Posts from April, 2010
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Anne and Family Time
Family Time: At lunch today one of the volunteers me that his family, Family 1, would like to extend a special invitation to me to go to family time. I groaned – inwardly and outwardly – yet more meetings that would have to be postponed and I really wanted to get some work done tonight which I have had NO opportunity to do since I am here – so I told him I would let him know. Over dinner I realized that I would have no other night free while in Rwanda, and I felt bad so after dinner I called him and told him I would come. This was about ½ an hour before family time started. I can’t believe I almost missed out on this evening.
[To read more of this article, download the PDF.]
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Anne is in the village
Tuesday April 20, 2010
It is wonderful to be back in the Village again (despite having to traipse around with my broken ankle). The rainy season has made things green and lush and while Rwanda is always beautiful the fresh greenery and the after rain smells, the chirping of the amazing colorful birds and the extraordinary scenery allow you to just breathe deep. While mourning and remembering Philbert have been a big part of this visit (will post something about this at a later date) the amazing stories and experiences just keep coming. This afternoon I spent some time with the Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World) Committee. For those of you who don’t know, part of Agahozo-Shalom’s philosophy of repair and healing is that all children living in the village must be engaged in a project in which they do something for others. After reviewing what had been done last term with the Committee (made up of a house mother, grade coordinator, volunteer and 4 counselors) I set out with the committee to visit the various projects that our first year of kids (Senior 4) had been working on.
[To read more of this article, download the PDF.]
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Rwanda and the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village
Rwanda Convention 2010
RCA Newsletter
By Patrick KaruretwaTo anyone who witnessed the tragic events that devastated Rwanda in 1994, it was evident that the impact would be massive. It was also clear that the wounds would take a long time to heal. Very few, however, could have anticipated that the small nation would embark on such a unique journey to rebuild itself.
For the last 16 years, the men and women of Rwanda have been working tirelessly to write a new chapter in their story. As one author noted: ‘Rwandans rebelled against their fate’.
Whilst analyzing Rwanda’s surprising post-war achievements, various observers choose to focus on different aspects. Some of the ‘experts’ whose predictions and theories have been consistently challenged by the facts on the ground have been painstakingly highlighting every single failure, real or imagined. Rather than re-thinking their views and adjusting their theories, they choose to disparage anything that is contradictory. With astounding zeal, they have been trying to force the facts to fit the theory. For them, Rwanda’s prospects remain bleak.
I disagree…[To read more of this article, download the PDF.]