Go Big or Go Home

All last week, I was in an Environmental Training Workshop put on by UNESCO, the teaching branch of the United Nations. We talked about different practices in the camps that lead to sickness among the refugees, and how we can create messages to teach them about said practices. For example, the containers people use to collect water, called Jericans, get dirty very easily. So, the water they bring back from the watering hole is contaminated, and if consumed, could cause diarrhea or other gastrointestinal diseases. People need to boil that water before drinking it to kill the germs, but the problem is that they don’t have a lot of firewood to burn. If they don’t know exactly how important it is to boil their water, they will probably choose to save firewood rather than use it to boil the water. Therefore, a sample message for this might be (in Kinyarwanda): Keep our families healthy by always drinking boiled water. The focus of the workshop, though, was more on the phrasing and design of the message than it was about the actual issues. It was an attempt to get people to thoroughly consider the phrasing of these messages, and test them by surveying in the camps, rather than just sitting in an office trying to guess what would be best.

For me, the most interesting part of the workshop happened at lunch on Wednesday. I was looking in a shop just down the road from the classroom, and I saw these cards (like stationery as you would use to write a thank you note) of different animals and Rwandan cultural scenes. Very simple, carefully constructed cards. There were birds, lions, and hippos, as well as people in boats, sunsets, and mountainous landscapes. The cards are homemade from flower petals, leaves, and banana fibers, sort of pasted together into scenes. I was thinking that I would buy a bunch to send home, but then I read the back of the card; it says “Made by and for widows and orphans of Byumba Diocese, Rwanda.” I asked the storekeeper to explain what this meant, and he said that the Byumba Diocese was right next door, and that I could go see for myself.

I walked next door, and eventually found a woman sitting in a small room with some knives and leaves, making the cards by hand. She directed me to another woman who runs the program, Meg Guillefaud, who is actually a muzungu, English by heritage. She has lived and worked in Rwanda almost her whole life, except for the period of the genocide, and speaks fluent Kinyarwanda (funny to see the reactions of the locals). She explained to me that the cards are made by widows and orphans of the genocide, and that they sell them throughout Rwanda to raise money. So far they have been able to pay for installing roofs on the houses of 7 widows and for the school fees of a number of orphans.

Even before I knew that these cards were made by orphans and widows for a good cause, I thought that they would be a big hit back home. Meg explained that she sells them in England and Germany, but as fate would have it, has been looking for a US market to enter. I told her that I know a woman back home who likes to write notes very much, and that this woman might be able to find a vendor for these cards (looking at you mom). So, if you happen to run a stationery store and are reading this, get in touch with my mother about selling these cards to support the widows and orphans of the genocide, if you are interested of course. If you are not a stationery vendor, look out for the cards at your local stationery store. I think we could raise a lot of money to help these women and children out.

This is all part of plans I have been making in keeping with a concept I talked about with my dad a few days ago. I think that there are so many people back home who want to help people down here, and in all impoverished parts of the world. And, there is so much need for that assistance. What’s missing, though, is a good bridge between these two things. As my dad said, people want to help, but they don’t want to just give money to the UN when we don’t know where they are spending it. There should be a way to contribute without overhead fees and all that bull – no bureaucrats, just your money straight to the people who need it. I’m thinking about starting a program (no bureaucracy) to put as many kids as possible through school here, but I haven’t worked it out yet. I’ll keep you posted.

When I came back to Kigali after a week of environmental training, Hillary and I had a meeting with Barry, the Country Director, to give us an opportunity to ask him any questions. He gave us a general overview of the program, and updated us on the different reports we are responsible for; monthly report to UNHCR, monthly update on the HIV Program to headquarters, quarterly report to PEPFAR, quarterly report to OPEC, and quarterly report to GLIA. After the general overview, we asked general questions about the program.

I presented the following situation: a nice woman from home responded to my request for help for Sammuel by sending a t-shirt. The shirt has a soccer ball on the front; really cool for any kid. I asked Barry how to handle individual donations, and he said that I really can’t give it to him, because it would probably end up hurting him more than helping him. Puzzled, I suggested that maybe I could have Sammuel do some work for the HIV Program, and give him the shirt as a reward for his work. But, Barry told me that when you give something to somebody, child or adult, everyone else is left thinking “why not me? Why didn’t I get one?” This anger turns into resentment, and then it becomes “Oh, he got that shirt because he is Tutsi.” Or, “he got that shirt because his family is Hutu.” Or even, “he got that because his parents are HIV+.” It can create stigma surrounding a person, and cause tensions based on health status or ethnicity. It is hard to imagine, but in a place where everybody needs so many things, it is not that hard to see. It’s too bad, though, because any kid would love that shirt so much. Really then, I think it is an all or nothing type thing over here, like go big or go home. As in, unless you have enough for every kid in the camp, you really can’t do it. It has to be a systemic approach that attempts to provide for refugees based on the very principle of their rights as refugees; every person should be treated equally, with the same rights.

But, the donations are such a great gesture, and I want to say thank you to the woman who sent the shirt, and all the people who offered to help Sammuel. I hope the potential effects of individual donations don’t discourage anyone from trying to help.

Now, the pen pal idea for Sammuel will have to be initiated as a class project at school. I have been in touch with a teacher from Kingston Elementary School, and she had her students write letters to students here. But, if we are going to do it, it has to be a commitment for the year, because it will mean so much to the kids here (Caitlin, if you are reading this, what do you think about this? Is it possible to do it for the whole year?) It wouldn’t be fair to do it for half of the year, and not the rest. I know these kids would look forward to the letters every month more than anything. As you can see, I am learning a lot about the most helpful and effective ways to help people here.

In other news, last night at Nyabiheke two mice ran into the dining area after dinner. Theodore called in the guards and hunted them down, and I think he really enjoyed it (see smiling face while holding weapons). I don’t think it was Harold though, because there were definitely mice in my room that night.

The HIV Program is going well, but is still not up and running completely. We have trainings scheduled for the next few weeks, and are hoping to officially start Voluntary Counseling and Testing services by the end of October (the building is almost finished, see picture). I am being trained in building improved cook stoves early next week, and then I will train people to teach the population how to make them. This weekend, though, I am making a trip to Goma, one of the most well known cities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is right over the border of Rwanda on the northern part of Lake Kivu, and Jotham, our Program Director at ARC, is taking me, as he is originally a pastor from this area. Firstly, it will be an interesting tourist visit as Goma was covered in lava following the eruption of Nyiragongo Volcano in 2002. The eruption destroyed nearly 40% of the city. But secondly, more importantly, I think it will be interesting to see where a lot of our refugees come from; maybe it will help us relate to them. DRC is safe right now because it is in between election periods. Come three weeks, it might not be a good idea to go.

I have tried to learn Kinya-rwanda here, but it is so hard. The words are too long, and have too many Ks, Ms, and Zs all jammed together. But, I have learned a certain word that I think will save me in any dangerous situation, like a robbery. I have never felt threatened, but just in case, the word I learned is “Urahitqwa?”. It translates into “Do you have diarrhea?” I am thinking that if anyone is mugging me, and I ask them if they have diarrhea, they will have no choice but to laugh and let me go. I have tested it on the drivers here and they can’t stop laughing when I say it.

I’ll be back with more when I get back from Goma to tell you all about it. Thanks for reading.