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.