A quick P.S. to Zach’s note – from Ioana

Zach and I are happy to have the opportunity to stay here for 10 whole weeks. There is a lot of work to be done and we have many ideas that we hope to implement, making a short film being one of them. I am also involved with a women’s group called Women Developing Rwanda. As orphans who have survived traumatic experiences at an early age, these women and girls have established a support network for each other. Because of relatively strict gender roles, the girls at the Center are usually the ones to take care of their younger brothers and sisters. For now, we had few sessions with Barbara and Shelly, two counselors who usually teach local counselors how to take care of women and children. We are hoping to continue to use and explain their techniques, while also thinking about a potential income-generating activity for the women.
I feel that my days here have been more than fulfilling. I have never before met such a dedicated group of young people who are willing to walk for hours every day just so that they can learn English. I hope our teachings lead them on a road towards a brighter future. Maybe it will help them find a job. Maybe they will continue on to a University. But the furture is uncertain and for now, we try to be their teachers, may be even their friends.

The Learning Center

Hello Hello! Zach here. Should be about time for an update on just how everything is working out at the Learning Center. The volunteers have arrived, everybody is here soaking up the endless sunny days and shining light on an already glowing organization. The full-time teachers Moses, Francoise and Eric are glad to have us and we are sure glad to have them.

The government of Rwanda is currently in a transition period towards becoming an English speaking country from a French speaking country. This means that while most people speak French (all speak Kinyarwandan), many want to learn English and are proud of the English they know. People on the street see Mazungus (kinyarwandan for white people) and shout “hello,” “how are you” and “good morning,” no matter what time of day it is. The children in particular are excited to demonstrate their English prowess and are perfect evidence of a bright future for the country of Rwanda. It’s a great time and a great place to come and teach English.

The volunteers are doing all they can to impart as much knowledge possible in the time they are here. We arrive to newly swept and mopped classrooms every morning to attentive, bright and energetic students. There are beginning, intermediate and advanced English classes, and even a free conversation section for the students that simply want to practice their English. Some volunteers travel across town to Coeur Joyeux, another school in need of English teachers. There are well over 100 students in all. Many hope to continue on to an English speaking university, while others hope to immediately find a job that would require English skills.

Here's a picture of the beginners class:



Then in the afternoon we have activities for the students, both to cultivate their interests and give them the opportunity to practice their English. David and Amy are starting their music school and the anticipation is palpable. Ioana and I do Film and Photography, Tonya is teaching writing, Alison is teaching history, Kathy and Becky are doing an English club, and on Friday, the students are given the opportunity to play sports. These activities promote English speaking in a variety of contexts. All the students are orphans (from the genocide) and many did not finish secondary school, so such instruction can help fill in the gaps in education and upbringing (and make them have some fun!). After the most of the volunteers leave in August, I hope to create some business, environmental and even general knowledge workshops for the students. Needless to say, the volunteers will leave a positive impact on the Learning Center.

Everybody is enjoying their time in Rwanda, finding some time outside of the Learning Center to visit places around the beautiful city of Kigali. Whether its bargaining at the markets, eating at cheap, delicious restaurants with beautiful views, riding on the backs of motorcycles, being moved at the genocide memorial, or having a primus (Rwandan beer) and delightful conversation with Rwandans, Kigali has something great to offer. Sarah, Alison and Becky even traveled to the beautiful Lake Kivu, just a two hour bus ride away for gorgeous, untouched landscapes.

Now of course, nothing is perfect. The power occasionally goes out, volunteers experience some health problems, lessons don't go exactly as planned, misinformed students or teachers show up at the wrong times to the wrong place, cell phones are lost and confusion is created by the language barrier. Life is an adventure and Rwanda is particularly adventurous.

Counting down the days.

"You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself."

- Galileo

Hey there! Better yet, muraho! Zach here. As you might have read in the post before, I will be volunteering with Ioana and all the other amazing volunteers at N4A. We are leaving in less than a week and things are getting pretty hectic here! So far Sophie and everyone else at N4A has been super helpful in getting us ready for the trip. We're hoping to bring a suitcase full of donations and another full of sun tan lotion, bugspray and maybe some clothes too. The strangest part about preparing for our trip was putting away most of my stuff and saying to myself "I'll have no use for that in Rwanda." Most of my life simply has no place in Kigali and will be in storage for the next 3 months.

So again, I just graduate from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, USA with a degree in Chemical Engineering (I just found out that the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology does not have a Chemical Engineering Department, we'll see about that). I also studied economic, environmental sustainability topics during my time there. While I do play a few instruments and took a few vocal classes, I would barely call myself a musician. However, I will be bringing my acoustic guitar for Amy Stead and David Wald, who are setting up a music school! Should be really exciting and I hope to be a part of it.

So what else am I doing? Well, teaching for short. But since I can't teach the entire English language to someone in such a short amount of time, I like the term empowering, which is exactly what N4A does. More children are attending school in Rwanda than at any other time in the country's history. Female students in particular are dramatically increasing in numbers, so it is a very exciting time of progress and development for the country. (Fun Fact: Rwandan's parliament became the first in the world to contain a majority of women - 56%!) N4A helps Rwandans help themselves, and as Galileo put it, N4A helps the Rwandans find it within themselves. It could be a budding entrepeneur, engineer, or perhaps an artist or a musician. Thus I hope to contribute my english, scientific and financial knowledge in order to help the Rwadans find their "it" within themselves.

On a different note, while preparing for Rwanda, Ioana and I watched the chilling Beyond the Gates (also titled Shooting Dogs, a better title in our opinion) and Sometimes in April. The latter demonstrated life after the genocide as the people of Rwanda rebuilt their lives with tremendous energy and courage. In the movie the protagonist's own brother is charged by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda with crimes against humanity. It is the process of reconciliation between the killers and the relatives of those who were killed that accounts for the most interesting part of the plot.

If you feel like watching a movie about the Rwandan genocide not focusing on the Rwandans themselves, then look no further than Beyond the Gates. The movie stands as a stark example of complete abandonement by the Western world. Over 2,500 refugees have fled to a Church/schoolyard under protection by a Belgian UN force. The area is run by a priest and idealistic-to-the-point-of-naive young English teacher named Chris (hmm... sound familiar? *cough cough*). Six days after the fateful April day, the UN decides to withdraw from the compound leaving the refugees to be massacred. Most importantly, this scenario is not limited to the situation described in the movie. As the number of UN soldiers decreased from 2500 to 250, numerous places of refuge across Rwanda were left unprotected from the interahamwe waiting outside.

For a different vantage point or more information on the genocide, you can watch the documentary Ghosts of Rwanda. The relevent scene to the discussion above starts at 3:30:

Well that's about it for now. Soon we'll be able to update you on what we're doing in Kigali. Until then, muramukeho!

-- Zach