Week One in the PIH house

Our new room:

Unfortunately, SLEEP DEPREVIATION has been the theme of our first week in the Partner’s In Health (PIH) house.  Part of the problem is simply getting use to a new place.  Our bed felt uncomfortable for the first few nights and our room is crowded with our suitcases.  Michelle has felt anxious about constantly being on call as she adapts to her new role as the House Manager.  In the mornings we frequently hear people stirring in the house by 7am.  Once someone is up, she feels compelled to be present in order to meet guests and have a chance to introduce herself.

The other problems contributing to our sleepless nights are mosquitoes and heat.  In our previous house, there were screens on the windows so we could leave the windows open at night to take advantage of the cool air.  The windows in this house have no screens.  We decided to take a chance and sleep with the windows open but the tradeoff was worse.  We were devoured by mosquitoes all night!  Even with a mosquito net, we were eaten alive.  Our arms, legs, necks, and hands were covered in small red bites.  The next morning we woke to find at least 5 mosquitoes hanging out inside our net.  Quite the cozy family, huh?!  The itching and scratching is one thing, but that mosquito “buzzzzz” triggers an involuntary response to stay awake until the predator is killed.

After too many consecutive sleepless nights, Nate now sleeps with a flashlight under his pillow as his defense.  Our plan of attack is to stand up in our tent, in the middle of the night, once the soul piercing buzz begins and start our killing spree so we can fall back asleep.  At first it didn’t seem worth the effort.  But now we know we won’t get any sleep while our arch nemesis is near.  Isn’t it amazing how powerful our human instincts are?

The fun part of Michelle’s job as been meeting all the PIH staff.  In fact, in two days there will be a big house party in honor of two recent engagements.  Peter, the country director proposed to his girlfriend, Neo, back in Boston just two weeks ago and Gene proposed to his girlfriend, Sheida, on top of Mount Kilimanjaro earlier this month.  Staff from all PIH sites in Rwanda (Rwinkwavu, Kirehe, and Butaro) will come to Kigali for the celebration.  Now we get to meet everyone in one fell swoop.  The expected turn out is somewhere between 60 and 80 people!  We are in for a fun time. 

The not so fun part of Michelle’s job is trying to make improvements in the house without having much authority.  Her initial assessment of the house revealed many problems areas that need to be addressed. Admittedly we were surprised by the number of things broken or expired given the fact that the house is used on a regular basis.  For example, out of the five bathrooms, only two toilets are in working order, one sink leaks on the floor, and others are clogged and won’t drain properly.  Up until now there has been no trash service so the MO has been to throw everything in the broken fountain outside in the backyard.  There are walls crumbling down due to water damage.  Every room had 75% of the light bulbs burned out.  80% of the mosquito nets have holes and are dirty, not to mention some beds not having mosquito nets at all.  After our first week of sleepless nights, we know how unacceptable this is for the comfort of our guests.  There is also a shortage of towels and pillows which makes for an uncomfortable stay when the house is full.

On the one hand, these seem like easy fixes.  Being the optimist that Michelle is, she felt great about sending her report the first day with an execution plan in place for addressing the most urgent needs before the house is bursting with 80 people.  Little did she know the reality of having to rely on other people to execute solutions while working in an inefficient culture makes these tasks impossible to complete in one week.  It has been quite the emotional rollercoaster this week.  We are two days away from the party and the plumber who was “suppose” to be here on Tuesday still hasn’t shown up.  Even though Michelle is in charge of the house, she doesn’t have the freedom to pay for utilities with petty cash or the jurisdiction to call the service people to come fix things in the house.  The procedures in place require her to go through the chain of command in the office.  As of now, her bosses have been preoccupied with other things so their response time has been slow.

The other challenge Michelle is facing is figuring out boundaries between her home and her workplace.  Even though the job description said 10-15 hours of work a week, the reality is it is a 7 day a week job given her role of overseeing the house staff that work every day and being the go to person for the guests.  Funny how she finds herself in another job that has blurred boundaries.  Coincidence much?! 

All in all, she is still very excited about her job and is energized by all the possibilities for improvements.  PIH is doing some incredible things in the health sector of Rwanda and around the world.  It has been a treat to hear about these stories first hand and to get to know some wonderful people in the process.  We sense the comfort of being adopted into an established community but we do miss our friend Esron.  In a lot of ways, we feel like we are faced with the task of settling in all over again.  Once again, our common ground from the many moves we have made in the past 6 months has been each other.  For this we are grateful!

Imana ibarinde kandi ibahe umugisha

A trip to Burundi

As we approached our third month mark (April 12th), we knew we had to travel out of the country to renew our tourist visa for another 3 months.  Nate has been working on registering IEE with the government as an INGO (International Non-Government Organization) for the past month but it is quite a complicated process. Every time he visited the Immigration Office to submit his forms, they would surprise him with more document and signature requirements.  Once IEE is a registered INGO, we can apply for a work and dependent visa (for Michelle as a spouse) which is good for one year.  Until then, we are only “allowed” to stay in the country for 3 months at a time as tourists.  Guess that means we have to take a vacation every three months to "reset" our tourist Visas.  Not too shabby!

Meredith happened to be out of town during the week we needed to leave.  We were thrilled to have access to her car so we could drive ourselves over the border and not pay for public transportation.  It was a fun adventure with beautiful scenery.  After only an hour car ride, we arrived at the border!!

Welcome to Burundi!

 Here is a picture of the border

This is the road heading into Burundi

Burundi looks similar to Rwanda in that there are lots of farm lands, impoverish communities, and the people  dressed in the same clothing.  However, the subtleties in the homes were very charming!  We noticed large clay pots placed next to many doors of the homes lining the street.  One difference that stood out to us was the round homes with thatched roofs.  In Rwanda, most homes in rural areas are also made of mud or cement but are mainly built in a rectangle or square shape.  We are use to seeing tin roofs so the straw roofs caught our eyes.  Michelle tried to capture some of her favorites as we drove by.

 

Our original plan was to eat lunch in Burundi but after driving an hour into the country and not seeing any restaurants, our stomachs got the best of us so we turned around without stepping out of the car to explore.  We will have to come back another time!

One interesting side-note, on our way back to Rwanda, we ran into a military training camp doing a work out on the road.

Overall, it was a delightful drive (except for the distracting hunger pains) with beautiful scenery.  Since the hills were not very steep throughout the southern province, we vowed to do it again on our moto for a more au natural experience.  We can't wait!  It's like driving in "the hidden valley" from "The Land Before Time." Fantasy come to life, just beautiful.

Imana ibarinde kandi ibahe umugisha

Mourning the Victims of the Genocide

Today kids went back to school after a two week break to commemorate those who lost their lives during the Genocide 16 years ago.  April 7th marks the first day of the 100 days of horror.  We quickly learned that most ex-pats travel during this time as their work is usually shut down.  This time tends to be a somber atmosphere.  We had the chance to help out our friends, the Brostrom family, by house-sitting and taking care of their dog (Cassius) and cat (Cyeza).

Even though we don’t have a direct personal connection to the Genocide, we were curious about the mourning process for those left behind.  We can’t imagine experiencing such an atrocity in our own lives, but when you sit with others who are suffering, the pain is palpable.

We noticed our hearts feeling nervous on the morning on April 7th because we didn’t know what to expect.  People told us that the large gathering at the stadium last year was a traumatic experience due to the wailing and screaming of people in mourning.  We were nervous about experiencing such intense sadness.  It is almost as if people bottle up their sadness until this time of year when it explodes like a broken dam.  How would people feel about mzungus mourning with them?  What posture should we take?  Do we remain silent?  Do we ask questions to learn and to remember those lives that were stolen?  We landed on simply showing up and being present.  The most comfortable posture for us was one of a listener.

Our experience was not completely in line with the feedback we have heard about last year.  It was true that life was different on April 7th but the mourning wasn’t as disturbing as people described.  Kigali felt like a ghost town.  There was an eerie quietness, almost like the silence after a huge snow fall when all sound seems muted.  We noticed fewer women on the street, less meet and greet between pedestrians, many people carrying kerchiefs in their hands as they went to and fro, fewer vehicles on the road, all businesses shut down, closed doors and windows, and lots of purple and black clothing.  Purple is the color of mourning in Rwanda. 

The main event we participated in was called “A Walk to Remember.”  Here is a news article about the event in you are interested: http://allafrica.com/stories/201004080155.html  This was a movement all over East Africa to stand against genocide ideology.  People in the capitols of Kenya, Burundi, Tanzania, and Uganda all walked in solidarity with people in Rwanda.  The walk in Kigali started at the Parliament building for its significance of being one of the first buildings attacked on April 7, 1994.  Today, you can still see the gun shots and grenade wounds on one side of the building so that no one forgets what happened.

 

President Paul Kagame made an appearance to address the crowd with some encouragement.  He directed his thoughts to the younger people reminding them that they are the future of Rwanda and the responsibility that comes with that position.  He encouraged them to dream big, to strive for higher education and to be agents of change.  He empowered everyone to stand together as unified Rwandans in hope for a brighter future.  It was a very powerful experience to join about 8,000 people from all different backgrounds (although mostly Rwandans) for a walk to the National Amahoro Stadium.  What is usually a very busy street connecting our neighborhood,  Kacyiru to the next sector called Remera, was closed for this event.  When we arrived at the stadium we formed a large circle around the field holding hands in unity.  There were many singers, both solo artists and choirs singing in Kinyarwanda.  We heard many readers perform poems and inspirational readings.  A group of children from Uganda read a list of names belonging to Tutsis who were murdered 16 years ago.  There was also a large bon fire blazing in the night.  We finished with a candlelight vigil accompanied with music that was a stunning sight. We expected a packed house but much to our surprise, it was only about 70% full.  Perhaps more people showed up after 7pm when we made our exit to attend to an anxious dog.

Overall, I think we can say we will never understand loss at this level.  Our perceptions, reflections and emotions still feel far away from the rawness of the Rwandan Genocide .  We struggle with feeling removed while our friends and neighbors are dealing with something very real, something central to their identities. While we may notice patterns, participate in activities or learn more from movies, our presence is all we have to contribute.

Imana ibarinde kandi ibahe umugisha

"Pasika Nziza!" –Happy Easter

We went to a new church called Christ Church in Rwanda (CCR) on Easter morning.  Admittedly we had high hopes given the significance of the holiday and the brief description of the church.  To say we were sorely disappointed is putting it lightly.  Nate said this was in the top 5 worst services he has been too, holiday or not.

CCR is a non-denominational church located in one of the wealthier neighborhoods of Kigali called Nyarutarama.  The large, beautiful building is smack dab in the middle of the Gaculiro Estates: large homes predominately occupied by westerners.  We were attracted to the non-denominational background along with the opportunity to attend an English service in order to engage more deeply in the worship service.

When we walked into the sanctuary people were singing a familiar song “Once Again,” which warmed our hearts.  We were pleased to see a diverse community of 200 people.  However, it didn’t take long for us to observe the lack of participation after the first song.  The proceeding songs were dramatically slow with lyrics that lived in the clouds rather than your heart.  If the music wasn’t enough, the “nod” (and that is being generous) to communion was the strangest invitation we have ever heard to celebrate the Eucharist.

To put it simply, they asked for those people in the congregation who take Jesus seriously to partake in communion.  At that point, the live music stopped and a Christian pop song on a CD from the states rang through the speakers.  People got up from their seats to form lines at the four different tables lining the perimeter of the room.  Once we got a view of the table, we discovered those classic, shiny, metal plate-bowl type containers that Michelle remembers from her childhood churches in VA. (Morck sisters, can I get a witness?!)  The first one held small, thin pieces of a pita bread as the “body of Christ.”  The second container sat adjacent to the bread representing the “blood of Christ” in mini, individual, plastic juice containers full of cranberry juice.  The most awkward part for us was taking the elements instead of receiving the elements with no confession and without so much as a glance to the Bible for the context of this special ritual.

After communion a man took the microphone to begin the sermon.  With no introduction, we assumed he was the senior pastor who seemed like a nice person but appeared very insecure.  He had typed up his thoughts and was clearly afraid to veer off script.  He prefaced his sermon by directing us to the half page bulletin that revealed the outline to his thoughts.  Then he proceeded to share his 7 lessons from the Resurrection:

1.      The Resurrection proves that Jesus is God’s Son. John 10:17-18
2.      It verifies the truth of Scripture. Psalms 16:10, 110:1
3.      Assures our own future resurrection. 1Thes. 4:13-18
4.      Is proof of a future judgment. Acts 17:31
5.      Is the basis for Christ’s heavenly priesthood. Heb. 7:23-28
6.      Gives the power for Christian living. Romans 6:4
7.      Assures our future inheritance. 1 Peter 1:3-5

He summed it all up with this statement: “This is the heart of the Gospel.  If you remove the resurrection, Christianity is destroyed.  The entire structure of the Christian faith rests on the foundation of the Resurrection.”  Then he concludes with the commission.  “We must not keep the resurrection to ourselves.  The basic message of Jesus from the resurrection is two-fold: ‘come and see’ followed by ‘go and tell.’

Is that really what Easter is all about?!  A long list of theological arguments for the justification of the Christian faith?!  Was Jesus’ life not radical enough to inspire followers despite the outcome?  YES we are grateful for forgiveness.  YES we are in awe of the mystery of the resurrection.  YES our lives have been changed by the pursuit of the divine.  And YES, Jesus is worth sharing with people who don’t otherwise know him.  But you can’t convince us that the significance of Easter is exemplified in the validation of a religion called Christianity.  That is like going to the movies, getting your ticket and a big ole’ bucket of popcorn with extra butter only to sit in the lobby…eating…popcorn…hmmm..mmm that is some good popcorn!

Unfortunately, the story is happening in the theater.  The art, the substance, the whole point of going to see a movie is getting lost in a story.  This Easter, we got to the theater.  We bought our ticket and popcorn only to be told there is no movie playing just some stale, old popcorn.

At the very least, anyone who considers themselves a spiritual leader should offer up some personal experience.  They don’t have to be an expert (even better if they aren’t) but a few thoughts on what the resurrection means to them this Easter would suffice.  Now, don’t get us wrong, we wouldn't do it perfectly either if given the chance.  In fact, Michelle has been in leadership positions on Easter Sunday many times and her nerves stole her confidence away in the blink of an eye.  We both have a lot to learn when it comes to effective leadership but our experience in the church has left us with strong opinions. Our desire is to take God seriously, but not take ourselves too seriously.  Where is the fun?!  It’s Easter for crying out loud, let’s CELEBRATE and throw a party!!!  If a dear friend of ours was brutally executed two days ago and is found alive today, you better believe we would be throwing the biggest party of the year.

This service had no aesthetic beauty and no heart.  All it offered was a theological summary of why we can feel good about ourselves choosing the correct religion.  There were a number of times when Michelle’s eyes weld up with tears out of her longing for the Trinity community back home.  For all the critiques she could make about Trinity’s services, there are subtle details she took for granted that make a huge difference in a worship environment.  Most importantly, this was the first Easter in five years that she wasn’t standing on the beach with a small group of close friends, celebrating the joy of Easter as the sun came up over the ocean.  Magical!  Oh how we long to be on that beach among friends.  Holidays just aren’t the same without celebrating with people we love.  We miss you friends and family!  If nothing else, today gave us a gift.  A gift of appreciation for the love we have received and don’t want to live without.  Above all, God is a mystery that we have grown to respect and trust.  Thank goodness for Jesus and the radical love he stands for.  May none of us ever go without that love.

 Imana ibarinde kandi ibahe umugisha.

My first job offer!

As of April 15th I (Michelle) will officially join the Partners In Health (PIH) team in Kigali as their House Manager.  This is a part-time position that provides free housing in exchange for approximately 15 hours of work per week.

My responsibilities include:

1. Overseeing all issues related to the PIH House
2. Supporting the General Administration Assistant (Liliane) with distribution of items needed at the house
3. Manage house staff (guards, cleaners, etc.)
4. Receive and provide administrative and logistical orientation to new coming PIH foreign staff or visitors
5. Manage online spread sheet for Kigali house sign-up
6. Responding to all queries of staff and visitors staying at the house
7. Help visitors at their departure time
8. Manage and support the internet service at the house
9. Ensure a welcoming and pleasant environment for all visitors and staff
10. Working with house staff to follow up and support all repairs to ensure everything is in good condition
11. Aid logistically in management of pick-up and drop-off of items left at the house

This is a great opportunity to save money on living costs and gain some valuable experience in “hotel management,” on a small scale of course.  There are 9 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms in the home, housing around 15 people at a time.  I have signed a 3 month contract as a pilot run to see how it works for both parties.  There hasn’t been a house manager at the PIH home before so this is unchartered territory for both of us.  I am excited to learn a lot about managing a bed & breakfast style home while maintaining a flexible work schedule.  You should see the beautiful house we get to live in!  It is the largest home I have set foot in while being in Rwanda but very sterile with bare walls and empty cabinets.  I couldn’t be more excited to transform the space into a hospitable environment.  The challenge will be establishing realistic goals when dreaming about the many improvements I would like to make.  There isn’t much of a budget so I will have to be creative.

Another reason I chose this job is to have an excuse to bump in to PIH people on a regular basis.  I am so impressed with the work they are doing and would love to get to know them on a personal level.  Please check out their website to read more about their values, mission and vision.  One of their distinctions has been their commitment to serving the people in Haiti.  After the earthquake hit, they have been pivotal in distributing aid to suffering people.  A quick shameless plug: If you are looking for ways to support people in some of the neediest places in the world, donate to PIH now.  You can be confident that your money is in great hands and will be put to good use!

Imana ibarinde kandi ibahe umugisha

cricket... cricket...

It has been almost a month since our last post, which is unfortunate.  Moving forward we hope to be more disciplined about documenting our experiences on a regular basis.  The month of March has been quite eventful for us...

Michelle has been focusing on her job search resulting in three interviews for very different positions working with NGOS and potentially the US Embassy.  It has been six years since she last participated in the game of job hunting so starting this process was quite intimidating.  The whole practice of selling yourself has never been Michelle’s forte and yet that is how the game is played.  It was a significant learning experience, getting in touch with her insecurities and discovering a confident voice despite the reality that she always has more to learn. 

Once people identify their shortcomings, and everyone has them, they can then embrace their full selves in a new way.  Very helpful for the interview process!  Seriously, when are you ever critiqued more on self-awareness and on your ability to articulate personal attributes than in the context of an interview?  Perhaps we all should adopt the practice of reflecting on personal strengths, weaknesses, accomplishments, and failures on a regular basis as if we are preparing for an interview.  There is something very satisfying about sewing a thread through the patches of life that make each person the quilt that they are.  Michelle is inspired to live boldly into who she is rather than living as she is not.  All the while being inspired to change as experience and circumstances allow.  Today, she celebrates her courage in overcoming paralyzing fears that have robbed her from internal freedom.

In addition to job interviews, we have been busy traveling to different parts of the country.  On March 6th we attended the First Inter-Institutional Conference on Teaching, Learning, and using English in Rwanda.  The conference took place in Gitarama at the Catholic University of Kabgayi (CUK).  Gitarama is the second-largest town in Rwanda and home to Rwanda’s first President Gregoire Kayibanda, whose tomb sits in the middle of town centre.  Meredith Pike-Baky (one of Nate’s colleagues at IEE) was one of the main organizers of the event.  It was an epic moment for the development of teaching English in Rwanda.  There were about 150 participants representing students, teachers, teacher-trainers, NGOS, and government sponsored programs.  Michelle initially joined the IEE team for the free ride to Gitarama so she could tour around.  However, once she heard the first speaker, her curiosity got the best of her and she ended up staying the whole day.  Nate took advantage of the networking opportunities and assisted in facilitating a small group discussion with students.  The whole conference was a HUGE success!  We were proud to be one of the sponsors for such a ground-breaking event.

The other trip we took outside of Kigali was to Mugongo to see the well known Imbabazi Orphange founded by Rosamond Carr.  Both of us read her book:  Land of a Thousand Hills: My Life in Rwanda, before traveling to Rwanda five years ago.  It was a very special experience to see her orphanage first hand.  We had a chance to meet some of the orphans since it was a Sunday afternoon and not a weekday when they would be in school.  They were very friendly and were busy preparing potatoes for dinner.  Our tour guide David was wonderfully hospitable, offering to show us the inside of Rosamond’s house and allowing us to use the bathroom in one of the guest houses before our journey back to Musanze.  For those who don’t know of Rosamond Carr I highly recommend her book because her story is inspiring.  She was a remarkable woman who devoted 54 years of her life to the people in Rwanda.  A highlight for us was walking through her elaborate gardens.  While we were there, we learned about an opportunity to support the orphanage by subscribing to a weekly bouquet service that delivers a flowers from her garden every week.  You can’t get much better than that!  It took all of 10 seconds to decide that we wanted to participate.  The flowers are delivered to Kigali at various pick up locations.  Lucky for us, one of the locations is the US Embassy, which is a 10 min walk from our house.
 
Other exciting developments in March were setting up internet at our house (finally!) and signing up for a year-long membership to the Nyaturama Sports Center.  Both have boosted our quality of life by 200%.  It has been such a treat to have unlimited internet access without having to leave home or spend money at expensive cafes.  Don’t get me wrong, this luxury doesn’t come cheap!  We spend around $200 a month for decent internet that comes and goes with our daily power outages.  It took us 2 months to emotionally jump on board.  Every frugal bone in our body was screaming “This is a terrible deal, don’t do it!”  Our monthly payments are twice the cost of Cablevision’s offer in the US for a product that is not even half as good.  BUT, c’est la vie!

The Nyaturama Sports Center is one of the 3 clubs in Kigali that provides athletic services including a pool, tennis courts, aerobics, and indoor gym.  We like that it is on the cheaper end and attracts more locals rather than mzungus (we finally learned how to spell this word).  The pool just opened two weeks ago.  We signed up that very same day and spent both Saturday and Sunday enjoying some poolside R & R.  Nate’s first dive off the diving board attracted a small group of Rwandan men who admired his form.  Little did we know, Nate would soon have a class of 5 amagabos (men in Kinyarwanda) learning how to dive.  It quickly became a community affair when each man’s first dive resulted in a magnificently painful belly flop.  All eyes were on the professional mzungu teacher as he critiqued and guided each attempt into actual dives.  Our lifeguard instincts couldn’t resist the idea for potential business opportunities in offering swim/dive lessons.   We’ll see if that takes off!

A fun discovery Michelle made this month was the Kicukiro market.  Kicukiro (kee-CHU-keero) is another neighborhood like Kacyiru (where we live) that borders farmlands.  Most farmers who travel to big markets in the city charge inflated prices for their produce because it is costing them more to sell at that location.  Not to mention the wealthier people live closest to the city centre.  Michelle loved this market because the people gave her great deals despite being mzungu and the quality of the food was fantastic!  She is excited to go back soon.

Lastly, a highlight of the month was definitely our first football game (aka: soccer for the Americans following along) at The Amahoro Stadium in Remera (another sector in Kigali-where Meredith lives).  It was a BIG game!  You will find the coverage of the game here.  Esron is a die-hard ADR fan, which is one of the Rwandan teams.  We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take him such an important game.  The Rwandan ADR team was up against the African champions, Mazembe, a Congolese team.  The Stadium was PACKED!  President Kagame even made an appearance to support his local team.  Nate and Esron were decked out in the ADR colors, black & white to display their loyalty.  What an experience!  We were packed in shoulder to shoulder with fans from both teams.  There was lots of trash talking to say the least.  If you bottled up the energy in the stadium, it would have fired a rocket to the moon!  Much to our disappointment, there were no refreshments available.  We realized how attached we are to cold beer and hot dogs at sporting events.  In Rwanda, most people don’t even eat three meals a day let alone snacks throughout the day.  It was a wakeup call on how much affluent communities eat in abundance just because they can.  Affluent or not, we still missed our cold beer during the 2 hour game.  Luckily, the game was so exciting that we were well distracted.  ADP took the win in the 88th minute of the game which is 2 minutes before the final whistle.  Esron was beside himself!!  His face was beaming so brightly that we wondered if we needed a flashlight during our 7 mile walk home in the dark.  We were grateful to share in that moment with him.

Thanks to all of you who follow our Ubuzima in Rwanda.  It doesn’t make up for the distance, dinners together and hugs but it helps us feel less alone.  We love you all!!

Imana ibarinde kandi ibahe umugisha.

A Breath of Fresh Air

There is nothing like a trip to a farm to lift our spirits!  Last Friday we drove out to visit our friend Amy, the girl from Georgia who was on our flight to Kigali.  Amy works at the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) as the farm manager in a town called Ntunga (45-60 minutes outside of Kigali).  The name holds a beautiful meaning: "dry their tears" (Agahozo) and "live in peace" (Shalom).   This is a boarding school of sorts that targets orphaned children in Rwanda.  It is truly an inspiring place!  The founder Anne Heyman, a NYC resident, was moved by a Rwandan speaker talking about the affects of the genocide.  Her heart broke for the orphaned young people in Rwanda post the Genocide and for those who have lost their parents to the widespread assassin: HIV.  She compared the devastation to that of the Holocaust and was inspired by Israel’s action steps to move forward.  One of the ways Israel began rebuilding itself after such a tragedy was to develop youth villages with the goal of providing a community and education for orphans.  Anne felt moved to support the next generation in order to secure a brighter future for Rwanda in the same way.  The youth villages in Israel have been wildly successful in equipping the prosperity both intellectually and emotionally through the bonds of the community.  It is common for graduates to return to their village for employment or simply volunteer as a way to give back to their new found family.  Anne adopted the same model and is trying it out in Rwanda.  Check out a CBSNews article about this special place!

The Agahozo Shalom Youth Village hosts 250 students ranging in age from 14 years to 20 years old.  Each year, hundreds of applicants are recommended from all 30 districts in the country.  We met a variety of students coming from different economic backgrounds.  Some students are from the cities in Rwanda where there is more wealth while others are from the more rural parts having little to no money.  One of the best benefits of the youth village is that it is 100% free!  The students pay nothing to attend and are given housing, food, and a great education.  The director of the school is from Israel and lives on campus with his wife and two kids.  His wife is the doctor in residence and runs the medical facilities.  Both of his kids attend a private school in Kigali called The Greenhill Academy along with Paul Kagame’s kids.  They are a lovely family!    We encourage you to learn more about The Agahozo Shalom Youth Village at: http://www.agahozo-shalom.org/

When we drove up to the gate, we were taken aback by the beauty of the grounds and its prime location at the top of a hill.  The view is exquisite, spanning over neighboring valleys, lakes, and mountains.  Our efforts to capture such splendor failed miserably so you’ll have to close your eyes and picture it in your own mind.  The land is a beautiful mix of walking trails weaving in and out of modern buildings surrounded by flourishing farmland bursting with foliage.  Our lungs were soaking up the clean air like a dry sponge.  It was a refreshing change from the diesel exhaust that consumes the city air.

Our first point of business was to join Amy in the dining hall for a late lunch.  Most of the food prepared on campus comes directly from the produce grown on the farm.  Amy is working towards full sustainability where the profits from the farm will eventually cover the costs of running the village.  The reality is within reach given the resources available to them.  For instance, they are the only farm in the area that has an irrigation system in place to maintain production throughout the dry season of summer.  Last week Amy assisted in her first delivery of a baby calf.  Unfortunately one of the three calves did not make it but we were delighted to meet the other two babies that are getting stronger every day.  Right now they have five cows producing 22 liters of milk a day which will increase once the baby calves stop breast feeding.   In addition to cows, there are about 300 adolescent chickens that should begin laying eggs in about a month from now.  The goal is to have at least one egg a day for every person in the village.

After lunch, we had a chance to walk around the grounds to get the lay of the land.  Amy hasn’t measured the exact acreage of the farm but it is certainly in the hundreds.  When she first arrived, she felt under qualified for running a farm of this size.  Her experience has been in the context of camps or nature centers.  It can still be overwhelming for her at times, but she has done a great job embracing it with two hands.  We have no doubt that her passion will drive her forward to learn more while leaning into her role as the farm manager.  The farm is certainly in good hands!

The rest of our Friday afternoon was spent picking fresh passion fruit and mangoes for a tasty snack later in the evening.  Amy and Michelle went to the local market in Rubona to buy papaya, milk and eggs.  It was a fabulous 20 minute walk down a very typical African dirt road.  We quickly made friends with some kids walking home from school who enjoyed playing a game of running up behind us without us hearing them and then running away once we looked at them. The squeals made us smile and feel grateful for the energy of younger friends.   Rubona was a quaint town with one bar, a dozen shops and a small section for the open market.  It was a treat for Michelle to see where Amy enjoys shopping and meeting more local people.
Friday evening we participated in Shabbat at the house of one of Amy’s friends.  There was a small group of us (10-15 people) the majority being westerners who are volunteering at the village.  We enjoyed being part of the service and learning more about the Shabbat tradition.  We broke bread and said a few prayers together before hanging out and getting to know each other better.  There is a lot of symbolism that we were drawn to during the Shabbat.  There is something powerful about engaging in spiritual practices with friends.  It was an honor to be included!  Afterwards, we headed over to the big dining hall for the village-wide weekly meeting before dinner.  It is an hour long service that includes announcements from clubs and teachers, personal stories, and a message from Nir, the director.  We each had a student sitting next to us translating the messages.  Michelle’s translator was a 14 year old girl named Peace.  Her family is from Kigali but her parents were killed in the genocide so her older siblings are looking out for her now.  She was very kind and patient as Michelle tried out her limited Kinyarwanda skills.

After dinner, we called it a night by hanging out in Amy’s room.  Michelle and Amy tried to make cheese with the milk they bought at the market but unfortunately it turned out to be the wrong kind of milk.  We have quickly learned that they sell unpasteurized as well as pasteurized milk and we are still learning how to ask for the kind we want.  The fruit was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!  Seriously, to all the fruit lovers out there, nothing compares to vine or tree ripened fruit!!  Michelle was in heaven.  However, her bliss was short lived due to a bug she caught that night.  After a sleepless night, her sickness kept her glued to the bathroom for the following day.  It was wonderful to rest in the comforts of our own bed on Saturday afternoon.   Despite the unfortunate ending, we were grateful for the breath of fresh air and the refreshment to our souls.  God, thank you for friends, thank you for fresh fruit, thank you for breath taking views, thank you for clean air, thank you for land that nourishes our bodies and souls.

  Imana ibarinde kandi ibahe umugisha.