Tales from Rwanda

Update: A Baby Makes 3

2012-01-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

On October 1, 2011, Paul and I welcomed a beautiful baby girl into our lives- Amelia Grace. So much of my time in Rwanda will stay with me forever. I hope to take her there one day and show her why it is so special to me. We hope to inspire a sense of adventure, global curiosity, and commitment to helping others in our daughter as well.

Marriage and Honeymoon Adventures

2010-07-21T08:55:00.001-07:00

Paul and I were married on June 5, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. We had a beautiful wedding with about 200 guests and a great reception at the Indiana Historical Society. We were so lucky to celebrate this special event with so many close friends and family. We are incredibly appreciative of our parents love and support that helped make this wedding so amazing, and made it possible for us to be who we are for each other.

After our wedding, we enjoyed a week long honeymoon in Soufriere, St. Lucia. We stayed at Stoneyfield Resort & Spa and stared in awe at the Piton Mountains all week. We'll cherish the memories of this sweet and romantic week together forever.

Back in the States...Planning a Wedding

2009-12-09T07:09:00.000-08:00

I am back in the US and Paul & I are moving full speed ahead planning our lives together. I recently started a new job at the National Cancer Institute where I am working in the Office of the Director providing strategic planning for multiple offices and divisions in the institute. Unfortunately, I won't get to travel internationally for work (for the time being at least) but I will get to travel within the US occasionally. Paul and I will definitely continue to explore the world together in our free time. We have decided to settle in Bethesda, MD (just 10 minutes outside DC) as we plan our wedding for June 5th, 2010 in Indianapolis, IN. I have enjoyed multiple visits with my family since being back and we look forward to spending more time with Paul's family over the holidays. It is such a blessing and something to always appreciate having close family to visit often. We hope that many of our friends and family will come visit us too (and I very much hope that my Rwandan friends and colleagues will get to come visit too!)

Paul and I took engagement photos with our wedding photographer over Thanksgiving weekend (http://www.twiceshydesign.com/blog/2009/12/paul-wendy-indianapolis-engagement-photography/). We thought she did a great job and we are excited for the photos that will be taken on our upcoming wedding daytoo!

Saying Goodbye...Again

2009-11-03T20:33:00.001-08:00

I left Rwanda on October 17, 2009 when I completed my 9-month "loaned" assignment with the CDC Rwanda team. I experienced an incredible amount of professional growth in this short time: I was responsible for two positions most of the time I was there- "acting" in a senior team role; supervised many of the 25 person team; led human resources, budget planning, retreats and strategy setting; enhanced collaborations with other federal agencies and grantees; provided development and learning opportunities for the staff; provided input into the programming of important HIV/AIDS prevention efforts; and hired/trained my replacement before leaving. It was the most challenging assignment in my career thus far, and pushed me to "sink or swim" in so many ways. I swam most of the time, though Paul probably knows the most about some of the early days when I was sure I was sinking. I am so grateful for this rewarding professional opportunity and I can already see in the short time back in DC that my skills and energy were revitalized through my time in Rwanda.

In addition to professional growth, Rwanda continued to change me and inspire me personally. I met and remain friends with many colleagues, community members, and neighbors who were so kind to let me into their lives. Rwanda has an inspiring spirit, in spite of their tragic and conflictual history. Rwandans are hard working, and want to get things done "today, not tomorrow". They live in a world that is a unique mixture of highly developed things (media, internet, job requirements) and yet in a physically limiting and very much still-developing environment (power, water, food, household goods and other basic challenges). At times, to me, they seem precariously on the edge between successful unifying business-minded development vs. growing disparity in wealth and totalitarian control. Despite this push/pull in their leadership, I am optimistic their growth will lead them to prosper. For me, although I was not living in difficult conditions, living in a developing country has impacted me and will continue to impact me for the rest of my life. It is appalling that sub-standard housing (sleeping on the ground!), lack of food and opportunity for income generation, basic un-treated health problems, and lack of clean water are still major issues in Rwanda and world-wide. I was not there to solve those problems, but I experienced them and once again I return home appreciating that we have SO much and marveling at how much we take for granted.

I had the wonderful privilege of receiving two traditional Rwandese outfits called Mushanana's (one for me, one for Paul to be worn after you are married most often to attend other formal events). My close friend Francis generously had these made as well as bought the necklaces, bracelet, and earings which he said complete the outfit. He also unexpectedly met me at the airport as I was rushing through the check-in line and handed me a hand-made beaded king's staff for Paul. He said every husband should have one. What a gift!...The perils of carrying it through security once in Belgium is a whole other story. This is the woman who made the dresses for us.

Daniel and other colleagues went all out for my festive goodbye party- there were delicious baked goods including rice krispie treats!

Everyone was surprised and happy to see me wearing traditional Rwandese attire. My good friend Laurie came to the Embassy to say goodbye too.

Louis and I.

Louis, me, Enan, Sylla

Thanks to Janean and Derrick's magic, I had the best Reggae band in Kigali at my party. Sadly, we had envisioned a garden party but it rained 20 minutes before the party. :( Not surprisingly, Daniel made it all work, and got the green light to have the band play in the conference room of the US Embassy. Everyone was shocked, and the building was a rocking club for these couple of hours.

Gauhar, Roopal, and Tye.

Some of my colleagues said they hadn't danced in 10 years.

The band scheduled 3 additional gigs after playing at my party!

I pretty much told everyone they were required to dance.

Goodbye Daniel! I'll miss you.

Saying goodbye to my good friend Richard the artist.

I will miss Francis dearly. He was very kind and generous to me.

My very good friend Gloria.

Emah, me, and Sylla

My colleagues gave me these amazing goodbye gifts- a beautiful hand woven traditional basket in Rwandan colors, and a home-made collage of all the amazing people I worked with in Rwanda.

Last Hoorah in Bujumbura!

2009-10-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

I was able to squeeze one last weekend international trip in before heading home to the States. Daniel, Kathie, Laura and I drove to Bujumbura, Burundi (6 hours from Kigali) Sat.-Mon. Bujumbura has some safety concerns so the American Embassy in Kigali only allows permission to travel there if driving in a two+ car convoy with a sattelite phone, first aid kit, and GPS system. We found that three other groups from our Embassy were driving, so we had a four car convoy and left very early Saturday morning.

The road was very curvy. We had multiple passengers suffering from car sickness, but thankfully I did well. This is common site of bicycles hanging on to the back of large trucks to get up the steep hills. This is so dangerous for them!

This was a welcome sign just over the border into Burundi. The border crossing was surprisingly easy and very well organized. We paid $20 for a 3 day Visa at the border. The hardest part was changing money with a chatoic group of Burundians swarming our car trying to offer us exchange rates. Burundi is primarily french speaking, although the local language is very similar to Kinyarwanda. I enjoyed working on my french more over the weekend. It is also known to have a higher rate of pick-pocketing, or people who reach in your car and try to take things. We did not have any trouble like that over the weekend though. As soon as we crossed the border some things seemed very different to us. The roads are not as nice as Rwanda; the weather was almost immmediately hotter; and the trees are different including tall palm trees and coconut trees.

We stayed at the Club du Lac- the nicest hotel in Bujumbura on Lake Tanganika.

We had a large group checking-in. I was especially impressed with one Embassy family who travelled with us and their 22-month old twins and older 4 year old son. Some of them got motion sickness and cried a lot of the way there, but the parents were upbeat and handled it with smiles!.

A breakfast buffet was included with our rooms which we enjoyed every morning.

Although the rooms were a little less than hoped for (mosquitos and bugs; no fans or A/C), the pool and beach felt worth the price. We immediately headed to the pool upon arrival.

The lake had a nice big beach, gusty wind, and waves.

We walked down the beach to the neighboring Bora Bora Club which is a lounge restaurant on a nice deck with a pretty pool.

We met up with other Kigali colleagues for a drink.

Kathie and I enjoyed trying their mojitos.

Daniel and Kathie lounging. After the Bora Bora club we all went to Botannica for dinner.

We explored the downtown area one day, and visited a craft market to check out the local crafts.

We had fun dancing at this bar- Havana on Saturday night.

Everyone enjoyed trying an Amstel Bock beer which is a local favorite and not available in Rwanda.

Two boys selling eggs and peanuts on the street.

I was told by a friend that we could not come to Buj without visiting the Musee Vivant (a small, low budget zoo) where we got to hold a snake.
There were chimpanzees in one cage.

There is an unusual and somewhat shocking option of having the guide feed a guinea pig to a leopard and a crocodile. I was not too keen on the idea, but we did see this happen while we were there.

I was a little concerned that the crocodiles were looking at us and seemed only to be kept away from us by a short cement wall!

The grounds also include a series of traditional Burundian huts so we of course posed for a photo.

On our last night there we strolled a little further down the beach to the Saga Beach where we heard live music. We stopped and ate some delicious fried fish with yummy sides.

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Burundi Info and Recommendations:

$1 = roughly 1200 Burundian francs

Hotel Club Du Lac- +257 22 250 221

Other hotels: Botannica in town +257 22 228 873 or +257 22226792; Saga Beach next to Bora Bora)

Restaurants- Botannica, Tanganika, La Fantasia, Khana Kazana, Belvedere, Bora Bora, Resha Beach

Clubs- Havana, Toxic, Raggae Place

Activities- Buja Day Spa massage- +257 22 22 7000

Musee Vivant- crocodiles/leopard

Another visit to the villages

2009-10-05T01:35:00.000-07:00

Francis invited me to join him on another Saturday drive, this time to visit villages near Butare in Southern Rwanda. We went to the Gisagara District and made various stops around Kigoma Sector and Kikongo and Kagusa villages.
I invited my colleague Kathie (left), who recently arrived in Rwanda but will be staying for at least two years. I wanted her to meet Francis in the hopes that I can continue to help him and stay in touch especially through her. We also brought Tom (right) with us, who randomly met Francis after finding his office when looking for help this week. Tom works for GE with an organization called ASSIST that provides medical equipment to Rwanda. He traveled here for two weeks arriving with defibrillators in his suitcases! He was thrilled to have this chance to go outside of Kigali and meet people. We also traveled with Damasen (middle), Francis' employee/supervisor for this Sector. He was very professional and obviously very involved in the work Francis has tasked him.

On our drive, we passed village after village holding their elections for local representatives. Francis and Damasen described the representatives as "wise men" of the village, while the newspaper described them as Cell Executive Committees. I learned that each village must elect at least one woman on this 5-person committee, which then accounts for 30 % representation of women in Rwanda as required by law. Damansen described one village in his sector having ten people campaigning for the five committee spots. Each candidate gives a 10-minute speech to the village, and then villagers stand behind the person they want to pick. We joked about how this system eliminates any problems with hanging Chads. Their term is five years, and only one term is allowed per person. Francis said often professors, teachers, and pastors are chosen because of their experience with organizing the community. They are referred to as wise people because they must be clever to be chosen for the position.

At one point, we were slowly following a cow repeatedly crossing in front of us. Cows are considered very important here, it would be really bad to hit one!

We first stopped to see rice fields near the Kikongo village. In 2008 the Mosaic Foundation provided funding for villagers to form cooperatives and buy 14 fields to be shared and cultivated for food and income. Each field costs about $300 and the cost of maintaining it for one year is another $300-400. There was a small stream running through the fields. I learned later that many people from the village come here for their main source of water, which is not good because it is pretty dirty!

We walked around the fields and talked about how many people it takes to cultivate a field with few tools, how they carry the rice plants on their heads when it is ready (without bikes or wheelbarrels), and how they water the fields with buckets (no irrigation system or pumps).

The field had healthy rice plants growing, but also many weeds (since there is no fertilizer or process to rid these besides people pulling them). The ground was extremely dry. I thought many rice fields are submerged in water, but I guess it is not required with all varieties.

We drove on dusty roads through villages, and Francis often described the road as their "highway".

Francis pointed out that he has targeted these villages primarily because people are very spread out on rough and dry terrain. He feels this is a particularly remote area where not many development groups come to visit.

We stopped in the Kigoma village at a building created by Mosaic Foundation for their literacy and other community programs. People were gathered and singing for our arrival. They were extremely joyful in their singing.

We talked with them for about two hours. We each gave a short speech about why we were there, and shared some positive messages. They told us about their hardships with lack of clean water; difficulty getting to the health clinic; lack of money to buy health insurance; the need for more land for planting soy beans; and more safe, clean houses for the poorest in their village. Much of what they said was similar to my other visits on previous weekends, however a few new things included a number of returned prisoners (who committed genocide crimes 14 years ago, and have now re-joined this area) complaining of stigma and lack of opportunities; a few school children had finished secondary school but do not have the money to take their exams and there is no hope for opportunities after the exam; a surprisingly large group of children indicated they are stigmatized because they have "mental illness" because they fall on the ground alot and can't remember what happened (I think there is a greater prevalance of epilepsy in Africa than Western parts); and a number of children brave enough to say that life is hard because they don't know their fathers and their mothers have more than 5 children (showing a lack of family planning education happening; as well as possible prostitution for income).

One of the most touching moments for me was when Francis told the group I was getting married and they each went around and said a variety of enthusiastic blessings for my wedding including: good health, a home full of peace, and life with much wealth. I was astounded at how willing they were to wish my life well, while clearly their lives are so hard.

The group was happy to take pictures with us. And we took time to show them the digital images after each photo.

Many people followed us to our car and wished us safe journeys and said "Komera!" which means courage.

Francis wanted a photo with this family because he pays for these children's school fees out of his own pocket, after seeing them in very bad living conditions not long ago.

We also stopped by a beehive project that Francis has been involved in creating.

Lastly, we traveled to the Kagusa village and stopped to visit this group. They were singing and drumming when we arrived.

Unfortunately we only were able to give short speeches and greet the group because the sun was setting and we needed to be on our way back to Kigali.

They were all so happy to see Francis, it was clear they feel he has really helped them.

I plan to to ask my colleagues and our grantees some questions related to my journey from the weekend, including: what are we doing about basic life and health needs such as housing and clean water; how are we trying to impact the local government about the prohibitive cost of health insurance and providing opportunities for villagers after secondary school; who is working with villages on the re-entry of prisoners to remote places; and what kind of health messages are we conveying at the village-level about family planning and addressing stigma surrounding health conditions such as epilepsy. I believe the US programs are trying to impact many of these issues but I learned first-hand that often the challenge is getting the resources and policy changes to reach the village level. I really appreciate that people like Francis are trying to provide a safety net for those families that don't have or can't access the national programs, and to help identify their unique needs that have not yet been addressed at the national level.

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I also wanted to post this smiling picture of my favorite 6 and a half year old in Kigali, Malcomb. I went to lunch on Sunday with he and his dad, who I have not seen in a while. Malcomb is one of the most energetic and happy kids I've ever met (and he is an incredibly talented dancer already!) His mom is in the States having a little brother or sister for Malcomb soon. I hope I get to meet their new family member too.

Bags, Bagels, and More

2009-10-02T14:49:00.001-07:00

On Fridays our offices officially close at 1pm because all other weekdays we work 9.5 hour days. Sadly it is not often possble to take the afternoon off for many of us, since there is plenty of work to continue the full day on Fridays. However, as my time nears to a close in Rwanda and the office is staffed with my replacement, things have slowed enough for me to take my Friday afternoon off.

I called my trusted cab driver and friend Banner, and explained my errands for the afternoon. I had him take me home to drop off my usual US Embassy Friday commissary goodies (Diet Dr. Pepper, pickles, applesauce, etc) and pick up my gorilla hiking sticks. He laughed when I brought them back to the car, wondering if I was going hiking somewhere. I explained that I wanted to have a carrying bag made for them so that I can bring them home on the airplane. He thought this was pretty funny. I asked him to take me to Ineza, which is a Cooperative of women living with HIV/AIDS who sew and sell bags and other fabric goods. I've been there many times and have become friends with the supervisor, Maria. I always stumble through my choppy french when needing to explain complicated things like ordering a hiking stick bag. There were about 30 women working hard this afternoon. There was also a young American woman walking around looking frantic. Maria began to measure my hiking sticks and brought three others over to chatter in Kinyarwanda considering and discussing how a bag would be made for these sticks. The frantic American woman came over to explain that she was trying to get the women to complete a bag order for a large conference in California. She said the bags have to be shipped by Monday to get there in time, since there was a major delay in the project when the fabric company initially sold the women fabric with a drug company logo on it; which would not go over well at the conference. She seemed very stressed about this situation. I've always thought it would be really neat to order these colorful fabric bags for a conference, but I am not surprised there would be unique challenges to get the order completed. Maria happily arranged for my bag to be made and I agreed to come back in a week. I couldn't help but buy three other cool fabric items before leaving. I wished the conference planner luck and was off to my next errand.

I had heard a while back that a "bagel guy" exists in Kigali who will make custom-ordered bagels every Friday. This week I figured I would place an order. My colleague drew a complicated map to get to the "bagel house" and explained that I needed to send the order by text on Thursday and then pick them up between 2 and 4pm. When we left the bag place, I pulled out the map and rather than try to interpret another hand-drawn, no-street-name Kigali map...I turned to Banner and asked him if he knew the Bagel Guy. Not surprisingly- he did! He promptly drove me down a cobblestone road to the bagel house. The sign on the gate said "Speak- I Listen". I opened the gate and the house was pretty empty with sparse furniture. I walked to the back yard and saw a small separate building, which I figured was the kitchen with ovens. When I came to the building there was a guy with mounds of flour on tables. He smiled when I greeted him. I pointed to the mounds of flour and said- let me guess, those are my bagels? He laughed and said that everyone picks up their orders between 4 and 5pm, so my bagels were not made yet. Oops! I agreed to come back at 4pm and left again with Banner.

We then drove to Kablaki, a Cooperative of local craft sellers together in an alley with about 30 kiosks. It's always a busy place with at least 5 shopping tourists, and all the sellers vying for you to visit their kiosk and buy something. I had been there recently and found the perfect wedding favors...I had been negotiating buying them in bulk with one of the sellers named Claudine. I found her again and continued negotiations, trying to get the size and color for the price I wanted. She finally agreed! I noticed a man was standing near the kiosk watching us, and when I asked about him she said he waits to take 10% from each sale for the Cooperative. She asked if I would meet her at the gas station down the road to pay the deposit and avoid the 10% overhead for this bulk order that she would make directly from the distributer. I nodded and quickly purchased a small key chain so I could turn and smile at Mr. 10%. Banner then drove me to the gas station as I explained that I needed to pay a deposit off-site. He was skeptical that I should pay so much money without any product yet (an unusual thing to do here, although an order of this size is also unusual.) He pulled out a notepad and a pen and suggested I write a receipt for my plan. Good thinking Banner! So, I wrote out two notes explaining our agreement and specified the due date while we waited for Claudine to arrive. I then paid the deposit and she signed the agreements, while laughing at my jokes about us being secret gas station business women.

Unfortunately when we returned to the bagel place at 4pm the bagels were not ready. I sat down and introduced myself to a woman in the main room of the house named Beatrice. She looked tired and I asked if she had a long day. She said she had counseled over 100 women today! I learned that the bagel house is actually a local non-profit organization which counsels women and families grieving over the genocide or other losses in their families (and sells bagels on the side). I began chattering with her about social work and counseling. She is a wonderfully knowledgeable nurse who counsels hundreds of people in Kigali and in other provinces. We compared notes from our experiences conducting grief and PTSD therapy groups. When I described some of the tools and activities I've learned and used in the past, she mentioned how few books she can get her hands on for these techniques. I learned my bagels were ready, so we exchanged numbers and I told her I would introduce her to my colleague Kathie who I could try to send some books once I got home. It was so nice to meet and spend time talking with Beatrice.

When I got back to the outside kitchen, the bagel maker pulled the large wooden spatula out of the wood burning stove with just my six steamy bagels (3 cinnamon raisin, 3 everything) on it (why did I forget my camera today!?) He then asked where I would like to put them. I hadn't thought about bringing an appropriate bag! I quickly emptied everything from my handbag into my pockets and had him place the hot, fresh bagels in my purse.

As we drove back to my apartment Banner mentioned that he has driven a number of people to the bagel place before but had never seen a bagel. I told him he was in-luck today and quickly opened my steamy purse. I plucked out an everything bagel and handed it to him. He said- oh, it's round bread! He asked me what bagel means, and I told him I wasn't sure of the origin but to me it means round shaped bread with a hole in it. I told him it was an everything bagel and he asked "everything of what?" That's a tough one to answer, so I said everything they put in all the other bagels. He took a few bites and said it was surprisingly soft bread. He asked me how long the bagels would last and how would I prepare them after a few days; would I put them back in the oven? I told him I would toast them, and then had to describe a toaster. He laughed at my silly American ways!

An article in the Washington Post by the President of Rwanda

2009-09-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

Why the U.S. Needs Africa
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/20/AR2009092001296.html)
By Paul KagameMonday, September 21, 2009

Africa and the United States may be on the verge of a new partnership, not one of dependency and aid but one of shared ideas, vision and investments that increase our mutual prosperities. To begin this improved relationship, both must accept urgent and substantial changes in the nature of our bond.

Africa needs to acknowledge a key tenet of President Obama's July address to Ghana's parliament: that a vibrant private sector is critical for capable, reliable and transparent societies. Without a dynamic private sector, no society can prosper. The African continent has been slow to foster conditions that build active private enterprise.

Africa must adopt policies that strengthen governance and promote economic growth to create conditions for a strong and innovative private sector. These are the most durable strategies for advancing socioeconomic transformation.

Like all nations, my country is not perfect, but Rwanda continues to build strong foundations for stability and improve standards of living for all of our people. This has led to greater social integration and gender equity. Rwanda has leveraged the contribution of women for its productivity and prosperity; ours is the only country in the world with women as a majority in parliament.

Rwanda has moved from instability to reconciliation and sustainable development largely through our Vision 2020 strategy. The primary principles of this strategy include macroeconomic stability; wealth creation to reduce dependence; and a shift from an agriculture-based economy toward a knowledge-based economy, with a vibrant service sector. We have enacted and consistently enforce a rule of law that counters corruption and supports our ambitious reform agenda. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton acknowledged our progress, and the importance of "policies based on evidence and measurable results," during an Aug. 5 speech in Kenya. Rwanda's ranking as the top global reformer in the World Bank Doing Business 2010 report illustrates what can be achieved with vision and engagement.

The recommendations in President Obama's July 11 address are as pertinent for the United States as they were for Africa. Africa's prosperity, he said, "can expand America's prosperity. [Its] health and security can contribute to the world's." The link between the U.S. economy and African markets is critical, especially given global economic conditions and the potential Africa represents as a profitable new market.

It is no longer enough for the United States to work for Africa based on pity; the United States must work with Africa to build both our economies and improve the lives of all of our people. The United States has long supported assistance to Africa. The United States must recognize that Africa is now in a position to be of assistance to the United States. It is time to acknowledge our mutual reliance with clear actions. Yes -- Africa must improve its governance institutions and embrace private-sector development. We appreciate the African Growth Opportunity Act and acknowledge that Africa has not fulfilled its potential; African countries should take responsibility for shortfalls in their efforts and take greater advantage of opportunities under this act.
Meanwhile, the United States should increase financing to U.S. companies wishing to do business in Africa through key financial institutions such as Export-Import Bank of the United States and the Overseas Private Investment Corp. The United States has committed less to African markets than the emerging economies of Asia have; China guarantees nearly 30 times more in loans for investment in Africa than the United States does. Africa's needs are so great that there is ample room for both U.S. and Chinese investment. Increased U.S. investment in Africa would translate into more opportunities for U.S. companies, with high potential for profit flowing back to the U.S. economy.

The United States should also support regional initiatives in Africa. Africa's economic development does not stop at national boundaries. Our markets need to be connected by better roads, by canals and ports, and through new technologies. Yet few U.S. companies are competing for large-scale and regional projects.

The development of regional trading pacts similar to the North American Free Trade Agreement is among Africa's highest priorities. Regional development would better allow U.S. products and companies to reach beyond individual countries to greater markets without the burden of tariffs and legislative burdens.

As I meet with President Obama and other world leaders this month at the U.N. General Assembly in New York and the Corporate Council on Africa's U.S.-Africa Business Summit in Washington, I will remind them that development assistance to Africa is important but that the best type of aid leads to investment in national infrastructure and private-sector reinforcement. Without a vibrant private sector, there can be no economic growth or development. If the U.S. private sector played a greater role in Africa, mutual development would follow. To achieve this, the Obama administration must facilitate U.S. investment in Africa, and African leaders must attract greater U.S. investment by consolidating our institutions for effective governance.

The writer is president of the Republic of Rwanda.

Paintings for Paul

2009-09-21T03:07:00.001-07:00

Richard is an artist at the Ivuka Art Studio in Kacuyiro, Kigali. He and I have become good friends while working together on a project he is proposing to paint murals in health centers and schools. I hope to see the project move forward before I leave, but I only have one month left in Kigali and am not sure I will see completion of the project. Richard is a very hardworking and big-hearted young artist. I wanted a chance to help support him directly so I commissioned a series of paintings for Paul (and I).

Richard has a unique style where he crumbles charcoal and adds it to his paintings for a 3-D effect. He uses bright colors too. I asked him to do a series of three paintings for Paul and I, depicting love and family. He created three very beautiful paintings for us.

I am happy these paintings will always remind us of Rwanda and Richard. Let's hope I am able to pack them securely in my suitcase!

Mourning Titus, the Gorilla King

2009-09-17T03:17:00.000-07:00

Last night I attended a presentation given by Katie Fawcett Director of the Karisoke Research Center, funded by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. http://www.gorillafund.org/

Katie gave a really interesting and engaging overview of Dian's early work identifying and learning from these gorillas, and the organization's 40 years of tracking and researching the gorillas. I have a new understanding of the hard work the Rwandan park rangers and gorilla guides put into protecting the Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda.

I learned the sad news that the most famous silverback in Africa known as Titus - has died in Rwanda at the age of 35. He was considered a handsome gorilla and was easliy recognized by the brown marking on his brow. His group of gorillas is currently moourning him and staying near his body on the mountain; cleaning it. They are discussing when to hold a burial and plan to bury him on the mountain near Dian Fossey and other beloved gorillas.

After the presentation we watched a BBC documentary of Titus, "the Gorilla King". He was described as "possibly the most remarkable gorilla ever known", referring to his long life and his rise to dominance in his group. He was one of only about 700 mountain gorillas left in Africa. Mountain gorillas are found only on the slopes of the Virungas on the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, none are currently held in zoos. The plight of the mountain gorilla was brought to the attention of the world by Fossey, who lived in the Virunga until her murder in 1985. Titus was born on August 24 1974 and has been observed closely by researchers throughout his entire life, and he died of old age on September 14. The life expectancy of a healthy gorilla is about 40. Looking at the film and written documentation, Titus' story is very heartwarming with him rising to become the dominant male in his group despite losing family members to poachers in the 80s and being born underdeveloped.

Katie indicated that much of the success of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, and the rise in population size of this critically endangered animal is reliant on individual donors and people who become "members" on their website. http://www.gorillafund.org/

Inspirational Visit to a Village

2009-09-15T11:56:00.000-07:00

An Introduction to Mosaic Foundation...

A few weeks ago while waiting on a friend's arrival at Kigali Airport I struck up a conversation with Francis who was there visiting a friend. We started talking about Rwanda and our work. I learned Francis started a non-profit called Mosaic Foundation nine years ago with funding from two international religious organizations. Mosaic's mission is to fill the gaps in the lives of Rwandans in poor and remote villages. Francis focuses much of his efforts on what he calls "home affairs" in four discricts (out of 30) where he implements literacy and life skills training for women and children in remote villages. He also conducts activities on cultural understanding, recreation, and reconciliation. His organization's annual budget is about $60,0000 with 20% generated from renting part of the building their offices occupy. Francis helped create "clusters" of local non-profits in each of the four districts where he works. When he finds village needs out of his reach (houses, water, livestock, etc.) he partners with the other cluster members to get what is needed if possible.

As I've gotten to know Francis, I've learned a lot about his passion and inspiring work. He was born in Rwanda but was orphaned at a very young age. His early memories include a very difficult life in Burundi as a refugee and sleeping on the dirt ground in a kitchen for a number of years. He attended boarding school for high school and saved money by selling individual cookies out of larger pack to the rich school children. In his years after school he served as a soldier in the RPF in Rwanda, and also attended seminary for some time. He recalls hard moments as a child where he sought spiritual answers to his questions of why he had no parents, and how he could find educational opportunities. He says he made promises to himself and to God that he would help others if he were given the opportunity to learn and have resources. He never attended University, but later worked for the government for a few years at the Rwandan Embassy in Kenya. At that time he felt he was not doing enough to help others and live up to his promises so he left to start his own organization. His friends and colleagues thought he was crazy to give up stable resources and income, but he looks back with no regret over being able to create his own mission and help others. In every conversation with Francis, his passion and love of his work shines through. His lack of university education but keen business mind is admirable. He created a Board of Directors and invited individuals to become members of his organization. He employs four administrators in Kigali and five community leads in every district where he works. Francis' impact on the villages and his unique relationship to so many children and families in Rwanda is incredibly important and impactful.

I showed Francis the public library at the US Embassy and talked with him at length about the things I've studied and learned about nonprofit management. I shared ideas with him about creating a website and communication materials, organizing his fundraising, and focusing his mission on measureable outcomes. He is thrilled to hear these ideas and thanks me profusely; of course this is a simple thing for me to do. I've given him some of the management and social work books I brought to Rwanda and he is always eager to learn more. In return, he invited me to visit his projects in Rwanda. I am humbled by this invitation, and happy to see all that I can.

In my job managing US Government programs in Rwanda, we work with the local government to build national health care capacity and with international partners to implement large scale HIV/AIDS programs. Meeting Francis and seeing his work, fills an important gap in my experience here allowing me to see aspects of poverty and needs in Rwanda that are not HIV/AIDS-related. Also, it helps legitimatize my experience through talking with people in the village and seeing first-hand their struggles. I am proud to know and join Francis at the indvidual level and the village level. There is something to be said for seeing one problem and doing what you can to solve the problem immediately. We need individual-level support in the world as much as we need large efforts of developed countries helping poor countries to fight infectious diseases and improve health systems. Both levels create a healthier world; and I want to be a part of both levels.

Our first Saturday trip: Eastern Province, Kayonza District, Mweri Sector, Kigarama village.

We drove about two and half hours outside of Kigali reaching dirt roads on the winding hillside. I travelled with Francis, Concorde (who drove us) and FiFi his secretary (below.)

Francis chattered about the statistics of this sector- 22,000 people; 39% illiterate; 95% rely on agriculture for income.

We walked to a remote village on paths like this.

In the village we joined a community meeting led by one of Francis' program leads. This group gathers for Francis' 9 month literacy education programs and anytime Francis comes to the village so he can check-in with the community. An elder in the community came forward with a traditional musical instrument (umuduri) and played a song for us and then wrote his name on the chalk board. I was introduced to the group as a friend of Francis' and unexpectedly asked to give a speech about my work, and my reason for visiting. The group shared about their concerns and problems to Francis and I. Many remarked how hard life is and how tired they are from carrying heavy things and walking far to get water and health care. Others mentioned alcoholism and gender inequality as great hardships. One person felt the water is not clean and contributes to eye, teeth, and kidney problems in the village. When asked about health issues, people mentioned malaria, skin disease, TB, teeth, and eye problems. When given the chance to ask me questions, the group asked how they could get medicine since the health clinic is often to far too reach, and what do we do about domestic violence in the US. I fielded questions the best I could for about 30 minutes. One young girl asked if I was married- that was an easy question! I felt exhausted after this meeting. The number of problems is overwhelming and feeling helpless for answers is difficult to endure. I took some solace in being able to offer them understanding and letting them know I cared for them; but of course it feels not enough.

After the community meeting, I was introduced to a local female soccer team. They were very proud and excited about this group, as it is unique to have girls involved in a sport. I asked who the team was playing against and they mentioned they had not had a soccer ball for about 6 months now.

Francis showed me that homes are often made of mud bricks but a better sturdier way is to use cement bricks.

One of the organizations in the cluster has been conducting a project to teach this village how to make cement bricks.
Francis is most passionate when he sees a family or children living in substandard one-room homes (which is fairly common in Rwanda). He says it brings up his own painful childhood living in these conditions. On this day I visited many one-room homes. It was hard to see. The houses were bare and had only straw mats for sometimes 5 or 6 family members to use for sleeping. In more than one we learned the family members were sick with allergies and asthma, sometimes sleeping inside with animals as well. Here is one family in front of their original one-room house with a skimpy thatched roof.
Francis and his cluster helped build this much larger five room home, and now this family uses the smaller structure as a goat house.

They also have a pig in the backyard indicating their income and resources have improved.

In another area of the village Francis has planted trees for firewood as an agriculture and income-generating project.

Francis is particularly proud of an area where he planted 1,000 mango trees in the yards of local families. He gave many of the trees directly to the woman in the household so it is seen as hers, and if the husband leaves he cannot take the tree with him. These trees will provide food and an opportunity to sell the fruit. Francis would like to expand this project in this and other villages if possible.

There was a well in-between two of the villages we visited. Many people feel the iron in the water causes stains and bad teeth.

Next we visited a neighborhood of 39 homes built by a partner in Francis' cluster. Francis helped identify the area and choose the families to receive homes.

Francis introduced me to the families living in these homes. I spoke at length with two single mothers and their children. They told me a little about their lives and asked me a lot of questions about mine.

This is Odette who has six kids. She married a soldier who died. She told me her life is very hard and she wants to make a better life for her children. She is happy to have a home in this group of new houses, but wishes she had means for income such as livestock or a sewing machine. I asked her what she would change if she were mayor (which made her giggle) and she said she would better the lives of the children in the village. Often they are turned away from school because of poor clothing, no shoes, or illness.

This is Sovia who has 4 children and was married when she was 9 years old in Uganda to a man with multiple wives. She left him and fled to live with her mother in Rwanda who has since passed away. She echoed her friends words of wanting to help her children. She had many scars on her neck and chest but didn't mention what has happened. She said she wishes for eye glasses for her children, and medecine for skin and eye allergies.

The children gathered around and sang many songs for me.

At the end of the day we returned to Kigali. I wished I could solve every problem that I saw throughout the day. After having worked in HIV/AIDS programs for nearly a year, I was overwhelmed with the number of basic care issues faced in the villages including other health (skin, teeth, eyes), food and nutrition, housing, and clean water. I found myself asking people all week about the impact our programs have on these issues. A lot of people agreed it is difficult because the HIV/AIDS money is directed by the US Congress to fund specific activities, so we can't make a larger impact on these general needs in Rwanda. This gap is more often filled by aid from other coutries or international NGO and faith-based support.

Our second Saturday trip: North Province, Gicumbi District, Byumba Sector

The next Saturday I travelled again two and a half hours outside Kigali to visit other programs with Francis and Concord. This time we visited a District office and met the Social Affairs Director for the district. He spoke very highly of Francis and indicated how much he has helped the District. As we drove around, it was clear this area was a wealthier area than our last trip. Francis thought this might be because the ground is a little more conducive to growing, and the elevation keeps bugs and mosquitoes away. We stopped at a private hospital funded by someone who came to visit this sector in 2007. The visitor recognized that a small health clinic funded by the District was not sufficient for this sector so they donated funds for this new clinic through Francis and the other cluster partners.

I toured the surgery room (below) and the maternity ward.

I met a nurse who said there are no doctors to staff the facility yet. He showed us a stark cabinet in the pharmacy. He indicated he would like to go to school and become a doctor, but has not had the opportunity.

Next we visited a community center/town hall in one village. Francis explained that he uses this location to reach out to over 300 Twa community members (Pygmy people, first inhabitants of Rwanda now 1% of the population; it is believed that 30% of their population died in the genocide). The Mosaic Foundation community employee in this area has been teaching a literacy program for this group over the past nine months.

Some of the group came to greet me and sang songs for me. Similar to the previous weekend, they all shared about their community concerns and had a chance to ask questions. Many of them thanked Francis for helping them to learn to read and write. At least two people told of letters they could now read and write. Many of them said it is challenging because they can read but they don't have access to books or paper/notebooks to write. Some of them mentioned domestic violence and prostitution as the biggest problems in their community. They asked me questions about what widows do about raising children alone in the US, and how do we discipline our children. They indicated they wanted tools for income generating such as carpentry, brick-making, and sewing tools; and things to read such as books about skills.

After speaking with the group our departure was delayed a bit by a flat tire. Many children gathered around to watch the changing of the tire.
These visits with Francis have had a big impact on me. I understand the problems and village life a little clearer and am thankful this will enhance my ability to impact program development and management at the macro/government level. On a personal level, it is a struggle to see and listen to so many problems and not have immediate answers or ways to help. Francis' motivation to tackle every problem heard is appealing and I hope to help him as much as possible. We crunched some numbers together to consider some of the costs are associated with the needs we heard.

1. $5,000 to build one house

2. $3,000 to grow 1,000 mango trees

3. $50 to buy one soccer ball in Rwanda

4. $3 per year to buy health insurance for one family member

5. $15,000 to buy carpentry, sewing machines, and brick making supplies for one year

Francis' philosophy is to look around to see who is being left behind, identify and provide what they need to get caught up with the rest of us. Many of us do this; some of us look to help family, or neighbors, or immediate community. Others help their country or global efforts. Rwanda has a special place in my heart; I want to see people have basic needs met and an opportunity to prosper. I would like to raise money for Francis and do whatever I can to help him help these villages.

Tips on How to Read Local Driving Signals

2009-09-11T00:31:00.001-07:00

When I first traveled to Rwanda in 2007 a friend and I spent nearly 3 hours on a road trip trying to decipher why other cars were flashing lights, honking, and using turn signals seemingly at random when they passed us. We decided if we needed to indicate anything to another driver we should just do all of these at once when another car passes. We weren't far off according to these tips. :) I like that there are 2-3 possibilities of what each of these means! My favorite items below are that turn signals are used to let the other driver know whether they should or shouldn't pass on the windy narrow roads in Rwanda. It is really hard to guess the should or shouldn't part! Also I like when the use of small piles of green branches on the ground indicates danger ahead.

TIPS
1. Flashing your lights at a passing car can be a
signal for:
A. A greeting to the approaching driver.
B. Telling your fellow driver the traffic police are waiting ahead.
C. Telling your fellow driver to move over.

2. Indicators (signals) can be used to:
A. Show what direction you are going.
B. Let a fellow driver know if they should or shouldn't attempt to pass you, often used when going around curves.

3. Flashing headlights can be used to signal danger/ a problem. Examples include letting drivers know that you are transporting a seriously injured person to a hospital, or that you are trying to cross lanes in a car that is breaking down, etc.

4. Hand signals:

A. Can be used in addition or in place of signals to show what direction the person is going.

B. Hand out and finger pointed down: You are approach-ing traffic police.

C. Hand out and finger pointed upwards: There are traf-fic police in the area but not extremely close.

5. Green branches and/or leaves are placed in the road as warning. Often urging people to slow down be-cause there is a break down or accident up ahead.

6. Honking can be used as:

A. greeting.

B. Requesting attention so that the driver can signal something.

C. A warning to slow down.

A very special weekend in Cairo

2009-09-09T15:01:00.000-07:00

Paul and I met for vacation Labor Day weekend in Cairo. He traveled from DC to NY, and then took a long flight direct to Cairo where he arrived about 7 hours before I did. He checked into the Marriott Hotel in Zamelek and met me at the airport with these flowers.

From Rwanda, I flew to Nairobi with a long 4 hour layover and then to Cairo. I didn't realize my itinerary included a fuel stop in Khartoum until we landed there. I was too embarrassed to ask anyone next to me- where the heck is Khartoum? Once we got to the gate, I saw a row of Sudan-Air planes and realized it must be the capital of Sudan. It was 11 pm when I arrived in the Cairo airport.

Everything about Egypt seemed so different; the Arabic words and numbers were undecipherable; lining up in an orderly way for things like Visa's and customs seemed optional (later I realized this is true of the traffic pattern too); and fully covered Muslim women everywhere was interesting. Many men were wearing long white robes and turbans or belts and flip flops. I noticed the heat right away; it is much hotter than Rwanda. I expected the terrain to be desert-like but actually Cairo is quite lush with many palm trees beside the Nile River. Here is a view of the Nile from our tower at the Marriott.
We stayed at the Marriott because we thought a large touristy hotel would be sure food is available during the day during this Ramadan month. The hotel was lovely with more than 6 restaurants, a large courtyard, beautiful pool /sauna open 24 hours, and nice staff. Paul is standing next to one of the colorful Egyptian lanterns lighting the gardens at the hotel.

We had dinner at the Egyptian Nights restaurant in the courtyard. It was late but still very busy, including live music. During Ramadan most people sleep late and once the sun sets enjoy lots of feasting and celebrating late into the night. The hotel had Christmas-like lights up for Ramadan including the words "Ramadan Kariim" strung accross the tall towers, which means having a generous month.
We were excited to try the traditional foods in Egypt like kofta (type of meatball), hummos, babaganoush, pita puffs, lamb, and koshary (pasta, rice, lentil, chick peas, onions and garlic and chili sauce in one dish). Nearly every restaurant we saw was filled with people puffing on two-foot-tall water pipes called sheesha with fruit scented tobacco. It made the breezes smell sweet, but sometimes made the air smoky! The next morning we took a taxi to the Egyptian museum which houses the most extensive collection of Egyptian antiquities in the world with over 120,000 items. As we entered the museum courtyard we were asked if we wanted a guide. We decided to skip the extra fee (since we had to pay for the museum, also to store our cameras which were not allowed inside, and s again to go into the mummy room!) Of course, it turned out to be very hard to read all of the mostly Arabic signs by the artifacts, so we slyly tried to join other various tour groups and catch parts of the stories. The Royal Mummy Room has about 10 mummies displayed (one of which is a newly found queen). We learned the collection used to have over 20 mummies but a President in Egypt at one point ordered it closed due to the controversy of displaying mummmified remains. We learned alot about pharoahs, pyramids, jewelry, and statues.

After the museum we took another taxi to the Khan el-Khalili bazaar district which is a huge open market with windy alleys filled with shops. We were lured into many shops to check out the Egyptian goodies...carpets, lanters, stuffed camels, sheesha pipes, etc. Here is Paul in one of the many stores. I gave-in and bought a colorful scarab necklace which supposedly brings good luck.

We liked these foot stool/chairs but weren't sure what they are called; we decided to call them poofs because the salesman liked to spin them in the air to fluff them up before they land on the ground.
Of course we bought a couple to bring home!

We tried to visit the famous Fashawi cafe near the market but it was closed for Ramadan. Instead, we sat at this small cafe and had a soda while many people tried to sell us jewelry and other souvenirs.

We also tried to find the spice market; there was a strong spice smell on the outskirts of the main market streets. Instead, we found ourselves on the narrow streets of a part of the bazaar selling secondhand household goods, foods, and clothing. It was interesting to walk around seeing signs in strange Arabic script, hearing the noises, smells and colors.

After the market we went back to the neighborhood of Zamelek where our hotel was located, and explored the area. This is one of Cairo's middle upper and upper class neighborhoods, as well as a garden district with quiet streets, small stores and nice restaurants on the Island of Gazira on the Nile. We realized when we heard prayer music at sunset and saw many communal tables, that everyone who is outside at this time is invited to eat on the street for free in a communal setting at 6:20pm every day during Ramadan in Cairo. It seemed like a nice and generous community bonding activity.

Walking around Cairo, it is hard to wrap your head around how Egypt has the longest recorded history in the world, with ancient Pyramids at Giza constructed over a 20 year period through 2560 BC, and the Citadel mosque built in 1176 A.D.

On our second evening, we went to the Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids of Giza. This was our first glimpse of the Pyramids and we thought they were both immediately majestic and yet far away on the horizon like a movie set. The show included storytelling and lazer lights. It was a little cheesy when the Sphinx tells the story of Egypt’s history, but seeing the amazing illuminated Sphinx and Pyramids was worth it!

After the show, we had dinner on one of the many boats parked on the Nile near our hotel. We enjoyed yummy Lebanese food at Dar El Amar on the Blue Nile boat.

The next day we did a three part tour of pyramids starting in Memphis, then to Saqqara to see the Step Pyramid, and last to Giza Plateau to see the Great Pyramids. Memphis is a city, once a capitol of Egypt, founded around 3,100 BC where a King united Upper and Lower Egypt. Today, it is pretty much ruins but we got our picture taken in front of the famous Alabaster Sphinx and checked out the gigantic Colossus of Ramses.

Next we visited the Great Step Pyramid Complex at Saqqara. Here we learned the Step Pyramid was a major milestone in the evolution of stone architecture, both in Egypt and in the world as a whole. The different pyramid versions that can be seen at this site eventually led to the smooth faced pyramids later.

It is really an amazing structure!

As typical tourists, our tour company (we really liked NOGA tours for all of our day trips) took us to a number of side destinations including a "rug school" on the dusty roads near the pyramids. We toured a complex where young children were making rugs (not sure about child labor laws? They said this was part of the school for the kids!) Paul and I each sat and learned how to tie knots to make an Egyptian rug. Then they took us upstairs to the "shop", sweetened us up with juice and sodas and tried to make the hard sell for very expensive rugs. I politely asked if there was a bargain bin or anything under $5, and of course there wasn't. We smiled and made a dash for the door when they weren't looking, making it out without buying anything!

The size of the Pyramids is truly hard to comprehend until seeing them. They have been around for over 46 centuries. The Great pyramid is a monument to Cheops and consists of two million limestone blocks ranging in weight from 2.5 tons to 15 tons. It was built by 100,000 men and covers an area of 13 acres. It's height is nearly 500 feet, and until the construction of the Eiffel Tower, it was the tallest structure in the world.

Near the pyramids it is easy to get trapped by peddlers of post cards and other junky souvenirs. They are amazingly persistent sales people, and it does get a little tiring continuously being polite but firm in saying no. We had read about this, so we were prepared for it.

There is a small part of the pyramid that tourists can climb near an entrance. We decided not to pay extra to go inside the pyramid after reading and hearing from others that the inside is empty and claustrophobic.

Camels crossed the road in front of our tour bus.

We made our way to the panoramic hillside where many visitors posed like they were touching the Pyramids.

We joined in the fun with our own poses.

The second slightly smaller Pyramid for Kahfre, who was commonly considered the builder of the Great Sphinx. Casing stones cover the top third of the pyramid, but are missing on the bottom. We liked this Pyramid the best.

We decided we should ride camels! We climbed on while they were sitting and then they leaned forward toward the ground as they stand up, snorting quite a bit while we held on tight.

After this photo two guides tried to separate us and get us each to pay more money. I was feeling trapped on top of the camel, straining to look back toward Paul demanding that they let me down! It worked out okay and I ran to Paul's rescue as he almost agreed to hand over more money, ha ha.

After the camels, we went to the front of the Pyramids (where the sound and light show was) and visited the Sphinx which measures 21 meters high and about 73 meters long.

We stopped at the little cafe at the base of the pyramids and ordered drinks. Paul seemed very thirsty and slurped down a Fanta in one gulp!

Then he was getting my attention away from the Pyramids...

and was down on one knee, asking me to marry him.

I am so lucky!

Paul was much more relaxed after that.

It was such a beautiful setting to enjoy this moment together.

The ring is so beautiful which he picked out all by himself.

On another side destination after the Pyramids, the tour guide took us to a perfumery in Cairo. This is a very popular thing in Cairo; they claim to be the original blenders of perfume which is then the base of designer brand scents around the world. They brought us many different scents and we each bought a bottle of our favorite. (What can I say? We're suckers for souvenirs.)

We visited Alexandria City for a day, which is located north of Cairo on the Mediterranean Sea about 3 hours drive. It is the second largest city in Egypt, known as "The Pearl of the Mediterranean", andwas founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC. We visited a public beach and rented chairs for a small fee.

The women are always covered up, so I wasn't sad we didn't have bathing suits with us since I don't think it would be culturally appropriate to swim without a shirt and pants on!

Instead, we dipped our toes in the Mediterranean Sea.

There is an amazing modern library in Alexandria which had stacks and stacks of books as well as a private printing press, and three museums inside.

Paul and I picked out some books to look at.

The area of Islamic Cairo has a lot of old mosques, domes, towers, and palaces from the last five centuries. On our last day we toured the Saladin Citadel, one of the most popular places to visit in Cairo. Around 1176 AD Saladin decided to build a wall around Cairo.The Citadel is sometimes referred to as Mohamed Ali Citadel because it contains the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, which was built between 1828 and 1848on the summit of the citadel.

The Mosque is very beautiful inside but I had to wear a robe because I was wearing a dress.

After seeing the Citadel and Coptic Cairo, we visited a Papyrus store where they showed us how the green skin of the papyrus plant is peeled off and the white inside is cut into thin strips. These strips are pounded and soaked in water, which toughens the fibers. The soaked strips are woven in and out (like a basket) and when placed between two layers of felt in a press, voila, becomes paper!

We had a romantic dinner on the Nile Maxim boat cruise. We loved the boat ride and lights on the Nile, the yummy salad bar and desserts, as well as the entertainment. We danced to a spanish/salsa band performers.

And we enjoyed watching the belly dancer...

who brought Paul a cake for his birthday.

I especially loved the traditional Whirling Dervish! The dance has been performed for over 700 years and I learned the twirling of the fabric symbolizes awareness and originates from a mystical Egyptian story.

Anice's Visit to Rwanda

2009-08-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

With her wedding just six weeks away, Anice made the journey to Rwanda to visit me. I was so happy to have another visitor to show off the amazing sites here. I promptly took her to many of my favorite restaurants, including Papyrus.

The day after she arrived we drove 2.5 hours outside Kigali to Ruhengeri to visit the volcanoes and go hiking. Anice was surprised to find this part of Rwanda is pretty cold at night.

I wasted no time getting us started on rounds of playing Bananagrams while waiting long hours for food at restaurants in Rwanda.

At 7A the next morning, we went to the National Parc des Volcanoes for the Golden Monkey hike. It was a rainy morning.

This was my third hike on the volcanoes. I couldn't resist buying the hiking stick I used this time (and another one for Paul!). Hopefully they won't be too hard to carry home in October, maybe they'll come in useful getting through the crowded airports.

It was misty and hazy but still very beautiful around the foothills of the volcano.

We walked through potato fields, and past children and farmers to get to the edge of the forest.

We encountered many unexpected forest inhabitants, aside from the the primates. Like this worm...

And a chameleon.

We had to duck and scramble at times, but overall it was a very pleasant hike to the part of the forest where the monkeys live.

There are around 85 monkeys in this monkey family. They were jumping around the trees and eating alot of leaves while we watched them for an hour.

I was glad to have a good zoom lens on my camera, since they were sitting among the treetops.

They seemed pretty habituated and didn't really notice us.

This is the leader of the group; the oldest male monkey with "golden" fur back.

There were about 10 other hikers in our group, and many of them were chattering in spanish.

After visiting the monkeys, we climbed back over the forest wall which helps keep the monkeys and gorillas from wandering out of the forest.

On the drive back to Kigali we stopped at a roadside kiosk to check out these interesting egg carriers. It's a clever banana leaf carrier that has individually wrapped eggs in banana leaves inside so they don't break. It turns out they hold 30 eggs, which was too many for us to buy.
I tried to pick up a bushel of my favorite mini-bananas but it was heavy.
Simple for this strong guy though!
When we got back to the city, I took Anice to Republika for dinner and introduced her to one of the local beer called Primus.

I had to work three days during Anice's visit, so I hooked her up with my favorite taxi driver Banner to see the sites in Kigali.

She did a lot of shopping for crafts and souvenirs.

Another favorite taxi driver, Peter, walked her through the big city market called Kimironko.

Anice was able to spend a day with Rachel, a Peace Corps volunteer, who supports the community in Kigali. Peace Corps volunteers have much more basic accomodations than the rest of government folks from the US (sometimes no electricity or running water). This is intentional so these volunteers experience life in the community, and are seen as part of the communities they support.

Rachel took Anice to an art studio where she bought some artwork. She had them take the painting off the frame and roll it up for easy packing. This is one of the artists who recently won an international award for his talents. He uses an interesting technique of crumbling up charcoal peices and blending them into his paintings for a sparkly, 3-D finish.

On Thursday we visited my favorite pub, the Goat and Gorilla at the British Embassy.

This time we tried the other local beer, Mutzig.

I was able to introduce Anice to some of my colleagues during her visit.

For her second weekend we drove west to Kibuye. Anice made good use of the drive taking many photos out of the car window.

About two hours outside Kigali we could see the largest lake in Rwanda, Lake Kivu.

Anice marveled at the massive project putting fiber optic cable all over Rwanda. This $49M endeavor is set to be complete in December 2009 so people in villages all along the roads are burying these cables every day.

We stopped to take pictures by the lake.

I showed Anice many of the things I try to "spot" when driving around Rwanda, including animals like goats and chickens, specific african fabrics, and bags on heads like these women. (I especially like seeing backpacks on heads but it was challenging to capture with the camera).

We stopped at a local market near Kibuye. It was a miniature version of the big Kigali markets. Mostly fruits, veggies, fish, and secondhand clothes and shoes for sale.

We were quite a spectacle in this small town, especially driving this big truck.

We stopped at a pretty hillside Catholic church.

This time we got the attention of a swarm of children on their way home from school.

They seemed to enjoy practicing their English.

We stayed at the lakeside Moriah Hills Hotel, just outside of Kibuye town.
They brought us fresh tree-tomato juice to welcome us to our room.
We enjoyed the relaxing and beautiful balcony.

This time I brought Skipbo to play.

The sunset was really pretty.

Impressively the hotel had chocolate ice cream (even if it was a bit freezer burnt).

This is the view of the hotel from the boat we rode the next morning.

Anice got to drive the boat, but initially drove us in circles.

We had the boat captain drop us on Peace Island for an hour.

Amahoro is the Kinyarwanda word for peace. There is a small restaurant and campground on the island. I was impressed at how it is set up for tourism (although a bit shabby buildings) it costs $1 to walk around the island, $2 to picnic, and there are nice flat campsites available for additional cost. We had some trouble identifying how to take a boat here, and there were very few tourists at our hotel or on the island; but I am always impressed if there is a good idea here and something is organized.

We hiked around the island for a while.

And enjoyed some swinging.

One of the guides showed us a stuffed animal hide they had caught. He didn't know the English word for it, but Anice thinks it is a mongoose.

We saw a lot of birds on the return boat ride.

When we got back to the hotel, we went to the beach.

I was excited about the kayaks.

I had a quick swim. The hotel owner said the methane levels in the lake prevent any parasites or bacteria from living in it. Of course my CDC colleague said that is rubbish. However, the general thought is because it is a big, deep lake with fast moving water, there isn't much reason for concern.

We rushed back to Kigali that afternoon, trying to make it back to the well-lit roads of the city before it got dark in the rest of the country.

Anice took the opportunity to take more street scene photos.

It was so nice to have a friend visit from the States. I am really thankful Anice was able to make the trip and happy to have these adventures together!

Weekend in Nairobi with Noni

2009-08-10T12:41:00.001-07:00

I traveled to Nairobi for the weekend to visit Noni and her family. The first thing I noticed is the heavy traffic all around the city. It took an hour and a half for the taxi to reach Noni's parents apartment.

We passed many people selling things on the side of the road. They said this is a common livelihood for Kenyans.

Noni's apartment complex had a gate and a guard like most places in Nairobi. This sign was on the gate. I learned this meant no honking to get the guard to open the gate.
Here is Noni, her mom, and her dad in their apartment. They were excellent hosts; very generous and kind. I hope to return the favor when they come to Washington DC sometime!

When I arrived, their apartment was lit with candles because there is currently a water and electricity shortage in Nairobi. They learned this week that they would not have electricity on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. I wished I had packed my flashlight! They have a generator they charge on the days they have electricity, and can use for some hours of the day on the others. Nairobi uses water for electricity and has not had enough rain to sustain the energy needs. Apparently, this happened in the 90's too. This is a great hardship for residents who need to run their refridgerators and stoves, not to mention TV and internet!

Shortly after arriving we went to a nearby Lebanese restaurant in their neighborhood. It turns out this restaurant used to be Noni's childhood home. The owners and staff knew Noni and her parents well. They showed me how the bathrooms are where Noni's bedroom used to be, and the bar is where her sister's room was, and we ate in their living room.

It was a really nice house with a large front yard and back yard. It must be surreal but also cool to be able to frequent your family home as a restaurant.

After dinner Noni and a friend of hers took me to Mercury bar. It was great to be in a modern lounge listening to music and watching people mingle.

The next day we started out with breakfast at Java House, which is a large coffee house chain in Nairobi. I loved the fancy coffees and yummy food. I took this picture from the balcony.

I caught Noni sitting pensively at the table.

After breakfast we walked around a mall called the Junction. I bought a number of goodies at the Nakumatt which is a large grocery/home goods store a little like a Walmart.

Although I didn't get to visit any of the famous game parks in Kenya on this trip, later in the day we visited a giraffe center where we were able to feed the animals.
We saw their slimy tongues eating the hay out of our hands.

There were funny signs warning us of headbutts and overfeeding the giraffe.
Two of the giraffe's were named Laura and Lucy.

There was a "zoovenir" shop on site, and I posed with the Maasai warriors. One of them was looking at me! I learned the Masaai are an indigenous tribe in Kenya and Tanzania. They were warriors and one of the most well known groups in Africa. Over the weekend there were many opportunities to buy Masaai blankets, shields, masks, and these statues.

After the giraffe center we went to Karen Blixen's house and museum (the author of the memoir "Out of Africa"). I saw the movie a long time ago, and touring her house was an interesting reminder of her story. She owned over 6,000 acres of land in the early 1900s where she unsuccessfully tried to grow coffee and successfully wrote many novels. The official guided tour talked about her as a brave woman who came alone to Africa to get married and that she employed hundreds of people and made sure they finished school and had other opportunities. We had some of our own discussions of how the other story told is that she may not have treated the locals so well, and she may or may not have actually bought the land. The good and bad impact of colonialism was an ongoing theme in our discussions over the weekend, as it often is when traveling around Africa.

There were many gardens surrounding the homes she owned on this land. We had lunch in one of the gardens at a very pretty cafe. There were weddings in the gardens when we visited her house.

This is The Karen Hospital- a private health facility near her land. The neighborhood is named Karen and seems to be a very upscale area.

As we drove around Nairobi on busy crowded streets, seeing a herd of cows crossing the road was a common site.

I liked this sign advertising a hair salon, a wonderful pub and butchery and place to eat grilled meat.

This was a roadside fruit and vegetable market; also a common site.

On Sunday we visited the Masaai market outside of the YaYa mall. Noni negotiated the price of two scarves for herself and a colorful Masaai blanket for me. I also bought a beaded necklace, a beaded belt, and African Obama fabric.

We indulged ourselves while in the big city for the weekend, including getting our hair done.

Fun at the salon!
On Saturday night we ate at a sushi restaurant.

We really enjoyed it.

On Sunday we saw the movie "The Proposal" and then returned to Java House to meet up with Noni's friends.

I enjoyed visiting where Noni grew up. She pointed out her primary and secondary schools and her old hangouts. Nairobi is a fascinating mix of modern ammenities like movies, malls, bars, and a variety of cuisines; along with rural Africa characteristics like cows and goats everywhere, everything for sale at the side of the road, poverty, and general hard lifestyle.

I never felt unsafe over the weekend but we knew that car jackings and other crimes are common in Nairobi. We were careful not to drive far at night and in general people advise against driving alone at night. Most places we went were guarded with gates and guns. I liked Nairobi very much and could imagine it would be a very interesting place to live. The people were very friendly and learning Swahili greetings was fun. Though I think the crime, traffic, and energy shortages would be challenging to deal with as a resident.

Expo in Gikondo

2009-08-02T10:47:00.001-07:00

Kigali has a new Expo area in the Gikondo neighborhood which hosts International Trade Fairs a few times a year. My friend Steve went to the fair with me today. It cost 500 francs to park and 500 francs to get in. (About $2)

There were many booths of local businesses, government agencies, and sellers from around East Africa. It was very crowded, but fun.

This was a booth advertising environmentally efficient diesel.

This was a model of "modern agriculture" displayed by a local fruit juice company. Showing a miniature store surrounded by pineapple, passion fruit, and strawberry plants.

Like most fairs there was a kids areas with swings and a bouncy castle, as well as many beer, fruit juice, and food kiosks. People were lined up to eat these goat brochettes.

This woman, named Shelter, sold me this blue dress from Tanzania for $15.

I was very entertained by the live infomercial booths describing amazing fruit and vegetable slicers...

and fruit blenders.

I ran into four other Rwandans I knew at the fair- small world here in Kigali! It was a fun Sunday supporting the local community.

BBQ at the Car Wash

2009-07-21T04:48:00.000-07:00

There are often goodbye and hello gatherings for the transitioning expatriates living (temporarily) in Rwanda. Sadly, my friend Noni is leaving in two weeks after 2 years in Rwanda, so there are many fun gatherings planned to wish her well.

On Sunday evening we went to Car Wash, an outdoor restaurant with affordable nyama chomo (grilled/roasted meat) by the kilo and car washing!

We ordered a table full of pork and goat nyama chomo!
I couldn't resist capturing the hanging meat on film. (Sorry vegetarians!)
One of our team members, Steve, organized the gathering for Noni. He even called ahead to make sure they had enough pork for 20 people and that it would be slow roasted before we arrived!
One of the managers offered to be a photographer for me. This place has great service, a lively ambiance, and the food is delicious.

The Official Kigali City Tour

2009-07-14T02:15:00.001-07:00

I returned to Kigali to continue working through the end of September. The work is challenging as usual, but I feel different because there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I know the last couple months will fly-by.

August through October is the busiest time of the year here in our office as we closeout this year's budget and plan for next year's programs. We typically have a surge of temporary staff to help during the "season".

A couple of our visiting team members invited me to join them for the"official" Kigali city tour, which costs $20 and leaves twice a day from the Office of Tourism and National Parks. Not surprisingly when we showed up for the Saturday 8AM tour (after having called to arrange it) there was no tour driver available. I say not surprising, because one thing you learn quickly in Rwanda is to be patient and not expect that service or products will arrive on-time or in the way you would like! That sounds harsh, but truthfully is a good lesson to learn and I have come to appreciate it. So, instead we took the tour on Sunday afternoon. The three of us traveled around Kigali for four hours in this bus with one other tourist from Canada.

Our driver, Tim, was pretty good at reciting stories and facts about Kigali sites.
First we stopped at the Genocide Memorial of Belgian Soldiers at Camp Kigali. This is the location of the massacre of 10 Belgian UN Blue Berets which happened on the first day of the genocide. Under the command of Canadian General Romeo Dallaire, they were deployed to guard the house of moderate Prime Minister Agatha Uwilingimana when soldiers invaded the home and transported them to this location where they were killed.

The building is a disturbing reminder of the weapons and violence.

Next we traveled to the Kigali Memorial Centre(Gisozi), which is a very well-done museum about Rwanda's past, present, and future related to the genocide in 1994. The exhibit includes 2,500 personal interviews, 25,000 personal profiles of missing victims recorded, and over 2,000 photographs of victims.

There is a really beautiful view of Kigali behind the Memorial Centre.
And there are four acres of pretty gardens to explore.
This is also the burial site for over 250,000 victims of the genocide.
From there , we drove around many of the neighborhoods in Kigali.

Including near my favorite grocery store called Simba- it's big!

And around the Roundabout Nyarugenge; the one with the fountain in downtown Kigali.

We drove past the popular roundabout near Kimihurura where nearly every married couple in Kigali takes a wedding photo near the fountain.

We also went to Nyamirambo, which is a lively, low to mid-income part of town where there is a small cinema and a large mosque.

Here are other views of Nyamirambo from the balcony of the cinema.

We rode through Nyarutarama, which is the newest part of Kigali with very large, new homes. And we stopped at Caplaki, a small village of artists stalls where handicrafts are sold.

There are many, many places to get your hair done but rather than "Salon", they are called Saloons.

In the heart of downtown Kigali, one of the mini-marts is named Obama mini market.

Also downtown, there are lots of opportunities to buy pre-wrapped boxes (empty!) for all of your gift-giving needs.

President Obama Visits Ghana

2009-07-14T01:42:00.000-07:00

President Obama's recent visit to Ghana created a buzz around Africa, and many in Rwanda want to know when he is coming here. The Rwanda daily newspaper reported that Ghananians had been asked to refrain from any burials because of President Obama's visit...I doubt he would have supported that! This photo was sent from colleagues in Ghana...

Obama speaks of hopes for Africa

(from BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8145762.stm)

US President Barack Obama, on his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office, has said Africa must take charge of its own destiny in the world. Mr Obama told parliament in Ghana during a one-day stay that good governance was vital for development. Major challenges awaited Africans in the new century, he said, but vowed that the US would help the continent.
The US president's trip came at the end of a summit of eight of the world's most powerful nations, held in Italy. Ghana was chosen as the destination for the president's visit because of its strong democratic record.

After his speech, Mr Obama headed to Cape Coast Castle, a seaside fortress converted to the slave trade by the British in the 17th Century. He was accompanied by his wife, Michelle, a descendant of African slaves, and both of his young daughters. People crowded into a public area outside the fort to greet Mr Obama, with those unable to get a place in the throng climbing onto nearby roofs and filling balconies just to catch a glimpse of the US leader. Speaking after a tour of the fort, Mr Obama said the fort should be a source of hope as well as repository of painful memories. "It reminds us that as bad as history can be, it's always possible to overcome," he said.

Earlier in the day, Mr Obama spoke to members of parliament after a breakfast meeting with Ghanaian President John Atta Mills. He wore a broad grin as he was greeted at the podium by a series of rousing horn blasts from within the hall. "I have come here to Ghana for a simple reason," the US president said: "The 21st Century will be shaped by what happens not just in Rome or Moscow or Washington, but by what happens in Ghana as well." Delivering a message that "Africa's future is up to Africans", Mr Obama conceded that the legacy of colonialism had helped breed conflict on the continent. "But the West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants," he added. He praised Ghana's own progress, governance and economic growth, saying Ghana's achievements were less dramatic than the liberation struggles of the 20th Century but would ultimately be more significant.

"Development depends upon good governance," Mr Obama told legislators. "That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. Expanding on his message, Mr Obama said four key areas were critical to the future of Africa and of the entire developing world, citing democracy, opportunity, health and the peaceful resolution of conflict. "Africa doesn't need strongmen, it needs strong institutions," Mr Obama told his audience.
"No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. That is not democracy, that is tyranny." He pledged to continue strong US support for public healthcare initiatives in Africa, and called for sensible use of natural resources such as oil in the face of the threat of climate change.

Back home briefly for June

2009-06-15T20:48:00.000-07:00

I planned to be in the U.S. for a conference in Connecticut for 2 weeks in June, but unexpectedly had to extend my time to have surgery. I had my gall bladder and appendix removed laproscopically on June 2nd. Everything went great and I am recovering quickly. This has given me a chance to spend time with family and friends and do activities that I've missed while in Rwanda. I look forward to returning to Kigali in a couple of weeks. I really appreciate the people filling in for me in Rwanda and their allowing me to focus on my own health this month!

I've had a lot of fun spending time with my parents.

We grilled out.

My mom is a fantastic cook.

My time in Indiana was very relaxing.

Being able to talk to Paul in the same time zone and with high speed internet is great.
I travelled to Terre Haute to have lunch with two of my Aunts, a cousin, and my Grandma.
I spent some time with my best friend Erin.

We saw the movie "Hangover" with her husband Dustin.

And we shopped a lot!

I met my new niece Caroline Grace- who is 2.5 months old.

Paul drove to Connecticut to spend time with me and my family.

My sister Meri is missing from our family photo since she is now working in Pheonix and unfortunately couldn't come to Connecticut.

Videos- gorillas and dancing

2009-06-03T08:53:00.000-07:00

Gorillas (1)

Gorrillas (2)

Traditional Rwandese Intore Dancers

Paul's Visit to Rwanda- Part II

2009-06-02T14:37:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday night we went to Indian Khana Kazana restaurant with Jenny and Njeri. It is arguably some of the best Indian food anywhere.

On Thursday, we drove to Akagera National Park- about 2 hours West of Kigali.

We saw this Baboon family on the side of the road.

We met Cecile, our park guide, and she showed us the campsite options.

This campsite called Shakani was very pretty, right beside a lake.

However, Cecile pointed out a nearby group of hippos, so we opted against staying here.

We decided to take a boat ride before it got too late.

I was glad they gave us life preservers, and Cecile came along with her radio too.

It was about a 20 minute motorboat ride to the middle of the lake where we went slowly around an uninhabited island looking at birds and reptiles.

We saw many eagles.

Our boat guide had an incredible eye and spotted this baby crocodile (about 2 feet long).

As well as this Nile Monitor Lizard, which looked like a big gecko.

He also spotted this bird feeding babies in a nest. We saw a lot of these big smelly, vulture-like birds.

On the way back to the mainland we drove through a hippo group. One of them came swimming to our boat so our driver sped away!

Our boat guide- John Didier- did a great job!

We settled for the evening at this campsite on the top of a hill, overlooking two lakes.

It got dark quickly when we got to the campsite so a number of the park guides helped us put up the tent,

and built our fire. Score!

I borrowed Daniel's tent, which I was surprised to see could easily fit six people!

The fire was warm and toasty.

I also borrowed chairs and sleeping bags from Kris and Josh, thankfully. I am not sure how we would have enjoyed the campfire without those.

We heard a LOT of animal noises throughout the night. We are pretty sure warthogs, impala, and buffalo were roaming around us. We did our best to ignore it, told ghost stories, and kept the fire well lit!

The next morning we got a better view of the lakes surrounding our campsite.

We left the campsite by 6AM. Just a few feet from our campsite we saw this buffalo who we think was one of our night visitors!

The roads around the park were tricky with many steep hills, sharp thorns, and mud. The views of the hillsides and lakes were worth it!

Cecile helped us navigate our way through the park where we quickly found zebra and giraffe.

We traveled through flatter terrain and found buffalo roaming.

I enjoyed the challenge of trying to photograph all of the beautiful birds.

This is a pin-tailed dove. Impala are very common around the park. They are a type of antelope; similar to deer.

Paul did an excellent job driving through the park for four hours.

We left Rwanda together on Sunday.
We had very long layovers in Nairobi and Amseterdam. So, we ventured out of the Amsterdam airport to the Central train station.

The central part of Amsterdam has many canals.

We walked around from 6A to 10A. Unfortunately, no museums or stores were open yet.

There was a pretty church with ringing bells keeping time for us.

We walked to the Anne Frank museum, but it was closed.

There were bikes all over town, and nice bike lanes on each road. Next time it would be great to rent a bike!

We stopped in a small cafe and had breakfast before leaving.

We found some interesting snacks in the Amsterdam airport, including carrot balls.

And a restaurant called Paul.

Paul's Visit to Rwanda - Part I

2009-05-26T00:59:00.000-07:00

Paul arrived in Rwanda last Thursday. His plane was unfortunately delayed from 10:30pm to actually arriving at 4:30A! Thankfully he got here okay, and he has been able to see many things already.

On Friday, we drove around Kigali (thanks to my colleague David loaning me his car for the week!). I showed Paul a typical market.
We ate dinner at Republika.

My friend Noni joined us for dinner, and Paul was brave enough to try the little fried fish called Sambaza (eyes and heads and all). He liked them!

On Saturday we drove 3 hours outside of Kigali to Ruhengeri, near the volcanoes. We stayed at the Gorillas View Lodge.
The fireplace was great!

All of the meals were yummy.

Paul ate all of the exotic fruits that are common here.

On Sunday we hiked to see the gorillas!

We drove into the Parc De Volcanoes, to the Tourism Office.

We met some friends and joined their group to see the Hirwa gorillas, who were supposed to be fairly close.

After a very bumpy ride down a bad road, we hiked accross the foothills of the mountains.

We passed over this small stone wall into the forest.

My US Embassy friends: Tye and Gauhaur

Finding the gorillas took about an hour and a half.

We had to be careful not to touch these stinging nettles.

The silver back was the first one we saw!

The Hirwa group has one silverback, 7 females, and 5 babies.

We were able to spend one hour watching the gorillas.

We got pretty close!

Our boots got really muddy.

The silverback moved to another location, and we followed him.

Amazingly, we got even closer to him. He didn't seem to be bothered by us.

He cleaned the babies.

And they rolled around playfully.

One of the females (I think she was looking at me)

Our group photo- gorilla trackers, porters, and guards too.

On Monday, we travelled to Nyanza (near Butare) to see an art museum.

And visit a previous King of Rwanda's hut.

We acted out how the king would drink banana beer in his beer hut.

We toured the modern palace, and had to take off our shoes.

The outside of the modern palace (home of the last King in Rwanda)

On Monday night, we ate dinner at my favorite restaurant: New Cactus

Recap of Weekend Fun

2009-05-18T09:37:00.001-07:00

Friday Night: The Best and Worst of the British Party

A group of people living in Kigali, working for Tony Blair (providing technical assistance to the President), hosted a fun costume party on Friday.

Some of the attendees:

Harry Potter

Ginger Spice
A member of the M16 (British CIA)

Amy Whinehouse and a Bond girl

Jenny dressed as a pound of silver and I was paparazzi with the "News of the World" (the slimiest newspaper in London!)

The appropriate reaction to my picture taking.Joan Collins and Jenny

Sporty Spice

Lady Di

Saturday: International Fair and the Ambassador's Residence (charity event)

I volunteered to help set up the American booth so I could be there to sample all of the yummy food before it got too crowded.

Nice and tacky decorations!

The Canadian booth

The British booth

Steve and Ann enjoying all of the samples.

Glad I got there early! (The American booth served hamburgers, hot dogs, and chocolate chip cookies)

Sunday: A CDC Family Gathering (at Bambino's, a Rwandan fun park)

The senior team and myself pitched in to provide our staff and their families with a much needed, fun Sunday get-away. I was able to do the master negotiating and planning to make the arrangements and allow the kids to use all of the play equipment for a really great bargain. It was a wonderful time to get to know our CDC family members better. We had a fantastic turnout- 30 adults and 25 kids!

Many of our team members and their kids had never been to this park, because the rides are very expensive. They were so incredibly appreciative.

The adults had a chance to enjoy the rides too.

Including me!

I aranged for kid plates with french fries and pizza, and adult plates with beef kebabs and chicken.

I think this event will go down in our office memory books for many years!

Food Adventures

2009-05-12T01:33:00.000-07:00

This weekend I stayed around Kigali and spent some time at home... in the kitchen. One of my colleagues at the US Embassy has a farm and delivers on the weekends. I ordered a chicken, milk, and eggs to be delivered on Saturday. The milk was creamy and the eggs were big and brown.

The chicken arrived whole with insides and neck included. Embarrassingly, I have never really cut up a whole chicken. I wanted to cut it into pieces rather than roast it whole, in order to make an orange chicken recipe for friends that evening. I would have called my mom (like I usually do) for cooking instructions about which parts to keep and which to toss, but it was 9AM in Kigali and therefore the middle of the night in Indiana. I did the next best thing and googled how to cut a chicken!

Here was the goal picture of pieces of chicken that I needed to end up with. Mine did not exactly look like these, but I did pretty well.

I gave away the gizzard, neck, and back (I know, I could have made soup with it) and later was informed that in the local culture if your husband comes home to eat chicken and the gizzard is "missing" then he becomes suspicious of his wife. Luckily, I didn't have to worry about that and I didn't think my friends would miss the gizzards!

Kimironko is the big market in Kigali where you can buy fruit, vegetables, meat, and fish.
With some help from my housekeeper Scola, each week I have an abundance of fruit from the market ...mini bananas, passion fruit, tree tomatoes, mangos, and papaya.
This makes for delicious fruit salad that I take to work.

Breakfast commonly includes bread and tea with milk and sugar. At the Embassy they offer samosas (fried with meat or vegetables inside), pancakes, and a variety of muffins for breakfast.

Lunch and dinner are often served buffet-style in local restaurants (and as an option for lunch at the Embassy cafeteria). A traditional Rwandese buffet typically includes boiled beans, bananas, sweet potatoes, or cassava. Umutsima (a dish of cassava and corn), isombe (cassava leaves with Eggplant and spinach) and mizuzu (fried plantains), as well as goat or some other meat stew. Avocados are everywhere in Rwanda and are often served as salad with tomatoes and onions. Fish in Rwanda is mostly limited to tilapia and sambazas, so it is a good thing I love both. The fish is mostly raised on farms in Rwanda. Sambazas are little fried fish usually served with a tartar-like dipping sauce and you eat the whole crunchy thing- head and tail included.

There are a number of small grocery stores where I buy other things not offered in the market.

Blue Band margarine/vegetable oil spread. This product scares me a little because it seems to last forever and surely is not very healthy. I use it sparingly and instead use my olive oil spray that I packed in my suitcase!

White rice in a bag

Strawberry jelly in a tin can

Dishwashing soap for dishes, and bleach for washing fruits and vegetables

Orange juice in a boxMilk in a bag (which oddly lasts a really long time, not sure why)

Thoughts from the President in the New Times

2009-05-11T23:28:00.000-07:00

Sunday, 10th May 2009- http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=13891&article=3665

Africa has to find its own road to prosperity

BY PRESIDENT PAUL KAGAME
At recent meetings of the Group of 20 and the International Monetary Fund, world leaders have gathered to discuss the global economic crisis. Unfortunately, it seems that many still believe they can solve the problems of the poor with sentimentality and promises of massive infusions of aid, which often do not materialise. We who live in, and lead, the world’s poorest nations are convinced that the leaders of the rich world and multilateral institutions have a heart for the poor. But they also need to have a mind for the poor.

Dambisa Moyo’s controversial book, Dead Aid, has given us an accurate evaluation of the aid culture today. The cycle of aid and poverty is durable: as long as poor nations are focused on receiving aid they will not work to improve their economies. Some of Ms Moyo’s prescriptions, such as ending all aid within five years, are aggressive. But I always thought this was the discussion we should be having: when to end aid and how best to end it.

Aid has not only often failed to meet its objectives; it has also rarely dealt with the underlying issues of poverty and weak societies. We see this with our neighbour, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There, 17,000 United Nations peacekeepers – the largest and most expensive presence of its kind in history – treat the symptoms rather than addressing the issues of capacity, self-determination and dignity. Often, aid has left recipient populations unstable, distracted and more dependent; as Ashraf Ghani, the former finance minister of Afghanistan, has pointed out, it can even sever the relationship between democratically elected leadership and the populace.

Do not get me wrong. We appreciate support from the outside, but it should be support for what we intend to achieve ourselves.

No one should pretend that they care about our nations more than we do; or assume that they know what is good for us better than we do ourselves. They should, in fact, respect us for wanting to decide our own fate. At the same time, as I tell our people, nobody owes Rwandans anything. Why should anyone in Rwanda feel comfortable that taxpayers in other countries are contributing money for our well¬being or development?

Rwanda is a nation with high goals and a sense of purpose. We are attempting to increase our gross domestic product by seven times over a generation, which increases per capita incomes fourfold. This will create the basis for further innovation and foster trust, civic-mindedness and tolerance, strengthening our society. Entrepreneurship is the surest way for a nation to meet these goals. Michael Fairbanks’ book, In The River They Swim, which uses Rwanda as one of its examples, highlights the need to respect local wisdom, build a culture of innovation and create investment opportunities in product development, new distribution systems and innovative branding.

Government activities should focus on supporting entrepreneurship not just to meet these new goals, but because it unlocks people’s minds, fosters innovation and enables people to exercise their talents. If people are shielded from the forces of competition, it is like saying they are disabled.

Entrepreneurship gives people the feeling that they are valued and have meaning, that they are as capable, as competent and as gifted as anyone else. Asking our citizens to compete is the same as asking them to go out into the world on behalf of Rwanda and play their part. We know this is a tremendous challenge given our status as a land-locked nation emerging from conflict, with few natural resources, little specialised infrastructure and low historical investment in education. But, in fact, we have reasons to be optimistic: we have a clear strategy to export based on sustainable competitive advantages.

We sell coffee now for high prices to the world’s most demanding purchasers; our tourism experience attracts the best customers in the world and market research reveals that perceptions of Rwandan tea are improving. This has resulted in wages in key sectors rising at more than 20 per cent on an annual basis. We have cut our aid as a percentage of total GDP by half over the past decade, and last year we grew at more than 11 per cent even as the world entered a recession.

While this is encouraging, we know the road to prosperity is a long one. We will travel it with the help of a new school of development thinkers and entrepreneurs, with those who demonstrate they have not just a heart, but also a mind for the poor.

The writer is the President of Rwanda
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009

Jungle Party in Gisenyi- Take 2

2009-05-05T10:02:00.000-07:00

I convinced Jenny to return to Gisenyi with me (my third visit!) so we could attend our second Jungle Party. We went to one together about a month after I was here in 2007 and a couple months after she had arrived- almost 2 years ago! (http://talesfromrwanda.blogspot.com/2007/07/gisenyi.html)

We arranged to ride with friends (3 hours from Kigali) to the western part of Rwanda on Lake Kivu, next to Goma, DRC. We stayed (again!) in the very nice Kivu Sun/Serena hotel which offered a special $100 deal for rooms because because of the "jungle party" on the beach with a bonfire and live music planned. We made the decision to go late in the week and I had to sweet talk the reservations staff (thanks Eme) into giving me a room; I brought them cookies when we arrived.

Jenny and I, in front of the hotel.

Jenny, in our room, with her tennis raquet which I insisted she bring but we never ended up usng!

This was the beautiful view from our room.
We had some trouble with our door, which locked us out on one occasion because the inside-security latch caught accidentally caught when we closed the door. The hotel staff thought it was fine for them to climb accross the balcony from the room next door to come inside through the un-lockable back door whenever this happened. Luckily, technician-Jenny was able to break the latch further to "fix" the problem.

On Saturday, we had beautiful sunny weather and I spent most of the day at the beach.
Lounging with friends,
and swimming in Lake Kivu or the pool.

The Serena began to set up tents and the stage on the beach for the Saturday night "jungle party".

We enjoyed early-evening happy hour on our balcony.

We bought tickets for the jungle party- $20 each!

Before the party, we took a taxi to a nearby restaurant at Paradis hotel, and unexpectedly were able to see traditional dancers and drummers perform .

Most of us got up to dance with them.

We made some new friends at dinner too.

The hotel Paradis is a beautiful spot to eat dinner, and we were able to sit right near the water.

The menu included the usual chicken, fish, beef, or goat choices and the food arrived on cute wooden plates, some with wooden silverware.

I took this picture of my friend Barbara at the bar at the jungle party, before smartly deciding to put my camera back in my hotel room once it got crowded (little did I know I should have put my purse away too!) The "headliner" music artists at the party were 3 Blue (three women from Uganda) who didn't start playing until 2AM but were pretty coordinated with pop hits and choreography. Unfortunately, shortly after then, my purse was stolen. VERY fortunately, most items were returned (including my passport, phone, and flash drive, minus the money) when other guests caught the thief. The upsetting part was my being confused over why the police wouldn't come and how the hotel was "handling" the thief themselves. In the end, it all worked out and was quite a learning experience for me. I visited the police station on Sunday to get a better sense of the system and meet the local Inspector. It was eye-opening!

We drove back to Kigali after lunch on Sunday, and I of course, took lots more photos of the beautiful Rwandan hillsides and tea fields.

Two experiences in the field

2009-04-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

Last week I was able to get out of the office two days of the week! I mostly work on program, money, and grants mngmt in Kigali for our HIV/AIDS programs, so it is really good to leave the office and see programs and people in the field.

First, I visited the Nyabeheke Refugee Camp in Northwest Rwanda. It took about 2.5 hours to drive there, and the last 30-40 minutes was along a bumpy road into the hillside. We were met by the Camp Director and a project lead- both of whom were extremely hospitable and knowledgeable. They walked us through the camp and showed us many things.

The camp was built on rocky strip of land that could not previously be used for farming. It was a good use of the land, but unfortunately there is very limited green space and trees. I learned the camp houses about 13,000 refugees from the Congo, many who have arrived (and are still arriving) after fleeing the Interhawme in the Congo. Upon entering the camp, I had an immediate realization of what a hard life these families have. There are 8 "neighbohoods" of multiple white tents; 5 structures surrounding a common kitchen area. Food and household goods (soap, clothing, etc) are distributed to families in the camp. It was a food distribution day, so many families were lined up to receive corn and other grains. Some families had chickens and goats roaming through the camp; I learned that families can earn a meager wage by growing things (although garden plots are limited) or selling eggs/goat milk, etc. The refugees are allowed to come and go from the camp as they please. However, the lack of income opportunities combined with a reliance on distributed food was stark.

Ideally, people will leave the camp either by returning to the Congo through reintegration; being invited to a developed country like the States, Canada, or Europe; or by resettling in Rwanda. I expected there to be a high number of people choosing resettling in Rwanda because it is so near the Congo and has a similar lifestyle and would get them out of the camp. However, the Director informed me that not a single person in the camp has volunteered to be resettled in Rwanda. Instead they prefer to wait and return to the Congo when it is safe (even if it takes years), or secondly go to a developed country. Some people have been in the camp for over 10 years, and other refugees in other camps in Rwanda for more than 30 years. As for the option of coming to the States- the US took 8 refugees total from Rwanda last year (out of 50,000 refugees here).

Throughout our visit we were trailed by at least fifty small children. The camp Director had about 10 of them chain-linked to his hand throughout the walk, which I found heartwarming. He commented that this is common when visitors walk throughout the camp because they want to see what's going on. Like the rest of Rwanda, their school is transitioning to english, so the children regularly rattled off english greetings, and I tried to correct the errors I heard. It seemed like an unusual number of very small children. The Director said the birth rate at the camp is high at 50 births a month; and there are 3,000 kids under the age of 5 ! I asked about family planning education, and he agreed that they need to improve the materials and education message. He felt many families see an incentive for more children because they receive a larger portion of food and space in the camp.

I got a quick glimpse of the medical center and the HIV/AIDS programs (funded by our grants). I learned they have hired 8 new nurses, and expect this to provide relief to overburdened clinic staff. However they are not able to provide ART services at the camp, so currently patients must travel to a district hospital for meds. The prevalence rate in the camp is about the same as the national average (3.2%) I learned that malaria is a big issue in these camps and in this part of the country.

We visited a small grant project funded by the U.S. Embassy, building mud ovens in community kitchens in the camp. We visited 5 of the kitchens around the camp to view the ovens. I learned how to make an oven and why it is more efficient than a three stone fire (the more typical format for cooking in Rwanda countryside) because it uses less firewood and loses less heat. This is critical in Rwanda (like many other countries!) where trees and wood are a finite resource.

I also visited an area where they are growing organic gardens and providing nutrition counseling and gardening education to families. In particular, they are working to teach the families how to garden using containers (old plastic oil cans, or corn bags) because of the severely limited green space and ground availability. I thought this was a really creative idea.

Toward the end of our visit I asked about the poor condition of the children's clothing and the lack of toys/activities. The Director indicated they rely on sporadic donations from various groups and in fact he had just run out of sports equipment last week. I suggested that they consider setting up a donation site in Kigali (like the U.S. Goodwill model) and he liked that idea. It seems regular distribution of clothing and children's items would really help this camp. I wish there were more time in the day, and in life! I would love to help with that kind of project.

On the way home, we were momentarily delayed by trucks stuck on the small dirt road...so I took a photo.

My second visit to the field this week was to Nyamata (about 30 minutes outside of Kigali) to see an income generation project currently funded by the World Bank. In this project they have provided pedal-powered rechargeable lights to selected entrepreneurs in small villages to sell and then make a small profit every time the buyer brings the light back to the store for "re-charging" (about once a week). There is not electricity widely available to Rwandans in villages; oil kerosene lamps are most common. So this cheaper and more energy-efficient option seemed quite popular at the sites we visited. We met with two different sellers, and witnessing their entrepreneurial spirit was very inspiring. One woman described her strategies which allowed her to sell-out the product, including allowing people to "test" the product for two days before buying, advertising by word-of-mouth, and creating a rent-to-own price structure. Really amazing! This gave me a much better understanding of how micro-finance and income-generating projects really can work. We visited the project in consideration of adapting this in a clinical HIV/AIDS clinic toward improving adherence and follow-up care. Connecting the dots between income generation and HIV/AIDS health outcomes is exciting and important to consider.

Celebrating my birthday in Kigali

2009-04-20T00:28:00.000-07:00

A common birthday tradition is that friends and family "drop by" your house on your birthday and you feed them. I am not sure whether this is a Rwandan tradition or a regional African tradition. Some of my lovely work friends and their families stopped by on Saturday morning to give me birthday hugs and introduce me to their children. Luckily I had coffee, tea, and cookies ready for visitors!

Emah brought me beautiful flowers,

and her 9 year-old daughter Bhakita made me this sweet birthday card.
After the relaxing day of visitors and brunch with my friend Laurie, I headed to Janean and Derrick's house for a dinner party.

I was amazed to find the gate outside their house decorated with balloons, and there was even a birthday sign in the dining room! This was really special because in Kigali these things are not available in stores.

Derrick barbequed chicken on the grill (so yummy!), Janean made two types of lasagna, and everyone who came brought a dish to share. It was an electic mix of delicious food.

I was also amazed that Janean had tables and settings for 15 people!

Jenny, Tye, Josh, Gauhar, David, and Pratima sat on the porch.

Derrick and Janean finally sat down to eat too!

I had my eye on the dessert table soon after dinner. :)

Jenny made a delicious chocolate/peanut butter/banana tart, and Janean made an incredible chocolate cake and apple pie with ice cream!

David and Patrick

Gauhar and I

Jenny and Noni

Janean and Derrick were too tired at the end of the evening to go out (they had worked so hard as the hosts) ...but a few others from the party joined me to end the night with dancing. Fun!!!

Roadtrip to the Rainforest

2009-04-13T02:00:00.001-07:00

Friday was a National holiday here (Good Friday) so I traveled to Nyungwe National Park in Southwest Rwanda for the three-day weekend. It took about 4 hours to drive there. The park covers almost 400 square miles, is the largest block of montane rainforest in East or Central Africa, and one of the oldest dating back to before the last Ice Age. It has 13 species of primates (monkeys and chimpanzees) and over 300 types of birds.

I rode with Tye and Gauhar, and we caravanned with Janean and Derrick (friends from the U.S. Embassy). I took pictures of the beautiful scenery and perfect roadtrip weather.

Many people in Rwanda carry brightly colored umbrellas on sunny days for shade.

It is hard to accurately capture the incredible shades of green in the Rwandan hillside.

There were busy markets along the way.

We stopped in the University town of Butare for lunch and shopped at a local craft store.

Here is the Nyungwe National Park entrance.

We stopped just inside the park to take photos.

Derrick and Janean

Derrick, Tye, Gauhar

We stayed at the Rwandan Office of Tourism's Resthouse situated on the edge of the forest. It has about 12 rooms that are pretty simple and share a number of bathrooms and sitting areas. The buildings are made from brick, wood and tiles and have very basic ammenities including a bed, chair, and closet. In the dining room, guests share meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) in traditional family-style. The food was yummy, we enjoyed soup, vegetables, beef, fish, spaghetti, etc. during our stay. The setting is pretty with fern trees, eucalytpus trees, orchids, and lillies surrounding the Resthouse. Throughout the park there are monkeys along paths and on the side of the road. This is a velvet monkey that was climbing around the roof and yard of the Resthouse.

Derrick tended to the fire as we played games Friday evening. We played bananagrams, the bean game, and Skipbo.

On Saturday morning, after breakfast at 7:30A, we met our tour guide Aime to hike the waterfall trail. This trail starts at the resthouse and takes 5 hours round trip. (approx. 10 kilometers)

The guide stopped occasionally to point out plants, animals, and birds.
He showed us "impatience" bulbs that explode impatiently when you touch them.

Here is the fruit on a Soursop tree.

The first part of the waterfall trail passes through the rolling tea plantations where much of Rwanda's gourmet tea exports are grown.

The trail then descends into the forest , following fern-tree-covered ravines and crossing several streams, before a sharp descent to the base of a waterfall.

We saw a lot of interesting birds near the canopy of the forest, but they were difficult to photograph. I learned Rwanda's tourism office has plans to build a canopy walk in the rainforest.

Here is a very large spider web,

and a bat cave.

We climbed alongside the river to get to the base of the waterfall.

At one point I jumped out onto a slippery rock to take a photo and nearly fell into the river head-first. Luckily our guide Aime saw this happening and grabbed my arm to pull me back to the side before I fell. In the process his radio and leg went into the river, but thankfully no harm done.

The waterfall from a distance,

and close-up.
We all got wet from the heavy mist, standing in front of the waterfall.

A view downstream.

As we left the waterfall, it began to storm, thundering, lightening, and there was a heavy downpour the whole return hike. We had to traverse carefully accross the slippery slopes and wooden bridges. I now understand the difference between water-resistant and waterproof. Next time I will be sure to invest in waterproof gortex gear! My boots were full of water and I was drenched by the time we returned. At one point I turned to the guide and asked if this was the worst hiking weather he had seen, he said "No, this is everyday in the rainforest!"On the upside, the rain left very beautiful low-hanging fog throughout the tea fields.

We passed this little herd of goats on the way back,

and greeted this tiny young goat herder who was wearing plastic to keep dry.

We saw this cute pair of monkeys as we left the forest on Sunday. They were grooming each other, as monkeys do.

On Easter morning the forest was covered in the most amazing fog that was slowly rising. We stopped many times to take pictures.

Loss and Healing

2009-04-08T13:42:00.000-07:00

If you were to visit Rwanda you would be impressed by the cleanliness, order, and safety in this country. It is, at times, hard to believe this is the same country devastated by genocide just 15 years ago.

However, it is not hard to remember during this week of mourning. Tuesday was the 15th Anniversary of the start of the horrific genocide. Beginning on April 6, 1994 more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in 100 days by extremist Hutu militias. It is nearly impossible to comprehend the level of devestation this has on a community and family.

Ceremonies have been held across the country, including Tuesday morning at Nyanza (20 min. outside Kigali the capital). Nyanza is a hill where thousands of people were killed on April 11 after the Belgian UN troops that had been protecting them pulled out. Belgium decided to pull its troops after 10 UN soldiers were killed. Selecting this location for the President's speech is a statement about the failure of the international community.

President Kagame's speech was broadcast live on television. In his speech he talked of hope and healing, but also reiterated blame on the international community for not doing enough to stop the genocide. He reminded people of the cowardice, and of the UN leaving Rwanda before any shot was fired. Some other messages included that moving on and looking forward will give real meaning to the many sacrifices of Rwandans. Also there was acknowledgement of the importance to remember but also to forget in order to continue to live. In other words the challenge of finding a balance between the pull of the future and the weight of the past.

This is a picture of the President speaking on TV. (I didn't go to the Nyanza event that morning)
I walked to meet friends for the evening memorial at the Kigali stadium. On my way, I passed the Government of Rwanda Parliament building. This building, on a main road in Kigali, is a continuous reminder of war-times. Its pink and yellow-painted concrete is marked with bulletholes and gashes from artillery shells, and is intentially left in this state.

Here is a view of the stadium as I walked toward it.
Thousands of people attended the event at the stadium, although not many ex-pats. There were candles set up in the center of the stadium spelling out the words hope, espoire, and icyizere (itchy- zerr- eh) -"hope" in French and Kinyarwanda.

There were many singers and performers throughout the evening. They sang very beautiful songs including Amazing Grace and multiple songs I had never heard before. They also showed a few short films with messages of hope and reconciliation. Parts of one film made the crowd laugh because it was done in what I would consider a "cheesy PSA" style. People stayed late into the evening (the event went on for 5 hours!)

My friends Aska and Morgan attended the event with me.
Throughout the evening there were many people so overcome by emotion they had to be carried out by Red Cross volunteers. These people would suddenly cry out in the most painful, gutteral cries I have ever heard. It was in these moments that the suffering was very tangible and I felt a sharp uncomfortable reminder of how every Rwandan attending has their own story, their own family, their own dreams and losses. It was overwhelming, and I kept thinking of how thankful I am to not have endured suffering that makes you cry out in that way. It took many people to light the candles when it got dark. There was a call for volunteers through email in the days leading up to the event. It was all very well organized.
A helicopter flying above captured the image the candles portrayed.
This week in Rwanda is sad and grief is prevalent, but the messages of hope and healing 15 years later is uplifting. I feel helpless most of the time, but I try to take small steps whenever possible to connect with people and their grief. I wrote out 25 cards last night to personally give condolences to the Rwandans in my office...of course it feels not enough, but every bit helps.

Celebrating Children and Art

2009-03-23T07:12:00.000-07:00

On Sunday the US Embassy hosted an HIV/AIDS Poster Contest Award Ceremony with many of our partners in Rwanda. The contest was announced and kids of all ages submitted posters. This was the first event I have attended with the new US Ambassador to Rwanda.

Artistic and creative talent is not always easy to find in Rwanda. I was so happy this event recognized how important messages can be conveyed through art and how we should foster this talent in Rwandan children.

One winner in each age group received a backpack full of goodies, a US-Rwandan flag pin, a certificate, and a picture with the US Ambassador. It was clear this was a really special event for these children and their families. Each child was so proud of thier artwork, I just couldn't help but take a picture of every single one.

I really liked this one above- he used Acryllic and Watercolor paints. These materials are not easy to find in Rwanda.

News and TV crews attended the event, which I think made it extra special for these kids and their families.

Here is US Ambassador Symington (front row), the Deputy Chief of Mission, and Jenny (who organized the event) with all of the winners.

There were a number of creative non-winning entries that were displayed as well.

Here is one illustration of a United States shield over the world protecting it from HIV/AIDS.

Here is a city scene including a Hummer with the license plate "PEPFAR". ha ha.

A Volunteer Opportunity

2009-03-23T06:13:00.000-07:00

In October, the Government of Rwanda decided to switch the entire public school system to teach in English. This change was announced and requested to happen as quickly as possible. This decision has roots in the bitter history of the French role in the genocide. Rwanda has accused more than 30 French politicians, officials and military officers of supporting the genocidal regime. Since then, they have closed the French Embassy, cultural centre, international school and radio station in Kigali.

Currently, 95% of schools teach in French, and Rwanda has 31,000 primary school teachers of whom about 4,700 have been trained in English. Of the 12,000 secondary school teachers, just 600 have been taught the language they will soon be expected to teach in. So how do they make this change quickly? Well, one way is to teach the teachers. I am neighbors with an incredible woman, Meredith, who writes text books and teaches English and has been here in Rwanda helping with this transition since early fall. When I met her I learned that she has been organizing a series of workshops where she teaches teachers in large groups on weekends. She described how all of the teachers travel from far and willingly give up every Saturday because they are so eager to learn. I immediately told Meredith I would love to volunteer at one of her workshops, wanting to experience something outside the health sector in Rwanda.

She took me up on my offer and invited me to volunteer this past Saturday from 7:30am-noon. I met with Meredith, her colleague Savannnah and another volunteer teacher on Friday to review the lesson. I thought I would be teaching simple english grammar or something, but learned that the lesson encompasses grammar as well as general education subjects, reading, speaking, and an emphasis on being learner-centered. I realized this was going to be much harder than I thought! My lesson involved teaching concrete thinking skills where I would ask the teachers to describe qualities of what makes them a good teacher, teach adjectives, review math skills while making an oragami cup, and symbollically place the qualities in the cup to share out loud with the class. Ambitious!

We traveled to a primary school called Kagugu which is just outside of town in Kigali. There are over 200 teachers who travel to this school each Saturday over 6 weeks. Not surprisingly, Meredith is always looking for volunteers to help with this program. I toured the school, saw a pretty bare library (below), and was told this is truly one of the nicest schools in Rwanda.

The classrooms are also pretty bare in the school, with simple benches in the front hall. Many of the teachers wear white coats to "distinguish" themselves in this profession.

I was given a couple pieces of chalk, some scratch paper, and an eraser to teach my lesson. The teachers were separated into three groups and we each taught our lesson three times.

With the first group it was excruciatingly difficult to speak slowly. Eventually I got in a groove and believe I became quite good at pronunciation with them. I took time to write things on the blackboard and use my "nice" handwriting.

Everyone paid very close attention when following my instructions for making the cup out of scratch paper.

I enjoyed making something (I love art!) and I liked the challenge of helping them through adjectives and phrasing sentences about the qualities and skills of good teachers (kind of a social worky activity too!)

They were so happy when they had completed the cup.

What I found most difficult was helping them discuss and share independent ideas about the lesson; how to customize the lesson for their own classroom; and identifying what was learner-centered about this lesson. I was uncomfortable with silences when I asked a question that recieved no immediate answer and I initially provided the answer too fast. I realized if I waited long enough, someone usually had an answer. Also, because I was not familiar with them individually, I had a hard time knowing when to push someone to give an answer or how best to customize the lesson for them. It was helpful to ask who among them were math, science, and language teachers for example. This helped me to connect with the group and encourage them to use critical thinking about the lesson.

This experience was exhausting and I know I could not do this everyday! I really appreciated trying my hand at something new and I have a much greater appreciation for how hard it is to rapidly switch the language in the public schools of Rwanda. I was amazed by these teachers' dedication and committment toward learning. We are so lucky that there are people in every population who identify their purpose in life to teach children. This group was no exception to my previous experiences that teachers are caring and thoughtful people deserving of our admiration.

St. Patrick's Day Celebration in Kigali

2009-03-23T04:45:00.001-07:00

On Friday night I attended an Irish Ball at the Serena Hotel in Kigali, benefiting child head of households from a village near the city. This was a great chance to dress up for once!

These are some of my neighbors from my apartment complex. We all rode in a car to the party together after taking prom-like photos in the yard! :)

The ballroom was very festive with Irish colors and balloons.

The food buffet was yummy, including cream of tomato soup and multiple chicken/meat/fish dishes.

I met the Director and Vice President of the Nsanga Association of Child-Headed Households (the charitable recipients). They were really nice guys and it was fun to connect them with other colleagues at the party so they could work the crowd for fundraising.

Noni, Jenny, and I sat together.

We joked about how nice it was to have a reason to wear heels in Kigali!

I found this hat near the stage.

There was a lot of fun dancing!

An Irish band played mostly old school rock and roll.

A picnic at the Lake

2009-03-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

A large group of us from the Embassy went up to Lake Muhazi on Saturday- about an hour outside of Kigali- where the US Embassy owns some land and there is a small structure with a nice grill on the side of the lake. Everyone pitched in with creative picnic food, and many brought their children and pets too!

We played games all afternoon- including Scrabble...

and Bananagrams. Fun!

Culture: Hierarchy and Obedience

2009-03-16T02:38:00.000-07:00

(An interesting article written by a an Embassy employee for our local social-interest newsletter)

--By Javan Kajyambere

One of the defining characteristics of the Rwandan culture is their respect for hierarchy. This sometimes amazes foreigners, especially those from a western culture governed by written policies, when they hear answers like, "My supervisor told me," instead of "It is written policy."
If a Westerner asks, "Did you ask your supervisor why?" The Rwandan will always answer, "No." A Westerner asks, "Why did you leave this item there when you knew it was not the appropriate place?" And the Rwandan will respond, "My supervisor instructed me to do so."
"Does this look logical to you?" "Of course it does because my supervisor said so…." And so begins the frustrating, circular exchange. Well, to better settle out this misunderstanding, we need to know the place of the hierarchy in the Rwandan society.

In Rwanda, before and during the colonial era up to the early 1950s, the father was everything for the family. The nuclear family was the primary social, administrative and even political unit. As the head of the family, the father had the last word and his decisions were never questioned. A chief oversees many people and does not have the time to explain his decisions to his subordinates. Directives are meant to be followed, never questioned. These nuclear families formed the extended family (UMULYANGO) led by Umukuru w’umulyango (the head of the extended family). Not only the members of the extended family (200 to 300 people) were under his chiefdom but also all the activities (social events like marriages, ritual functions, economic activities and problem solving) were organized and supervised by him. The members of the family owed him strict obedience and he was expected to provide protection and maximum wealth in the form of cows and land taken from other hierarchies. It was from these chiefs of extended families that the King selected his Army chiefs, Cows’ chiefs and Land chiefs based on their leadership skills and age.

The hierarchy in Rwanda was a vertical system of management and absolute subordination. For example, if a child (or any other person within the hierarchy) disobeyed the father or chief, he or she could be banished from not only the nuclear family, but the large extensive family as well. This obedience to structure is the foundation upon which the culture of the Rwanda citizen was built. Many Kinyarwandan proverbs indicate that citizens should always do whatever the hierarchy asks. One of them is a popular saying "Irivuze Umwami." This means what the King (the boss) has said; no one else can say the opposite. Or, "Umwera uturutse ibukuru bucya wakwiriye hose" meaning low level people have to follow the examples set by the hierarchy. Unfortunately, the leader may be a blind man and when all the people follow him, they all fall in a pit.

Rwandans were and continue to be taught from childhood that they are to unconditionally respect their hierarchy, from the low level to the highest level of authority. And this culture has not completely disappeared despite the intermingling with western cultures. That’s why Rwandans will rarely call their supervisors by their names, or ask questions like why or on what basis do you give me this instruction. However, the yes response does not always mean that they agree. It sometimes means, the boss instructed, I have to obey.

International Women's Day in Nyagatare 3/8/09

2009-03-11T09:17:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday I traveled to the northwest part of Rwanda (about 2.5 hours drive from Kigali) to represent the U.S. Embassy at the International Women's Day Celebration. The gathering was held in a field in this rural part of Rwanda because the rate of gender based violence there is higher. Nyagatare is the largest district in Rwanda, with grassy plains and lower hills. It is close to the border with Uganda allowing a nice view of nearby Ugandan mountain ranges. The region also includes Akagera National Park where there is the largest variety of animals in Rwanda including buffalo, antelope, elephants, etc.

The US Ambassador was invited to this event but couldn't attend so it was offered to our HIV/AIDS team because we fund the gender based violence programs. I was happy to go and also happy that our prevention specialist was going with me, who is Rwandan. I knew that most of this celebration, especially in a rural area, would be conducted in Kinyarwanda.

There were a lot of farms, and cows in these flatter areas as we drove to Nyagatare.

Once we arrived, we exited the car as diplomats and were escorted to seats just next to the guests of honor under tents and near the podium. I don't think the diplomats typically sit with cameras like tourists throughout the event- but I didn't care, I was excited for the photo opportunities! :)

I didn't know there was a National band; they were very enteraining in their performance of the National Anthem in their bright blue band uniforms.
A number of local and national coalitions and associations paraded by with signs and show of support for women's issues.

A few men's groups also showed their support.

One group in the parade was a large partner/ grantee of the U.S. HIV/AIDS programs.

There was a group of women dancing here.

Another group performed a sketch about a family struggling because the man would drink and come home acting abusively and then the neighbors got involved and helped encourage the husband to save money and spend time with his family. I followed along with the story thanks to the translation from my colleauge.

Here a group performed traditional drumming and caused quite an appreciative stir from the audience because a woman was included in the drum line.

I thought the event was very well organized. The local Mayor, Governor, and a Minister from the Government spoke and reinforced messages about reducing and preventing gender based violence as well as strengthening families. There was a testimonial from a couple who had struggled with violent episodes from the husband but were able to reconcile and change behaviors with support from family and the community.

After returning to Kigali, I attended a dinner party at a friend's house. Hosting dinner parties is very popular here (not a lot of places to go out to!) and often the food is straight from the garden or some creative concoction from ingredients available in Rwanda. We took this picture at the end of the night because Jenny, Meredith, and I all rode with our usual taxi driver Bane. We all compete for Bane's time as he is such a great driver and a good guide to the country. We asked the house guard to take this picture for us, but he struggled with using the camera!

A Visit to Church

2009-03-01T05:23:00.000-08:00

I visited the Christ Church of Rwanda with my friend Laurie this past Sunday. She attends regularly and plays the piano with the choir /band. I was immediately impressed by this large pretty church in the middle of a fairly upper class neighborhood (Gaculiro) in Kigali.

They were celebrating their 2-year anniversary, complete with a larger than usual crowd, cake and refreshments. Lucky me!

As others began to arrive I ran into a handful of people who I have met before. A few families from the US Embassy were there, and a number of people I knew very well when I was last in Rwanda. It was a nice feeling to know so many others in the congregation, and immediately made me feel welcome.

I skimmed the visitor materials and learned the church was started by a couple from Uganda in 2005 and was primarily financed by a Church of Christ in Oaklahoma City. They describe this as a nondemominational comunity seeking to discover the call of the Bible in unity and community revival. As I listened to the proceedings (prayers, scripture, and the usual)...I learned they take a fairly conservative approach to scripture, which is not typically what speaks to me the most. However, the Minister gave an interesting sermon and explained that he strives to provide an academic and historical approach to faith when considering modern issues relevant to Rwanda. This is something that often does speak to me. Religion and faith have had both detrimental and helpful impact on Rwanda's healing and rebuilding after the horrific genodice in 1994. I want to explore this angle in my time here in an effort to more fully experience the culture and community. I liked that songs were sung in Kinyarwanda while the sermon was given in English. The congregation appeared to be about 70% Rwandese and 30% International.

The sermon included mention of the following quote: "Confront the brutal facts, yet never give up faith."...which is from the book "Good to Great" by Jim Collins. It was framed in a lesson about the "intention for gathered people and call to action". The Minister presented a challenge to consider the context of life in Rwanda, accept responsibility and understand impact of historty; while gathering with a purpose of finding solutions forward, providing thoughtful debate, and valuing security and empowerment. I liked these messages and appreciated the overall positive emphasis in the lecture. It was good food for thought.

Because it was the Anniversary celebration for this church, they invited traditional Rwandese Intore (een-or-ay) dancers to perform after the service ended. This form of traditional Rwanda "ballet" (centuries old) is one of the ancient forms of dancing in Africa. The Intore dancing is also known as “warrior dancing". They wear little bells on each foot which gives a rhythm to the entire background music. I loved how everyone smiled so widely throughout the dancing, the men jumped especially high into the air, and thanks to a friend translating next to me I learned the women were imitating cattle with arms extended as horns and the men acted as warriors and cattle keepers.

Who's at the dinner table?

2009-02-25T12:48:00.001-08:00

I joined a group last minute this evening leaving work headed to dinner. I serendipitously ended up in the middle of invigorating dinner table conversation. I talked at length with two colleagues across from me working to integrate quality improvement in the HIV/AIDS care and treatment systems here in Rwanda. I shared information about efforts at the National Cancer Institute toward connecting health outcomes to quality of care, and particularly about my experience working on patient-centered care initiatives. They were very interested and shared about elements they hope to include in a program here coaching and training trainers in the Rwandan health care system using various process indicators to track and ultimately improve the quality of care for HIV/AIDS. This was right up my alley and it was so great to connect my experience in DC with work here! I am excited to connect them with colleagues at NIH. On my left I found a friend who is working directly with the Ministry of Infrastructure in Rwanda to tackle energy issues. This is not right up my alley but I was fascinated to hear about possible solutions to energy crises and energy access problems in Rwanda. Further down the table I talked with a colleague who has worked in many African countries and shared about her dissertation on colonization in African countries. I commented about how I awoke this morning feeling the weight of the historical impact and footprint we have on a country like Rwanda- swooping in with millions of dollars in aid and then theoretically swooping out at some point. We discussed topics of great importance to me right now including sustainability and systems strengthening; critical to working successfully as a guest in a developing country. Another colleague brought her parents who are visiting Rwanda for 15 days. It was a joy to talk with them about their impressions and inquiries about what to see and do, and made me miss my own parents even more. On top of all of that, we ate at my favorite restaurant- stunning views and the best fish kebabs in the city. Just another typical evening in Kigali!

Uganda (Kampala, Lake Victoria, the Nile)

2009-02-19T13:06:00.001-08:00

I've been in Kampala, Uganda in training this week taking the CDC International Project Officer course. I've met many CDC colleagues from Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and DRC.

Leah and I became fast friends and went to dinner together most nights. She is originally from Panama but is working with the CDC in Tanzania right now. One of the nights she and I took a taxi to the Munyono Resort on Lake Victoria.

Lake Victoria behind me.

Here is a view of our hotel courtyard (Protea Hotel). Very pretty, comfortable, fast internet, very efficient hotel management, and yummy breakfast buffet.

On Thursday, Leah arranged an excusion for a number of us to visit the Nile. Here we are in the bus leaving Kampala.

Sights along the side of the road...

My seat-mate Robert from Tanzania.

Uganda outside of Kampala looks alot like Rwanda...small towns, tea fields, green hilly countryside.

First we stopped at Bujugali Falls. This was a very pretty area of rapids on the Nile.

Dangerous waters!

We took small boats out on the water- thankfully they had life preservers for us!

This was a pretty pelican near the shore.

We stopped and went on a short hike.

The guide pointed out where they are building a new dam and indicated all of the islands and the shore here will soon be submerged, but more power is needed!

A cow on the pretty hillside.

Next we went to the Source of the Nile-- where Lake Victoria begins to flow into the Nile.
We took another boat ride to get a closer look at this source.

Here the guide is pointing out where natural spring water bubbles up from the under the water, also filling the Nile. We were skeptical of this story.

We stumbled accross some rocks and climbed on a small rocky island. I slipped at one point and submerged one foot underwater ver briefly. After reading about the water in Lake Victoria- I am a little concerned I caught schistosomiasis (a snail parasite that hurts the liver over time)- let's hope not! I am going to consult the very knowledgeable CDC staff in Rwanda about this when I get back.

We stopped on the way back and bought Casava- which is sold as "fast food" on the side of the road. I'd never seen it before. This harvested from the ground, grilled on the barbeque served in newspaper with salt. You eat the whole thing- and it tastes a little like a potato.

Pics from Week 1- apartment and Kigali Hash House Harriers

2009-02-18T11:47:00.000-08:00

View from the balcony of my apartment-

A view of Kicyuru (my neighborhood) from the downtown hill-

Dining Room (I packed some of my own pictures, including an Obama calendar!) -

Kitchen (Brand new microwave and toaster...yay)-

I found the Kigali "Hash House Harriers" last weekend. For those of you who are not familiar- The Hash House Harriers began amongst some British in 1938 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as a group of people coming together to run/walk/and make friendships on weekends. It has since become a worldwide phenomenon. In Kigali- you can send a text and receive instructions on how to join the weekly hash run/walk.

This is the restaurant where the Hash met last weekend. It was difficult to find- and we got lost twice but we made it!

There were about 6 of us who traveled together- invited by two women who attend the Hash regularly.

We knew we were in the right place because of the pink "HHH" sign above the door (Barbara and I)

There was a very pretty view from the restaurant balcony of the road back to Kigali.

Jenny and I

Once it started- we circled up and the leaders explained some of the rules including that Hash attendees receive a nickname from the group after participating 10 times and can only request a re-name after 25 times participating. His name is Rambo. He also explained that two "Hares" have marked our trail for this evening hike and we should watch for white paint markings to follow the trail. There are sometimes when the road parts ways and the group yells out indications of which way is right if they find the right markings. I realized quickly this would be especially hard because this Hash would be by flashlight! Some people run on a trail and others do the walking trail and everyone meets at the end for dinner. I decided to go with the walking group for the night Hash!

I couldn't get many good pictures of the trail because it was so dark as we walked. But here I am staying close behind the "hare" (I didn't want to get lost on my first Hash!) and much of the trail went through neighborhood alleys, up and down hills, around the Kigali stadium, and through the nieghborhood. It was about an hour and a half of walking/hiking.

When we returned all the new people (including me) were introduced and some people changed into ties and dresses because this was the Valentine's Day Hash and formal attire was "suggested" in the instructions.

We ate dinner at the restaurant when we returned. Yummy chicken and goat and rice.

Drinking beer is a definite part of the Hash tradition but not required of course. I especially liked that there was a DJ and dancing after dinner!

I liked that the Hash in Kigali included as many Rwandans as ex-pats, and that many Hash trails are outside of the city. I learned that next week it is in a "suburb" of Kigali called Rwamagana, and the next week they are headed all the way to another city- Ruhengeri. I hope to attend another one soon!

Observations at the start of my 3rd visit

2009-02-11T02:19:00.001-08:00

What’s Changed?

1. Me
On my first trip to Rwanda I had a lot of fears- I didn’t know anyone and everything was new and different. I was forced to adapt, overcome fears, and make friends quickly. I notice these traits kick in much more quickly each time I return. I also don’t feel the immediate pressure to travel the whole country in the first month. I’ve seen many parts already, and I have more weekends to spread out the fun. I’ve been approached by two new friends who were “told” I was the person to talk to for weekend trip ideas and outdoor activities. Not a bad reputation to have! In some ways returning is easier because I already know people, I’ve worked in this building, and I’ve lived in this apartment complex. In other ways it is harder because I miss more things from home now that some of the new-ness of Rwanda has worn off. For this trip I ended a job, moved out of an apartment, and left a significant other in DC, these things are much harder.

2. The City
Each time I return to Rwanda, colleagues and friends update me on many changes to buildings, roads, and restaurants while I've been away. Rwanda continues to develop at the speed of light. I heard that a new Kenyan grocery store chain had opened called Nakumat, so I went there on my third day. It is amazing! Almost like Target (although pricier)…there are even beauty/health and electronics sections. I sort of miss the challenge of finding all these items secondhand from street vendors or in small un-marked shops around Rwanda. I also learned Indian Kahzana restaurant closed, which was a favorite among ex-pats especially for the lively birthday singing and yummy food. There is a new flashy, neon-lit, hilltop hotel that no one I know has stayed in, but is rumored to be bringing slot machines to Rwanda. The Novotel (where I stayed in July) has changed management hoping to boost the quality of rooms and service (which was needed!) The Ministry of Health is re-organizing…we are not sure how this will impact our work yet; it may only be structural/name changes or may involve new authorities.

3. The People
There are constantly new members of the CDC and US Embassy team. I am sad that Marie-Claire is no longer here in Rwanda and we have lost two other important Rwandan members of our CDC team to other jobs. I will miss Mahita who provided my first introductions to Rwanda life and expectations. She worked here 4 years, and has now moved back to the States for an exciting new job. I am happy though to have already met some fun new friends on the team.

4. The Work
Both times I have been to Rwanda have been in the summertime and we worked mostly to gear up for and execute end of fiscal year spending and the next year’s budget and HIV/AIDS program planning. I am here for that time period as well as the “off-season” this time. The work is still very busy but more focus is made on managing human resources (hiring and transitioning team members), working with the grantees proactively, and planning ahead for retreats and the upcoming budget season. I also had a chance to visit Atlanta and meet many headquarters staff before I came this time, which will immensely improve my efficiency. I am excited to be here during this planning phase and hope to develop more tools to leave behind that will help future teams track and plan progress.

What is the Same?

1. The Beauty
I always wonder if the striking beauty of this country will fade the next time I visit. Not so. When I arrived after dark last Saturday (the sun sets at 5:30pm), I couldn’t decide whether I liked Kigali better in the dark or in the daylight. At night the view includes rolling hills of flickering lights, the sound of palm leaves waving in the tropical breeze, and the smell of burning wood mixed with lush green (is that a scent?!). In the daytime the sun shines brightly nearly every day. The view includes rolling hills of brown/red city streets, green lush ground cover in the distance, and bright flowers in nearly every yard. The streets are crowded with hundreds walking, uniformed school children headed to class, cars speeding around motos, and small mini-buses packed with busy people.

2. The Weather
I’ve never known a place with such perfect weather. If it is grey for 10 minutes in the morning the office is a –buzz wondering what is wrong, questioning the effects of climate change in the world? I have yet to be here in the heart of the “rainy season” but have heard it also merely involves a brief heavy afternoon shower.

3. The People
The culture is as cautious and yet welcoming as ever. I had warm welcome from many friends and colleagues. Our relationship with the Rwandan government to get our work done remains strong. The Rwandans are active participants in our partnership on improvements to health care and disease prevention; it continues to be a privilege to work here.

4. The Work
Daniel (our Deputy Director) is leaving again. This time he and I only had 3 days to transition. I will fill in for many of his duties again. He needs shoulder surgery, will recuperate in Atlanta, and will return to Rwanda in mid-August. More than his oversight and advice, I will miss the energy and companionship he brings to the team here. Wearing many hats, jumping-in to big decision-making, navigating the collaborative teams among three bureaucratic organizations- these things have not changed and I hope to thrive again under these challenges.

Travel Notes- Friday and Saturday

2009-02-08T06:05:00.000-08:00

(Friday 6:15pm in Dulles on the tarmac...) I have a whole row to myself on this leg of the trip. Row 39 EFG. Lucky me! Now I can stretch out. It's already strange on the plane- no one is speaking english around me. I hear french, german, and dutch. All of the ennouncements are in multiple languages. The flight is 6 hours and 12 minutes. They are showing a series of movies 3 different times during the flight. I can choose from Flash of Genious, Secret Lives of Bees, Nights at Rodanthe, Dutchess, Max Payne, Rachel Getting Married, or Burn After Reading. I think I'll choose Rachel Getting Married. There is a picture of a plane and a map on the back of the seat in front of me. We are still over the U.S. heading up the eastern shore.

(Saturday 15 hours later...) I'm the second leg of the trip now. I had a good flight to Brussels and arrived there at 7AM. I always forget how hard it is to transfer internationally. United Airlines did not print an actual ticket for my flight out of Brussels so when I went through customs they told me I had to leave the international terminal and go to the ticket counter at the front of the airport. I had to wallk very far to go outside and then back in a long line at the SN Brussels desk- the American Airlines partner. They couldn't find any reservation for me. It was scary for a moment. But I stayed persistent and asked for a supervisor, etc. I explained 2 or 3 times that I flew United and was switching to American Airlines (complicated by the fact that I was at the SN Brussels desk because they are the carrier...) Eventually they called United and it got sorted out and they found the ticket. whew. As it turned out when they talked to United, they learned my bags had been offloaded in Brussels by United. So, I had to walk down to baggage claim and pick out the 5 bags! I guess this is the silver lining, because I would not have learned my bags would not have made it, if I had not had to go out to this airline desk. Unfortunately they also told me that SN Brussels only allows one carryon bag...so they made me check my other one. (NowI have 6 checked bags!! This was particularly stressful to me because my carryon bags were jammed full of expensive electronics and migraine medecine. I watched it go away on the baggage carousel with fingers crossed that I would see it again soon!

My layover in Brussels was from 7AM-10AM. I wondered around the International terminal looking at the duty free things. I was reminded of how Belgium is an english speaking country but I think french is the preferred language. There is a little hint of annoyance when you ask people to speak english (airport personnel and store clerks). I wasn't brave enough to break out the french yet., but will have to soon. I am always a little shy at first- the accent is so hard. I
stopped at a cafe and bought a "jambon and fromage" (hame and cheese) baguette for 4 euros and a coke light (diet coke) for 2 euros. That was an expensive snack!

Every time I wake up from napping on the second flight (7.5 hours long!) I spend time watching a Rwandan woman accross the aisle from me with her 1 year old little boy. This flight is full, so she has to hold him in her lap the whole time. Besides the fact that the baby boy is adorable, smily, bright eyed, and very active...I am struck by how "universal" her mothering is. She is speaking french while singing lullaby's to him, keeping him from chewing on the seatbelts, giving him high "fives", waving at him, and pretending to be a train when feeding him. There is something so heartwarming to see universal human behavior. Part of my reaction is feeling validated that everyone should be themselves, especially in uncomfortable scenarious like traveling in a new country or being in a new setting with no one speaking your language...it's calming and amazing to be reminded that we are all human and much of who we are is natural and shared regardless of place or language.

Other random thoughts on the plane:
-the food on planes is BAD. Wish I'd packed some granola bars in my carryon bag.
-it's cold on planes! Wish I'd put a jacket in my bag too. I've had to sneak 3 airline blankets to stay warm. brrr.
Wait!...SN Brussels just handed out swirled chocolate and vanilla ice cream cups and warm hand towels. What was I saying about bad food on planes? All is forgiven. haha

(Saturday 8:30pm, arrived in Kigali...) Our CDC driver Syla picked me and my six large bags- which all arrived thankfully, up at the airport. Syla told me Kigali has been waiting anxiously for my return. :) He took me to my apartment- in the same building as the last time I was here for 3 months. It is a slightly bigger one-bedroom- with a full size kitchen this time. It is furnished with a TV with cable, microwave, and much of the kitchen stuff and linens that I will need. I mailed about 10 boxes too- so once I have that stuff it will look more like home. Daniel came over and brought me welcome goodies including toilet paper, paper towel, bottled water and snacks. So nice!! I totally forgot those were the essential things I needed upon arrival. We are off to go out with friends tonight- Daniel is leaving Rwanda again and I am filling in for him again. He needs shoulder surgery which will take 6 months, so this is his last weekend in Kigali. I am tired from traveling...but how can I pass up a last weekend night out with Daniel before he goes?! It will be great to catch up with friends tonight too. Packing and resting can wait until tomorrow...

On My Way!

2009-02-06T05:56:00.000-08:00

9 hours before departure....Today I am finishing up last minute details, re-packing my six suitcases (thanks to CDC for excess baggage allowance), headed to the bank, pondering what really has to go in my carry-on bags. I learned a lesson the first time I went to Rwanda: the lighter the carry-on bags the better while walking through airports!

I leave today at 6pm from Dulles airport with a 5-hour layover in Brussels tomorrow morning, and I arrive in Kigali at 7pm on Saturday. I can't remember whether it's best to sleep on the first flight or the second flight or not at all?! Oh well, I'll figure it out and probably sleep whenever I am tired anyway.

I have an apartment arranged in the same building I lived in last year, but a slightly bigger place. It's great because it is furnished and only 3/4 mile from the office, so I can walk to work. I learned from a co-worker in Rwanda that Kigali is as beautiful and sunny as ever right now. I can't wait for the 75 degree weather everyday!

I was very happy to hear today that the person picking me up in Kigali will have keys to my apartment and a cell phone for me. Yay! I am thankful that I will not be wondering around the airport or trying to get 6 bags into a taxi. I also got an email invitation to go out dancing Saturday night. I will be exhausted...but I rarely turn down an opportunity to go dancing, even after 24 hours of travel! It's so nice that I have been there twice already and so many friends are still there.

I am very sad to leave DC and all of my friends and loved ones. I've had an amazing last week. Paul threw a fantastic goodbye party in the party room of his building with lots of dancing and karaoke. I ate yummy food this week that will hopefully last me throughout my 8 months away...Oysters (my very favorite!), sushi, steak, and Ethiopian food. Fun activities included a superbowl party, movies, Air & Space Museum in Virginia, ice skating, and a fun wine bar. I am so thankful to my friends who helped move my stuff into storage and helped organize the party last weekend. Also, a huge thank you to Paul for taking time off this week, helping me take care of everything, and taking me to the airport today. I could not have done this without him.

Many more Rwanda adventures to come!

Preparing for a return trip...

2009-01-06T10:06:00.000-08:00

I am once again counting down to a departure date for a trip to Rwanda. I am thrilled to have been asked to return and serve as the CDC Senior Program Manager of Cooperative Agreements (contracts) with organizations providing HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programs. I will be on temporary loan from NIH to CDC from February through October 2009. I look forward to this new adventure and am excited to offer continued assistance to these important programs in Rwanda. Now, back to making lists, packing....

Women in Rwanda

2008-10-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

The Washington Post has published interesting articles recently about the role of women in Rwanda as politicians and business owners.

"Women Run the Show In a Recovering Rwanda"- October 27, 2008
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/26/AR2008102602197.html?sid=ST2008051504314&s_pos=list

and

"Women Rise in Rwanda's Economic Revival"- May 16, 2008
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/05/15/ST2008051504314.html?sid=ST2008051504314&s_pos=list

PEPFAR II: Big Picture

2008-09-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

Background
In May 2003, Congress approved and President Bush signed into law, the "United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2003" This legislation approved expenditure of up to $15 billion over 5 years.The program known as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) spent $18.5 billion over those five years to prevent HIV infection, treat people with AIDS, and provide care to orphans and vulnerable children. PEPFAR is "the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in human history."

Moving Forward

On July 30th , 2008 the U.S. Government reauthorized the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) allocating $48 billion to developing countries for their struggle against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. The bulk of this money, $39 billion, is for HIV/AIDS, with $4 billion going towards tuberculosis, and $5 billion for tackling malaria. The act also doubles the US contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to $2 billion yearly.

The 2008 reauthorization act provided the following guidelines:

Over half of the funds are to be spent on treatment programmes, including antiretroviral treatment, care for associated opportunistic infections and nutritional support for people living with HIV/AIDS.

In countries with generalised HIV epidemics, at least half of all money directed towards preventing sexual HIV transmission should be for ‘activities promoting abstinence, delay of sexual debut, monogamy, fidelity, and partner reduction’. If this is not complied with then the Global AIDS Coordinator must report to Congress within 30 days on the reasons behind the shortfall.

10% of the funds are directed towards helping orphans and vulnerable children.

PROS

The U.S. is saving the lives of millions of people in the poorest places on the planet through this effort. The number of AIDS deaths worldwide dropped 10% in 2007 due to increasing access to treatment, as did the number of new infections in children. “In a surprisingly short period of time, there has been a tripling of prevention efforts in some countries,” said Dr. Paul De Lay, director of evaluation for UNAIDS.

PEPFAR reauthorization was the result of months of work by Democratic and Republican congressional leaders, advocacy organizations, foreign policy experts and medical professionals who worked together to pass historic new funding levels to fight AIDS, TB and malaria.

Bipartisan Support: McCain and Obama were co-sponsors on the the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008. (headed by Sen. Biden and Lugar and others)

PEPFAR II rescinded the United States HIV/AIDS travel and immigration ban, which as one consequence had prevented the US from ever hosting HIV/AIDS conferences, and even worse discouraged HIV-positive immigrants, many of whom acquired the disease in the US, from taking an AIDS test or accessing medical services.

"America’s global AIDS plan has proved to be a smart investment, paying dividends in lives saved, communities stabilized and America’s reputation in the world growing a little bit brighter. This stuff works and leaders from left and right — leaders like Senators Biden and Lugar, Representatives Berman and Ros-Lehtinen, President Bush, Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid - put aside their differences and agreed to do more." Bono- co-founder of the One organization. 7/31/08

CONS

PEPFAR continues to require beneficiary countries to emphasize abstinence-only in their prevention efforts, a methodology supported by religious ideology, not scientific evidence.
At times this means countries have had to use essential funds in ineffective ways.

PEPFAR has a "conscience clause" allowing HIV/AIDS workers to deny services to anyone they deem "immoral." This U.S. foreign policy often promotes both stigma and discrimination against homosexuals, intravenous drug users and sex workers ironically, among those most at risk of HIV/AIDS.

A recent study in six U.S. urban centers revealed an astounding HIV prevalence of 46 percent among black gay men. In addition, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its revised estimate for annual new HIV infections in the United States, a 40 percent increase, from 40,000 a year to more than 56,000. It seems possible that we have grossly underestimated the scope of the national U.S. epidemic in the past decade.

PEPFAR requires beneficiary nations to develop a national AIDS strategy, while the Bush administration has refused to create one of its own. However, Congress has just allocated $1.4 million to launch a national strategy.

Rwanda has been ahead of the curve in meeting treatment goals, but they and many of the other focus countries struggle with the following challenges:

coordination difficulties amongst both U.S. and non U.S. agencies
U.S. government policy constraints

shortages of qualified focus country health workers

focus country government restraints

weak infrastructure, including data collection and reporting systems, and drug supply systems.

For more information: A report from the Kaiser Family Foundation compares PEPFAR I with PEPFAR II here.

Why not eat the monkeys?

2008-08-22T07:23:00.000-07:00

Stories from Rwanda pop out in conversation with me all the time. Many of them are thought provoking- like this one...

During my last week in Rwanda, I ate lunch with some of my Rwandese friends on the CDC team. They asked a lot of questions about what is different in D.C. as compared with Rwanda. I joked about how lunch at NIH is not a buffet (luckily!) and how there are not usually toothpicks on tables (which is common practice in Rwanda- maybe because the meat is tougher?). One of my friends, "A", told us he had been to Washington DC a few years ago. He had never been to the States before and stayed there for four days while in training. Here is one of the many compelling things he had to say:

A: There are many traffic circles in D.C. like Kigali.
Me: True! And similar crazy driving and lack of traffic rules in both cities.

A: In D.C. there are a lot of monkeys living in these circles.
Me: What! Did you say monkeys?
A: Yes, a very small kind with long furry tails and little hands breaking apart thier food.
Me: Oh you mean squirrels!
The group : What is a squirrel?
Me: Uhmm...rodent family I think, like rats...not monkeys.
(Laughter)

A: Also, there are a lot of people living in the circles.
The group: What! There are houses in the circles?
A: No, they sleep on the ground and cover themselves with plastic.
The group: Why? (looking to me) Is there no space for houses in the US?
Me: No, we have plenty of space for houses.
The group: Well, is there not enough building materials?
Me: No, we have plenty of materials.
The group: How do they cook food? Do they eat the monkeys?

I stumbled through an attempt to describe how and why homelessness exists in the US. I conveyed that life can get very complicated (especially in a larger city in the US) in terms of buying or renting a house/car/utilities/etc. and we have to navigate these complex systems which require a stable income. When this isn't possible, losing your house/car/etc can happen very quickly. I mentioned how some people suffer from disabilities or physical and health ailments and are unable to navigate and function in these systems. They may not have or be near family members who could help. I also mentioned post-traumatic stress from fighting in a war; natural disasters destroying homes; shifts in skill sets needed among workers; and the impact of policies/politics on government services available to adults.

In Rwanda, there are essentially no adults without a place to stay. When you do not have money to pay for a house, as a last resort you go to the forest, cut down some trees, get some mud, and make a home. And before that option, there is an open door policy among families and friends-who-are-like-family. It is understood that you can just show up to stay with them if needed. They place a high value on "families" and cast a wide net defining their family members. In my short time there I received the warmth of many friends considering me to be part of their "family", and telling me that next time I come to Rwanda I need to stay with them.