The Community Centre (Shelter)

The Shelter is in the middle of the imudugudu (village), and is 5m x 8m (or close). It has no walls and no floor, but a corrugated tin roof with a 500mm pitch. It has PVC guttering on one of the 8m sides that fills a 2000 litre PVC tank.

It took us three days to build, (one day was called on account of rain) and involved most of the people in the village at some stage. The women cleared the land with hoes and hands, whilst many of the men watched! Then the women left and the men watched as Isaac and I marked out the ‘foundations’.

But their curiosity soon got the better of them, and like all men they were experts; we were soon teaching them how to measure out timber and post holes, and then how to make and mix concrete.

Interesting question: How do you make concrete without water and sand? Answer: you send your twin-cab utility vehicle on a 30km round trip to the closest ‘public’ water hole (we didn’t want to use their dwindling water supply). But of course when you can’t speak the language you don’t know that it is that far away. It took 1.5 hours to get the water and sand.

But how can you take a vehicle to get two containers of water and not suggest that any one else that wants water collected should bring their containers, (instead of walking 6km to get it)? You can’t can you? There was a mad flurry of activity as yellow plastic containers came from all directions; we ended up with over 50 containers in the cab.

We worked well into the afternoon, and they offered to slaughter a goat, but I realised that it wasn’t their goat, so declined the kind offer. They were disappointed that mzungu wasn’t hungry and hadn’t brought them soda and food. Maybe next time?

We’re Underway

As I write it is pouring outside – they tell me the monsoon rains have begun. It didn’t stop us though, we’re tough! We headed out to the imudugudu (‘village’ in KinyaRwanda) at 7:00 this morning to continue work on our Community Shelter. For about 1.5 hours we laboured on in the rain, but when the hammer started to slip from my hand we decided to give it up and head back to town. We looked a site apparently!

Wednesday (28th) saw the start of digging of the pits for latrines. 6 are underway. The pit is 2 meters in diameter and 10 meters deep and they dig it by hand. It is quite amazing to watch the precision that is achieved with a spade and pick axe.

I am still fascinated by how they will go down ten meters by hand. I am told that as they go down they will cut foot and hand holds into the wall, and when they get too deep to throw the dirt out, they will use a bucket and rope to bring the soil to the surface. Eventually, when the light is bad because they are so deep, they will take a candle down which will help the air circulation and give them light. They will also be connected to a rope to help bring them up, and to bring up the soil. (They tell me that there are accidents and deaths at times, if they don’t get the walls right it can cave in.)

So this is happening alongside my work of architectural and construction genius, the Shelter. Every now and then I hear the word Muzungu (white man) and laughter. I’m sure they’re laughing at my building techniques, but it’s working! It’s amazing what you can do with one saw, one hammer and a measuring tape.

Isaac and I have identified two young blokes that have potential and who are willing to work alongside us, even in the rain. So we are teaching them how to build, (don’t laugh). And we think these will be the two we approach to be trained to repair and maintain the pump.

A Day In The Life Of A Relief Worker

SORRY FOR THE LACK OF UPDATES - WE LOST INTERNET ACCESS AND HAVE ONLY JUST GOT IT BACK THIS MORNING

Wednesday 28th March - (5:00am) The day began in the village of Nyagatare, (North Eastern Rwanda) & for me as the call to prayer from the amplified speaker on top of the Mosque (just over the road) echoed across the valley. No sooner had the Muezzin stopped when the roosters greeted the sunrise & sounds of life began springing from the all over the village.

It’s a fresh, still morning as the smoke from kitchen fires begins spiraling into the sky, hiding much of the village in a haze that lazily rolls around the valley until mid morning before it’s burnt up by the sun & swept away by the breeze.

Children are out sweeping the ground around their houses with straw brushes; women & children are collecting water from the community tap & tidying up their small houses whilst the maize & beans soften over the wood fire.

No longer can I ignore the fact that the day has started & that it’s time to brave the morning ‘bath’. It’s only about 15 degrees at the moment & as I splash cold water over me I’m convinced that they refrigerated it this morning. But once you’re numb, it’s a refreshing & invigorating way to start the day.

(7:00am) After a breakfast of chapatti & tea again, we head off to a meeting with the District Government officials. It’s a short drive through the village & up a dirt track to their compound where, despite the fact that we have an appointment we wait for a while before being asked to come back later.

(9:00am) We work our way back across town & up a few more bush roads to an international aid agency’s compound to share ideas & resources. They’re already engaged in providing capacity development workshops in other outlying communities; we hope to develop a partnership with them to provide the same for Rwempasha.

(10:15am) We head out to another NGO to do some more networking, & receive some very good offers of partnership. (11:00am) We receive a summons to return to the Mayor’s office to meet with him & his staff.

However, by the time we arrive 10 minutes later he is in another meeting & can’t be disturbed so we meet with the Vice-Mayor to discuss how the promises each of us have made compare to the expectations of all the stakeholders concerned, but particularly the beneficiaries.

(12:00pm) We head back to town for lunch. It’s the usual rice, beans, mashed banana, maize cake, cassava & boiled beef. There are few vegetables & no fresh fruit to be found in this region at all.

(1:00pm) We begin the half hour (17km) drive up the bumpy, dusty bush roads to Rwempasha. Along the way we avoid the long horn cattle, the motorbikes & the people & pass by the traditional mud hut communities with the children playing in the dirt with their home made toys.

(2:00pm) Seventy families of the returnee community have gathered on the plot of land we have just been given to build a Community Centre (shelter). With the help of a translator I speak to the camp about the plans that we have to begin work on sinking a bore & digging & building pit latrines: (the contractor has just arrived with a truck load of materials so they can see it was not another do-gooder making idle promises).

(5:00pm) After much discussion the people are onboard. A ten person committee (5 women & 5 men) has been selected by the community. The committee is charged with meeting over the next week to design by-laws for the use of the water & pump; the first member of the community has just got a job as the security guard for the materials.

I have the privilege of giving a few bags of maize flour to the leaders to share out & a soccer ball to the children (you should see their faces) before we bid farewell before heading off across the savannah to home.

(7:30pm). We debrief the day together & write up some notes before dinner Yes, the same as lunch, but this time there are some noodles too.

(8:30pm) I prepare emails & reports to send, only to discover that the internet connection is down so we decide to call it a day & turn in (10:00pm).

35 Degrees In The (NO) Shade

Rwempasha is a collection of about 70 little shelters spread over 70 hectares and located on the top of a barren hill, strictly speaking there is one tree, but it’s bare and provides no shade.

The people who have been relocated here from Tanzania were almost all born in Tanzania, although they are ‘Rwandaphones’, (people of Rwandan descent that speak Rwandan languages) by ethnic origin. The majority are young and have never lived in Rwanda, they have no property or family to return to, their home and life was Tanzania.

In Tanzania they were shepherds but here in Rwempasha they have no cattle and no way of obtaining them (yet). But the Rwandan Government is trying to help the returnees by providing them with 1 hectare of land, food rations, free medical care (if they can get to a clinic or hospital, which is a long way off) and a hoe to help them plant crops. The shepherds are learning to be farmers and are planting vegetables which they use to supplement there rations and to barter for other necessities such as soap. There is little water to waste on crops, when you have to carry it for 4km, but despite this the hill top is beginning to green over with sweet potatoes, maize and cassava.

Following the last two visits we have decided to look at erecting a shelter (community meeting place) that will serve as a place for us to meet and facilitate discussion. (It’s completely selfish actually, it’s really hot sitting in the sun and I need some shade.) So we have designed a shelter that will also provide for water harvesting, and we intend to engage the men of the community to help us build. This will not be the contractor’s job, Isaac and I with our vast building experience will be the builders and contractors.

To those who gave me some money to bring with me, thank you. I intend to purchase a soccer ball, volley ball, net and a few other little things to give the children something to do. There may even be enough for some ‘treats’. The lollipops were a hit – they always are! To those who have left comments and words of encouragement on this blog, thank you, it means a great deal. Technology can be a great thing – when it works.

Mzungu, mzungu

After breakfast this morning the Headquarters personnel left Isaac and I too it. So here I am in the middle of Africa, in a little town in Northern Rwanda, the only mzungu (white guy) for a long way apparently and I knew it when I went for a walk through the village with Isaac.

The people are very friendly and welcoming. With my limited French and non-existent, (but learning), Kinyarwandan I am a real novelty, but a welcome one. From the District Government officials down the people have been great.

So far I have eaten three meals in Nyagatare and each time I have had my choice of rice, an ‘aromatic’ concoction of beans, savoury banana, cassava and sweet potato. I don’t think I’ll put on weight during this deployment.

Once we got rid of the HQ staff, we took an opportunity to orientate ourselves to the village; we had some shopping to do, so went for a walk down the main street. By the time we got to the end of the street we had decided that we will have to go for a trip into Kigali on Monday to obtain some supplies and materials. Lovely little village but nothing that we needed here.

Tomorrow it’s back out to Rwempasha to begin discussions with the community leaders with the goal of forming a community water committee that will decide on rules for use and maintenance of the well and lavatories that will be built. The great thing is that anything we do will be an improvement, but the challenge is to make what we do culturally relevant and sustainable. I think the plans and intentions of the project will deliver this goal.

Rwanda: At Last

After 33 hours in the air I arrived in the "Land of a Thousand Hills" to find that I would be staying at the Hotel Des Milles Collines for the night before heading up North to Nyagatare. For those of you that have seen the movie Hotel Rwanda you will know that this is the hotel that featured in the movie. It was a little bizarre to realise that the swimming pool I saw from my window was the same one that they drank from, and the foyer was the same one shot up during the genocide. But a beautiful Hotel none the less.

After a few hours sleep we headed out to Nyagatare, a three hour drive north of Kigali. This will be where we live for the duration of the project. Nyagatare is a small village but quite nice. After meeting the contractor we headed off to meet the local government officials, and then all of us travelled about 30 minutes out to Rwempasha.

The community that we will be helping is a collection of 70 small mud and tarpaulin 'tents'. There are about 230 people, all who have been relocated from Tanzania back to theit home country and given 1 hectare each for their new homes. This 'village' is located on the top of a hill, absolutely no shelter, and an 8km round trip to the nearest water. The kids are beautiful and full of life, very inquisitive and friendly. The adults were very welcoming and happy to see us.

At the moment there are six of us, but tomorrow it will be just two. Captain Isaac Siundu from Kenya and I will be living here and trying to implement the project.

As the days unfold I'll tell you more, but for the moment, let me say that this is an amazing opportunity and one that I am very happy to be part of. If we can start by giving this community and her people water and private latrines, we will go a long way toward transforming their lives and building upon their sense of dignity. If in the process we are ale to reveal Jesus in our lives, then what else can we do?

Dubai Isn't in Rwanda, Is it?

Well I made it to Dubai so far! And here I am for four hours before the next leg of the journey takes me to Africa, and to Rwanda.

What a welcome to Dubai. It took 1 1/2 hours to get through the security to get into the transit lounge. I think I would have been quicker booking out and in again. The place is packed even at 5am. But the shopping, (if you like that kind of stuff) is apparently great. Not that I would know!

Well, time to get on another flight, so until next time...

Nyagatare Here I Come

It's all confirmed.

The Rwandan Government have issued me with an "Entry Facility", which allows me to land in Kigali and obtain a visa upon entry.

So now I depart the shores of Aotearoa on Wednesday @ 1750 (NZ time) and after transitting through Melbourne, Dubai and Nairobi I arrive in Kigali on Friday at 0320 (NZ time).

Thank you to all that have been praying about this and for me. Sandy and I have always believed that our role is to make ourselves available - the rest must be up to God. So I believe there is a work for me to do in Rwanda and I will value your continued prayers for me, and for my family.

I will be living in a place (village/town/city: I'm not sure) called Nyagatare in the Northern districts of Rwanda and whilst doing some research I came across a photo, taken in January '07, that claims to be of Nyagatare:

Of Mice & Men

The best laid plans... Murphy's Law...

Well, about now I am supposed to be saying good bye and heading to the airport on my way to Rwanda: but No, not yet!

Due to some issues with a visa I have had to delay my departure until Wednesday. The flights are rebooked, so now I continue to wait to see if I will be issued a visa before then.

What can you do?

Rwempasha, Rwanda

It's easy whilst it remains an academic exercise in project management, but when the statistics take on faces and personal stories ...

(A returnee youth in Rwempasha, Rwanda looks towards the future. UNHCR)

To Rwanda

While there were at least three different migrations from Rwanda to Tanzania late 1960’s (before the current international boundaries were solidified), during the 1980’s to pursue (mostly) farming, and in 1994 as the result of the Rwanda Genocide, all of these people, many of whom were actually born in Tanzania, are being pressured into moving back to Rwanda.

The vast majority of these families have no real ‘home’ to return to and are making the journey to Rwanda with very little or nothing at all in the way of resources or belongings.

These people are being given land by government, but nothing more. They walk up to 8 km to get dirty water every day, they have no sanitation and in recent months 19 people have died as a result of water borne disease.

So this is where the Army comes in. We will begin a project to bore a well in the village of Rwempasha, to supply each of the 70 families with a toilet and education to maintain and care for the well, water and toilets.

That's my task. I will be in Rwanda for a month leading a small team in the delivery of this project.

If you want to know more stay tuned to this blog, providing I have access to the internet I will keep it updated.