My view from my house

Fall in Kigali

An absolutely beautiful day in Kigali, Rwanda... Funny that it's Halloween in the States.

In case you haven't heard, Rwanda is called "Land of a Thousand Hills," and it really is. I love the rainy seasons, officially. I love to wake up to pouring rain on my tin roof (except when it leaks on my pillow!), and I love the cool air it brings with it after the rain fall. Rwanda is so incredibly lush and green right now, and even in my garden the flowers are blooming and the birds that come around our house garden are beautiful! I could watch them all day.

My first month here I made the mistake of creating expectations for my time here in Rwanda. Based on my unique experience in Kenya, I was expecting full on cultural immersion and turned my nose up at creating an ex-pat community. My thought process was -- I'm in Rwanda, shouldn't I just make friends with the Rwandese? It did not take me long to experience the dissatisfaction with the way I was putting my "Rwanda experience" in a box. God is humbling me big time and showing me not to put my own labels, expectations in my life, in general. I'm experiencing a much greater freedom here shedding my pre-conceived notions of relationships. The relationships I am building in Prison Fellowship Rwanda are some of the richest relationshisp I am building here and I am so thankful for the amazing people in that office. Also, I found a really great church that's an English service and it's Anglican and I have never found a church with this great of a connection back in the States, so it is one of the highlights certainly from my time here in Kigali.

Although tomorrow I may go to the "Healing Center...." with the girl who cooks for us (yes, we have a cook -- everyone does here...), and that's her church... it will be a five hour church service. So I'm bracing myself. :)

Please know that you are all in my prayers from Kigali. Please send me emails to update me on your life! It is hard for me to send out individual emails to all of you on a regular basis (hence the blog), but please email me I'd love to hear more details about you whether you're in NYC, TN, TX or... wherever!

Love,

Rachel

:) first claim to fame

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14058&article=21588

Yours truly quoted in a news article... I have to say I sound pretty unintelligent about art, but that's only because they caught me off guard with questions, I swear! Also, I'm going on a local radio show on Tuesday to talk about As We Forgive, which I am actually a little nervous about. This girl is becoming Kigali-famous, can you believe it? Woo hoo.

International Call to Act?

John's mother gave me a book called A Thousand Hills, which is the account of Rwanda (And Kagame) from pre-colonialism through post-genocide, and it is fascinating and heart-wrenching to read while I am over here.

As I am reading about how the events of the 1994 genocide unfolded, I literally have been reading whole chapters with my jaw dropped at the systematic planning that happened to execute this genocide. It was not just "mob mentality," it was a systematic effort planned long in advance, and the seeds of hatred were planted in the 1959 ethnic violence against Tutsis, where organized violence first broke out against the Tutsis under the Belgian colonizers.

Secondly, the unbelievable and seemingly endless accounts of willful ignorance at the hands of the UN and Western countries is unbelievable. When Clinton's aides were confronted with evidence of genocide, they merely reverted to calling it "Acts of genocide," which would free them from a responsibility and a moral obligation (1948 Genocide Convention) to act if it were a full outbreak of genocide. I have to recount one particular exchange between a State Department spokeswoman named Christine Shelly and Alan Elsner, a journalist from Reuters that was included in this book:

Elsner: How would you describe the events taking place in Rwanda?

Shelly: Based on evidence we have seen from observations on the ground, we have every reason to believe that acts of genocide have been committed in Rwanda.

Elsner: WHat's the difference between " acts of gencode," and "Genocide?"'

Shelly: As you know, there is a legal definition of this. There has been a lot of discussion about how the definition applied under the degition of the genocide contained in the 1948 convention. if you're looking at that for your determination about genocide, clearly not all the killings that have taken place in Rwanda are killings to which you might apply that label...

Elsner: How many acts of genocide does it take to make genocide?

Shelly: Alan, that's just not a question I'm prepared to answer.

Elsner: Well, is it true that you have specific guidance not to use the word "Genocide" in isolation, but always to preface it with these words "Acts of"?

Shelly: I have guidance which, which, to which I- which I try to use as best I can. I'm not - I have - there are formulations that we are using that we are trying to be consistent in our use of. I don't have an absolute categorical prescription against something, but I have definintions. I have phraseology which has been carefully examined and arrived at as best we can apply to exactly the situation and the actions which have taken place.


The utter inaction of Western nations allowed the genocide to take place, and it was the RPF rebel army led by today's Rwandan President Paul Kagame that ended the war through military force -- if this did not happen, there would be no more Tutsis left in Rwanda. In light of this, I'm led to consider the use of external military force (for it is not every country that has the makings of RPF) in ending injustices that are supported by the government. In a recent BBC article, Obama is said to "offer incentives" to Sudan if the situation improves, and if not then he will "increase pressure." In the case of genocide, I am starting to believe it is not a matter of discussion that will bring about change... Hillary Clinton says, "we are looking to acheive results through broad engagement and frank dialogue." But, when has dialogue in Khartoum proved effective in halting any "acts" of genocide in the Darfur region? In the Bush and Obama administration, faith is being put into a government to "Crack down" of the Janjaweed when there is outrageous evidence that the Khartoum government is not doing anything at all to discourage the Janjaweed, and even may be supplying them with resources.

So, if the lives and basic dignities of a human being are being stripped and it is the very same country that is promoting or turning a willing "blind eye" to the dehumanization of their citizens, what is the role of the international community... is "verbal pressure" enough?

A picture!

I got a picture to download! But I think the key is I have to make it small to work --If you can see the tiny picture this is me speaking at a school screening in Kigali where we showed the film As We Forgive to hundreds of Rwandan high school students. Next to me is my good friend Richard.

A moment to breath

I have a spare moment to reflect! I have been moving at such a rapid pace that I haven't had a moment to reflect on my experience here. I was talking with John on the phone (a rare occasion!) and he asked me how I was doing and to be honest -- I didn't even know how to respond! My role here is fulfilling, and I'm glad I'm in a situation where I am stretched. My role involves a lot of counseling -- and I'm trying to help my co-workers think strategically and learn basic concepts like planning ahead for the day. Or planning to be on time for an event. I just don't like to be the one to shake people out of their culture -- what I loved about my time in Kenya was that my role was to assimilate to theirs and influence them on their level. It's really different here because Kigali is turning into a competitive city with fast-paced expectations, and so to become a robust and influential non-profit I actually do need to help them increase their expectations but I can't help feeling like a bad guy sometimes when it directly conflicts with what their culture tells them. I just don't like being "that" person. I am however, learning the delicate balance between shedding some cultural norms and tightly holding onto other ones. For example, taking breaks in the day to stop work completely to share a meal with community what we do every day at the office -- much more important than working through lunch staring at your computer trying to squeeze in as much work as possible. It's healthier for the soul and helps you keep perspective on the importance of your work and what's truly urgent.

Anyway, one good thing and one bad thing happened today. I'll start with the bad.
1) Cockroach infestation: Okay so they've been all over but I neer realized how badly till we fumigated the house. I come home in the evening to see HUNDREDS and I mean HUNDREDS of cockroaches doing a mass exodus out of the house struggling to survive but yet dying from the fumes. So most of them are dead, and the chemical smell is bad so I'm sitting on the porche with insect killer at my right side spritzing to death any survivors that wander by my feet. And these suckers are HUGE by the way. one crawled over my foot and I alsmot fell over from the fear.

2) Good news. WIRELESS INTERNET IN THE HOUSE! Ok so every day I end work at 5 and go straight to an internet cafe for about three hours to do work -- communications details, email photos to colleagues, research, etc. It's exhausting! But now we have it in the house and it is going to make my work pressures much less. AND I can skype now with people. My skype name is rachelweber1. I have a camera so you guys can see my face, which might be expanding from the ever-unavoidable carb-loading that takes place in Rwanda.

Okay everyone -- hope to hear from some friends on how you are doing. I miss you all!

Love,
Rachel

Getting into it...

Compelling stories to share:

My co-worker Faustine, with whom I share a desk, is a Hutu. His mother and his child were killed during the genocide. Due to the language barrier, he actually acted out the killing for me which was shocking to watch to say the least. Faustine worked at the airport and fled Rwanda during the genocide. When he returned they arrested him because they thought he was a conspirator in the genocide because he was Hutu and because he worked at the airport where a lot of deaths occurred for people trying to escape. Faustine spent seven years in prison and met Pastor Deo of Prison Fellowship Rwanda. Pastor Deo worked with Faustine to get him to achieve true reconciliation -- reconciliation with those that murdered his family, and reconciliation with the government, who falsely accused him of genocide.

There are stories such as these among countless people in this country -- it is astounding. There are massive amounts of refugees here who have re-settled in Rwanda having grown up in the Congo, Tanzania, Uganda or Burundi. Many of those who were away for the genocide came back immediately after for promise of opportunities -- some have found it who have been educated, but those without have massive problems of poverty and complete inability to own property.

As for me -- life here is a definite adjustment. I am having particular struggles with patience -- it's a completely different life when I was living in the countryside in Kenya where it was basically a cultural immersion experience. I was meant to join the culture and from that culture use it to positively influence the young women in that village. Here, I am trying to make the organizations I am working for more competitive, more effective, and more appealing to international donors. It's pretty difficult to work to change a mindset. For PFR the idea of partnerships is completely new, as it is in many orgs. in Rwanda. For example -- trying to explain to them that there are microfinance organizations here in Rwanda that we could partner with to better equip the HIV positive women we work with with job skills and knowledge on how to be fiscally reponsibile and start their own businesses rather than create our own job training center for the women which would cost an absurd amount of money with little possibility for sustainablility with such a small staff.

Anyway -- these are some of the issues I am working with these on on a daily basis. On another note... I'm impatient with myself because I so badly want to be fluent in Kinyarwanda. At PFR there are only three out of 9 staff members who can speak some english. I am glad I have a good base of Swahili because I have been able to communicate with many of them with my Swahili knowledge. Anyway, I'm trying to improve and learn. "Ndakoza Ibikombe" Means I am washing the dishes! See? I'm getting there.

It is rough now that my co-worker has gone and I am left without a car. That means I am confined to motos -- which are motorcycle/moped taxis. I could take a bus but it's extremely complicated and would take much longer than necessary and cabs are way too expensive and difficult to find. Therefore I'm stuck with the more dangerous option of motos which was really exciting at the beginning, but it's already getting a little old and it's only one month into it! But it's the law to wear helmets so that's good.

Still, I do love it here. It's not as intensely community-based as my experience was in Kenya, so it's been a little challenging for me to find Rwandan friends that are outside of my co-workers as I mentioned earlier. I'm close with one particular Rwandan co-worker named Claire. We have a blast together trying to teach each other English and Kinyarwanda. They have major difficulties with "L"s and "R" in that they confuse them. They also have trouble with "CHicken" and "kitchen." It's hilarious when one of my Rwandan friends asks me to come into the "chicken."

Also -- I love the way some of my Rwandan friends greet each other and answer the phone. Some examples

Me: Benjamin, Hello! Or, Amakuru (how are you in Kinyrwana)
Benjamin: Praise the Lord.

Me: (Calling Emmanuel on the phone)
Emmanuel: Alleluia.
Me: Erm... Hello Emmanuel...
Emmanuel: Yes. Hello my sister.

Emmanuel (wife calling him on the phone): Hello my wife.

It's not as funny without hearing their voice inflections, so maybe it's just myself chuckling to myself at an internet cafe with country music in the background, but I thought I'd share some of my favorite experiences.

I haven't had much time to process my thoughts to share on my blog, but I figure I had better start with some stories.

Pray for me! I need patience so that I can soak in this wonderful environment.

Love,

Rachel

P.S. Photos are the view from my house, a day on boats in Ruhengeri by the volcanoes, and my first African tea (Rwandan style) - delish.

My complete job description!

It has been very difficult for me to verbalize the entirety of my role and what is going on here in Rwanda with the organizations I am working for. I'm going to provide a more in-depth description of my roles and responsibilities here so that when I refer to specific people or projects you can all hopefully have some memory of what my role is!

1) As We Forgive Rwanda Initiative
Some of you have seen the documentary, As We Forgive. For those who haven't, it is a documentary filmed in Rwanda following the story of two genocide perpetrators and two survivors on their journey towards reconciliation. AWFRI is an initiative that seeks to use film as the main education tool to spark genuine reconciliation in this country. AWFRI has created a program called LivingTogether which is an in-depth discussion program led by trained facilitators after the film is shown where audience members can participate in a discussion concerning the possibilities of reconciliation in the country. We have partnered with a Rwandan filmmaker to screen his film called Long Coat along with our film and discussion. We have already shown this film to over 20,000 individuals in Rwanda through schools, churches, and public events.

Our next step is to become an NGO. We are close to signing the papers and we will change our name to the As We Forgive Rwanda Founation once this is complete. We are writing a grant right now to seek a two-year extension for our program along with conducting feasiblity research to establish an International Reconciliation Center in Kigali, Rwanda, so that Rwanda can truly be the global epicenter for reconciliation.

My role: I am working as a special advisor to our Rwandan Projects Manager Benjamin (I actually don't know his last name). I will be working closely with him in our efforts to establish ourselves as an NGO, assist him in creating strategic partnerships, and advise him on how to be an effective manager. I will also be attending many of our screenings of the films all over Rwanda.

2) Prison Fellowship Rwanda
This is the non-profit organization that was featured in the film, As We Forgive. Prison Fellowship Rwanda has four divisions of work.
1) Post-genocide reconciliation: PFR has initaited (with the AWF filmmaker Laura Waters Hinson) a reconciliation program called Living Bricks Villages. This is where homes are being build for genocide survivors and perpetrators by community members to allow a place where victims and killers alike can live together peacefully in the community. PFR provides the counseling aspect for this and the LIVING BRICKS CAMPAIGN is a separate effort altogether that has partnered with PRISON FELLOWSHIP INTERNATIONAL (confused yet?) This is a tri-organization partnership and I am assisting for all three orgs.
2) Prison ministry - counseling and minsitering to those in prison. Assisting with re-integration into society upon release. Especially important since Gacaca courts are ending soon.
3) Street Children Ministry - PFR works to feed children who are orphaned and live on the streets (primarily from the genocide) by offering programs a few days a week which offer simple education, counseling, and food when it can be afforded.
4) WOmen with HIV/AIDS - PFR works with women with HIV/AIDS to help them make jewelry and shoes to sell to make a profit. Many of these women were purposely raped by HIV infected individuals from the genocide.

My role: I am working as well in an advisory role and working to expand strategic partnerships especially. I look forward to working with PFR and looking at how we can improve their different prograsm to make them more sustainable and appealing to long-term funding sources. This is so far my most challenging position as the cultural differences are astounding in how my co-workers chose to run their organization. But I am encouraged by my other Rwandan friends to be patient and observe for a while before diving in to "help change the organization."

3) Living Bricks Campaign
The house-building project that is being supported in the US. I am doing basic PR work such as updating website blogs, going to the reconciliation villages to take photos and write bios of people waiting for homes, etc.

4) All of these responsibilities fall under the KOLBE FELLOWSHIP, which was offered to me by PRISON FELLOWSHIP INTERNATIONAL, the Secretariat organization by which Prison Fellowship Rwanda falls under. I am not working directly for PFI, but for their national minstry, PFR and also with their partner, the Living Bricks Campaign. The As We Forgive Rwanda Initiative is a completely separate program but it has direct connection with the people who run LBC so my role has expanded to assist in AWFRI.

Confused yet? I am. I'm trying to work out how to balance all of my work and responsibilities and still have time to find my own community and friends. But I'm finding that many of my co-workers are becoming like family to me, and I can't imagine better friends here.

I'm going to sign off now -- I need to go home and collect my thoughts. My co-worker Andrea just left to go to the States and she is the Director of AWFRI. Myself and my other co-wokers are a little apprehensive at how we are going to continue as effectively without her!

Prayers are needed. I am keeping all of you in my thoughts and prayers on a daily basis as I go through my days in Rwanda. I hope to hear from more of you more frequently. I'm sorry if I'm not great at personal emails right now simply because I am finding time really hard to come by!

I miss you all.

Love,

Rachel