“Muraho” from Musanze and the Land of a Thousand Hills!

Landing in Rwanda

One of the few words of Kinyarwanda I have managed to pick up so far! It is only my second day here and there is so much to say about Rwanda, the organization the people…I don’t even know where to start. I guess from the beginning would be easiest. I arrived safely at the airport in Kigali on Monday morning, without too much difficulty or delay. Although it had not actually been fully confirmed who would pick me up fortunately the director of the school, Elie was there to meet me with his eldest son and driver. I immediately felt welcome and very much enjoyed the 2-hour drive from Kigali to Elie’s home in Musanze. Watching it go by out of the car window, I saw Rwanda for the first time. The country is absolutely beautiful, and unlike anything I have ever seen before. The city of Kigali was drier and hotter, but as we began to climb up into the vast expanse of lush green mountains, the air became cooler and damper. I was amazed actually at how green it all is, and I can see why they call “the land of a thousand hills!” Outside of the city centre there were hardly any cars, and walking seems to be the main mode of transportation. I was very impressed by how much people seem to be able to carry on their heads, and for women this was often in addition to a baby strapped to their backs in cloth!

As we got closer I realized how exhausted I was from the journey since I began to drift off, which I tried desperately to resist as there was so much to see as we approached Musanze! Driving through dozens of small villages, I wondered each time whether or not we had arrived in Musanze. Of course I soon discovered Musanze is a much bigger town as Elie announced we had arrived. The first thing I noticed is was that the town was buzzing with people walking, selling things from , street stalls, small shops and markets and bikes, lots of bikes,  but again hardly any cars. Many men, women and children walked along the roads, which huge loads of wood, buckets, sticks and other materials.

Elie’s home is very spacious and his family is lovely. He lives with his wife and four children (who are often at school in Uganda, but are home for their break at the moment) When I arrived, his son showed me to my room in the volunteer “wing”, which has a big comfy double bed (bigger than my bed at home!) and the shared bathroom (Although there are no other visitors staying here at the moment). After I had settled in, I was formally welcomed with a huge family style meal, which was absolutely delicious! I was happy to discover that they are also mostly vegetarian, and there are always vegetarian options on the table so I don’t need to be difficult in making special requests. They were quite surprised however that I cannot drink milk as fresh milk seems to be a staple of the Rwandan diet and they drink huge mugs of it with almost every meal (hot or cold)! During our dinner, I experienced my first Rwandan torrential downpour and I am very glad I was inside! Although it was difficult to ignore the sounds of crashing rain on the metal roof, no one even seemed to notice except me! When I mentioned it, Elie said that in Rwanda when it rains when a visitor arrives, it means they are bringing a blessing. (No pressure then!) I think Elie could see how tired I was as he said I should rest. After a hot shower (using a jug and basin!), I was able to take a long and much-needed nap, while Elie and his wife Bernadette returned to work at the school. I didn’t realize that when they returned around 9pm, we were to have another (huge) delicious meal! I think I will have to get used to quite a different schedule and pace of life, as well as taking smaller helpings!

I slept surprisingly well considering the noise of the rain pouring down! On Tuesday Elie very kindly took me to see each of the FCYF sites in his big van. It was obvious to see how important he is in the community, seeing how many people he stopped to greet along the way and how happy they were to see him. Our first stop was the nursery school, which provides private education (in English) for 3-6 yr olds. It was adorable to see them all greeting “teacher Elie” as he visited each classroom. He also introduced them to me and they all chanted “Good Morning Teacher Marika” in unison, which felt like way more respect than I deserve! Although I guess the children are somewhat used to seeing foreign volunteers, I guess this is something that never ceases to be a source of amazement…I am gradually getting used to be stared, giggled and pointed by children wherever I go!

Our next stop was Wisdom Primary School. On the way over however, there seemed to be a lot of school children walking in the opposite direction of the school! Each time Elie pulled over and asked the children where they were going and why they were not in school. Apparently many children had come to school without their books and school materials and had been sent back home or into town to buy them. Elie said it was an ongoing issue that parents often send their kids to school without any materials as they cannot afford them. However it is impossible for the school to provide these materials and it is the students and their parents’ responsibility to ensure that they have them. When we finally arrive at the school, things are quite chaotic as children are coming and going in every direction and parents are still bringing in children for enrolment as the new term only began on Monday. The Wisdom Primary school provides education for primary classes of levels 1-6 (7-12 year olds). It is considered one of the leading schools in the district and has grown and developed considerably since it was started in 2010. Unlike most Rwandan public schools, all classes are taught in English (French was the National language in Rwanda until recently, so many schools still use this or Kinyarwanda). The school also offers the option of boarding, which is extremely helpful for children whose families cannot easily support them at home or who live too far away. The school also supports several orphans whose education is fully funded by FCYF. Unfortunately however the school has suffered a big blow this year as a new Rwandan educational policy states that children under 11 are no longer allowed to board full-time. This means that many of these children (including the orphans) have not retuned this term or have had to be turned away! I somewhat naively asked if it was not possible to appeal this decision, but Elie says that people have very little say in Rwandan law. As children are still enrolling it is still unclear how badly this will affect enrollment rates and revenue of the school.

Despite the challenges, the school is still continuously expanding and construction is taking place to build a new wing to the primary school, which will hopefully open next year. Plans are also going ahead for a Wisdom secondary school to begin next year!

We later went to see the center for deaf children and child-headed households. Although most of the children had not yet arrived, I did meet a few who were enthusiastic to meet me and came over to give me a hug. Unfortunately I could only meet their enthusiasm with a smile and thumbs up signs (as this is the extent of my sign language so far!) The teachers there told me not to worry however and that the kids would teach me and I would soon be fluent (they learn both Rwandan and English sign language)! One of only six in the country, the school represents an important initiative in Rwanda towards the recognition of deaf children’s right to education. Louis, the head teacher at the school tells me that deaf children are often excluded as their families do not have the information, time or resources to care for them. Ignorance and poverty often means that these children are stigmatized or neglected. The deaf children’s school is part of an effort to change this situation, proving that these children are just as capable of learning and becoming contributing members of society as hearing children. Louis told me that often the first reaction of the parents when they come to pick up their children after their first term is to cry. It becomes clear that their children can read and write and learn and slowly attitudes are beginning to change. To me, this is really inspiring. Unfortunately only a small fraction of deaf children actually have this kind of opportunity. Despite the fact that there are many more deaf children in the community, the school does not have the funding and resources to expand in order to accommodate them.

Elie later takes me into town as I need to exchange some money. We first go to the bank to get an official exchange rate, he then takes me to town where rates are apparently much better if you know where to go. We stop off at a pharmacy and go and speak to “the Indian man”, who says he will accept my $100 bill, which is issued after 2003, but not the other one. I think best not to question him (since the rate is much better than the bank!), I hand over the bill, take the Rwandan francs and leave. Outside I ask Elie, why one must go to a pharmacy to exchange money. He responds “Welcome to Africa”…and I think that just about sums it up! Things are quite different out here, but I’m just going to have to get used to it J

More soon!

Marika xxx

View of a volcano near Elie's home in Musanze