After working for the Friends Committee on National Legislation, in Washington D.C., I wanted to continue exploring what my Quakerism meant to me and worship with Quakers all over the world. Thanks to the Pickett Endowment Grant and the Lyman Fund Grant I was able to do this.
I landed in Kigali, Rwanda about a month ago and was able to settle into this brand new environment while staying with family. For the first couple days, I stayed with my cousins who showed me around Kigali and helped me get a few of the essentials including a SIM card for my phone and a list of good restaurants I had to try out.
I met my homestay dad, Augustin, brother, Justin and sister, Christine a few days later, who I will be staying with for the next six months. They picked me up and we had an enjoyable car ride back to their house, slowly getting to know each other and switching between English, French and Kinyarwanda. When I arrived at the house I met my homestay mom, Gaudence, who gave me a big hug and immediately made me feel welcome, and my other homestay brother, 8-year-old, Chris, who shyly said hi. My family showed me my room and let me settle in for a little while before dinner. That first night, we slowly started to get to know each other, teaching each other a little English and Kinyarwanda.
The day after I met my homestay family the entire country had a holiday for their Parliamentary elections. In Rwanda, you vote for a party and then the party picks their members depending on the percentage of votes they get. When we got to the voting station, it looked like a celebration happening. There were streamers and decorations in Rwanda’s colors: yellow, green and light blue and there was music playing. The voting age here is 16, so Chris and I got to hang out while everyone else voted.
I started work at the Friends Peace House, a local Quaker organization in Kigali, the following day. When I first arrived at the Friends Peace House, I was warmly greeted by Emmanuel, the teacher of the Health program who gave me a tour of the place. It is a very compact building, but includes classrooms for their hairdressing school, cooking school, a large classroom used by Emmanuel for his health program as well as other gatherings including English classes, and some offices for the teachers and staff. Out back they have their mechanics school: a grassy area filled with probably 10 cars and trucks for the students to work on. The classes that they hold: hairdressing, cooking, mechanics, English and Health are all part of their vocational Mwana Nshuti school. In English, Mwana Nshuti means “Friends of Children.” Students choose which they want to focus on between hairdressing, cooking or mechanics and everyone receives English and Health lessons. Friends Peace House also, I found out, monitors elections, like the one the day before. I helped them edit a report about how the elections went a few days after I started. They run programs in three refugee camps and a prison and assist refugees to come to Rwanda. It reminded me of a typical nonprofit that has too many ideas and too much need it is trying to fill, and not enough space or money.
All of the staff have been so warm and welcoming and excited to try their English out on me as well as teach me some basic Kinyarwanda and try conversations in French. I am slowly learning how to say hello to the people I pass on my walk to work and bargain with the motorcycle drivers (motos), which is the main way to get around here.
The first couple of weeks with the Friends Peace House, I have been able to learn more about the organization and begin to see where I can be best useful. At this point, I am researching and writing grants for the organization (a task that is never ending for nonprofits), developing a football (soccer) program to add to their health program and increase the number of kids their health program can reach, and assisting with teaching English in the Mwana Nshuti school. I am excited to continue learning from my wonderful coworkers at the Friends Peace House, attending Quaker meeting and connecting with local Quakers here, and exploring Kigali and Rwanda.
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