Gary said the past week has had the most profound memories of his life other than the birth of his child. Bennett said he loved the children, and Mali ended up blowing our minds with Spoken Word poetry that she recited flawlessly and emotionally about the evils of boy soldiery. She will share her poetry on a future blog. We had bittersweet goodbyes with Lama, Rodgers and William, but you could feel a real desire for a continuing partnership in the group. We got back after midnight knowing we needed to get up early for our safari, but I think we all felt it was a memorable dinner.
John Rowell
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
Next we went to the Kigali Genocide Memorial Museum. It's a much more informative site, taking you through colonial history where the Belgians used the Divide and Conquer technique of giving leadership privileges to the Tutsi minority based on racial profiling as a taller, lighter-skinned tribe, and cemented the differences with identity cards of Tutsi, Hutu, and Twa. Just before independence the Belgians guiltily pulled a switch and fired the Tutsi leaders and replaced them with Hutu leaders in preparation for majority-rule democracy. Lo and behold, just like in Sri Lanka and Uganda, the majority took revenge on the "collaborator" minorities. Picture and large print panels showed how the Tutsis survived pogroms from 1959 to 1990, with hundreds of thousands becoming refugees in Burundi (like Lama) and other neighboring countries. The info panels get more detailed from 1990-1994, showing how the Tutsi Rwanda Patriotic Front based in Uganda attacked into Rwanda trying to force the government to stop the pogroms and allow the refugees to return; the French government stopped the rebel army and there was a ceasefire, but Hutu extremists inflamed the population with hatred against Tutsi invaders. Despite sponsoring the Arusha peace negotiations and sending a small blue beret ed peacekeeping force, the UN ignored warnings that the Rwandan government was supporting Hutu extremists planning a much larger pogrom of genocide, not to create refugees like in the past, but an extermination. The museum uses video interviews with 5 or 6 genocide survivors taking us through how their neighbours turned on them and became brutal killers based on inflammatory radio propaganda. Videos also show how village justice courts got perpetrators to confess their crimes to their victims in public, and how difficult it was for victims to forgive them, but incredibly the victims all supported the idea of moving on through forgiveness. The museum doesn't overdo a guilt trip on the Hutu majority, it just relies on promoting compassion for the victims, and it also has 3 rooms showing other genocides in Europe (WW2 Germany, Armenia, and Bosnia) and Asia (Cambodia (1972-74) and America (Columbus Spaniards) to show that African genocide is not unique. The museum ends with pictures of children victims in happy family photos, and gut-wrenching captions like " hacked to death " or "head smashed in"' etc. You then go outside to large-slab tombs where over 250,000 people are buried, with simple purple and white flower bouquets on top, purple for freedom and white for peace. There are also a few understated and tasteful gardens full of symbolism about past mistakes and future hopes. Very well designed and powerful. I was the last one back on the bus, but no one scowled at me for keeping them waiting - there was just silence again as we all took in the enormity of the tragedy.
We were glad to return to La Palisse to unload our bags and to get a shower. We dressed up for a special farewell dinner with Lama, Rodgers, and William, reserved for 7:30, but the bus arrived after 8:00 (Rwanda time). We ran into a Saturday night traffic jam going downtown and arrived at 8:30. Rodgers and William arrived a few minutes later - the restaurant is called Heaven. As soon as we ordered drinks, the manager announced we would get a special African dance performance by a children's group singing for donations for school uniforms (they are orphans). They had great costumes and a strong drummer, and we're a delight to watch. Corie noticed the manager seemed to have a Canadian accent, and sure enough comes from Listowel, Ontario. He liked the beautiful backyard patio and has been training wait staff and the local woman chef through a temporary French chef, as he would like to return to Canada, but leaving a top performing restaurant in his wake. The food is locally bought and all restaurant tables, mats, etc., and he showcases local artists. We enjoyed a great meal and used our own wine (corkage fee), but the highlight was after-dinner speeches led by Nick who thanked our 3 African hosts in Building Bridges with Rwanda for being excellent organizers so we all felt busy and useful in Covaga. Lama followed by thanking us for our dedication and he gave us a bit of personal history relating to the Genocide Museum, that his family was threatened in 1959 and became refugees in Burundi, and he was lucky enough to get a UN-sponsored education and spent 30 years in Canada (mostly Vancouver), but he longed to return home to put his Economic Development education to good practice, which he did in 2008, hearing that Rwanda was stable. His daughter thought he was crazy, but he feels he is doing successful work with young Rwandan interns and North American partners. You could feel the commitment in Lama's voice. (later when we returned Lama home to his modest house on a dirt road, we realize how much he is dedicated to his vision). Nick asked others for comments and Amy and Corie, our gregarious ladies, talked about the positive energy in Rwanda compared to other countries, the genuine welcome by the Covaga ladies and the joy of the children. Maybe it was the wine but mostly the spirit of camaraderie - we all said heartfelt words in spontaneous turns. Lisa was amazed at the willingness to forgive in Rwanda, much more than her Irish ancestors have done. I praised the 3 African hosts for showing compassionate and intelligent role models for African men like Nelson Mandela has done. Rodgers shared his vision of helping educate Rwandan children and parents about balanced nutrition with the kitchen gardens, and William thanked us for our continued support. Maria and Mike added words of praise for Rwanda's progress, and Gary said the past week has had the most profound memories of his life other than the birth of his child. Bennett said he loved the children, and Mali ended up blowing our minds with Spoken Word poetry that she recited flawlessly and emotionally about the evils of boy soldiery. She will share her poetry on a future blog. We had bittersweet goodbyes with Lama, Rodgers and William, but you could feel a real desire for a continuing partnership in the group. We got back after midnight knowing we needed to get up early for our safari, but I think we all felt it was a memorable dinner.
John Rowell
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
July 22: Back to Kigali
The hazy air in Kigali feels heavy in the languid heat of a busy Saturday afternoon. It is a perfect match for the heavy feeling after visiting the genocide museums today. Frankly it is always unbelievable what people are capable of doing to each other. The first museum was in a village church where hundreds were killed after seeking refuge. Apparently the priest locked everyone in and made a call that resulted in row upon row of the bloodied clothes of the victims along with several underground crypts filled with bones. The second museum in Kigali told a more complete history of the events running up to the 100 days in 1994 when over 800,000 people were murdered. Parts of the exhibits are so dreadful that I had to look away. How many machete wounds can you absorb before you turn off? Maybe I understand Dalaire's PTSD just a little. I gather that most Rwandans wish to put the genocide behind them and move on with their lives and with the development of their country. Apparently some wish to deny the magnitude of the murder so these museums are truly important. Sadly, I have my doubts that more similar museums won't be created in future in other parts of the world. Is Syria next?
All this stands in stark contrast to the beautiful week in Gashora as described by many of the other posts. I really enjoyed working with Rodgers/William on the kitchen gardens, with Peter on the shelving and the fencing led by David. As I said to the team the other night those shelves really offended my sense of level/square/straight etc, and really had me wishing for my "proper" tools, but Peter never quit despite the wet wood and bent nails. So we all plowed along with him and got it done. I hope they will serve them for many years to come. I think we've seen a glimse of a future Rwandan leader in Rodgers. He is incredibly passionate in helping people eat better by installing kitchen gardens. More importantly he always makes a point of knowing everyone's name and passing along encouraging words. I have my doubts the gardens will work given the limited water and seed supplies, but if Rodgers has anything to do with keeping them going they will be fine. He is very charismatic and draws people in with his big smile and big dreams.
We're heading out to a nice dinner at a place called Heaven tonight and you can believe I won't be ordering anything with potatoes! We've had spuds morning, noon and night this past week. We should have brought some ketchup! Over and out.
Mike
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
All this stands in stark contrast to the beautiful week in Gashora as described by many of the other posts. I really enjoyed working with Rodgers/William on the kitchen gardens, with Peter on the shelving and the fencing led by David. As I said to the team the other night those shelves really offended my sense of level/square/straight etc, and really had me wishing for my "proper" tools, but Peter never quit despite the wet wood and bent nails. So we all plowed along with him and got it done. I hope they will serve them for many years to come. I think we've seen a glimse of a future Rwandan leader in Rodgers. He is incredibly passionate in helping people eat better by installing kitchen gardens. More importantly he always makes a point of knowing everyone's name and passing along encouraging words. I have my doubts the gardens will work given the limited water and seed supplies, but if Rodgers has anything to do with keeping them going they will be fine. He is very charismatic and draws people in with his big smile and big dreams.
We're heading out to a nice dinner at a place called Heaven tonight and you can believe I won't be ordering anything with potatoes! We've had spuds morning, noon and night this past week. We should have brought some ketchup! Over and out.
Mike
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
July 22: Au revoir Gashora
It has been a great time here in Gashora. Our bags are packed to overflowing with baskets from the Covaga Co-operative. Our clothes have a tinge of red from the soil we've been working in for the last five days. Our backs are a bit stiff from the hard labour. And we have said our farewells. There were more than a few tears. I think we've touched the lives of many people this week. Perhaps they will forget our names and even our faces. But I don't think they will forget the sight of foreigners working shoulder to shoulder with local villagers to improve their quality of life. I certainly will not forget the sight of the 8 to 10 year olds helping us hoe, hammer and touring us around town barefoot. I will not forget the excitement in the voice of the genocide survivor when she spoke about how the kitchen garden will help her feed her 4 children and the 3 other children she has taken in. I will cherish the memory of the surprise and joy on the women's faces as they received photos of themselves on our last day in town. Perhaps the best memory will be of so many individuals - local and foreign - who came together to improve a community which has been described as the epicentre of the genocide. My wish for Gashora is for it to keep its charm, community spirit and pride as it continues to grow stronger and more vital as each project and initiative progresses.
Maria
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
Maria
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
July 21: Kitchen garden project
In order to alleviate malnutrition the Government of Rwanda is asking people to eat better and one of the solutions is the implementation of the Kitchen Garden. It costs about $12 to $15 to install and importantly manages water retention better than regular gardening. Carrying water is a big chore and this is one reason that people will consider using this approach. The tiers are meant to have carrots, beets, amarynth and cabbage. Having green vegetables to add to the diet of corn and rice is huge. We built five of these while we were in Gashora and we loved working with the local people to install these!
DWC Team
Rwanda, July 2012
DWC Team
Rwanda, July 2012
July 21: Our last day on the project
Hey all! Today was our last day in Gashora (sad face), but we managed to put up another kitchen garden, and work on the fencing. I shoveled and moved soil from one place to the next, pretty much the whole morning. It's mad tiring work! And it was so hot out... The sun was really not letting up at all. I wore my white -tshirt today... It got super dirty (what a surprise). I can't wait see all of the pictures from this trip!! I haven't seen any at all. I didn't bring my camera and left it to my father and his mundo-cam to document our trip in pictures because I agreed to do this blogging. When we came back to Gashora to join up with the part of the team that was working on putting a fence around Covaga's property, we were relieved to be able to sit down. Also, I have collected 5 friendship bracelets from the little girl I played catch with. Super cute.
Anyways, here's Corie.... She'll give you the 411 on this afternoon and her TTAA's.
So the 411 on the afternoon goes like this...lunch was long and leisurely today. Some of us were a bit tired from our very physical work week (see Lisa's photo of John). We had rice, a mash of veggies, French fries, and plantains!
Upon the conclusion of lunch, we headed back to our home base of Covaga. We thought we might be going to the Genocide Memorial but that didn't happen. We then got busy helping to build Covaga's barbwired fence. Now that was tough work. The grief involved with trying to put up this fence are mainly twofold: the one roll of barb wire was buckling and then it was tough to get enough tension in the fencing to secure it well to the posts - that's our North American perfectionism coming out - I guess we have to earn more of the African way - Hakuna Matata!
After the fencing project started wrapping up for the day, I (Corie), started an impromptu dance party with a few other the children. Many were giggling at my crazy white person moves!
We soon were shuffled inside Covaga for our final celebration. We sat with the ladies inside Covaga and listened to a few speeches- Lama, two Covaga ladies, and a few of the men we've been working with this week including Roger and Chance. We were supposed to sing for the group but we got saved by Roger and the ladies breaking into song. Many of us got up and danced - all good fun.
Once this celebration wrapped up, we walked over to the basketball court to watch the local teams play. We did not last long as it was already 5:30 pm. We all wandered back in a trickle - I wandered back with Mali and a bunch of local children. I got them singing "Old MacDonald's Farm" much to Mali's delight at my animal noises.
We returned to La Palisse around 6pm - just in time to clean up for dinner. The food was good and dessert was even better - maple fudge and chocolate. Now it's time for cards...
My TTAA's:
1. I love the people - they are so warm and welcoming.
2. I love the singing and dancing and the amazing attitude and feeling that goes with it.
3. I love the 'Hakuna Matata' mentality.
See you later all -no worries - be happy.
Now for a repeat guest appearance that he cannot refuse as I'm his new best friend .... Bennett is back with his TTAA's
1. I love how there are so many little ones running around, all of them happy and curious.
2. I love how people in Rwanda want to do so much for their country and to do the best they can to make it a better place.
3. I love how easy it is to have a connection with people here even though their is a language barrier.
Mali, Corie & Bennett
DWC Participants
Rwanda, July 2012
Anyways, here's Corie.... She'll give you the 411 on this afternoon and her TTAA's.
So the 411 on the afternoon goes like this...lunch was long and leisurely today. Some of us were a bit tired from our very physical work week (see Lisa's photo of John). We had rice, a mash of veggies, French fries, and plantains!
Upon the conclusion of lunch, we headed back to our home base of Covaga. We thought we might be going to the Genocide Memorial but that didn't happen. We then got busy helping to build Covaga's barbwired fence. Now that was tough work. The grief involved with trying to put up this fence are mainly twofold: the one roll of barb wire was buckling and then it was tough to get enough tension in the fencing to secure it well to the posts - that's our North American perfectionism coming out - I guess we have to earn more of the African way - Hakuna Matata!
After the fencing project started wrapping up for the day, I (Corie), started an impromptu dance party with a few other the children. Many were giggling at my crazy white person moves!
We soon were shuffled inside Covaga for our final celebration. We sat with the ladies inside Covaga and listened to a few speeches- Lama, two Covaga ladies, and a few of the men we've been working with this week including Roger and Chance. We were supposed to sing for the group but we got saved by Roger and the ladies breaking into song. Many of us got up and danced - all good fun.
Once this celebration wrapped up, we walked over to the basketball court to watch the local teams play. We did not last long as it was already 5:30 pm. We all wandered back in a trickle - I wandered back with Mali and a bunch of local children. I got them singing "Old MacDonald's Farm" much to Mali's delight at my animal noises.
We returned to La Palisse around 6pm - just in time to clean up for dinner. The food was good and dessert was even better - maple fudge and chocolate. Now it's time for cards...
My TTAA's:
1. I love the people - they are so warm and welcoming.
2. I love the singing and dancing and the amazing attitude and feeling that goes with it.
3. I love the 'Hakuna Matata' mentality.
See you later all -no worries - be happy.
Now for a repeat guest appearance that he cannot refuse as I'm his new best friend .... Bennett is back with his TTAA's
1. I love how there are so many little ones running around, all of them happy and curious.
2. I love how people in Rwanda want to do so much for their country and to do the best they can to make it a better place.
3. I love how easy it is to have a connection with people here even though their is a language barrier.
Mali, Corie & Bennett
DWC Participants
Rwanda, July 2012
Friday, July 20, 2012
July 20: Peter and his new shelves
Peters is the general contractor in the area who really needed some shelves to organize the tools he and a lot of the community use. He was very happy to get these done in 4 days because he thought it was going to take him 10. We dedicated a few people for a short time 3 days this week and apparently it made a difference. Peters was an awesome guy so it was really nice to see him happy with how it turned out.
Gary & Amy
DWC Participants
Rwanda, July 2012
Gary & Amy
DWC Participants
Rwanda, July 2012
July 20: So far so good!
So far my experience in Rwanda has been nothing short of awesome. I can't believe we are leaving Gashora tomorrow already. I'm very much looking forward to the safari and moving onto Uganda but a big part of me just wants to stay here. I can't describe how I feel when I walk down the street and have 30 kids running down to see me screaming "Mzungu" which of course causes another 30 kids from the next street to come running too. We are all as popular here as Justin Bieber is in North America. I can easily get used to this attention. Had my bike taxi driver been a little slower, I could have had enough time to get my camera and get a video of a few little ones doing a mzungu dance in the street as we rode by. It was very cute.
Everyone is doing a great job of recording the days events so I won't repeat what they have said. I am not so sure I could tell our story as good as Mali has done so far anyway. The kitchen gardens are a fun and exciting project. We are now functioning like a well oiled machine and can crank them out quite quickly. I will admit to having some of the locals to help us everyday and those guys are amazing. They do not rest, ever. We also have a dozen or so kids hanging around pitching in.
I have figured out why I connect so well with the kids. We have a few things in common.
1. We are both super excited to be doing this.
2. We both just want to help any way we can.
3. We both do a great job of slowing down the local workers.
Luckily, the locals are very patient with us and take the time to show us what we are doing wrong or how we can be more efficient. I had a bit of a breaking point the other day. I can't actually talk about it yet without getting tears in my eyes but one day I will be able to share. I was told all along it would happen sooner or later but it took me by surprise anyway. Maybe after a few more days, I'll be able to at least blog it. I know I will not be able to tell the story for a very long time without crying like a little baby. It is amazing how the kids can say a few words that really hit home. Who knows if they truly understand what they are even saying. Either way, it is very moving.
Looking forward to today. Another kitchen garden and helping with the fence at COVAGA. Not sure which job I'm doing yet. It will be sad to say bye to everyone but the ladies have said they would like to do a performance for us to show their thanks for all we have done for them this week. I can't wait to see it. The impromptu singing and dancing we saw a couple days ago was very great to see. I'm sure I'll have many new stories to add in the next few days. Till then, hope everyone at home is doing well and I miss you all.
Gary (aka: Gavy)
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
Everyone is doing a great job of recording the days events so I won't repeat what they have said. I am not so sure I could tell our story as good as Mali has done so far anyway. The kitchen gardens are a fun and exciting project. We are now functioning like a well oiled machine and can crank them out quite quickly. I will admit to having some of the locals to help us everyday and those guys are amazing. They do not rest, ever. We also have a dozen or so kids hanging around pitching in.
I have figured out why I connect so well with the kids. We have a few things in common.
1. We are both super excited to be doing this.
2. We both just want to help any way we can.
3. We both do a great job of slowing down the local workers.
Luckily, the locals are very patient with us and take the time to show us what we are doing wrong or how we can be more efficient. I had a bit of a breaking point the other day. I can't actually talk about it yet without getting tears in my eyes but one day I will be able to share. I was told all along it would happen sooner or later but it took me by surprise anyway. Maybe after a few more days, I'll be able to at least blog it. I know I will not be able to tell the story for a very long time without crying like a little baby. It is amazing how the kids can say a few words that really hit home. Who knows if they truly understand what they are even saying. Either way, it is very moving.
Looking forward to today. Another kitchen garden and helping with the fence at COVAGA. Not sure which job I'm doing yet. It will be sad to say bye to everyone but the ladies have said they would like to do a performance for us to show their thanks for all we have done for them this week. I can't wait to see it. The impromptu singing and dancing we saw a couple days ago was very great to see. I'm sure I'll have many new stories to add in the next few days. Till then, hope everyone at home is doing well and I miss you all.
Gary (aka: Gavy)
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
July 20: Mzungus who fenced, gardened and played the role of Optometrists
We're collab-ing again tonight... Our guest star tonight is Bennett Foster. He'll be covering the first half and I'll be reporting on the last half.... So, here's Bennett with this morning's activities!
Hey its Bennett here and I'm Mali's cousin. So getting to the Covaga was interesting today. I ended up running all the way from the hotel to Covaga while everyone else took the bike taxis... Anyway when I finally got there we had three different jobs to do. Stringing more wire onto the fence, building shelves for the Covaga, and making another kitchen garden. Me and Mali stayed at Covaga and helped Peter the carpenter out for the morning. Cutting wood and nailing boards together was a nice change from the physical labour of building the kitchen gardens. And of course the constant flow of little kids made it even more enjoyable. All of them wanting to help you, hold your tools, and try on your work gloves. A lot of the kids have become regulars by now and always seem to appear at your side.
When we had done all we could with the shelving I jumped into another job with my Aunt Lisa, who was stringing wire at the time. That got done quick.
By now people the kitchen garden team were arriving back at the Covaga. They were dirty, tired and ready for lunch. Corie and some of the American team, who had been helping to teach English at the primary school, were also arriving.
We breaked for lunch and began our walk toward the Lake Side Restaurant. Walking down the street you attract a lot of attention. We each have at least one little kid holding our hand and as we walk people stop to observe us and give us curious looks. We smile and wave and they wave back. Little kids run out of their homes saying "Mzungu! Mzungu!" (White Man) as we pass. Its a cool thing to experience and it just proves that there aren't a lot of white people just walking past you in Africa.
That's it for me, I'll hand it over to Mali for the afternoon's activities. Bennett out.
Hey guys.... So let's begin yesterday's summary of afternoon shenanigans...After lunch, Maria, Corie and I decided we'd join forces and visit the medical clinic to help testing people for their vision. We couldn't find the letter chart so we had to use a picture chart... So Maria and Corie learned some new kenyarwandan. I sorted the glasses in two: a pile for readers and a pile for distance glasses. I also learned how to identify the two... Thank you, Maria! I also took turns with Corie being the pointer... Which, by the way, is ridiculously tiring for the shoulders. It was fun sorting through the glasses.... We found a pair which were of ridiculous strength. They actually looked like coke bottle lenses. It was so funny to watch someone try them on... They magnified your eyes like crazy and you couldn't see anything but super-blurrs. Corie took them over to the people waiting in line and had them try them on. There was a lot of aggressive finger shaking indicating that they couldn't see at all, followed by cackling of laughter.
After going through about 50 people and taking down names of people who needed to come back to see a doctor before being set up with a pair of glasses.That took about two hours.
When we got back to basket HQ (Covaga) I started playing around with the kids and got them to punch my open palms. They're actually pretty strong... One of them had a tennis ball so I took it and started playing catch with two of the kids. It was really fun. It reminded me of when my dad and I used to play catch with a tennis ball and how much fun that was for me. It was really heart-warming to see them smiling and laughing when they missed the ball.
After about half an hour, we were on our way to a bar for some beers (no mother, I didn't drink). As we were sitting there sipping our cold bevys, we saw a group of children wearing green jerseys and realized that that was the primary school's track team (couldve been the soccer team.... Not too sure) running in unison around Gashora. The green shirts they we're wearing were, in fact, the ones we had donated to the primary school! It was amazing to see our donations in use and you could tell they we're beaming in their matching uniforms.
When we bike taxi'd home, we had our showers and met up again for dinner. We debriefed about what we were holding at the back of our minds. It took a long time, but the meeting was incredibly insightful. I had the same thoughts as the first-timers when I had first been in Africa. There were also thoughts which I hadn't thought about, but once they were talked about, I realized that they were valid concerns and observations.
My father suggested that I perform a spoken word piece at the farewell thing tonight... I'm hoping that means that if I do it, then I won't have to be part of the team's required singing a song... I doubt I'll be let off the hook. I just feel bad for the audience....
So here we go, tomorrow is our last day in Gashora before we head back to Kigali to do some touristy stuff, including a safari.
Until then,
M
Bennett & Mali Foster
DWC Participants
Rwanda, July 2012
Hey its Bennett here and I'm Mali's cousin. So getting to the Covaga was interesting today. I ended up running all the way from the hotel to Covaga while everyone else took the bike taxis... Anyway when I finally got there we had three different jobs to do. Stringing more wire onto the fence, building shelves for the Covaga, and making another kitchen garden. Me and Mali stayed at Covaga and helped Peter the carpenter out for the morning. Cutting wood and nailing boards together was a nice change from the physical labour of building the kitchen gardens. And of course the constant flow of little kids made it even more enjoyable. All of them wanting to help you, hold your tools, and try on your work gloves. A lot of the kids have become regulars by now and always seem to appear at your side.
When we had done all we could with the shelving I jumped into another job with my Aunt Lisa, who was stringing wire at the time. That got done quick.
By now people the kitchen garden team were arriving back at the Covaga. They were dirty, tired and ready for lunch. Corie and some of the American team, who had been helping to teach English at the primary school, were also arriving.
We breaked for lunch and began our walk toward the Lake Side Restaurant. Walking down the street you attract a lot of attention. We each have at least one little kid holding our hand and as we walk people stop to observe us and give us curious looks. We smile and wave and they wave back. Little kids run out of their homes saying "Mzungu! Mzungu!" (White Man) as we pass. Its a cool thing to experience and it just proves that there aren't a lot of white people just walking past you in Africa.
That's it for me, I'll hand it over to Mali for the afternoon's activities. Bennett out.
Hey guys.... So let's begin yesterday's summary of afternoon shenanigans...After lunch, Maria, Corie and I decided we'd join forces and visit the medical clinic to help testing people for their vision. We couldn't find the letter chart so we had to use a picture chart... So Maria and Corie learned some new kenyarwandan. I sorted the glasses in two: a pile for readers and a pile for distance glasses. I also learned how to identify the two... Thank you, Maria! I also took turns with Corie being the pointer... Which, by the way, is ridiculously tiring for the shoulders. It was fun sorting through the glasses.... We found a pair which were of ridiculous strength. They actually looked like coke bottle lenses. It was so funny to watch someone try them on... They magnified your eyes like crazy and you couldn't see anything but super-blurrs. Corie took them over to the people waiting in line and had them try them on. There was a lot of aggressive finger shaking indicating that they couldn't see at all, followed by cackling of laughter.
After going through about 50 people and taking down names of people who needed to come back to see a doctor before being set up with a pair of glasses.That took about two hours.
When we got back to basket HQ (Covaga) I started playing around with the kids and got them to punch my open palms. They're actually pretty strong... One of them had a tennis ball so I took it and started playing catch with two of the kids. It was really fun. It reminded me of when my dad and I used to play catch with a tennis ball and how much fun that was for me. It was really heart-warming to see them smiling and laughing when they missed the ball.
After about half an hour, we were on our way to a bar for some beers (no mother, I didn't drink). As we were sitting there sipping our cold bevys, we saw a group of children wearing green jerseys and realized that that was the primary school's track team (couldve been the soccer team.... Not too sure) running in unison around Gashora. The green shirts they we're wearing were, in fact, the ones we had donated to the primary school! It was amazing to see our donations in use and you could tell they we're beaming in their matching uniforms.
When we bike taxi'd home, we had our showers and met up again for dinner. We debriefed about what we were holding at the back of our minds. It took a long time, but the meeting was incredibly insightful. I had the same thoughts as the first-timers when I had first been in Africa. There were also thoughts which I hadn't thought about, but once they were talked about, I realized that they were valid concerns and observations.
My father suggested that I perform a spoken word piece at the farewell thing tonight... I'm hoping that means that if I do it, then I won't have to be part of the team's required singing a song... I doubt I'll be let off the hook. I just feel bad for the audience....
So here we go, tomorrow is our last day in Gashora before we head back to Kigali to do some touristy stuff, including a safari.
Until then,
M
Bennett & Mali Foster
DWC Participants
Rwanda, July 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
July 19: Amazing trip, people and baskets
Hi friends and family! This is my first post...and it is tough to follow any of Mali's cleaver posts (thank you for your talented writing) but here goes!!!
What an amazing trip we have had so far. The people and community of Gashora are amazing and very connected with each other. They take such care of each other and are always there to pitch in to help on each project we are working on....even if it may not directly benefit them, they know it benefits the community. I am blown away by the sense of pride. We have mostly been working with some of the genocide survivors who have taken in their fair share of orphaned children and help feed some of their neighbors, build an outdoor kitchen garden. This consists of digging out dirt and putting in 3 rings of soil, doing this with wood cut and shaped by machetes. It's once again very interesting to see the "tools" we use to build the gardens. I will post some pictures. We were called " the rockstar group" by the Rwandans because we finished 2 kitchen gardens before lunch....which is an all time record.
I have to say as well how much I enjoy my time at the Covaga Coop. This is a project that helps to empower the women to support their families financially. They make these incredible baskets out of the reeds in the lake, dye them, and then weave them into these amazing baskets. They love sharing stories and their skills with us. Even with the enormous language barrier, you can really connect with these women. They also bring their little children with them to the "office" and we have had so much fun playing with them. In fact all the children in the village are a blast to get to know.
Summary of the trip so far...lost luggage and 24 hour reroute aside, it is fascinating to see the work of previous trips (both Softchoice and DWC) and the connections made, seeing a village with so little with confidence to be as progressive as they are, and how self sufficient the children are and how everyone comes together to take such care of one another. Our team is getting along great and we have had so much fun getting to know each other. I am the official token American with this group of Canadians and my official Rwandan name is HB, since Heather is just a bit too hard to say :) and I love it! Xoxoxo
Heather Brown
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
What an amazing trip we have had so far. The people and community of Gashora are amazing and very connected with each other. They take such care of each other and are always there to pitch in to help on each project we are working on....even if it may not directly benefit them, they know it benefits the community. I am blown away by the sense of pride. We have mostly been working with some of the genocide survivors who have taken in their fair share of orphaned children and help feed some of their neighbors, build an outdoor kitchen garden. This consists of digging out dirt and putting in 3 rings of soil, doing this with wood cut and shaped by machetes. It's once again very interesting to see the "tools" we use to build the gardens. I will post some pictures. We were called " the rockstar group" by the Rwandans because we finished 2 kitchen gardens before lunch....which is an all time record.
I have to say as well how much I enjoy my time at the Covaga Coop. This is a project that helps to empower the women to support their families financially. They make these incredible baskets out of the reeds in the lake, dye them, and then weave them into these amazing baskets. They love sharing stories and their skills with us. Even with the enormous language barrier, you can really connect with these women. They also bring their little children with them to the "office" and we have had so much fun playing with them. In fact all the children in the village are a blast to get to know.
Summary of the trip so far...lost luggage and 24 hour reroute aside, it is fascinating to see the work of previous trips (both Softchoice and DWC) and the connections made, seeing a village with so little with confidence to be as progressive as they are, and how self sufficient the children are and how everyone comes together to take such care of one another. Our team is getting along great and we have had so much fun getting to know each other. I am the official token American with this group of Canadians and my official Rwandan name is HB, since Heather is just a bit too hard to say :) and I love it! Xoxoxo
Heather Brown
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
July 18: Another busy day with lots of highlights
This post will be a collab with Lisa because frankly, this whole blogging thing is rather toting... Especially when days are so busy. I'll be doing the first half up until lunchtime and Lisa will report on the last part of the day until dinner.
My hand are sore from gripping garden hoes all day! We built two kitchen gardens today at record speed. We all wore our DWC white tees and had a contest of who would get theirs the dirtiest by the end of the day. After all of the digging, I can say that all of our t-shirts had a red tinge to them. However, Gary had the dirtiest shirt by lunchtime... He was also the sweatiest. I'm pleased to report that Amy's pants were not soiled and her bum was completely protected from dirt-invaders.
When we moved from one house to the other to build these kitchen gardens, we ended up with our own little entourage of children. Many of them wanted to hold your hand and once they learned your name, they would say it over and over and over. They'd sometimes get my name mixed up with Maria's name and so I wasn't always sure who they were calling.
I didn't only work the hoes today (teehee), but I also did a fair bit of shoveling. I'm pretty sure that I'll be sore tomorrow. I already have, as termed by Lisa, hoe hands and hoe shoulders.
While the rest of the team worked on the second kitchen garden, Corrie and John headed to the primary school to help the teachers and the students with learning English. They taught the students how to do the Hokie Pokie dance and song and the Old MacDonald song with modified animal sounds. Apparently animal sounds aren't the same in Rwanda as they are in Canada... A sheep goes "bah" in Canada and "neigh" in Rwanda. They also sang B-I-N-G-O.
After completing the second kitchen garden and we joined up with John and Corrie, we headed to lunch. We started by washing our red hands and using Wet Wipes to clean our faces. By the end of our cleaning session, the wipes were all red with dirt. We were filthy.
One of the Rwandan guides/leaders named Cedric was incredibly thoughtful and organized to have custom bracelets made for the whole team, plus the American team. As they were distributed, Cedric stopped at one that said "Gavy"... We were all confused and looking around for this Gavy character when we realized that Gavy was actually our Gary. All the Rwandans had been calling him Gavy so I guess they assumed that that was his name. So form that moment on, his Rwandan name became Gavy.
Before I hand this post to Lisa, I'll give you one of my TTAAs. As the special guest, Lisa will tell you all two things that she likes about Africa.
African drive: I am always impressed with students' ambitions, discipline, and academic drive. It is very hard to find motivated Torontonian high school students who are as driven as these students. When I was in high school, slacking was common and dislike for school was also popular. Here, school is an incredibly valuable thing and education can mean huge opportunities. They study hard, they have a goal of where they want to be in x amount of years, they value every bit of their education. It's incredibly inspiring.
Without further ado, here's Lisa with her portion of the blog. M, out! Lisa in.
Following our lunch we walked back to the Covaga Centre. The chain link fencing had arrived and we are supposed to put that up tomorrow. The team divided into 3 groups. One was shopping for baskets. One was putting up a display system for the baskets and another was running an eye clinic for glasses. I of course spent some time in the first group! I then spent some time sitting with Esperanza who is a master basket weaver. She taught me how to do it and then let me do some of her ongoing basket. It was a lot of fun. She chatted away in Kenyarwanda and I responded in English but we seemed to figure things out. Mike and John put up the display system. Apparently the wood is very wet so a nightmare to cut and it weeps when you hammer nails into it. Nick and Maria and Corrie were conducting the eye clinic. It was supposed to be for the women of the Centre but very quickly word spread and people gathered. It was a bit crazy. I wasn't able to keep track of what everyone one else was doing so this is not to imply the other were slacking!
My French has come in useful here with a certain generation of Rwandans. It gives me a common language with them and allows some direct communication. My basket weaver teacher wanted to chat so we used an interpreter via French. The guy was quite helpful. Esperenza wants me to keep I contact with her, sell lots of baskets in Canada and bring her for a visit! I shared wpmy email address with her so it should be interesting to see if she keeps contact. Internet access can't be easy or cheap..
We walked back from the Centre to the hotel with quite a few kids holding our hands. You would never do this in North America and at the beginning you feel somewhat uncomfortable, but you quickly adapt as there is always someone wanting to hold your hand and chat. Bennett is very popular. We encountered a group of kids running around a field. Bennett joined them for a few rounds and everyone was laughing by the end.
We ended the day having a few local beers and drinks by the lake watching the sunset. It was a fiery red sun as it went down. Very spectacular. Thats it for me! maybe more later.
Ooops. Forgot that I need to provide you with TTAA's: only one tonight - the kids are so independent and self contained. They rarely cry, are very inquisitive, friendly and cheerful. The older kids take care of the younger kids and seem to have a life independent of adults. Quite refreshing when you think of how dependent and clingy our kids can be.
Goodnight.
Mali Foster & LisaFoster
DWC Participants
Rwanda, July 2012
My hand are sore from gripping garden hoes all day! We built two kitchen gardens today at record speed. We all wore our DWC white tees and had a contest of who would get theirs the dirtiest by the end of the day. After all of the digging, I can say that all of our t-shirts had a red tinge to them. However, Gary had the dirtiest shirt by lunchtime... He was also the sweatiest. I'm pleased to report that Amy's pants were not soiled and her bum was completely protected from dirt-invaders.
When we moved from one house to the other to build these kitchen gardens, we ended up with our own little entourage of children. Many of them wanted to hold your hand and once they learned your name, they would say it over and over and over. They'd sometimes get my name mixed up with Maria's name and so I wasn't always sure who they were calling.
I didn't only work the hoes today (teehee), but I also did a fair bit of shoveling. I'm pretty sure that I'll be sore tomorrow. I already have, as termed by Lisa, hoe hands and hoe shoulders.
While the rest of the team worked on the second kitchen garden, Corrie and John headed to the primary school to help the teachers and the students with learning English. They taught the students how to do the Hokie Pokie dance and song and the Old MacDonald song with modified animal sounds. Apparently animal sounds aren't the same in Rwanda as they are in Canada... A sheep goes "bah" in Canada and "neigh" in Rwanda. They also sang B-I-N-G-O.
After completing the second kitchen garden and we joined up with John and Corrie, we headed to lunch. We started by washing our red hands and using Wet Wipes to clean our faces. By the end of our cleaning session, the wipes were all red with dirt. We were filthy.
One of the Rwandan guides/leaders named Cedric was incredibly thoughtful and organized to have custom bracelets made for the whole team, plus the American team. As they were distributed, Cedric stopped at one that said "Gavy"... We were all confused and looking around for this Gavy character when we realized that Gavy was actually our Gary. All the Rwandans had been calling him Gavy so I guess they assumed that that was his name. So form that moment on, his Rwandan name became Gavy.
Before I hand this post to Lisa, I'll give you one of my TTAAs. As the special guest, Lisa will tell you all two things that she likes about Africa.
African drive: I am always impressed with students' ambitions, discipline, and academic drive. It is very hard to find motivated Torontonian high school students who are as driven as these students. When I was in high school, slacking was common and dislike for school was also popular. Here, school is an incredibly valuable thing and education can mean huge opportunities. They study hard, they have a goal of where they want to be in x amount of years, they value every bit of their education. It's incredibly inspiring.
Without further ado, here's Lisa with her portion of the blog. M, out! Lisa in.
Following our lunch we walked back to the Covaga Centre. The chain link fencing had arrived and we are supposed to put that up tomorrow. The team divided into 3 groups. One was shopping for baskets. One was putting up a display system for the baskets and another was running an eye clinic for glasses. I of course spent some time in the first group! I then spent some time sitting with Esperanza who is a master basket weaver. She taught me how to do it and then let me do some of her ongoing basket. It was a lot of fun. She chatted away in Kenyarwanda and I responded in English but we seemed to figure things out. Mike and John put up the display system. Apparently the wood is very wet so a nightmare to cut and it weeps when you hammer nails into it. Nick and Maria and Corrie were conducting the eye clinic. It was supposed to be for the women of the Centre but very quickly word spread and people gathered. It was a bit crazy. I wasn't able to keep track of what everyone one else was doing so this is not to imply the other were slacking!
My French has come in useful here with a certain generation of Rwandans. It gives me a common language with them and allows some direct communication. My basket weaver teacher wanted to chat so we used an interpreter via French. The guy was quite helpful. Esperenza wants me to keep I contact with her, sell lots of baskets in Canada and bring her for a visit! I shared wpmy email address with her so it should be interesting to see if she keeps contact. Internet access can't be easy or cheap..
We walked back from the Centre to the hotel with quite a few kids holding our hands. You would never do this in North America and at the beginning you feel somewhat uncomfortable, but you quickly adapt as there is always someone wanting to hold your hand and chat. Bennett is very popular. We encountered a group of kids running around a field. Bennett joined them for a few rounds and everyone was laughing by the end.
We ended the day having a few local beers and drinks by the lake watching the sunset. It was a fiery red sun as it went down. Very spectacular. Thats it for me! maybe more later.
Ooops. Forgot that I need to provide you with TTAA's: only one tonight - the kids are so independent and self contained. They rarely cry, are very inquisitive, friendly and cheerful. The older kids take care of the younger kids and seem to have a life independent of adults. Quite refreshing when you think of how dependent and clingy our kids can be.
Goodnight.
Mali Foster & LisaFoster
DWC Participants
Rwanda, July 2012
July 17: Garden work and fun!
Busy, busy day today. We went to build a kitchen garden - a garden made of plastic woven bags filled with soil and wooden sticks to support the bags and soil. We were building it for a woman who had 7 children - 4 biological and 3 orphans that she took into her home. We finished it by 11am. Two hours of hard work (we hope to beat our time tomorrow when we build another one). Thankfully, Bennett brought his Kershaw knife which I had used to cut open the bags to use as the walls of the garden. Today, my father taught me how to hoe. I swung that thing over and over and over again. It was fun... Although a lot of soil found a new home in my running shoes.
I wasn't the only one that got red with dirt... We all got dirty by the end of those two hours. Some, more dirty than others. Amy is the only person on this team that can truly say that she got dirt everywhere... Gary had accidentally spilled some soil on Amy's exposed lower back while she was working with the garden, and when she stood up, the soil on her back had slipped into her pants. Gary had soiled Amy's pants. She had to go to the outhouse to clean up.
After leaving the woman's home, we bike-taxi'd to the girls' academy which was founded by the daughters of the man who owns Costco. It was massive and beautiful. I wish my campus looked like it. It was on a sort of hill and so had a beautiful view of the river and distant hills. We met with the headmaster and he talked about the school. We joined the students for lunch and were able to converse with them. Many of the girls at my table wanted to be engineers. One wanted to be a pilot, and the another wanted to be a businesswoman. They were really nice and asked me about university. I was surprised to find that they had heard about McGill.
I came home with a few other people to organize the sports jerseys we had for Gashora. Other members of our team stayed back and built a shelf for the baskets to be displayed. We brought the jerseys down to the village and went to the basketball court to distribute the sports equipment. Following the distribution of the donations, the local basketball team wanted to play with us. So, a bunch of us played... It was pretty even in the end... However, it was rather amusing to watch my father play basketball.. He's definitely more of a biker and a swimmer than a baller.
There was a little boy named Big Dog who took quite the liking to me... He gave me a woven bracelet today... It's got the Rwandan colors on it.
So now we're back at home base, all tired out. I think we're all going to sleep well tonight.
My TTAA - the food edition
Rwandan coffee: the best coffee I have ever had. Ever.
Passion fruit: the key to my heart is passion fruit. If you bring me passion fruit, I'll be yours forever.
Tomato fruit: I've only ever had this fruit in Rwanda. It tastes sort of like a kiwi but looks like a tomato with black seeds... You only eat the seeds. Similar to a passion fruit but with dark red jelly stuff around the back seeds.
Hope all of you are doing well!
M
Mali Foster
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
I wasn't the only one that got red with dirt... We all got dirty by the end of those two hours. Some, more dirty than others. Amy is the only person on this team that can truly say that she got dirt everywhere... Gary had accidentally spilled some soil on Amy's exposed lower back while she was working with the garden, and when she stood up, the soil on her back had slipped into her pants. Gary had soiled Amy's pants. She had to go to the outhouse to clean up.
After leaving the woman's home, we bike-taxi'd to the girls' academy which was founded by the daughters of the man who owns Costco. It was massive and beautiful. I wish my campus looked like it. It was on a sort of hill and so had a beautiful view of the river and distant hills. We met with the headmaster and he talked about the school. We joined the students for lunch and were able to converse with them. Many of the girls at my table wanted to be engineers. One wanted to be a pilot, and the another wanted to be a businesswoman. They were really nice and asked me about university. I was surprised to find that they had heard about McGill.
I came home with a few other people to organize the sports jerseys we had for Gashora. Other members of our team stayed back and built a shelf for the baskets to be displayed. We brought the jerseys down to the village and went to the basketball court to distribute the sports equipment. Following the distribution of the donations, the local basketball team wanted to play with us. So, a bunch of us played... It was pretty even in the end... However, it was rather amusing to watch my father play basketball.. He's definitely more of a biker and a swimmer than a baller.
There was a little boy named Big Dog who took quite the liking to me... He gave me a woven bracelet today... It's got the Rwandan colors on it.
So now we're back at home base, all tired out. I think we're all going to sleep well tonight.
My TTAA - the food edition
Rwandan coffee: the best coffee I have ever had. Ever.
Passion fruit: the key to my heart is passion fruit. If you bring me passion fruit, I'll be yours forever.
Tomato fruit: I've only ever had this fruit in Rwanda. It tastes sort of like a kiwi but looks like a tomato with black seeds... You only eat the seeds. Similar to a passion fruit but with dark red jelly stuff around the back seeds.
Hope all of you are doing well!
M
Mali Foster
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
July 16: Tour of Gashora
We were treated to a tour of
Gashora today. Unlike previous years, the team was offered bike rides
down to the village instead of riding the bikes themselves. We were
spoiled. Apparently, we'll continue to be spoiled with bike taxis as
we've arranged for it tomorrow morning too. I decided to walk down to
the village with Lisa and Maria... Then I started to run the last part
of the trek (not a good idea... You get really hot, really fast). It was
great seeing the Covaga women whom I recognized and hug
whole-heatedly.
We visited the medical center, where
we donated the medical supplies and a bunch of eye glasses. We also were
lucky to have eye charts to judge the type and strength of lens needed.
The medical center was well-organized, clean and was rather impressive.
There were such cute kiddies hanging around too.
Afterwards,
we went over to the primary school which was a walking-distance away.
When we entered the court, children crowded us where we stood and we
were soon ushered into the computer lab where we met with the teachers
of the school as well as the principal. We discussed what they needed
and they agreed to compile a list of what they felt would be helpful.
We headed for lunch then checked out their kitchen garden project which is aimed at having one
kitchen garden for each family. This will keep Rwandans from being
malnourished by providing families with protein-rich veggies. We will be
helping to build kitchen gardens tomorrow, as well as a fence to
protect them.
At the end of the day, we all came back
and rested for a little while. Some of us went down to the water-front
and went on a boat tour. I decided against this because I'd be eaten
alive by mosquitoes... We've already discussed that.
So, here's my TTAA...
African
Tea: although it's essentially hot milk and a tea bag, it is my
favorite African hot drink! Yes, I may be mildly lactose-intolerant, but
I absolutely love the sweetness of the tea combined with the hot milk.
Babies and their mothers: it's the cutest
thing to see a tiny baby strapped snugly to their mother's back! One of
the Covaga women had a 2 month old on her back. So incredibly cute. She
swung the baby to the front to feed her, and when she was through, she
handed me her baby! So, I had this baby forced upon me... I was sort of
uncomfortable as I've never really been good with tiny babies... But the
longer I held her, the more I enjoyed it.
Bottled
sodas: pretty self-explanatory... Nothing like a cold bottle of orange
Fanta under the hot African sun... I don't know what it is about glass
and soda... But it makes the soda so much more awesome.
Later!
M
Mali Foster
DWC Participants
Rwanda, July 2012
July 16: Progress!
Two years ago our team went to the Gashora medical centre, donated supplies and had a tour. At that time the facility was barely a year old and was nearly empty of patients. There weren't very many services that we could see in operation: they had a birthing room, exam rooms and a dispensary. Today we went to Gashora medical centre, donated supplies and had a tour. We saw a visible change.
Instead of the chief of medical staff providing the tour, a hospital administrator responsible for the new computer server room accepted our donations and explained what the state of affairs was now at the clinic. First, we could see lots of patients waiting for consultations outside the consultation room and others waiting to enroll in the heath insurance program outside the social workers' office. Instead of an echoing hall, there was a low hum of over 60 people waiting for service - first come first served. The administrator, Willie, explained the average number of patients see per day fluctuates from 60 - 100 to higher during rainy season when there are more diseases.
We got an introduction to their consultation process and the evaluation room where patients got tests done. Then we moved on to the family planning room. As Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa, so we were told, the government has been encouraging family planning. The hope is to reduce poverty in part through reduced family sizes. It is an optional program and fully funded by the government. Instead of 8 or 10 kids, people are now reportedly having 2 or 3.
Next we learned about their HIV/AIDS treatment program which is also fully funded by the government. Patients get assessed and prescribed anti-retro viral medications. People get tested prior to getting married or otherwise if they feel sick. Pregnant mothers also get treatment in order to prevent the unborn child from becoming infected. They had not yet determined the success of the program as it has only been running for 2 years. What they could say was that this year 2 people in their program of 226 enrolled patients had died. As we had our orientation, we could count 4 women and one man outside the room and there was one man inside the consultation room.
The tour next took us to the hospital library where staff were encouraged to spend time improving their English as most medical books are in English. They have a partnership with the Gashora Girls Academy of Science and Technology (established by the daughters of the founder of Costco) who also use the library facilities. This library also houses two computer systems which transmit patient information, entered by specially trained staff, to the government.
Lastly we learned about the water purification system built by GE. They collect rain water and purify it so that it can be used in the hospital. They also sell it to the townspeople for a small fee, 5 Rwandan francs for 20 litres. It was quite impressive and hopefully will translate into great improvements in health now that clean water is available at the hospital.
I was amazed at how far the medical centre had come in such a short time. This was a village that didn't have electricity until 2009. Now the staff had moved from figuring out how to use the facility to identifying area for improving their current processes. In fact, they want to figure out a way to have all patient records on computer so that they can be accessed by medical staff at other facilities if patients go there. That sounded very familiar to those of us familiar with the challenges various Canadian provinces are experiencing trying to effect that change at home.
All in all it was very encouraging to see that the Rwandan government and the Rwandan people have used their ingenuity to improve their lives. They haven't simply taken donations and stood still but have embraced the opportunities in front of them with enthusiasm. Today was a good day indeed!
Maria
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
Instead of the chief of medical staff providing the tour, a hospital administrator responsible for the new computer server room accepted our donations and explained what the state of affairs was now at the clinic. First, we could see lots of patients waiting for consultations outside the consultation room and others waiting to enroll in the heath insurance program outside the social workers' office. Instead of an echoing hall, there was a low hum of over 60 people waiting for service - first come first served. The administrator, Willie, explained the average number of patients see per day fluctuates from 60 - 100 to higher during rainy season when there are more diseases.
We got an introduction to their consultation process and the evaluation room where patients got tests done. Then we moved on to the family planning room. As Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa, so we were told, the government has been encouraging family planning. The hope is to reduce poverty in part through reduced family sizes. It is an optional program and fully funded by the government. Instead of 8 or 10 kids, people are now reportedly having 2 or 3.
Next we learned about their HIV/AIDS treatment program which is also fully funded by the government. Patients get assessed and prescribed anti-retro viral medications. People get tested prior to getting married or otherwise if they feel sick. Pregnant mothers also get treatment in order to prevent the unborn child from becoming infected. They had not yet determined the success of the program as it has only been running for 2 years. What they could say was that this year 2 people in their program of 226 enrolled patients had died. As we had our orientation, we could count 4 women and one man outside the room and there was one man inside the consultation room.
The tour next took us to the hospital library where staff were encouraged to spend time improving their English as most medical books are in English. They have a partnership with the Gashora Girls Academy of Science and Technology (established by the daughters of the founder of Costco) who also use the library facilities. This library also houses two computer systems which transmit patient information, entered by specially trained staff, to the government.
Lastly we learned about the water purification system built by GE. They collect rain water and purify it so that it can be used in the hospital. They also sell it to the townspeople for a small fee, 5 Rwandan francs for 20 litres. It was quite impressive and hopefully will translate into great improvements in health now that clean water is available at the hospital.
I was amazed at how far the medical centre had come in such a short time. This was a village that didn't have electricity until 2009. Now the staff had moved from figuring out how to use the facility to identifying area for improving their current processes. In fact, they want to figure out a way to have all patient records on computer so that they can be accessed by medical staff at other facilities if patients go there. That sounded very familiar to those of us familiar with the challenges various Canadian provinces are experiencing trying to effect that change at home.
All in all it was very encouraging to see that the Rwandan government and the Rwandan people have used their ingenuity to improve their lives. They haven't simply taken donations and stood still but have embraced the opportunities in front of them with enthusiasm. Today was a good day indeed!
Maria
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
July 16: Gashora Primary School
Today we visited Gashora Primary School. This is the school that the Softchoice team worked at in 2009 (Myself, Heather and Amy all work for Softchoice). They had put 14 laptops into the school. We had to buy a generator and a satellite dish for internet access.
Pictured on the side, 4 years later is Amy Hoidas (Softchoice Cares trip to Uganda 2008) and Heather Brown (Softchoice Cares trip to Sri Lanka 2010) each holding a laptop. We just found out that Gashora Primary School has been granted 481 One Laptop Per Child computers! This is an amazing accomplishment and a wonderful success built on the original donation by Softchoice employees!
Nick Foster
DWC Team Leader
Rwanda, July 2012
Pictured on the side, 4 years later is Amy Hoidas (Softchoice Cares trip to Uganda 2008) and Heather Brown (Softchoice Cares trip to Sri Lanka 2010) each holding a laptop. We just found out that Gashora Primary School has been granted 481 One Laptop Per Child computers! This is an amazing accomplishment and a wonderful success built on the original donation by Softchoice employees!
Nick Foster
DWC Team Leader
Rwanda, July 2012
July 15: Gashora
We've finally arrived in Gashora! It has been such a long day, but the entire team is here now! Corie, Heather, Amy, Gary, Mike, Bennett, Maria, Lisa, John, Nick, and myself. Woo! We start working tomorrow. Right now, I'm just marinating in bug spray (it's my African perfume). We'll be heading down for drinks and dinner shortly, but I wanted to post before it got too late and I got too sleepy.
Ah, a cool fact: Rwanda is only now starting to get road/street names... How they get around without those is beyond me.
And a funny fact: the toilets in mine and Lisa's room is incredibly short... And when I say incredibly short, I mean training-potty-short... I'll post a picture eventually.
As promised, here are my TTAA!
1: the boda-bodas - If any of you have been on a motorcycle in your life, you know that it is super fun. However, these African motorcycle taxis are no joke... The road is pretty much theirs. They dodge and weave traffic and get so close to other vehicles that your legs brush up against busses and cars. They're pros though, so it's pretty safe... Sort of. Don't worry, we aren't going to ride on any boda-bodas on this trip... If I could choose, that would be my preferred mode of transport...
2: the little shops - Throughout the urban areas, you can see many little shops that line the streets. They can be small rooms from which people sell their goods. It's really quite cool to see the different coloured shops right next to each other. Sort of like a rainbow dusted with some of that African red dirt.
3: night time sounds - It's a wonderful thing to just sit around and listen to the bugs and the birds chirping and squeaking. The air and the atmosphere just feels fresh (even when you aren't). I can enjoy the bugs' song because as I mentioned before, I am marinated in deet. The sky was also beautifully blue, and the sun was so warm.
Until next time!
M
Mali Foster
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
Ah, a cool fact: Rwanda is only now starting to get road/street names... How they get around without those is beyond me.
And a funny fact: the toilets in mine and Lisa's room is incredibly short... And when I say incredibly short, I mean training-potty-short... I'll post a picture eventually.
As promised, here are my TTAA!
1: the boda-bodas - If any of you have been on a motorcycle in your life, you know that it is super fun. However, these African motorcycle taxis are no joke... The road is pretty much theirs. They dodge and weave traffic and get so close to other vehicles that your legs brush up against busses and cars. They're pros though, so it's pretty safe... Sort of. Don't worry, we aren't going to ride on any boda-bodas on this trip... If I could choose, that would be my preferred mode of transport...
2: the little shops - Throughout the urban areas, you can see many little shops that line the streets. They can be small rooms from which people sell their goods. It's really quite cool to see the different coloured shops right next to each other. Sort of like a rainbow dusted with some of that African red dirt.
3: night time sounds - It's a wonderful thing to just sit around and listen to the bugs and the birds chirping and squeaking. The air and the atmosphere just feels fresh (even when you aren't). I can enjoy the bugs' song because as I mentioned before, I am marinated in deet. The sky was also beautifully blue, and the sun was so warm.
Until next time!
M
Mali Foster
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
July 15: Downtown Kigali adventure time!
We're spending the day in downtown Kigali before we go to Gashora later this afternoon. We visited a supermarket called Nakumatt (a superstore that I am particularly familiar with) where some of the team bought groceries (like peanut butter) and we also visited a second supermarket called Simba to buy soccer balls. Lama, our host partner and guide, took us to a mall so we could look for a basketball net (which we didn't find but bought some jump ropes). We've been waiting for our last team member to land in Kigali because she had missed her connecting flight last night. We split the team so that one group headed to the airport to pick her up. So here we are, half of a team around a plastic covered table in a Chinese restaurant at the top floor of the Chinese mall. This is the perfect spot to have a restaurant. There are pretty much no walls, just a roof. No windows, just open space where we can see out onto the green and brown rolling hills. Up near the top of the hills, it's nice and green but farther down to the base of the hills, the hills turn brown with dusty, and rusty rooftops of huts, and the red dirt roads.
Before i forget to mention this, on the bus ride into the city I spotted a man on a motorcycle - a boda-boda. He was a motorcycle-taxi driver. And this man, I kid you not, was texting as he was riding the motorcycle. He was doing this with no hands! Crazy... Only in Africa...
I also saw something rather rare in Africa (at least in the places i've been to): I saw traffic lights!! The cool thing is that they count down way longer than Toronto traffic lights do. You know how the traffic lights start counting down from 10-20 seconds? Well in Rwanda, they count from 60 (maybe more as that's the number I saw when we passed by... It could be a higher number).
I'll give you my TTAA later tonight when we get to Gashora!
M
Mali Foster
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
Before i forget to mention this, on the bus ride into the city I spotted a man on a motorcycle - a boda-boda. He was a motorcycle-taxi driver. And this man, I kid you not, was texting as he was riding the motorcycle. He was doing this with no hands! Crazy... Only in Africa...
I also saw something rather rare in Africa (at least in the places i've been to): I saw traffic lights!! The cool thing is that they count down way longer than Toronto traffic lights do. You know how the traffic lights start counting down from 10-20 seconds? Well in Rwanda, they count from 60 (maybe more as that's the number I saw when we passed by... It could be a higher number).
I'll give you my TTAA later tonight when we get to Gashora!
M
Mali Foster
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
July 14: In Kigali, Rwanda
We finally made it to Rwanda!! It's day two and we are at the La Palisse in Kigali. Everyone's bags got here and everyone is safe.
Upon our descent into Kigali, we could see a lightning storm in the distance. It was pretty much a huge black mass of cloud which would sporadically flash white light. It was quite beautiful. I also watched my second sunset during our flight which was simply breath-taking. As we lowered onto the Tarmac, we could see the many twinkling lights on the hills but because the hills were hidden by the night, all you could see we're sparkling lights on what appeared to be a canvas of deep darkness. To me, it resembled the stars in the night sky.
So here we are, seated around a round table in the hotel's dining hall. The satisfaction that we've finally made it to Rwanda goes well with cold Tuskers and Primus' (the local brewskis).
Looking forward to a restful sleep tonight! Tomorrow night, we head for Gashora.
M
Mali Foster
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
Upon our descent into Kigali, we could see a lightning storm in the distance. It was pretty much a huge black mass of cloud which would sporadically flash white light. It was quite beautiful. I also watched my second sunset during our flight which was simply breath-taking. As we lowered onto the Tarmac, we could see the many twinkling lights on the hills but because the hills were hidden by the night, all you could see we're sparkling lights on what appeared to be a canvas of deep darkness. To me, it resembled the stars in the night sky.
So here we are, seated around a round table in the hotel's dining hall. The satisfaction that we've finally made it to Rwanda goes well with cold Tuskers and Primus' (the local brewskis).
Looking forward to a restful sleep tonight! Tomorrow night, we head for Gashora.
M
Mali Foster
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
July 13: Thoughts en Route to Amsterdam...then Rwanda
The journey has begun. John, Amy, Gary, Maria, my father, and myself have officially left our lives in toronto and are headed to Mama Africa. We will be meeting the rest of our team mates later - some in Amsterdam and some at our final destination, Kigali. Everyone got through the airport safely and without hassle. Well... For the most part. Turned out that Maria had left her yellow fever immunization proof at home so she ended up having to go back to her house to pick it up. We've never been asked for immunization records, but if by the off chance that we are asked, we must present the appropriate documentation. If we don't have our records, we can actually be refused entry into Rwanda.
We've got 5 hours and 33minutes until we touch ground in Amsterdam. I can't really say how I feel about going back to Africa. I am happy, of course... But I couldn't tell you why. Maybe it's because I can get on an aircraft and wake up in an entire other world. Maybe it's the friends I've made during past visits. Is it the scenery? Is it the satisfaction I get when I see the smiling faces of the basket-weaving women, the children and my DWC teammates? I really couldn't tell you. I just know in my heart that it's where I am most happy. Ever since 2007, I have been drawn to Africa. Like a really strong, unseen magnet and I can only tell you that I am pulled to Africa like north and south poles. That's it. I don't know why - it just is. Maybe one day I will be able to tell you exactly what I love above Africa. In fact, I'll make it a little project. Every day/night spent in Africa, I will enter 3 things I love about Africa in this log thing. I will also make it my mission (because I have never completed one of these Africa logs) to log every time I get the chance - at least once a day. I will share what I've learned, what inspired me, what scared me, made me laugh and/or what I've done.
I guess I can give you my TTAA (three things about Africa) for the day... Even though I'm not in Africa yet. I owe you something seeing as you've suffered my lengthy rant. So, without further ado, here are my TTAA!
Número UNO: I think one of my favorite things about Africa is African time. If you're in Africa and you've got a meeting scheduled for 1pm, you can bet your bottom dollar that it'll end up happening later. Say, 2pm or 3pm. I love that. Time is like a flexible guideline - a REALLY flexible guideline. I love that Africa forces us to become like leaves in a busy river - you've got no other choice but to go with the flow. Some people who come with us on trips like this can't handle that flexibility. We're so used to having structure in our lives where we have a schedule for every day of the week, that when that organization suddenly disappears,we have no idea what to do with ourselves. I love that it makes us relax and let go of the stiffness we're so used to.
Número DOS: I am in love with the busyness of the capital cities (those that I've been to). I love the sounds of irritated car drivers, the traffic jams, the conversing voices, the motorcycles that narrowly fit between the spaces of the grid lock, the people walking up to passing cars trying to sell call cards - I love it all. There's just so much to see and hear... And smell. Oh, the smell! This brings me to my THIRD thing : the smell of African cities. The combination of burning garbage and red dirt - it's a really unique scent. It's what I look forward to as soon as I leave those airport doors. I don't know what it is about the smell. It hits you like a sucker punch to the nose, but I find it rather soothing. It makes me feel alive. It's a pretty funky stink.... In a good way.
It has just occurred to me that whoever is reading my entries may not know who I am. My name is Mali Foster - the daughter of Nick Foster (our fearless leader). I just finished first year university at McGill. I'm double majoring in International Development Studies and African Studies, and minoring in psychology. This is my 7th or 8th time traveling to Africa. I have been to Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.
I hope that the other authors introduce themselves too so you can get the full picture. We're all very interesting people... Or so we'd like to think. (hehe) But please, do follow us on this journey. I can guarantee you that it's going to be one heck of a trip. And, lucky you, you'll be able to see through the eyes of our different team members. I love that we're all different but we're all coming together to make a difference in the world! Ah... It gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling.
M
P.S. we're in Amsterdam now
Mali Foster
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
We've got 5 hours and 33minutes until we touch ground in Amsterdam. I can't really say how I feel about going back to Africa. I am happy, of course... But I couldn't tell you why. Maybe it's because I can get on an aircraft and wake up in an entire other world. Maybe it's the friends I've made during past visits. Is it the scenery? Is it the satisfaction I get when I see the smiling faces of the basket-weaving women, the children and my DWC teammates? I really couldn't tell you. I just know in my heart that it's where I am most happy. Ever since 2007, I have been drawn to Africa. Like a really strong, unseen magnet and I can only tell you that I am pulled to Africa like north and south poles. That's it. I don't know why - it just is. Maybe one day I will be able to tell you exactly what I love above Africa. In fact, I'll make it a little project. Every day/night spent in Africa, I will enter 3 things I love about Africa in this log thing. I will also make it my mission (because I have never completed one of these Africa logs) to log every time I get the chance - at least once a day. I will share what I've learned, what inspired me, what scared me, made me laugh and/or what I've done.
I guess I can give you my TTAA (three things about Africa) for the day... Even though I'm not in Africa yet. I owe you something seeing as you've suffered my lengthy rant. So, without further ado, here are my TTAA!
Número UNO: I think one of my favorite things about Africa is African time. If you're in Africa and you've got a meeting scheduled for 1pm, you can bet your bottom dollar that it'll end up happening later. Say, 2pm or 3pm. I love that. Time is like a flexible guideline - a REALLY flexible guideline. I love that Africa forces us to become like leaves in a busy river - you've got no other choice but to go with the flow. Some people who come with us on trips like this can't handle that flexibility. We're so used to having structure in our lives where we have a schedule for every day of the week, that when that organization suddenly disappears,we have no idea what to do with ourselves. I love that it makes us relax and let go of the stiffness we're so used to.
Número DOS: I am in love with the busyness of the capital cities (those that I've been to). I love the sounds of irritated car drivers, the traffic jams, the conversing voices, the motorcycles that narrowly fit between the spaces of the grid lock, the people walking up to passing cars trying to sell call cards - I love it all. There's just so much to see and hear... And smell. Oh, the smell! This brings me to my THIRD thing : the smell of African cities. The combination of burning garbage and red dirt - it's a really unique scent. It's what I look forward to as soon as I leave those airport doors. I don't know what it is about the smell. It hits you like a sucker punch to the nose, but I find it rather soothing. It makes me feel alive. It's a pretty funky stink.... In a good way.
It has just occurred to me that whoever is reading my entries may not know who I am. My name is Mali Foster - the daughter of Nick Foster (our fearless leader). I just finished first year university at McGill. I'm double majoring in International Development Studies and African Studies, and minoring in psychology. This is my 7th or 8th time traveling to Africa. I have been to Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.
I hope that the other authors introduce themselves too so you can get the full picture. We're all very interesting people... Or so we'd like to think. (hehe) But please, do follow us on this journey. I can guarantee you that it's going to be one heck of a trip. And, lucky you, you'll be able to see through the eyes of our different team members. I love that we're all different but we're all coming together to make a difference in the world! Ah... It gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling.
M
P.S. we're in Amsterdam now
Mali Foster
DWC Participant
Rwanda, July 2012
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