Rwanda- The end to my adventure

My Rwandan journey has come to an end – for the immediate future anyway!
I am now into my last month here in Rwanda and as I have said previously I am definitely not ready to leave this country.
This evening I went to the airport to pick up Margaret who is on the committee for ABANA Group and will be spending a couple of weeks with me. In line with African time, her flight was severely delayed from Johannesburg. For once it was fine, as I met 2 Canadians at the airport who were also waiting for someone on the flight. They were both volunteering in Rwanda for 6 months as they have just finished their International development studies at university. We all got along really well, and the 2 hours we were waiting just flew by as we compared our experiences in this country. Funny enough, we knew similar people who volunteered in Kigali.. the muzungo world in Rwanda is very small so you do tend to know one another. It is always enjoyable talking to like-minded people who share similar interests and passion for this type of work. It is yet another reason why I enjoy working in this field, and would like to in the future. Margaret finally arrived and I took her to her hotel for a well deserved rest after a nightmare trip from Sydney.
We spent a couple of days in Kigali, buying some much needed materials for the cottage before we headed to the village. In total I was in Kigali for 2.5 weeks so I was very keen to get back to my Rwandese ‘home’ and see the progress of the building project.
After a stopover in Kibeho (wanted to see if Margaret could bring out the Virgin Mary!) we got back to Rugerero where I would be back for my last stint before I leave.
The following day, we went to the school to introduce Margaret to all the key people in the area. (very important in Rwandese culture to introduce to the key community leaders- a sign of respect)
We were both extremely happy with the progress of the school and it looked like we should have everything completed by the middle of February. Progress has been halted of late due to the delay in accessing our cement from Kigali. (Something I’m working on)
The children were also back at school starting the new school year and the presence of another muzungo caused us to have hundreds of students surrounding our every movement. (Unfortunately, due to the school still being a construction site there were going to be disruptions to classes in the initial weeks)
It was also great having Margaret here as she is a French teacher from Sydney, so she could assist me in communicating with the Principal of the school.
One of first jobs here was to finish the distribution of the clothes from our Christmas party. Yes, this was our third attempt in giving out the remainder of the clothes to the children and their parents. Through the help of Hycinte (Christine’s brother and probably the best English speaker in the village and also a born-organiser) we gave out the rest of the clothes. Not only that, we had to take photos of the 155 children so we can arrange their identification cards for their health insurance fees. For one year, it costs 1000 francs (less than 1 pound and around $AUD2) to cover a child’s health cover. A very small investment that can lead to these children receiving the medical care they require. (Unfortunately, on the other side the local health centre is severely under-staffed and under-resourced)
The following day, Margaret and I visited Bigugu Secondary College, which is where many of the students from Rugerero and Rusuzumiro attend after finishing their primary studies. We wanted to discuss the complicated process from Primary to secondary education in this country as it is very different.
Briefly, they all sit a national examination in primary 6 and according to their marks and their school preference they then start the school year. As an outsider I think it places an enormous amount of pressure on these children and a ‘certain’ percentage of students must fail each year. (So they then have to repeat Primary 6) It is unfair for students who come from under-resourced schools as they complete with all the other schools in the area. Not only that the school year has started and the students are still waiting to hear their results. It will be a month into their schooling year before they will find out and then for many they will leave their home and attend boarding school.
Not only do the students have the stress of waiting to hear their results, they then have to find ways of paying for the secondary education. Primary school education is free in Rwanda but you have to pay for Secondary education. For many students from the poorest district in Rwanda this is out of reach and simply will finish their education at primary level.
With this knowledge, Margaret and I are very keen to establish a sponsorship program for students who have excelled in their national examination. This will include the payment of their school fees, uniform, books and any other costs associated with their education. This was a very important meeting in working out the easiest and most convenient method in organising this program with secondary schools like Bigugu. They are very excited about this program as they have a list as long as your arm of students who owe school fees. Having a quick look at the list, the fees approx. totalled over 2 million francs, which is income the school misses out in their budget.
To lead from example, I am sponsoring a child that was attending my English class over the summer holidays. He is very bright (is a representative for his class) and still owes fees from last year. I have offered to pay 50% of his fees so he can complete his last two years of his secondary schooling. (His parents will pay the remaining 50%)
While I was there, I asked about why some of the classrooms were not being used for teaching. Apparently, they used to have nearly 900 students within the school, but now have 600 because they have classrooms that are no condition for teaching.
The Director said ‘they (Bigugu Secondary school) would take more students from the area if they could repair the classrooms’. I asked him to send me a quotation on how much it will cost to repair the classrooms. (They have 3 teachers sitting idle at any moment so there are teachers available to take more classes)
It was a very positive meeting and gave us plenty to think about for our sponsorship program. (Margaret, is also looking at establishing a class sponsorship in primary level focussing on Grades 4-6. They may not pay fees but there are associated costs in attending school)
That evening we had some guests over for dinner and with Margaret bringing her guitar from Australia we all sat around and sang and danced the night away. (They even taught me some traditional dancing, which of course I was naturally gifted at! J) As I sat there hearing members of the ‘Rwandese family’ singing traditional songs with Hycinate playing the guitar it made me realise how much I will miss this country and their rich culture. Hopefully, in the future tourists will be given the same opportunity to experience this; if for only a couple of days. It will be an experience that will leave you with a lasting memory and you will feel like you have seen the ‘real’ Rwanda and not just the gorillas.
The next week we visited the Muganza Parish, as Margaret’s family has supported projects with the parish in the past. One of them is the sewing project that started in 2005, when they paid for 8 sewing machines (manually-operated of course) and training for 8 local women in the area. What I have learnt in my short-time in Rwanda and this remote village is the lead role women play in families. They basically do everything in keeping their family going and many try and balance work. (if available) Men on other hand, tend to think about themselves first and in many cases spend their little money on alcohol. This is why I am very supportive of female empowerment in the villages and creating ongoing employment opportunities. This particular project that kicked off in 2005 has been very successful, but now it was time for them to use their skills and experience to train further women.
We were both keen to broaden this training to our ‘villages’, which are around 8-9 kms away. With the support and assistance of Sister Josephine we came up with a 4 month training program for 6-9 women that will start in a few weeks. Firstly, we had to advertise this to the local community and have an information session. Using the local church we broadcasted this to all local women that were interested in learning a new ‘trade’ and possible future employment.
After the session, Sister Josephine chose 9 women who she believed would be very capable of participating in the program. They ranged in age from 19-30 and were all very excited about this new opportunity for them.
The long-term plan is to train them over the next 4 months and share one of the classrooms at the new school (with the very small library). We would then buy 8 new sewing machines from Kigali and get them to start sewing everything from school uniforms, traditional clothes and library bags. The later has created much interest in Kigali, especially with curio shops and tourist places.(Keep an eye out for ABANA bags at your local supermarket!)
There could definitely be a market for the bags, as plastic bags in this country are banned. Also, the women at the Muganza Parish can sew a skirt or shirt within one day which is great news. Many tourists when they come to Rwanda go to one of the many tourist shops in Kigali and buy traditional clothes and crafts from the local dealers. With my tourism proposal I would like them (the potential tourist) to use the services of our locally trained women in all their requirements for everything ‘Rwandan’. This creates employment and ensures money is kept within the local communities who will use this income to support their families. I have seen it work in similar environments in Malawi and Kenya.
The women who commenced their training this week are very excited about this new opportunity in their life and don’t mind walking the 18kms round trip each day. (Think about that the next day you are stuck in peak hour traffic or squeezed on the tube) If the program is successful, then there is a definite possibility of having Phase III. Watch this space for further details. (Many thanks to Margaret who will be co-ordinating this program with Sister Josephine)
Last year, I was in contact with the Governor of the Southern Province in regards to attending the Christmas function. Unfortunately, he was unable to make it due to prior commitments but I asked if it was possible to have a meeting with him. He said that would be no problem so we arranged to meet in the New Year.
Well the day had arrived where I was going to get an opportunity to meet with the Governor of our Province. (He is the equivalent to a Premier of a state in Australia, so someone very important)
I arranged to see him on the way back to Kigali for a couple of days. I sat in his waiting room eagerly going through my head what I was going to say and I must admit I was far from nervous. After waiting nearly 2 hours (I was very early), I was told the Governor was now ready to see me and I was thinking I will impress him by speaking to him in Kinyarwandan. Well, I basically went to water when I saw the size of his office and the fancy sofa chairs and all I can say to him was ‘Good Afternoon’… It was 10 in the morning! J I quickly corrected myself and we had a very good chat about ABANA Group and our role in Nyargururu District. We had a very ‘open’ discussion and he gave me a full hour of his time. (I even cheekily got a picture with him- for our next newsletter)
He is a very good contact to have with future projects within the area and seemed pleased with our work in education and health. I have learnt in my time here in Rwanda, that society in true African style is very ‘hierarchal’. As I am considered to be an outsider I have no place in this hierarchy, so to get anything achieved I need to target the ‘right’ people. If it’s not in their personal interest to complete a project, then you must go above them! For example, I invited the Mayor of the District to attend the Christmas event but unfortunately he was in Kigali on that day so the Deputy Mayor was going to attend in his place. I was told by many people that she quite often doesn’t show up for functions, when she has accepted an invitation. So, I went to the Governor’s office and invited him (knowing that he was never going to come) and he apologised but said that someone from his District would attend in his place. (Guess what, as I have mentioned previously she turned up!)
Another interesting aspect of this ‘hierarchal’ culture, is that if someone above you gives you an order then you must do it. (Even if you think it’s stupid or there is a better way to do it) This is exactly what happened 14 years ago with the genocide. People were given orders from people higher than them in society to kill so they followed the order. (It’s a military style authoritarian culture)
It can be very positive sometimes, for example the Government asked the people don’t walk on the grass on traffic islands in Kigali and stick to the footpaths. Since then you will never see any local walking on the grass.. in Australia or England unless there was a good chance you were going to be fined you would still walk on the grass- not really caring what the Government said!.
After spending a few days in Kigali, I arrived back in the village. This time I brought along a couple of friends. Laura (Canadian I met at the airport and working for Rwandan Women’s Network) and Matt (British guy managing the new identification cards being introduced in Rwanda). This was the first time they have been this far south in Rwanda and both of them couldn’t get over how isolated my little ‘home’ was. They spent the weekend with me and I showed them the new school and we were treated on the way back with an ad-hoc performance from a group of children in singing and dancing. They were notably impressed and it made me realise that this place is so special and will always have a place in my heart. In-line with our name its all about the children and helping them have access to the basic services they need! I may be leaving very soon, but my work here has definitely not finished.
We all thanked the children for their great performance, with Laura and Matt having a smile from ear to ear as they had experienced a something very special. They both agreed that every tourist that visits Rwanda needs to spend some time here to get a ‘real’ feel of village life. A life that has barely changed in centuries...
That evening we all sat around and had a few drinks with Margaret and Hycinde once again entertaining us with their brilliance on the guitar and singing.
The following week was my last week here in the village and I was running out of time trying to get everything finished.
Firstly, Laura gave me a set of soccer (football for your Europeans!) shirts and I decided to donate them to Bigugu Secondary School. I went out and presented them with the shirts and then took a few photos. Thanks Laura they were greatly appreciated. I also gave them 2 rugby balls for the school (which were also donated to me) as two girls are volunteering here for 6 months who are trying to promote the game of rugby in Rwanda. If I had more time I would assist further in their training and get the other secondary school on board as well. (Thankfully, Emma and Dee are going to spend a week at the schools promoting the game and assisting them with the rules)
Secondly, I went to Rugerero and Rusuzumiro Primary School to take their photos and names of the 50 students that have excelled in their marks for the sponsorship program. (The teachers asked me if there was going to be a similar program for teachers to give them the necessary training they require, a very good idea…)
Thirdly, I visited the site where the local hospital is being built and it sure is high!! My cottage is approx. 2000 m above sea level, the school is 2500 m while this hospital is 2900m and has a spectacular view of the area. (including Nyungwe Forest)
The hospital was due to be finished some years ago but has been delayed due to many reasons that I won’t delve into. Thankfully, it will be finished in 3 months and will be an important investment for the local area. The issue they are going to have is finding qualified medical staff to work in this very isolated location. Like the school it is only half the work in constructing the hospital, it is finding the people to work and manage these important social facilities. It is on this site that I would like to build a resource centre for teachers and also one for nurses. It would be great to establish a program to get qualified people to come out here (from around the world) and work for 3-6 months to assist in the training and development of the local professionals. There are few places in the world, where you can wake up and see this extraordinary view every morning.
It is definitely a 5-10 year project in building a training college for education and health. Let’s see what the future holds!
On a lighter note, on one of our many trips gallivanting around this countryside Margaret and I were trying to find Mutovo Secondary School (A very small secondary school slightly closer to our area) We rode up and down many of the hills and asked numerous people along the way but finally we made it. Well, we thought we did…. it was actually the local prison. I could immediately tell by the bright coloured pyjamas they wear! We laughed to one another and asked the security guard and he said the school is on the neighbouring hill but the office is located within the compound of the prison. Unfortunately, this school only has 3 classrooms as 12 classrooms were burnt and destroyed in the war 14 years ago. It has taken this long but now they have received the money to start to re-build these classrooms. Not only were thousands of professionals killed during the war but many public institutions were burnt to the ground.
It is now Tuesday night here and my last night in the village before we leave tomorrow morning. We decided to have a few people over to mark the occasion, with of course a couple of Primus’ (local Rwandese beer).
The following day was my last day at Rugerero Primary School and I asked the Principal if we could have the whole school together so I can say a few words. With great difficulty all the students from the school came together, as well as the workers on the building site. The children did an impromptu singing and dancing display for us, and the Principal made a speech to thank us for our work here in Rugerero. I then got up and made a quick speech to thank the workers for their wonderful work over the last 4 months and I hoped the teachers and students enjoy their new school.
That signalled the end of my involvement in Rugerero (for the immediate future) as we boarded our car and drove back to Kigali. Of course we made a quick goodbye to the sisters at Muganza Parish. They have been wonderfully supportive to me during my time here and they have definitely changed my perception of sisters! Life really is like Sister Act- trust me! I owe them greatly over the last four months.
We safely arrived back in Kigali (not without a flat tyre- of course!).
The following night, I took Joel and Julianne and their children to dinner to thank them for letting me stay with them when I made my regular trips to Kigali. They call me their adopted son, their ‘last born’ as they call it and there are no words to express my gratitude for everything they have done for me! I am very lucky to have spent a considerable time with them and their family! Thierry (their son) spent much of his holidays with me, helping me with translations and I couldn’t have done it without him. So I gave his parents some money to assist with his education. (He will definitely be a very successful in whatever he chooses to do with his life)
Through all this I had forgotten about Australia Day! I was invited to attend a Australia Day BBQ in Kigali with the other 15 Australians who call Rwanda home.
I then spent the next couple of days saying goodbye to everyone that has made this experience very memorable. Notably, Dr.Alfred Ndahiro who is the Advisor to the President who has helped me in so many ways, from obtaining cement to renewing my visa and generally just knowing that if I was ever in trouble he would be there for me. I’ve really enjoyed his company and sharing my ‘Rwandese’ experiences with him. Just another quick thank you, to Ruth and her family (they live opposite me in Kigali). If I’m not at home, I’m more often than not at their house. A very special family, who I definitely will keep in contact with!
So, after all these goodbyes I am now in Nairobi airport waiting for my connecting flight back to London. In many ways I am keen to go back to London but I realise after the first week it will feel like I never left!
My last big thank you goes to Christine, the founder of ABANA and the one who I can thank for giving me 4 wonderful months in Rwanda.
You are a very special person and you should be very proud of the difference you have made to your local community and I look forward to working with you in the future. Hopefully a secondary school… and possibly the tourism venture!
Signing off from Rwanda.
Just remember anything is possible in this world, if you put your heart and soul in it!
Troy