Rwanda Was Amazing Too!

On Thursday, 11 August, USA volunteer, Paige, and Diana departed at 3.30 a.m. for Kigali, arriving there at 7.00 a.m. The trip was to attend the wedding. It was a lovely surprise to be met by Riccardo and former Mercy House resident, Eric, who had come all the way from Dubai, where he now works, for the happy occasion. Eric proved to be such a helpful guide and companion, being Rwandese himself and knowing Kigali well. He accompanied us to many different places and could give us a lot of information about them all.

The first stop that very first day, was to visit the SOS Childrens’ Village, where our Moise had lived from birth until he was 8 years old, before coming down in 2009 to Mercy House, where he still lives today. A House Mother who had looked after him when he was at the Village, remembered him well, as also other staff members. We even went into the house and room where Moise had lived. It was so enriching and impressive to see how the large number of orphans are cared for there with so much love. Another heart-rending experience was the visit to the Genocide museum. Photos were not allowed, but the huge photos lining the walls gave us an insight into what really happened and an insight into the terrible tragedy of that inexplicably evil event.

We were blessed to be able to stay at Centre Christos – a very large Jesuit-run conference centre and guest house, where we met the most interesting people. Certain specific observations made a lasting impression and stand out clearly in our memories:

Firstly, it was obvious that the church is very much live and vibrant in Rwanda – judging on what we saw of course. It was amazing to see as many as 30 young people singing superbly in the choir at daily Mass with loads of people attending.

Secondly, not even one tiny piece of paper can be seen lying in the streets: Kigali is unbelievably clean and ordered.  And people work for it: on the last Saturday of each month no businesses are allowed to operate. Instead, all citizens have to spend the day cleaning the city, with a register even being taken!

Another interesting feature in the life of Kigali is that there are no minibus taxis at all. Motor bikes or scooters are the only means of public transport, whilst busses are used for city to city. There are hundreds of bikers filling the streets, or waiting for passengers.

Lastly, there appears to be no crime problem. Shops remain open till late and people can walk in the street freely at any time. Above all, the dignity of the Rwandese people is really noticeable.

All in all, our 5-day visit to Rwanda was an immensely enriching experience and instilled in us hope for humanity! The terrible suffering and atrocities of the genocide seem to have borne fruit in innumerable ways, some of which we were allowed to experience. What a blessing to have been there!

The photos show some of our activities.