Congolese refugees, the Rwandan people, ARC, and myself. First I realize how fortunate I am to have had the opportunity to live, work and learn in a foreign environment. I appreciate that my wife, Martha, agreed to this experience as did my employer, Allina. The resources contributed by ARC such as food, lodging and support staff were essential to my success. Of course I will always compare life in a refugee camp with life in a developed country with many benefits such as running water, electricity, health care, security, etc.
The Congolese refugees have been in Rwanda five to twelve years and have little hope to return in the next year or two. They have few resources and no modern conveniences. They are unemployed or underemployed not by choice, as described earlier. They maintain some customs such as dancing and are adapting to the customs and laws of Rwanda as in the area of family conflict resolution. The people are patient, hopeful and eager to learn.
The Rwandan people are proud of their country, especially that it is a democracy, it is growing and is a law abiding country. They understand that education is important. About 30 to 40 % of the nurses are enrolled in college courses. They are eager to learn English and the use of computers. Several people invited me to their homes and were gracious hosts.
The American Refugee Committee proved to be a well run, hardworking and efficient organization. I learned about the many constraints that apply to ARC because of the nature of refugee camp management by multiple organizations and local laws. I have also learned that current funding reductions threaten to bring additional hardships on the refugees.
Working in a developing country has been a goal of mine for over fifteen years, so I was pleased to find that I could be successful teaching and practicing in Rwanda. I have found that new challenges are enjoyable and that I am able to tolerate uncertainty and the living conditions in a developing country. Fortunately, I didn’t experience any lack of security. I will return to my work in Coon Rapids August 25, 2008. I hope to work abroad again in a few years and to visit or work in Rwanda.
This will be my last entry to this blog, except that in a month or two, I may announce a time and place where I will show slides and speak about my experience in Rwanda. Thanks to those of you who wrote or spoke words of encouragement about this blog to me.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Last 10 Days
On June 29, 2008 Martha, my wife, joined me for my last 10 days in Rwanda. We were very happy to see each other after being apart for three and one half months. We visited the beautiful garden at the Mille Collines Hotel (of Hotel Rwanda fame) and the Genocide Memorial in Kigali where 254,000 people are buried. Next we visited the camps where I worked and stayed one night at each guest house. The staffs of the camps organized a farewell meeting with speeches and gave me a wooden mask, wooden map of Rwanda, carved milk bottle, woven map of Africa, woven basket and hand bag.
The last week we spent as tourists seeing parts of Rwanda I had not seen during my work. We traveled two hours from Kigali to the eastern border to see Akagara Park. Here we saw giraffes, hippos, water buffalo antelope, impalas, fish eagles, monkeys, baboons a few and other animals. This park has only a few elephants and lions due to settlement of refugees from Uganda and Tanzania in the park after the war of 1994.This created competition for land and poaching. The park is expanding the number of animals through protection and bringing in more animals.
The next day we traveled by taxi to Butare, the former capital and current university town. Unfortunately the king’s palace and national museum were closed due to a holiday. The taxi took us to the southwest part of the country to a large rainforest called Nyungwe National Park where we spent two nights. We hiked through bright green colored tea fields and the forest to a waterfall and viewed Colobus monkeys and a few birds.
The following morning we hiked four kilometers to a bus stop where we squeezed into the front of the bus for a six and three fourths hour ride on gravel mountain roads to Kibuye on Lake Kivu. Our hotel had a view of the lake though the water was barely warm. Nearby we visited ARC’s third camp in Rwanda, where I did not work as ARC is not responsible for health care. Here they have begun AIDS treatment in the camp’s health center. I had a chance to review the medical record they are using and found it to be comprehensive. The other two camps will be using this form in the next few months.
The night before our return to the US we were invited to the home of a Rwandan family whose son we had met in Iowa a year earlier. He is attending Iowa Wesleyan College there and had spent a holiday with my relatives. We learned of their living abroad for safety reasons, their losses during the war (genocide of 1994) and their assessment of and hope for their country. The mother, who is a former senator and current Supreme Court justice, explained that the constitution requires 30% of legislators be women and that now, after seeing the effects, nearly 50% of the legislators elected are women. This evening gave us a fuller understanding of the country.
We are now home. I must unpack and organize my things. I am working in the garden and fixing things around the house. In the next few weeks I’ll write a final entry to summarize my thoughts about this experience.
The last week we spent as tourists seeing parts of Rwanda I had not seen during my work. We traveled two hours from Kigali to the eastern border to see Akagara Park. Here we saw giraffes, hippos, water buffalo antelope, impalas, fish eagles, monkeys, baboons a few and other animals. This park has only a few elephants and lions due to settlement of refugees from Uganda and Tanzania in the park after the war of 1994.This created competition for land and poaching. The park is expanding the number of animals through protection and bringing in more animals.
The next day we traveled by taxi to Butare, the former capital and current university town. Unfortunately the king’s palace and national museum were closed due to a holiday. The taxi took us to the southwest part of the country to a large rainforest called Nyungwe National Park where we spent two nights. We hiked through bright green colored tea fields and the forest to a waterfall and viewed Colobus monkeys and a few birds.
The following morning we hiked four kilometers to a bus stop where we squeezed into the front of the bus for a six and three fourths hour ride on gravel mountain roads to Kibuye on Lake Kivu. Our hotel had a view of the lake though the water was barely warm. Nearby we visited ARC’s third camp in Rwanda, where I did not work as ARC is not responsible for health care. Here they have begun AIDS treatment in the camp’s health center. I had a chance to review the medical record they are using and found it to be comprehensive. The other two camps will be using this form in the next few months.
The night before our return to the US we were invited to the home of a Rwandan family whose son we had met in Iowa a year earlier. He is attending Iowa Wesleyan College there and had spent a holiday with my relatives. We learned of their living abroad for safety reasons, their losses during the war (genocide of 1994) and their assessment of and hope for their country. The mother, who is a former senator and current Supreme Court justice, explained that the constitution requires 30% of legislators be women and that now, after seeing the effects, nearly 50% of the legislators elected are women. This evening gave us a fuller understanding of the country.
We are now home. I must unpack and organize my things. I am working in the garden and fixing things around the house. In the next few weeks I’ll write a final entry to summarize my thoughts about this experience.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
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