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We all returned home safely! It was a long plane ride but a trip that was    packed with many wonderful           memories. We all grew so much on   This trip. I have such an appreciation for some of the simplest things we  often take for granted in our            everyday life. 

Rwanda is a landlocked country in     east-central Africa. Its economic      development has been hampered by one of the worst genocides in historyIn the mid-1990s, an estimated 800,000 Rwandans were killed in less       than 100 days for their ethnicity.

Rwanda is a country in recovery, and they are all working very hard to turn their country into a harmonious       place. It’s hard to know from a         outsiders position, if this is working,  but the Rwandans are a very friendly, helpful,  loving people and they live a very hard life. They work in the fields using simple tools like machetes,      hoes, and axes. Everything is done   by  hand. They pick the food in the   fields to put on their table for meals. Everything gets eaten. They wash     their clothes by hand, make their      clothes and have only a few outfits   to wear. We saw many young boys    and girls with the butts worn right    out of their pants. 

The country is very densely              populated. And that population is     consistently in motion. We watched men women and children carry         things to and from market on their   heads in their hands and on bicycles. The primitive way of working is just   staggering! The strength and resolve is amazing. And everything is done  with such pride and conviction. 

Though the country has made a       comeback in recent years through.    coffee and tea production, it ranks.   among the poorest countries in the world, with a GNI per capita of just $1,814. Nearly 80% of Rwandans live on less than $3.20 a day, and over.   half live on less than $1.90.

When you think of that, and then      think of the materialistic society we    come from, you can’t help but         wonder if it is all necessary. 

Rwanda is the most densely              populated country in Africa and         ranks 21st out of the 25 poorest countries in the world. Prior to the       1994 war, Rwanda was among the    most rural countries in the world, but the war precipitated rapid                urbanization, with many refugees     choosing not to return to their rural homes but to settle instead in the     cities, primarily Kigali.

Liberation Day, July 4th is about        celebrating progress. While Rwanda  is still a very poor country, it is          peaceful — after a decade of           community-led justice and                 reconciliation efforts, it is largely free from the ethnic divisions that led to  the genocide more than two decades ago. And it has made strides in        building its infrastructure and           stamping out corruption.

Although we were in country for      both July 1st and July 4th holidays it was not blatantly apparent that they were celebrating the 25th                 anniversary of the genocide.            Although they were doing something at the genocide museum while we    were there and the students had no school both days. That seemed to beall that we noticed. 
In the United States 

Secretary Pompeo had a Message    for Rwanda Independence Day 2019. 

On behalf of the Government of the United States of America, I              congratulate the people of Rwanda.  as you mark 57 years of                   independence on July 1 and               celebrate the 25th anniversary of      Liberation Day on July 4.

Rwanda has demonstrated                exceptional leadership in the region  to establish a favorable climate for    trade and investment, and advances in promoting women in governance.  The United States remains                committed to building on Rwanda’s  progress in health, education, and    economic development, and to         further strengthen civil society and   the rule of law.

I send my warmest wishes to all the Rwandan people for continued         prosperity and success in the years ahead.

As Rwandans are able and willing to reference each other as Rwandans  and no other category, I wonder why Americans can not do that? Why    must we have so many boxes to put people in and create separation and differences. Why can’t we just be     Americans? Rwanda seems to be    more aware and more advanced in   some ways than Americans. They     have a ban on plastic bags, resulting in very little trash in the country.      They board planes using both the     front and back doors resulting in      less frustration for travelers. They    have reusable straws so they don’t   pollute the oceans, even though they are land locked. They embrace         reconciliation, and don’t try to fight itThey are primarily vegetarian, but     regardless of vegetarian or meat      eaters they are more aware of their   food source than we are. Resulting in a better appreciation, and less waste. 

My trip to Rwanda has made me        think....

My thinking is just beginning..... 

Merchants and their merchandise

We spent our last day in Kilgali. After a.   nice hot shower and a good nights sleep we were all ready to go out and explore   the city.  We started our day at a              women’s co-op. This is a place where    women come and sew clothing, bags     and other items. They also make jewelry and baskets. 

We were here today to work with the      weavers and make a necklace or             earrings. We found out that the co-op is now in 3 different areas in Rwanda. The  co-op provides women a place to gather, to sell their products, and to advance      their knowledge. 

The co-op provides classes, a library,      and babysitting so women can improve   their education and learn to make money off their products. Many of the women    come to the co-op with no formal            education. Some of the women we worked with had a 2nd or 3rd grade educationbefore coming to the co-op and two       were taking classes at the university in           tourism. 

We met two young women who were in  our weaving class who were in medical   school at Penn State and were working  with Paul Farmer at his partners in health Butaro hospital. One women graduated from MIT so she was chatting with our group about Boston. The other women was  from California and had a lot in common with our guide Seth. Such a small world. 

After working with the weavers we had    lunch. A women from the center who       teaches cooking classes made us an             incredible lunch. 

Then it was off to the markets where we did a little bit of shopping before headingto the airport for our flight home! 

Independence Day

OMG! Omg! Omg! 

I can’t think of a better place to       spend Independence Day than on an African Safari. To be able to see       such majestic animals in their natural habitat is a truly amazing experience. 

We saw elephants, giraffes water      buffalo, monkeys, zebras, and more. 

You can’t help but reflect on the world we live in as you try to grasp the   vastness and the beauty of it all. It’s hard not to think about freedom, and the freedom to roam.  It’s so             important to take care of Mother      Earth and all her creatures big and  as mall.Happy 4th of July! 

Calloused hands warm heart!

 

Today we worked our butts off! 

We got up and went to the center of the village and painted concrete       tables, benches and stools. 

We painted about 20 different           seating areas. It was exhausting, but we had fun and worked really well as a team. It was nice to help spruce upthe pace and leave a lasting              impression. 

At noon we met with Vincent he is    the COO and he sat and talked with us and explained to us the mission of the school and how they support the students from the start to be            independent and successful upon     graduating. The students asked       good questions and we learned a lot about Rwandan culture and the role  the school plays in preserving the    culture. 

Then it was time for lunch! We were hot and sweaty and in need of a nap, but instead we were scheduled for   the Science fair. There were some    excellent inventions and the kids did a great job. They explained what it   was how and why they built it and    what it would accomplish or solve.   Very impressive. It was very hot and very crowded but we stuck it out.    Then it was Back to painting. We     painted for another hour, finishing up one area. There is another whole      area that still needs to be done. But  it looks awesome so far! Then we     had a meeting with the Momma’s.    That was very insightful. These         women run a house with 20 girls or  24 boys. They raise them, love them and provide stability for them for the4 years at the school and onward.    They spoke about their role of         helping their kids transition from      really bad situations, extreme            poverty, violence, severe trauma, etc. and nurturing and teaching these      kids into responsible, independent    young people. Then we had 

Dinner and off to pack and finished  the night off saying good bye to        friends and a little Bonfire. So sad to leave the village. 

Community

Today we worked in the kitchen. Our first job was to sort  through a huge bag of peanuts to pull out the bad   ones and to all the dirt and stuff! We did this for two hours. Then we         formed a human chain and passed   down bowls of food to be set up to  feed 500 people. It was really a great task because we got a good sense   Of how much food is made at each meal, but more importantly how        Crucial team work is when faced with such a big production. 

After working in the kitchen, we went to lunch. It was satisfying to be part of producing the meal.

After that we had some free time.    The students did laundry and wrote  in their journals and ate snacks at     the canteen. 

Then the kids went to play sports.   Mindy and I visited music lessons, art lessons and sewing classes before  we went and watched volleyball       matches. 

After dinner we went to family time.  My families house is named after     Septima Clark, a civil rights leader   who helped register African              Americans for the right to vote. So,  tonight in family time I led a              discussion on the right to vote, and   its importance and that led to a        discussion on leadership and what    they would do as leaders both of      their school and their country. It was a great conversation. We also           presented them with gifts: chocolate, Rwandan and American flags and     playing cards. 

They loved it all! The flags were a big hit! 

My friend Paul told me that his         brother in law traveled to Rwanda    and he brought flags with him and    the kids loved them, so he told  me   that  I should bring flags, when he    heard I was going. He said “ I am      going to order you some flags to     give to the kids” I said “ ok, thank     you” the next day I had a delivery      from Amazon with the flags. Thank    you Paul they loved them!!!! 

Azzizi Lifestyle

Today we visited a women’s cooperative program that lets people experience life of Rwandans that live the rural life in the mountains in the Muhanga region of        Rwanda.

Our first challenge was to wake up 5 teenagers to get on a bus at 5:15. Our ride   was three hours so we met our guide       evaleise and then drove 15-20 minutes to the town where we would meet our hosts

Once there we met with 7 women who   would be working with us for the day.

We gathered in a family room of sorts     and introduced ourselves, went over our schedule and then prayed before we        started to work. 

Our first chore was to go to the kitchen, with the cow, pig and chicken and peel   Potatoes with giant kitchen knives. These potatoes were put in a pot with beans     that would cook while we worked and we could have for lunch. The peels went to   the pig.

Our next chore was to go hoe the hillsideby the banana trees this was pretty tough work, but there were a lot of us to go out and pick grass and fill bags to carry back 

To the cow for his lunch. 

Then it was off to fetch water! We all        armed ourselves with plastic jugs of        various sizes and headed down the hill to the village to fill our bottles. At the water sourcewe were surrounded by all the       kids of the Village, I was taking pictures  of them and showing them... they loved   them. It was so fun! 

After the water run we learned about the sisal plant and we cut pieces and             cleaned it with machetes, then dyed it    And proceeded to learn how to make     bracelets....which I was terrible at, but.    they helped me a lot. 

After we made our bracelets we were      treated to a meal of sweet potatoes,       beans and avacado. 

Then we danced and sang and prayed    and then it was time to leave....so sad! 

This was a great way to think about all    The things we take for granted as well asall the  things we think we need but really don’t. I can’t help but reflect on how so much community is displayed around       This country. Everyone hangs out             together and they meet at the water         source or they meet in the village. And    boy, do then work their buts off! So manykids running around playing, it’s such a   nice vibe! 

Upon our return we had family time! My   family had some great questions for me,  the hardest one was what is something  good you can say about your president. Lol. 

After family time we had a group meetingand debriefed our day. The kids had a lotof fun and are really bonding with the      students in the village. 

All in all another wonderful night,

At a loss for words

Today we traveled to Kilgali to go to the Kilgali Genocide Museum, then to the 

Nyamata memorial site and then to        Ntarama memorial site. It made for a very emotional day!      

We were overcome with what we saw     and learned throughout the day.

Even after reading books and studying.   the topic there is something jarring and    disturbing when you immerse yourself in the culture and location of sites of           atrocities. I don’t think you can ever fully be prepared. 

As I walked the halls in the museum and observed the exhibits and read the wordsthat went with the displays I began to      loose comprehension skills. It was as if    the words on the paper were not making sense. 

How was this allowed to happen? 

I struggled with a number of topics:

The role of the international community

Hate

The power of propaganda

I am not ready to expand or expound       further at this time, I need to digest it all a little more. 

I was moved by the stories of the people who did help and the unsung heroes whoemerged during the Genocide. As well asthe Rwandans desire to reconcile with     their past and choose love instead of      hate. 

If I struggled with comprehension in the museum... there is no comprehension at tthe memorials. 

Both sites are churches where almost     15,000 people were murdered. 

At these sites all your senses get assaulted. You don’t understand what you are   hearing, you can’t believe what you are   seeing you don’t want to touch anything, and you get the sense that others have    felt the same way, blood soaked clothing sits on the pews and on the floor that     was from the victims-and you feel like     you can smell death, it all leaves a bad     tast in your mouth. 

To make things more surreal, while          visiting the Ntarama memorial, a burial mass was going to be taken place    for a family of three whose remains were just found in a nearby field,      twenty five years later. Our guide      showed us the casket filled with the  remains and told us that a mass was being held at the new church and     they would be coming for a burial    service soon. As we were leaving, the family, friends and community         members showed up. 

I struggle with the idea of a safe      place, a place of worship,  becoming a scene of violence and yet it still.    plagues us to this day! 

I have more thinking and studying to do!

A big shout out to the wonderfully    thoughtful and insightful students    we are with, who rode the emotional rollercoaster as well and had thought provoking questions and comments during or debrief. I am encouraged    that this experience will go with them and assist in formulating who they   become.