SOMA's Birth

Continuing with updates. During our training period, myself and other volunteers came up with the idea of publishing a journal to capture our PC service. We wanted a professional looking journal with official feel to it. Here's the proposal letter I put together and sent to the PC Country Director, John, and his deputy, Biba. (Original Date, April 29th, 2009)

John and Biba,

A group of the volunteers expressed interest in putting together a Peace Corps/Rwanda Magazine/News Letter. We set up two meetings to brain storm on content and structure and came up with this DRAFT proposal that we would like to share with you.

We would like to initiate a quarterly Peace Corps Rwanda journal publication, journal title that we came up with is, “SOMA: Stories, Opinions, Messages, Art”. SOMA also means “READ” in Kinyarwanda. The publication will serve the purpose of capturing the experiences and stories of interested volunteers. The journal will be a montage of free-form entries both professional and personal that could include articles, poetry, photographs, and shared lessons and experiences from the field. The journal will eventually serve as a documentary for current and future volunteers, as well as any interested readers. Publication guidelines will be in place and enforced by the managing editor, ensuring the adherence to Peace Corps policies.

Journal publication will be as followed:

• PCVs submit free-form entry via email or mail (ie: poem, drawing, article, photo, story, etc.)
• Submissions must be received by managing editor one month prior to publication date
• Submissions will be reviewed and approved by managing editor according to the set guidelines
• Entries may be in Ikinyarwanda or English
• Publication dates will be the first week of:
o Aug 09, Nov 09, Feb 10, May 10, Aug 10, Nov 10, Feb 10
• Estimated cost per print copy is 500 rwf.
• An E-copy may be made available free of charge.

Sample Format:
Below is a sample of the titles that will be included in this publication along with responsible party for content review.
I. Index
II. Letter from Editor-in-Chief
III. Letter from Country Director/APCD
IV. Featured Partner Organization - Ahmed
V. Free-Form Articles and Stories
a. Lessons learned and active projects – Anna
b. Book Reviews – Katie
c. Kinyarwanda Page – Bryna
i. Fact sheet
ii. Dictionary
iii. Culture review
d. Travel Section – Ahmed
i. Places to visit, eat and stay
VI. Entertainment section
a. Fashion Review – Jacelyn
b. Music Review - Brandon
c. Word on the Street from Kigali – Raechel
d. Advice Column “Words from Felician” – Felician
e. Poetry – Emmet
f. Horoscope – Chrissi
g. How to… - Taylor
VII. Arts and Photography - Malcolm
VIII. Comics – Tom and Emmet
a. Where’s Mup?!

Logistics:
I. Production
Main form of production will be in paper form. Volume size will range from 20-30 pages with estimated number of copies (50)
Number of pages 25
Print cost per page 15 RWF
Binding cost per copy = 75 RWF
Other Cost per copy = 100 RWF

Total cost per copy (est.) = 500 RWF
Number of copies 50
Total print Cost (est.) = 25,000 RWF

Electronic form will also be available and can be sent via email.

II. Delivery
Mode of delivery will need to be finalized. Several options are available
a. Using mail boxes at the PC office in Kigali for pick up during site visit
b. Mail delivery
c. Delivery by PC staff visiting PCV sites
d. Electronic copy to be sent via email

III. Accounting
Average cost per copy is estimated at 500RWF

Sources for funding this publication will vary:

• Application for PEPFAR funding for issues covering HIV/AIDS and other PEPFAR related projects
• Application for funding from NGOs and/or other organization featured in the publication
• Charging recipient of publication the estimated cost of 500 rwf.

Stories from the Field

I'm slowly updating my blog with missing time lines from my Peace Corps service in Rwanda. Here's a draft publication that I sent to my NGO following one of my work projects on the field. (original date July 24, 2009)

Access Project and GE Collaboration Brings Much Needed Equipments to Nemba
Hospital in Rwanda

Another successful collaboration between Access Project and GE Global Health brings
valuable instruments to Nemba Hospital, District of Gakenke, Northern Province,
Rwanda. Access Project through its partnership with GE secured the donation of new
patient Anesthesia monitors and other equipments worth more than ($ADD VALUE HERE). Nemba Hospital surgeons operate in two theatre rooms and perform up to 4 procedures a day. One of the two theatre rooms is equipped with old generation anesthesia monitoring system that is limited in capabilities. The second room lacked any anesthesia monitoring system and could only be used for minor procedures. Today,
surgeons at Nemba can perform up to 6 operations a day and include pediatric patients
instead of transferring pediatric cases to other hospitals.

With the new acquisition, the hospital now is has two theatrical rooms equipped with
essential patient monitoring instruments. In addition to the added operating room
capacity, the new GE Datex-Ohmeda 7100 comes with many bells and whistles. The
new equipment is outfitted with an intuitive user interface that displays all the patient information needed for assessing the clinical status of the patient. It also features the ability to set and personalize vital sign parameters appropriate for the patient age and gender. An intelligent alarm system offers preset alarm limits for different parameters and adjusts the alarms in critical situations by sensing the duration, severity and the combination of different alarms. “this new equipment gives me confidence. The surgeon is feeling more confident and secured being informed of the patient clinical status” says Marcel (LAST NAME and TITLE HERE), anesthesiologist at Nemba Hospital.

The new GE equipment empowers surgeons during operations and enables fast and
accurate decision making. It increased theatre throughput, efficiency, and improved
patient outcomes through comprehensive monitoring and automated administration of
anesthesia drugs.

End of Peace Corps Service

I keep realizing how bad I am in updating my blog, a lot has happened since my last short post as usual and I hope one day I'll have the time and the connection to post updates.

But this post here will be dedicated to mark the end of my Service as a Peace Corps volunteer in Rwanda. I started this blog back in 2008 while I was still in the application process. Now in March 2011, I celebrate this great accomplishment. On Friday, March 25, 2011, I submitted my last stool sample, had my final exit interview and submitted the last of many forms just to be 'closed out' of Peace Corps service.

I'm in now in Stone Town, Zanzibar, relaxing beach side for a few days before heading home end of next week.

The past couple of weeks have been stressful, emotional and bitter sweet as I scrambled to finish projects, said good bye, attended thank you parties, and discovered the love many people in Rwanda have for me. I honestly thought that I can just sneak out after saying quick good byes. Many people in the various places I lived in served in in Rwanda wanted and demanded a proper send off.

In Gakenke, I spend the biggest chunk of my service there, 15 months, and thus it feels the closest to being called home with many friends and family.

I spend one week there earlier this month to have the time to say thank and good bye to my family there. This included my resource family, Frodouard and his wife, the hospital staff at Nemba, the health centers at Gakenke, the guys from the local mosque, Mohammad, his wife Mama Mo'men, and his 3 year old son, Mo'men, who remembers me by name as the guys who brings him candy and got him new sandals!!

I also met with the new district mayor and made a final push to get my two unfinished projects there done. The public library and the rabbit farm remain unfinished as I leave the country, but I'm confident that the PCVs replacing me at my site and my counterpart will finish the job!!

The other two sites I worked at with PIH are in Butaro and Rwinkwavu. leaving Butaro was very hard and taking that last walk at the hospital ground was very emotional. I'm truly going to miss this place, walking around revewing operation and work with the staff on getting the hospital up and running. All the good wishes from the nursing staff, the pharmacy and lab staff, and other admin were appreciated and will stay with me.

I'm going to miss the people of Rwanda, the many places I visited in Rwanda, and the Friends I made there. I hope to return one day but for the time being I'm proud to have finished my 2 years of service and look forward to going home to my family and friends before I take on the next adventure in my life.

I promise I'll post updates once I'm home sweet home CHICAGO.

Love,
Ahmed

Late Updates from 2010_Nov

To be continued: Mount Kili

Late Updates from 2010_Dec (Part 2)

In December I also got to travel to South Africa on Med Evac. I broke my tooth a couple of weeks before while I was eating some dried cherries that my sister sent to me from the US in a care package. The bag contained a pit that I bit hard on. The same tooth was already cracked from biting on a little rock mixed up with my rice and beans about two months prior. So the second hard object was sure to break my tooth into three pieces.

One of the great values from volunteering with the Peace Corps is medical coverage which includes Med Evac. If the service cannot be done in the host country, Rwanda, then we get to be med evaced, first to Kenya or South Africa for more complex cases such as dental. Dental care in Africa in general is very poor and only covers basic procedures such as extractions.

IN a nut shell, I got to go on an awesome trip to SA, mainly Pretoria and hang out there for a week. It was very refreshing and rejuvenating. South Africa felt just like home from the minute you land. The airport is very modern, wide clean streets, highways, McD's and all other American chains, shopping malls with all the brand stores and more.

The only difference was the heightened sense of security. All houses are behind erect walls with electrical wires, walking outside at night is considered dangerous. You must call a cab to go anywhere at night, wait for the cab to call back and let you know they're outside before you leave your house or any establishment.

The people there seem to have gotten used to this and don't even think about it. The other disturbing observation is the racist comments and segregation between white and blacks. I guess 16 years is not a long time to completely change people's minds against Apartheid! It took decades before the US came to terms with segregation, and Rwanda still suffers from the effects of the Genocide 16 years ago!

The younger generation, however, seem to be more tolerant and together they're building their country.

I didn't get to do much site seeing while there since I had frequent dentist visits while there. But it was great to experience SA and I will definitely be back there soon.

Late Updates from 2010_Dec

December was a quiet month. Many Muzungu go home for the holiday and many of the locals also take vacations around this time to spend CHristmas with family. I was one of very few people left around which provided for a nice and relaxing time, even at work without the hassle and the endless emails and requests to resolve pharmaceitical stockouts from any of the three hospitals and other pharmacy supply chain fires!!

In a previous post I talked about the new hospital project I'm involved in with PIH and how it wassupposed to open in October 2010. Well, the new date is end of January. A lot has been done and the hospital is in a great shape with lots of completed sections. We;re now in the process of getting the furniture and all medical equipment in place. II've been working with my counterpart on the hospital side to put together a distribution plan that we've been executing the past couple of weeks.

At this point, all available equipment and furniture is in place. However, we're still waiting on two other shipments to sort through and distribute as well as moving existing equipment fro mthe exsting facility.

Next week, the final touches in terms of site construction crew will be completed, IT connections, etc. The following week, my team's work will need to come to an end, and the planning for the inauguration event will begin. Expected at the inauguration event will be attended by the president, Paul Kagame, Paul Farmer, Bill Clinton (Clinton FOundation is a major donor), as well as other international and national guests.

Here're some picture updates. OR, one of the patient wards, and a garden shot

Rabbit Farm Project

Today was a great day. I woke up early in the morning and headed out to my old site at Gakenke, where I’m still maintaining two of my community projects. One of those is the Rabbit farm at Karambo. The Karambo project will support the malnutrition program at the health center there. The rabbit farm is meant to be a model compared to the type of construction done here. The farm will have capacity to house 50 rabbits. The farm design is adopted from an existing farm here but with more modern touches. An architect from the MASS group volunteered to draw the blue prints which I shared with two of the local carpenters whom will be working on this project.

The project was started back in August with grant from World Connect, a US NGO that supports Peace Corps volunteers’ projects. The project is still in the construction phase which is taking a little longer than expected. I try to visit there frequently to check on progress and follow up with the construction. I must admit, it’s a bit of a challenge, especially that I now live in the Eastern province with a full work load. I’m due to visit there sometime soon I hope. Here’re some images from the construction.

My New Job with PIH

This week I moved to my new home in Butaro where I'll be working with Partners in Health or PIH. PIH was started in Haiti by Dr Paul Farmer. PIH came to Rwanda in 2005 by invitation from the Rwandan government and supported by the Clinton Foundation. In Rwanda, PIH runs two hospitals and is building a third state of the art new hospital. Butaor, where I'll be, is more isolated that my last location. They still don’t have electricity and is far from any major paved roads. But these are the exact conditions PIH prefers to work and serve the underprivileged of all populations. However, PIH facilities run on massive generators and are well equipped with wireless fast internet, full kitchen, and an amazing and professional staff.

I’ll be working with the Procurement and Logistics team focusing on ‘clinical capacitation’ within the new hospital. I’m really excited to be part of this amazing organization and will keep you posted as to my work plans. Here are some images of the new hospital under construction. The scheduled opening of the hospital is Oct 2010 when the president and other dignitaries will be here for the inauguration.

Butaro despite its remote location is a beautiful place like. The town is up hill from Lake Burera, a crater lake and the second largest in Rwanda after lake Kivu. I plan on going hiking and exploring the area around here. Plus, the country director has an inflatable kayak that I’ll see if he’ll let me borrow :o)
Other attractions include an amazing water fall and a hydroelectric dam that they’re currently constructing. I’m also a 15 minute walk from the Ugandan border and near the southern end of Lake Bunyonyi, which I visited in Uganda. Lake Bunyonyi if you remember is the deepest and cleanest lake in Africa. The southern end which I couldn’t explore last time has grand hot springs that perhaps, with other PIHers, I’ll be able to cross the border safely to go see.

What's the word?

I realize haven’t updated my blog in a while, things been kind of crazy and up in the air with a break in the middle. So here’s a quick overview of what’s been happening in my life the past couple of months.

July – in July things started with a long bike ride that I took from my site up north all the way to another volunteer’s site in the eastern province of Rwanda. The trip took three days covering 300 kilometers in 5 hrs and 14mins. Day one I took off from my site rode along paved roads for about 5 kilometers before turning onto the dirt road to Byumba in the Northern Province. This was the most difficult section of the ride which started off along a paved road, then flat roads across tea plantations but then quickly turned into ascending one mountain after another with intermittent flat sections for the remaining 30 km.
I had to walk my bike a couple of times and there was a time when I thought I wasn’t going to make it before dark. However, after going around a couple of hills, I could see my destination in the distance three or four hills over. My ride the first day was slow as I was going through remote villages and made several stops to speak with locals who were surprised to see a muzungu riding a bicycle along their village. I also spent some time walking across the tea plantations.

The next day was a smooth ride as I went from Byumba atop one of the mountains all the way down hill to the capital Kigali. This was a straight forward and a joy ride for most of the time. On the third day m plan was to end my ride in Rwamagana in the Eastern province , about 1hr drive by car, but by the time I got there, the volunteer I was supposed to stay with was on her way to Kibungu farther east and convinced me to continue on to my final destination in Kibungo. Several other volunteers were on their way to Kibungo for our 4th of July goat roast party!! I pushed on that same day and ended up cutting 150 Km in one day. By the time I got to Kibungo I was covered in dirt and sweat and ready for a nice cold shower and a meal. On the way to Kibungo I actually rested briefly at some roadside bar where I got to watch the Germany-Argentina world cup match.

July – also in July was the 4th of July goat roast party hosted by Tom and Malea at their house in Kibungo. This ended up being an amazing weekend with amazing food and a delicious fresh kill goat on one big skewer!! That week end we cooked, ate great food, drank, sang songs to Brandon’s guitar playing, and played card games.

July – the other highlights in July included my resignation from the Access Project, the NGO I’ve been working with since I started my PC service in Rwanda. They hosted a kind thank you party for me and 3 other volunteers and interns who were leaving around the same time. The following week I flew home to Chicago for a two week recharging trip!!

July-August – I want home to Chicago to visit my family and be part of my nephew Youssef’s fifth birthday party. In all honesty, I was very nervous and anxious of going home. I wasn’t sure how I would react seeing my family after being away in central Africa for the past year and a half!! But the minute I hit the ground and came outside of the airport it was like I’ve never left!! I felt so much in ease! Perhaps my 7 hour layover and stroll down the streets of Brussels eased me into the developed world!!

Being home was great. I was received at the airport by my two sisters, my growing nephew and now walking niece!! I got to drive for the first time in a year down the high highways of the US. At home, my mom was waiting. It was great seeing her and my dad. This is the longest it’s been for me to be away from home!! My mom was excited and took two weeks off work so that we can spend the most time together. I got to eat lots of good food and have cold drinks and hot showers on demand!!
I got to eat delicious Egyptian food such as molokheya with rice, sea food, fresh salads, cheese sandwiches and more. I went out a couple of times with my buddies and other friends. I got treated to amazing Chicago style thin and stuffed pizza, Vietnamese food, subway, burgers. Spending two weeks there was about the right amount, any longer would’ve made it a hard decision coming back!!

August – August was overall quiet as I prepared to transition to my new job with Partners in Health (PIH), http://www.pih.org . See next blog entry.
Other than the presidential elections which went smoothly and with no problems, I spent my time managing the two projects I’m starting in my old community. I also got to spend a long weekend in a town at the southernmost tip of Lake Kivu bordering the gold-rich province of Bukavo in the DR Congo. The views of the lake and Bukavo on the other side of the lake were amazing. We also took a boat ride down the Congo River in a dug-out canoe where we could touch the DR Congo one side and Rwanda on the other.

Lake Bunyonyi; Western Uganda

Two weddings on the same day, one in the western region of Uganda the other in the eastern province of Rwanda! I had to make a choice between going to one or the other. Since I’ve been to a few weddings in Rwanda at this point, I decided to go to Uganda for a new cultural experience. My friend Gloria’s sister was to get married in their family farm outside of the southern Ugandan city of Ntungamo!!

My plan was to go to Uganda a few days before the wedding and hang out in the capital Kampala before heading to the wedding, but after a close look at a map of Uganda, I noticed that Ntungamo is a short distance from the border with Rwanda. That means I don’t have to make the excruciating 10 hour bus ride from Kigali to Kampala. Instead, and after consulting my travel book, I decided I was going to take a different route into Uganda and spend a couple of days along the shores of Lake Bunyonyi. According to my travel book, Lake Bunyonyi is a crater lake and is described as the Switzerland of Africa. I left my house early that morning and took the bus along the outskirts of Volcano National park which extends across the border into Uganda. I got off the bus at the end of the road to the border crossing, went through customs and crossed a border post which consisted of two barrels and a short fence. The paved road stopped on the Rwandan side with no signs of a clear road on the Ugandan side. There was a Swedish couple crossing the other way into Rwanda so I asked them of what means I have to get to the next nearest town. My options were take a buda buda, a motorcycle taxi or a car hire to Kisoro about 20 minutes away. I car hire was heading back to town and the guy agreed to cramp me into his little sedan for about the same price as a buda buda. Once at Kisoro, I jumped into another taxi sedan on a 4 hour trip To Kibale, the next town near Lake Bunyonyi. This was my first experience with private hires in Uganda. I got in the car and settled for the back seat with three other people. I envied the guy in the front seat but soon we made two more stops and two more people jumped in. At this point we were 8 in a compact sedan, a Toyota Corolla. 4 in the back seat and another 4 in the front seat, including the driver, plus my backpack!! The trip from Kisoro to Kabale lasted 4.5hrs and took us up a dirt road crossing the western mountains of Uganda, through a national park with bamboo forest and Pigmy or Batwa population, indigenous people that inhabit this part of Africa. 2hrs into the trip, we finally we reached part of the road that was being widened and paved by an Israeli company. The remaining period was on a paved road that was more inhabited and ran through small farm towns and villages.

Once in Kabale, a bustling town, I walked around and negotiated a buda buda driver that agreed to take me from town up the mountain and down the other side to Lake Bunyonyi. As we reached the top of the mountain, the driver turned off the engine and we descended into a free fall down the dirt road to the shores of the lake. I was treated to amazing views of the Crater Lake surrounded by green hills and fields of papyrus plants. I checked into Overland Camp as recommended in my travel book. The place was amazing sitting on m=one corner of the lake with accommodations ranging from simple tents to tree house tents and cabins. I checked into a furnished tent that was built on a tree overlooking the lake below. At this point and after long haul from my house across the border, through the forest, and finally in town then up and down a mountain, I was glad to finally put my backpack down. I changed into my swimming trunks and jumped in the lake. Lake Bunyonyi is said to be the purest lake in all Africa, my Schisto blood test is still pending!! The lake however, is beautiful and vast weaving through hills and dotted with many islands (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_bunyonyi). There was a sign on the shore claiming Bunyonyi is the deepest lake in Uganda with 6,500 ft deep!! With that in mind I decided to take advantage of the make shift jump board protruding from a tree by the lake knowing that I would never hit the bottom regardless of height :o)

The next day I rented a dug-out canoe, a dug out tree bark!! And took off in the vast lake trying to keep land marks that will allow me to find my lodge on the way back!! Maneuvering a dug-out canoe is tricky business and rowing forward is a challenge no muzungu is ready for!! The travel guide warned of the muzungu circle rowing which I came to experience first hand!! Everything I learned about canoeing and rowing did not apply here due to the way the canoe is shaped!! There tends to be a delay in response and you suddenly find yourself going in continuous circles in the canoe!! It took me almost all day to finally figure it out and the way back was much straighter forward and with direction. I made a stop on Bushara Island. Bushara Island houses a camp site and is a bird watching area. The project on the island was started by a Christian charitable organization supported by the Canadian Aid Agency. The proceeds support local communities through school programs, agriculture, and other cultural heritage projects.

At night we would hang out by the bonfire and people would share their travel stories. I met 2 PCVs from Tanzania, other NGO workers from Eastern Uganda, a group of Brits traveling in an overland throughout Uganda, and two Germans who were traveling overland starting in Germany and ending in Cape Town, SA. The German guys had flipped their converted semi off the dirt road and were sticking around as they needed to figure out how to get the truck upright!! I’ve been coming across many people doing overland trips through Africa. I just recently met a British couple who took off from London and were on their way out to Cape Town as well.

After two days at Overland Camp by Lake Bunyonyi swimming in the lake, diving from diving pad hung from a tree, canoeing, and Island hopping, it was time to come back to Rwanda. On Monday morning, I took a moto back to the town of Kabale, from there I got into a cab with 6 other people plus the driver for the 45 minute ride to the border, across the no-man’s land and the border I walked to the nearest village where I got on a motato to Kigali. After reaching Kigali it was time for the last stretch of the trip taking the bus back to my village in the north!!

Top of Mount Kabuye

The last two weeks have been a chance for me to venture out in to the great outdoors in parts of Eastern Africa!! On the last weekend of April, I and a few other Peace Corps volunteers came to visit me at my site and on the next day in the morning we took on Mount Kabuye, the second highest mountain range in Rwanda.

The rainy season in this part of the world starts usually in early April and lasts through June. However, the seasons seem to be shifted and the weather’s been great all of April with lots of sun and short spurts of heavy rain that would last no more than an hour!! However, the Friday when my friends were expected to arrive, it had started raining very early in the day and didn’t stop raining until the evening!! Saturday morning, the day we were to go hiking I could hear the soothing sound of muffled rain drops falling on my tin roof throughout the night. We were up by 7:30 in the morning and it was still raining on and off! We fixed a small breakfast, bread and butter, peanut butter sandwiches and herbal tea!! We decided to wait out the rain. Tom, one of the PCVs suggested we wait until 9:30 and if it hadn’t stopped raining by then we would just go. By 9:20 the rain had stopped but the skies were still full of clouds!! We strapped our boots, put on our rain coats and headed out!!

The path to Kabuye is literally right outside my house. We walked down the dirt road of my town for 5 minutes, cut a right, crossed the river and were on the path up the mountain. By then it had started drizzling again!! A short distance up the hills we started breaking a sweat under the rain coats. But then the rain had stopped so we took off the coats. This continued for a while, put-on/put-off coat!! Rwandans are allergic to rain it seams so they tend to stay indoor and off the streets when it rains!! Strange behavior for a country that gets rain almost 9 months out of the year!! However, this worked in our favor as the kids and adults were out of sight and we were not followed by a wave of little kids or stared at by adults sipping on local banana bear!!

On my many hikes to mount Kabuye I would always get slowed down and never make it to the top by kids yelling muzungu and running behind while mothers inviting you to their homes!! I also get caught up taking pictures of the amazing landscape and little kids, showing them their pictures on the small screen, and getting laughs and looks of amazement from them!!

But this time thanks to the rain and a determined group we were able to push on to the top with little interruption, especially after passing the small village towns and reaching altitude were little people live. The hike was amazing and the rain kept moving in and out but it never really poured on us! Instead it was getting misty which made for an awesome and spooky atmosphere. We ran into a kid that new my name but of course I didn’t recognize him and he asked to accompany us!! He led us through and offered to take us to Inzo y’ Imana or the House of God. House of God is a cave with a spiral side wall which makes for a spiral ramp and 12 small chambers. The cave is in a rocky part of the mountain with some steep cliffs that would make for great mountain climbing. From there we continued along a steep hill going sideways and then straight climb to the top. The fauna was amazing and changed from farms of climbing beans and sorghum, to potatoes, which require colder weather. We then got so high where no one lives and the natural terrain of pine trees predominated. There was a beautiful water fall on the way. By the time we got to the very top, it was all pine trees with a small pond in the middle. We tried to find a clear spot away from the giant ants and set up there. At this point we had about 6 kids and two adults that insisted they were following us just to hang out!! I tried to make clear that they’re welcome to be around as long as they don’t ask for amafaranga at the end!! We then sat at the opposite end of the mountain and pulled out our lunch. I brought a bag of turtle bread for each of us, Tom brought his own bread and a jar of peanut butter, Anna had a trail mix and some teriyaki beef jerkeys. Of course we had to share our lunch and water with the kids sitting all around us. We gave them two loafs of bread to share and some trail mix, which I’m not sure they liked!!

The site at the top was amazing, the clouds were moving fast and rising against the mountain side and then through a small break in the clouds we could see through down to the valley and I was able to make sense of where we were with the building from village very small!! Soon after, it got really foggy and cold!! Very cold we had to put our jackets on and were still shivering. At this point we decided we better start heading down!!

The entire time we were climbing up, the clouds above were so thick we couldn’t see where were heading and at some height we couldn’t see below to the valley either. But on the way down, and after the fog has lifted up, the clouds broke and we were treated to amazing views. As we crossed around the mountain top again and with the land below clear, I could tell that we were facing north. As we continued heading down, I thought I saw what would pass for a lake in between the other mountain tops. That was lake Ruhondo, which is a little over an hour drive from where we were. It was amazing to be able to see that far and had we climbed back up to the top and a little around we would’ve been treated to a panoramic view of the Virunga Volcanoes in Musanze. The hike down with the clouds gone was amazing and as we reached close to the bottom, looking behind us and up, we could see the enormity of the mountain and how high we hiked. We all though it was a blessing the view was obstructed going up which lessened any possible discouragements of the task ahead!!

The hike took a little over 8 hours with the time we spent in the cage and a lunch break as well as stops for pictures and chats with the villagers!! I totally would do it again and will be going up there again!!

New School Doors Open in Nemba

This past week I attended an inauguration ceremony for a remodeled high school facility in my town. The school is part of Catholic charities supporting my community. The charities include a hospital, a health center, this school, as well as other social services which include services to orphans, survivors of the genocide, and people with HIV/AIDS. The charity that's behind all this is called Medicos Mundi (www.medicosmundi.es) a Spanish charity that supports charitable efforts in my district.

The school runs from first grade all the way to Senior 6, so it's actually more than a high school. The building renovation efforts were managed by a Spanish architect and medical doctor, Mariano Perez. The financial contribution and architect support from Universidad Miguel Hernandez (http://www.umh.es)

The inauguration event was attended by the Spanish minister of international development, as well as the Rwandan minister of education. Others in attendance included the governor of the Northern Province, the mayor of the district as well as representatives from the Catholic Arch diocese of Musanze, and many others. Attendees braved the rainy day and the event continued as planned despite the nonstop rain and the muddy grounds!!

After the cutting of the ribbon, the guests and invitees were taken on a tour of the new facility. The guests were greeted by the drumming group and dance troops from various schools. The new building is exceptional. The new facility includes new classrooms, a laboratory, a teachers' lounge, meeting room, and hygienic bathrooms for both boys and girls and separate toilettes for the staff.

The students will also enjoy a large play ground, a nice garden, a clean source of drinking water. Following the tour, it was time for a Rwandan favorite pastime, SPEECHES!! Many lines up to give speeches starting with the Mayor, the Governor, Dr Mariano, the Rwandan and the Spanish ministers. The main guests were then presented with presents that consisted of Rwandan handmade baskets and straw plates with designs made with dry banana leaves.


My favourite part of the event was the closing ceremony with more dancing and drumming and the practice of another Rwandan tradition, sharing a meal of corn-on-the-cob. I first declined to take in the tradition as I felt bad eating a corn while 100s of hungry eyes are staring, but then accepted once I saw that everybody was receiving one, all 2,000 in attendance!!

I happened to visit the school in the past on more than one occasion, and seeing the before and after, I can really appreciate the difference. With a focus on health and education Medicos Mundi is doing great job on improving living conditions, creating opportunities, and help lift a community from poverty.

One Year at Site

This past weekend marked exactly one year since we each packed a bike, an aluminum chest, and personal belongings onto a pickup truck and each headed to their assigned site. It's amazing to see most of us had survived the experience and now we're into the count down.

A year ago when I arrived at my site I was received by my counterpart and resource family' walked into a house that needed scrubbing floor to ceiling, had to kick the old tenants of spiders and rats out' and in the process settle in. A year later today, I have a better command of the language, I rule the streets and hills of my umudugudu (village, made many friends, turned a house into home, and worked on many projects to improve the living conditions and knowledge of my neighbors and colleagues.

It's sad to think that there will be a day that we'll all have to leave. In my constant thoughts about leaving, when the tide is high and the waves are crushing (which happens often), I find sadness and a sense of longing for this place.

Things I got to enjoy about my site include:
- kids calling my name 'Nsabimana' and running behind me on my walk to work
- strapping my hiking shoes on and going out hiking in the various mountain trails and valleys just out my backyard
- the pleasure of seeing some of my recommendations implemented at the health center
- the agony of having the opposite be the case
- 2-hour road trips in the Rwandan country side on dirt roads on visits to health centers
- having conversations with friends and neighbors around a bowl of M&Ms; where M&Ms is the subject of conversation
- the look on people's face when I speak Kinyarwanda

The next few months should be interesting especially that now after being here a year, people are realizing that I'm one of them and are open and more accepting.

Genocide Memorial Week_2010

This week is Genocide Memorial week which commences on April 7th through the 13th. This week commemorates the 1994 ethnic Genocide against Tutsis in Rwanda. More than one million Tutsi and moderate Hutu were killed in horrific ways over the course of 100 days.

April 7th is a holiday and commemoration events take place all over the country to unit people on reconciliation and prosperity. In my continuous effort to integrate with the community and support their efforts towards progress, I checked with my counterpart on the schedule of events for this week. On the first day we were going to either join the district officials on a special ceremony along the river (where many bodies were dumped) or participate in the event at the sector level. My counterpart asked me to show up at the soccer field in my town around 9 AM.
I got up early in the morning, turned on the radio and quickly realized the theme of the somber music related to the genocide. The street outside was very quite and almost deserted except for very few people. As I reached the stadium, it was 9:12 at this point; there was nothing to indicate a planned event except for 7 chairs, 6 long benches, a coffee table, and 5 people standing in the middle of the field. I immediately called my counterpart and asked him if he was sure about an event taking place here (I really wanted to observe this day and stand in solidarity with the local population). He assured me and told me that he was leaving the house right now along with the sector officials.

By 10:00 am there were more and more signs. At this point a few people responded to the executive secretary’s assistance who went walking around town with a blow horn calling on people to come to the soccer field. People sat on the grass hill (make shift stands) as VIPs occupied the set of chairs and benches!! By 10:30 the grass hills were filled with men, women, and children descending from all directions.
The ceremony started with a signal from the sector official for people to stand up for the national anthem. A guy stepped up to the blow horn and everybody removed their hats, village women removed their head covers!! All sang the national anthem and took their seats. Next, the muszungu Padre (Father) from the Catholic Church led a prayer in Kinyarwanda (impressive) followed by a short speech from the Adventist priest. In between, the assistant secretary gave charged speeches.
Next, the executive sector secretary gave her ijambo (speech) and highlighted the weeklong events encouraging people to attend. The next 45 minutes were very interesting with a survivor who came up and spoke about her experience surviving the genocide. The floor was then open to people from the audience to come up and talk about what they witnessed 16 years ago (the north continued to be a hot spot and experienced many horrors compared to the rest of the country). Some were génocidaires, which I though was amazing to see them stand before this growing crowd and speak!!
At noon, Radios were turned on and held against the blow horn. We were all to listen to the President speak from a big event at Amahoro stadium in Kigali. The president’s speech was very interesting. He delivered it in both English and Kinyarwanda. His speech focused on three main points. First, was the importance of fighting “bad politics” from within, as well as from the international community. Bad politics I understood is politics of division, politics that criticize the current regime on issues of freedom of speech and political freedom!! Good politics is politics promoting peace, unity, and prosperity. Rwandans do have more to worry about in terms of getting themselves out of poverty and into progress!!
The remaining of the week, businesses are allowed to open till noon only and then everything closes in the afternoon to attend events and functions for conciliation and remembrance. Otherwise, this week and the next 100 days it will be interesting to observe the subtle changes in mood and behavior of a nation in morning!!

The Amazing Mountain Gorillas

This past weekend I finally had a chance to go trekking in the Volcano National Park to see the mountain gorillas. It was an incredible experience. I went with my two friends, Ilona and Kristi, who are currently visiting me to volunteer in Rwanda. We got to Musanze on Friday and stayed with Jessica, another PCV based near there. A car that I arranged for in advance came and picked us up at 6:15 am. We then drove to the tourist office in Kinigi to get our entrance tickets to the National Park and to get briefed on etiquettes and proper behavior when around the gorillas.
After the briefing, we got assigned to a gorilla group to visit. I wanted to see the Sosa group, the largest and more secluded of all, but we couldn’t go there since a team from the National Geographic had already booked that group to film for a documentary on the Mountain Gorillas. Instead we got to see the Umubano group. The umubano group consisted of a silverback, two blackbacks, three famales, and 6 baby gorillas.
It took us about 2.5 hours to get our first sighting of the gorillas, Charles the silverback. We then got to see a mother and her child, then more of the Umubano group. We got to get so close to the gorillas and experience them in their natural habitat. One of the little baby gorillas was so curious of us and kept coming towards us. However, we had to move back keeping with the 7m distance rule from the gorillas.
The gorillas exhibit a very close behavior to humans, in their looks, they way the nurse and care for their babies, and they way they interact and look.

Operation Smile Rwanda

This week I signed up to volunteer with Operation Smile, Op Smile is an American NGO out of Norfolk, VA (check 'em out operationsmile.org). It’s a volunteer organization where surgeons, anesthesiologist, dentists, nurses, camera crew, photographers, local interpreters and support staff as well as many other specialized nurses volunteer their time for 10 days to go on a mission in developing countries to treat patients with Cleft pellets.
This was Op Smile’s first mission to Rwanda and they’re already scheduled to be back again next year. The first two days of the mission were spent conducting screening interviews. Many patients lined the waiting area of the University Teaching Hospital where the mission was to work out of. Many Rwandan volunteers helped conducting the screening interviews that were part of the patient chart. The patients then went through different rooms for vitals check-up, surgical team assessment, anesthesia assessment, blood work, dental assessment, speech therapy.
I was lucky to volunteer with Op smile and be part of this amazing team. It’s incredible how many patients lined up in the waiting area waiting for the opportunity to be selected for this surgery that would forever change their lives!! The first day there were over 500 people with their families and friends waiting. The first day we limited the screening to 264 patients. The next day we screened another 169.
I must say that I was really touched by the experience and looking at the faces of mothers holding their infant children with hope for a new outlook on life for their children was incredible. I volunteered during the first two days of screening. My assignment was to take pictures of all patients going through the screening process to be including in their charts. I then came back three days later to see some of the same patients who received surgeries already. Comparing the before and after was amazing. The team of volunteer surgeons, dentists and nursing staff did an amazing job with these patients. And comparing the before and after shots side by side reveals the amazing outcomes.
It’s an amazing thing to know that the lucky patients who had their cleft lips fixed will now have a better chance of integrating into their society, be able to go to school without being laughed at, having girl/boyfriends, and not be scared to be in public or interact with others. I would definitely sign up in the future to volunteer with Op Smile and would even consider being part of their team. The work they do brings many smiles to many unfortunate people all around the world.

MIA

I just realized I haven't posted anything on my blog since October 2009. That's 6 months!! It's hard to say that I've had nothing to write about since there's been a whole lot since October.

In December we hosted our forst leadership camp for young girls. Camp GLOW or Girls Leading Our World, was a great success.

Also in December I spent Christmass with other PCVs in the eastern province and we arranged for a safari at Akagera National Park.

New Years eve was one to remember as well!!! or was it?!

January was pretty quiet...I spent most of it in my nice little umudugudu!

February, nothing worth writing about!! other than perhaps a trip or two. Oh, I attended a wedding in Byumba, a refugee camp in the northern province of Rwanda.

This month has actually been full of activities. My friends Ilona and Kristi are here visiting from the US. Their initial goal was to volunteer at the health clinic and the hospital in my district, but they ended up volunteering with Op Smile (which I will post a blog on), other than that fun activities got in the way.

I'll write about my activities around Rwanda and in Uganda in upcoming blogs.

Cheers

Vaccination Campaign Underway in Rwanda

This week marks the annual campaign for vaccination of new born and infants in Rwanda. The campaign is organized by the MOH and other partners including the UNICEF, The Global Fund, The Access Project and other international organizations.

The campaign is held twice a year with a three day campaign at all hospitals and health centers across all of Rwanda. The event is supported by the local government, and health centers. Community Health Workers educate the public and drive the population to visit health centes in their area to protect their children against preventable disease and illnesses. The campaign addresses concerned mothers and both parents. This round is focused on polio as well as nutrition with doses of vitamin A.

I got to participate in the campaign in my district and accopmanied the Vice Mayor for Health and Social Services during her visit to one of the health centers to inaugurate the three day campaign. Such visits by high level officials, which also included representatives from local health centers, the local defence forces, and other officials, promote such prevention campaigns and encourage the general population to participate.

Books for Africa – REQUEST FOR SUPPORT (https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=696-001)

BACKGROUND

District of Gakenke is one of 5 districts in the Northern Province with 19 sectors and a total population of 233,217. Gakenke Ville is the district decentralized capital and will be the site of the proposed library. Gakenke Ville consists of two sectors, Nemba and Gakenke. Nemba sector is home to Nemba District Hospital, one of two district hospitals. The hospital provided full range of primary care services, Emergency department and other services and is supported by a community health center that processes over 150 patients per day. Gakenke Ville is also home to several schools including primary and secondary schools. The district is not supported with any vocational schools or post-secondary education. Other than a modest library at the district hospital with some dated medical books, the district has no libraries in place.

The main employers in the area include the district office including the office of the district Mayor, the vice mayors for social services and health and business development. Other local and international partners include:

GE Healthcare and GE Foundation – supporting the district hospital and local health centers through the donation of vital medical equipments as well as technical and educational staff training.
World Vision – technical assistance, education, nutrition
Medicus Mundi – healthcare services, facilities support, technical training
BTC – infrastructure support, facilities development
The Global Fund – technical support and training and facility construction in the fight against infection disease
The Access Project – technical support with medical staff education and training
US Peace Corps – community service and development


COMMUNITY NEEDS

Like many communities around Rwanda, the community in Gakenke has many needs starting with clean water sources, nutrition services, medical care and education. Several national and local initiatives as well as resources are being mobilized to meet community needs. However, despite recent development and support from local and regional authority classrooms continue to be cramped with students who also have to share one book for every 3-4 students. The community also lake a resource center or the tools that can help the next generation learn important skills and knowledge essential for this digital age.

Directors of the local schools, the district authority along with the support from the local Peace Corps volunteer and Books for Africa port from the local Peace Corps volunteer, will work to provide the initial seed for securing needed text books and resources to school aged students as well as developing a community resource center. The goal of the public resource center is to provide access to books in different subjects and domains, enrich the local community in terms of cultural exchange and knowledge, as well as provide a computer resource center to teach commuter science skills.
See Appendix A for order form.

COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION

The community at Gakenke is very supportive and excited about the prospect of having a well stocked library in their community reflected in the support from the Mayor’s office and ending with school children at the local elementary school. In show of good will the local community is committing the following resources:
The district office to commit needed resources in terms of securing an adequate space to house a community public library.
Director of Education Services along with directors of local schools to secure clean and adequate space at schools to house library books in an environment that is conductive to learning and cultural exchange.
The proposal is being shared with other NGOs and partners supporting the community at large in Gakenke whom are expected to provide technical support and other donations in kind.
The president of the local Joint Action Development Forum known as Terimbere Gakenke, is offering store front space rent-free. The space will be used to house the Rwando-American Social and Cultural Organization (ROSCO). This organization is a joint effort directed by the local Peace Corps volunteer in Gakenke and other community members. The mission of the organization is to stimulate cross-cultural exchange between Rwanda and the US with a social atmosphere. The donated space is to showcase Rwandan art and culture, include books, references, and other media resources on American history and culture.

CASE FOR SUPPORTING THIS COMMUNITY

Similar to many other communities in Rwanda, the local population is eager to learn and hungry for new knowledge and skills. However, the community at Gakenke is home to a diverse group of population given the presence of one two District Hospitals, a boarding secondary school, the district office including the mayor’s office and other district authority facilities. In addition, this community is supported by Peace Corps and Peace Corps volunteers that will ensure continuity of the project with focus on sustainability and training of local community members.

Week 3 (Ibyumweru Gatatu)

Third week of August was exciting with a change of pace!! I had learned the week before of a planned visit by a team of executives from GE Health to assess and review the installation and utilization of medical equipments that were donated in the past, to have an inauguration party and to assess a few more sites for future donations.

Monday I met with the assessment team and planned for a reception and inauguration party to receive the GE Foundation executives.

I worked with my counterpart and other hospital staff on putting together a pp presentation highlighting the services and statistics from the hospital, highlighting local and global partners, reviewing some of the equipments donated by GE and success stories from the field.

The reception was a great success complete with a secondary school drummers and cow dancers; the attendance of all district officials including the mayor, vice mayor for social development and health, representative from the local police and defense forces!!

The GE team was taken on a tour of the hospital grounds and got to see the impact of the modern equipment in action. The equipment the hospital received empowers health providers and is saving lives. A list of equipments includes patient monitoring systems, infant warmers and incubators, radiology modalities, lab equipments as well as anesthesia workstation!!

The GE team seemed to be pleased with the tour and the visit and were most impressed by the accountability and professionalism of the staff. The GE personnel noted how all donated equipments were accounted for during their visit and promised to provide further support through training and maintenance.

I'm also glad to announce that the team's trip was a success that GE Foundation is committing another $300,000 in equipments to support health centers and hospitals around Rwanda.