Ideas in Action!

Well, a month has come and gone. My program with GYC ends today and I am out to create my own adventure! During our time in the delegation, we filled our heads with knowledge, our minds with experience, and our heats with compassion. We are a now buzzing with how to put action to behind our thoughts. My fellow delegates look at the world with realistic optimism; I was inspired and humbled by them. I want to share with you all some of our action plans!

• Delegates are working with a Rwandan NGO called Amahoro Great Lakes to create a sister school program between Rwandan school and American schools. The idea is that we will use curricular information about Rwanda in American schools to raise awareness and to connect youth from both countries. We hope that youth in America will take interest in helping to raise funds for the impoverished Rwandan schools and that American youth will additionally work to generate a greater understanding about human rights around the world.
• Another related project idea is looking to raise funds for a scholarship program to help send qualified Rwandans to university. We would also like to extend this fundraising project to an orphan population with whom we all fell in love. Uyisenga N'Manziis a village for orphans of the genocide or HIV/Aids. It is distinctly different from an orphanage in the sense that the individuals become the heads of their households and learn autonomous living (I was impressed and slightly embarrassed as I thought of my recent return to living at home as an "adult"). We hope to help sponsor some of these orphans through school.
• A pressing issue in Rwanda is a high illiteracy rate. Illiteracy and ignorance played a destructive role in allowing the genocide propaganda to spread quickly and effectively. Fight Illiteracy Youth Organization is committed to promoting literacy and cultivating critical thinking. Yet, due to a lack of funding FIYO has had to close down eight of their literacy centers in the past year. Last year's GYC delegation put together a documentary on FIYO's work and this year we are hoping to hold screenings across America to help raise funds to keep the literacy centers up and running. It is estimated the $12.50USD will put a student through an eight month literacy course. Oh, and did I mention that FIYO also provides it's students with vocational skills like the fuel efficient stoves I mentioned in a previous blog entry!
• Some of us are teaming up to write a curriculum on peace and reconciliation for high school/middle school students. This idea was inspired by an innovative organization, Radio LaBenevolencia, which uses a radio soap opera to talk about pre and post genocide Rwanda. LaBenevolencia is sponsored by the psychology department at Yale University and is based strongly on the principles presented in a book called, "Roots of Evil" by Ervin Staow(sp?). I love the idea of using drama and fiction to discuss human conflict, even basic conflict between adolescents in the hallways of American schools.

Well, a lot of ideas. I am glad that I still have some time in Rwanda! I invite ideas, comments and a critical analysis of our proposals. Many of them are focused on fundraising, unfortunately, but we are really trying to promote education and to cultivate awareness.

Maramutzi (Good Night)

Thank You!

I have been sitting with a handful of tissue, reading everyone's responses. I feel so much love, support, and encouragement, thank you all! My heart has been refilled and my spirit revitalized. It is so wonderful that technology can connect us across continents. I would like to try and respond to individual comments so bare with me. To start off, Allison, the kids appreciate the soccer balls more than you can ever imagine! Here, they wrap up plastic bags very tightly and tie them in a ball. This acts as their soccer ball so you can imagine how excited they were to get a fancy new soccer ball. Allison, you have given months, maybe years of laughter and fun to children in Africa. Rwanda is trying to put together an Olympic soccer team (or football as they call it here) so who knows, some of the children to whom you gave a soccer ball may even grow up to be famous soccer players! This just shows how an small idea like a penny drive turns into something big; a little love and consideration goes a long way. Allison, Cindy, Dezarey, Dakota, Andrea, LiLiana, Ashley, Adrian, Richie, RoniLee, Melissa, Becca, Janie, Ralynne, Kyle, Gabriel, Erendida, Ana and all of the Passage Charter School students are angles of love here in Rwanda. I am so proud to tell Rwandans about the your efforts in raising funds and awareness for Rwanda! Thank you!

In response to the Murambi Memorial. I have been tossing and turning about the event and about my blog entry. I fear that I sensationalize the genocide when describing the memorial; focusing on number and horrific descriptions. This feels insensitive, but I need to try and show through my words the unbelievable atrocity that occurred. If everyone were to see, smell, hear, and feel what went on in Rwanda 13yrs ago I think we would all step back and analyze our role as global citizens. On a more personal level though, as I live in this sensitive society, I can't help but reflect on my personal actions. Every action we take, every word we speak has an effect. If we all are conscious of how we are impaction those around us, we just might begin to create waves of change. One by one, humans can move towards a more compassionate, considerate, respectful, and peaceful existence. There are plenty of times during the day when I become frustrated by the crowd around me pushing and shoving, or the taxi that is crammed full of 17 sweaty and smelly bodies, or the restaurant that takes two hours to prepare my dinner. All eyes are on me though, looking to see how I can respond. I did not intend for this sound preachy. It's just that being in another country, a country that has experienced the worst of conflict, and on a continent which has been labeled as uncivilized has helped me to feel the meaning of humanity and of a human existence. From conflict may we learn to appreciate peace; from death may we learn to value life; from anger may we learn to act with compassion and understanding.

Back to the memorial topic. As I walk through one memorial after another I wonder who the memorials are for and what message they are trying to send. Some of the memorials are in memory of those who lost their lives; others are to be a shocking memorial of the actions taken out by the killers. The later memorials do not seem to be for Rwandans or for morning, they seem to call upon the conscious of the world. When I am as these sites I feel angry and guilty. Angry at the human potential for evil, angry that the world let this evil dominate, angry that situations of desperation that push people to act out violently still exist, angry that the privilege can make a big difference with little sacrifice, and guilty for being a human and for carrying this potential for anger, evil, and silence. I am not being silent now though. After experiencing Rwanda, I am going to shout until my voice becomes hoarse. You all are listening and I appreciate that more than I can express, but I hope that we can work together to put action behind our voices.

Speaking of voices, yesterday I heard the voice of political reconciliation. We had the privilege of attending a Gacaca. Gacaca is the ancient court method that Rwanda readopted to help deal with the vast number of perpetrators. Thirteen years later and they are still having hearings. The literal meaning of the word means something like grass, community and unity. The perpetrators are brought forth to be tried by their community. The purpose of a Gacaca is to bring unity and for the perpetrators to come forth and ask for forgiveness. It is one way that the people of Rwanda are healing deep wounds and looking for reconciliation. This paragraph does not do justice, but I am running out of time. Please ask questions because the intent of Gacaca is noble, but it also has its flaws.
My love to all! Amahoro, peace

I ran to Africa with a great amount of excitement and anticipation that I would find personal strength and solidarity. I have augmented these inner qualities, but I have also found myself valuing shared experiences with close friends and family. It is the common title to my life: strong individualism accented through shared experiences. I believe that I have aged a great many years over the past month; cultivating a deep personal wisdom. I am right where I need to be and I look forward to reconnecting with everyone!

Rwandan University Life

Just returned from a draining weekend in Butare, the academic center of Rwanda housing the National University. It felt like a college town, an African version of course. The purpose of our visit was to attend and help out with a Darfur rally that our friend Totto was putting on along with an energetic and curious group of his fellow university peers. The event was unfortunately disappointing. I was looking forward to seeing what ideas Rwandan students had about the situation in Sudan. It was apparent that the students were empathetic to the genocidal situation, yet an evaluation of the causes and possible course of international action was not covered. Very little information or action planning occurred. The brief background that was presented was sensationalized; the images were of starving babies and battered women. It made me uncomfortable to see, but I was more uncomfortable with the Rwandan crowd’s reaction to the images. Some people gasped, or clicked in dismay while others laughed awkwardly. Uncomfortable laughter to violence seems is a common reaction, yet not a healthy one in my opinion.

I too am struggling though with how to process the emotional impact of seeing the destruction of a human life. This weekend, my cup over spilled. Murambi Memorial, the most graphic and overwhelming genocide memorial. Murambi is a village high up on a scenic plateau. It used to be the site of a rural secondary school. During the genocide, Tutsi’s and moderate Hutu's were told to take refuge in the school; they were informed that they would be safe. Nearly 50,000 people fled to the school but they were not safe. The sheer number of victims was overwhelming; the natural beauty that silently witnessed the massacre was disturbing; our tour guide who was the only surviving member of his family and who has stayed on as groundskeeper ever since 1994 was painful; the plaque recognizing the site where French troops had played volley ball during Operation Turquoise was enraging(Operation Turquoise is an infuriating research topic for anyone interested in learning more about the international role in the 1994 genocide. A French documentary entitled Operation Turquoise was being filmed in Butare during our stay and should be out soon); the memorial was more than my soul could take. Like other memorials, the site remained untouched and unchanged. Yet, at Murambi the victims had not been moved. The last moment of life was seen on their mummified faces. I could never be prepare to face what I saw as I walked into one room after another. The odor was overwhelming, but it was not the odor of death, it was the odor of sheer evil. I wish I could end by saying a blank comment like, may they rest in peace, but I fear that the victims do not rest in peace.