Return home and final thoughts

In movies, final scenes are sometimes set up by occurrences earlier in the film to make things come full circle.

On Saturday, on the drive from Gisenyi back to Kigali, we passed the small area of grass (to call it a park would be an exaggeration) where, on the way to Gisenyi we saw the boys playing on Thursday. On Saturday, there was a group of boys playing with the soccer ball we dropped off to replace the makeshift one they were trying to play with on Thursday.

As much fun as this trip was (and it was!), we also need to remember that Rwanda is a country of great needs. We hope that we helped a little bit of difference with our trip and will continue to make efforts as we enjoy the luxuries we take for granted here.

Some final thoughts:

1. The trip home was murder! It took us 43 hours (two more than expected due to missing our connection in Detroit due to a delay in the flight from D.C.). Seven airports. No leg room. Lousy movies (sorry, Kevin, that film stunk!). But it was worth it.

2. Great group of people to travel with!

3. People-to-People does an outstanding job making plans and then changing them on the run. Gaby and Melissa were wonderful.

4. What an interesting country! Physically beautiful, it is very small with few natural resources and in a pretty dangerous part of the world. It has a troubled past. But, we were thrilled with the efforts being made to put those troubles behind them and move forward. The genocide museums were moving, the people incredibly friendly and the many people, from the orphanage, to the law schools, to the Millennium project and more are truly inspiring.

What a great trip!

Kigali University and Kanembwe villate

Today was one of the most remarkable days any of us ever had - traveling or otherwise.

It started with a visit to the Gisenyi Campus of Kigali Independant University and a meeting with its law students. On a spartan campus (we did not see a single student carrying either a textbook or a laptop), the enthusiasm of the students was infectious. They were very curious about the American legal system and asked a lot of excellent, incisive questions.

The second part of the day was even more amazing. We switched from a bus to all terrain vehicles. We quickly found out why as we left paved roads for - well, dirt roads, then mud roads with pot holes big enough to swallow a car. We ended up at a building where we were welcomed by a dance troupe from the village.

This special community, Kanembwe, was founded about two years ago. About 300 families were relocated to the area from a mountain, forested region due to frequent landslides and heavy floods. The soil is volcanic rock and there is no electricity, running water or sanitation. To call the living primitive is to vastly understate the matter. While we were glad that we provided some soccer balls and school supplies (and People-to-People will contribute some money) we left with a commitment to try to find a way to help more when get back home.

Speaking of which, we live Gisenyi early tomorrow for Kigali, then we fly back to Washington via Uganda, Ehiopia and Rome.

Gisenyi

We left Kilgali this morning for Gisenyi - a resort town on Lake Kivu on the Congo border.

On the way, we did one of the most fun things of the entire trip - we saw a group of boys playing with a makeshift soccer "ball" made out of plastic bags, held together with tape. We stopped the bus, took one of the new soccer balls we brought with us and gave them to the boys - see above. You would have thought they just won the lottery!

It took several hours to get here as we stopped to buy coffee, tea, lunch and several times for pictures. But, it is a lovely town and hotel, so it's worth it.

After a short rest, we went to take a look at the border with Congo, which is about a mile from the hotel. We would have liked to have crossed it, but the guards did not look friend - nor did their guns.

Gashora, Rwanda and the Millennium Villages Project

Our day started with a visit to another genocide memorial - this time, a church where nearly 2,000 Tutsis were slaughtered while seeking refuge.

The main topic for the day, however, was a positive one. This is a very poor country with many people living on just $1 per day. The government has designated certain villages a models to show what can be achieved by an intensive program. One of those villages is Gashora, and we visited it today.


In Geshora, we visited a farm where they are trying to become self-sufficient in food (and even make a profit), a school for girls and a health clinic. It is an amazing effort which so far, seems to be quite successful. To the left is part of our delegation hearing from one of the residents.






Tomorrow, we head for Gisenyi and Lake Kivu.

Professional meetings in Kigali

This morning, we met with the Rwandan Legal Aid Forum. The top picture is their Program manager, Mr. Frank Mugisha, addressing us. Not surprisingly, they have many of the same issues and problems as we have in the U.S., particularly, funding.The best part of the meeting, however, was the "five minute" break, which turned into a half hour as engaged individual discussions with the members of the Forum present. That led to the joint picture above.
Next was the most exciting part of the trip so far - a private meeting with Mr. Tharcisse Karugarama, the Rwanda Minister of Justice. He explained the history of the Rwandan justice system and particularly the choices made on how to deal with the perpetrators of the genocide. The eventual decision was to employ "Gacacas," which were essentially community courts, which were designed to promote "truth, justice and reconciliation."

So that no one thinks this trip is all work and no fun, on the way back to the hotel, we made a stop at a crafts mall for some shopping.

Genocide museum and professional meeting with law school

Our day started with a visit to the Genocide Museum - a memorial to the over one million Rwandans killed in 1994. The museum also memorializes other acts of genocide, especially the holocaust. It was a very moving experience.

The picture on the left above shows the beginning of our tour. Our guide was 12 years old when his parents were killed in the genocide. He does not know who killed them. When I asked him what he wanted done to the killers if they were ever found, he said that he would forgive them if they would apologize and accept responsibility for what they had done.

After lunch, we met with the Faculty of Law of the National University of Rwanda. They told us about their projects in International Law and asked us about American law, especially about use of the death penalty. We invited them to be our guests for dinner to continue the exchange of ideas.

First full day in Kigali

Our first full day in Kigali started with a visit to Les Enfants du Dieu, essentially an orphanage (although many of the children may have living parents, but were street children). First, we received an explanation on how they operate - the above picture was our meeting with the project coordinator, Rafiki Callixte, and the child who is the "director". This organization takes in boys, educates them and reintegrates them into society.





Then the children treated us to wonderful show of African music and dancing.

Next, we presented the children with presents, such as soccer balls we brought from the states. Other gifts, such as t-shirts and school supplies, we purchased from a Rwandan supermarket right before our visit. We then had lunch with the children who loved having their pictures taken. We made a financial contribution as well and took information to bring home to continue to support this important institution.

After the visit, we had our city tour of Kigali, including stopping at Camp Kigali, where 10 Belgian soldiers were killed on the first day of the 1994 massacre. We also stopped at the real "Hotel Rwanda" and heard the real story - not exactly the same as in the Hollywood version.

Tonight, we had dinner at a local restaurant. Our guest was Kabera Peirre Claver, a policy and legal consultant for "Transparency Rwanda," an organization dedicated to making the Rwandan legal system more honest and efficient.

Arrival in Kigali

It was a long day - well, actually two days of travel, but we are here in Kigali, safe and sound.

The flight from D.C. was real nice - it was only about half full, good food and great service. The 3+ hour stopover in Addis Ababa - well, not so nice! No duty free shops, just an old dirty airport.

We had a stop in Uganda at Entebbe Airport. While we couldn't get off the plane, a couple of us took pictures of the sign, thinking of course, of the 1976 raid.

Then, a short hop to Kigali where P-to-P staff was waiting for us. So far, Kigali looks really pretty, the hotel is great and we are looking forward to start seeing it, as soon as later this afternoon.

Later
We decided to hold off on the city tour - everyone was too tired. So we had lunch, a much needed rest period, then dinner.

Preview

On December 1, we will leave Milwaukee for Washington D.C. to start our journey to Rwanda.

This will be the third delegation which I have led for People-to-People. The first was in 2009 to South Africa. The second was last year to Vietnam and Cambodia. Both were phenomenal experiences, made so by the wonder of the places we saw, the people we met, the great service provide by P-to-P and, by no means least important, the wonderful people on the delegation with us.

Rwanda presents some unique problems for travel, but also opportunities for unique experiences. We are looking forward to learning about this country and sharing ideas and thoughts about our legal systems.

I will be trying to blog daily - depending on our schedule and the availability of internet connections. Please follow us and post any comments you may have.