Back from Burundi

Greetings everyone. Well, I am back from Burundi with many exciting and humorous stories to share. But firstly, I must comment on Aaron's blog, which I just read for the first time. The story that I recommended to everyone, "How Jim ruined my Friday in 5 different ways," I am de-recommending. More of it is lies than I thought. For example, I did not start throwing cushions at Aaron, I only did so after he threw them at Karen, and the quote in number 2 paragraph was never said. It's still funny, but just read it with a grain of salt. But anyways, the focus of this blog is Burundi, not Aaron, as much as he would like that attention.

The clan that drove south was larger than expected, being Emmanuel (my boss), Everest (his boss), Cathleen (a photojournalist), Lucy (her daughter) and myself. We left for Burundi on Wednesday afternoon, not 45 minutes after I wrote the last blog, as I predicted, but an hour and a half later. Crammed in the backseat with all of the luggage, Emmanuel and I welcomed leaving the vehicle to go through customs in Burundi. As we arrived at our destination, I inquired...

"Emmanuel, I know this is a stupid question, but where are we?"
"We are in northern Burundi."
"No, I know that, but what district or village are we in?"
"We are in northern Burundi."
"You have no idea where we are, do you?"
"No, not really."

Turns out, we were in Kirundo, and since we arrived well after sunset, my sightseeing of the country was limited. It did not help that the electricity was out as well. During a candlelight dinner of goat and assorted vegetables, I met Julien and Leonardo, the FH workers in Burundi. Because our reserved rooms were already taken, we were then moved to a different hotel. The good news was that it was bigger and had electricity sometimes, but the bad news was that it lacked running water. Oh yeah, and nearby a truck of goats kept screaming all night. Using my a bottle water to wash my face and brush my teeth, I got ready for the big day ahead of me.

The big day ahead of me started with an early breakfast and a 45 minute drive over dust-coated terrain. And only if you have ever been tumbling in an operating dryer have you experienced the bumpiness of these Burundian roads. Looking out the side window, I noticed the stark contrast between Burundi and Rwanda. Though Burundi's landscape is similar, but with more lakes, its infrastructure was incredibly weak, probably as a result the civil war a little over a year ago.

After bruising my butt from the Indiana Jones adventure ride, we finally arrived in the commune of Bugarira, where Julien and Leonardo showed us some of the projects they have started in Burundi. The first was a Feed and Seed Project, which was designed around the fact that if hungry families were given seeds, they would simply eat them if they were hungry. However, if the families received food and seed, they would plant the seed and eat the food. In this way, the project follows the twin-track approach, simultaneously engaging in emergency relief and sustainable development. The second project was a Cassava Multiplication Project. For those who are not familiar with cassava, it is a staple food, similar to a potato, which still grows well during droughts. However, because of the new virus xanthomonas (remember this for Jeopardy) much of the cassava population has died. So Food for the Hungry (FH) has purchased a total of 15 hectares of a resistant strand of cassava for 5 farmer associations, with the plan to give each first year’s cuttings to another farmer association, etc., effectively increasing the hectares of cassava every year. If this remains consistent, within 10 years FH will have assisted in the production of 400 acres of this disease-resistant cassava for Burundi. Not only will the cassava be able to feed the 60-80 families in each farmer association, but also begin to generate income for them as well.

Now, why Emmanuel and I were there was to conduct assessments of these programs to confirm their effectiveness for FH Rwanda, which funds the operations in Burundi. Now, when I think assessments, I think indicators and statistics, but such was not the case. Basically, since the program has only been in effect for six months, before the first cassava harvest, it is difficult to assess. We went to the site, I asked questions and Emmanuel observed, offering suggestions where was necessary.

Though it was not what I expected it to be, I still learned a great variety of information and was able to meet many of the FH beneficiaries. The poverty was intense, and much more apparent than in Rwanda. Children wore ripped and worthless clothing, smiling folks cooking in slanted huts made entirely of a dry straw and men riding on wooden bicycles to get water 8 miles away (women had to walk) were frequent sights. Though scarce, hope was visible in the construction of a church, a fresh harvest and in a rosary which a young girl wore as a necklace. Surprisingly and hurtfully, the overwhelming weight of it all made me numb to it. I think it was my inability to comprehend what could be done to free these people, to give them opportunity.

But I think Emmanuel had the right idea. During a walk on Thursday evening, he told me some of his philosophy on development. He told me that it takes time to empower people. "If you give them too much they will be frustrated. At the end, they have to believe that they did it themselves." Since I am only here for the summer, it is hard for me to see how I fit into all of that, especially given my limited knowledge of the subject area already. But if I am here to learn, then learning I am doing.

So, after learning a sexist card game Thursday night from Julien, and visiting one more beautiful cassava field in the morning, we returned to Kigali by Friday afternoon. Sorry I could not get this posted earlier, but there was a lot in my mind and we lost power again shortly after dinner. Sigh. Thank you for reading this incredibly lengthy blog. God bless!

One Last Thing

Hey y'all,

I have about 15 minutes (meaning 45 minutes) until I leave for Burundi, so I decided to occupy my time managing this blog. I have decided that I should start putting links to the blogs of my fellow interns on the left panel, so that you can read their perspective on the trip and not just mine. Currently, I have only posted Aaron's, the intern I am living with, who has come up in multiple stories. As I speak he is writing the entry "Last Weekend," which includes "How Jim ruined my Friday in 5 different ways." It's pretty funny. Please check it out if you need a good laugh, but do not believe everything he says... only most of it. :) Peace and blessings.

Stitching the Pieces Together

Greetings readers! I hope I find you in good spirits, and if not, hopefully this blog can cheer you up a bit. The past few days have been exceptionally educational and productive. Just wait until you can see what I can do now... my mom will be so proud.

Monday morning started out with a twist: our ride was here on time! Typically, Aaron and I are ready at 8:15 for our 7:50 ride, which in reality, comes at 9:30. But today, by some wrinkle in the fabric of time, the driver actually came at 7:50. It was a disaster. Aaron was getting in the shower, I was getting dressed, and we had to wait until 10:00 for our ride to come back. As a result, we were told that we were going to be picked up during the normal morning route at 7:20, which makes perfect sense. This morning they arrived at 7:10, which stripped me of my breakfast. Oh how African time differs from American time.

When we arrived at the office on Monday, though, there was not much for us to do. Dwight, country director for Food for the Hungry International Rwanda (FHI/R) hinted that we should write a report outlining the problems faced by the resettlement camp and potential ideas for FHI/R involvement. Two days later, the report is almost finished, and I must admit, I am proud. Being able to write out all of our ideas has helped us develop and refine them. Though I am sure FHI/R will not be able to utilize all of the solutions, simply due to a lack of resources, I am confident that at least a variation of one of our ideas will be undergone. Crossing my fingers.

A painfully hilarious or hilariously painful event (depending on you perspective) occured during work on Monday. While leaning back in my wheelie chair, gravity decided to duke it out, and my chair and I slipped and fell on our backs. Aaron was so supportive; he leaned over and chuckled, "heh, that was embarrassing." Even Emmanuel thought it was "very funny." Fortunately, I suffered no injuries, but fate was not so kind to my dress pants, which were ripped behind the knee by the chair. When I returned home, however, I embraced the opportunity, and after prodding some women to teach, I learned how to sew up pants. And not just the standard stitch, but something called the chain stitch as well. Granted, the pants will probably rip the second I put them on, but I am proud nonetheless.

Abby also recently introduced me to the wonderment of photo-editing software, which I have been experimenting with fervently. Here's another shot from the refugee camp that I have really come to love. Oh and yes, I always ask for permission before I take a close-up like this.


Today was exciting as well. After work, Aaron and I engaged in an exhaustive hour and fifteen minute game of Egyptian War, which I won, by the way. I also lent a hand in the kitchen, learning how to make matoke (a popular Ugandan dish made out of cooked bananas) and homemade french fries. I look forward to making the fries at home to accompany a BROWN burger on the grill. Mmmmmm. Hopefully, this will be the first of many kitchen experiences, as I try to learn how fend for myself. If I could learn how to wash the dishes... sigh...

Well, that is all for now, and in fact, tis all for the week. Tomorrow I depart for Burundi in order to assist with a food assessment there. There will be electricity at the guest house I will be at, but not internet. I should be back Saturday night at the latest and will probably blog about the experience on Sunday. Although I will be in an unfamiliar territory, so any forthcoming prayers would be most appreciated. Thank you all for reading. God bless!

These Past Few Days

Thursday, John Domoscene, a newly-wed who works for the Rwandan government, shared with me a joke told to him by his Egyptian friend:
"What product is Rwanda's number one export?" asked the Egyptian.
"I dunno," replied John, "Coffee or tea?"
"Which one?" the Egyptian insisted.
"Tea," John guessed.
"Liar," remarked the man, "Rwanda's number one product for export is its soil."

Though I have yet to collect the exact statistics, it is clear that Rwanda, with its 30 to 80 degree cultivated hillsides, has major issues with soil erosion. Natural nutrients in the topsoil, along with crops and fertilizers are often picked up and lost to the rivers and marshes after a good rain. As Africa's most densely populated country, such erosion has detrimental effects on food security. On Thursday, I learned and witnessed how Food for the Hungry (FH) Rwanda is addressing this problem through terracing contracts with the Rwandan government.

Though I had seen terracing before, an FH supervisor and agronomist Kabera Alexis took me a terracing construction site, where hundreds of day-laborers worked six hours at digging into the hillside. FH pays them about $1/day (a decent wage) and then saves $.20 per worker everyday to give to them at the end. Not only is this to ensure that the workers stay with the project, but also to allow FH to teach them about credit and savings. Alexis taught me the proper conditions for terracing, how one was built and the multiple benefits of terracing for the farmer and the economy. I will spare you, but I thought it to be fascinating. After he was done showing me the site, he started supervising, leaving me to stand around and observe like a snooty muzungu (Kinyarwanda for "rich, white person"). I could not stand the feeling for long, and soon I found myself participating in the action. Many of the day-labors got a real kick seeing a young white man getting his hands dirty, for which I was happy.


Friday, Aaron and I both had the day off, mainly because I had to go to the US Embassy for my security clearance. After walking around Kigali and eating a red burger (which, in hindsight, was clearly a poor choice), we waited at the US Embassy for two hours until, finally, the regional security officer, Gregory Anderson, helped me out. To make a long story short, I am gratefully finished, but poor Aaron had to wait. Abby, the house supervisor, and I, tried to cheer him up by going to market, but our motos (transportation on motorcycle) took us to the wrong place, twice. Discouraged, we gave up. However, during dinner I accidentally put hot sauce on my pizza, which everyone except me seem to enjoy. It was the hottest my mouth has ever been. 'Hot' is an understatement; that sauce was sweat scraped off the spine of Satan.

Today was much improved. We finally to a different market, after we discovered that the market we were seeking was actually a storage facility for wood. After searching for hours, we bought fabric for shirts that will be sewn women who are training to be seamstresses. These are the same women that Karen, a fellow intern, teaches English to. My cloth is a zig-zag African design in true Alma College colors. In the afternoon, we were joined by four Rwandan university students, Felix, Felix, Christian and Emmanuel, who were all studying English and French in order to teach at the secondary level. They hung out with us through dinner, and when they left, Abby, Karen, Aaron and I went up on the roof. It has a spectacular view of Kigali and was a great place to reflect on trip so far. I wish you could have been there.

Thank you for reading. God bless!

Long Time, No Write

Greetings. Thank you for checking in. Since it has been about six days since my last entry, I have many adventures to share.

The first of which is that this past weekend Karen, Aaron and I traveled to Guitarama to hang out with our fellow interns stationed there. On Saturday morning, we went to the market, which had many sights to behold, including a trisected bleeding cow in the back of a pickup and assorted clothing and electronics stores. Overall, it was clean, and though I did not buy anything, I was tempted on many occasions. After a delicious lunch, Saturday afternoon consisted of a hike through urban and rural Guitarama. The destination of our trek was determined as thusly:

Caleb: “I really like that flat-top tree over there.”
Me: “Okay, let’s hike to it.”

The walk was deceptively short, only taking about forty-five minutes, but the forty-five children that we collected along the way made it fulfilling. As we came across a schoolyard, we settled the children down for an invigorating game of Duck-Duck-Goose. I always got stuck in the middle; not that I’m bitter or anything. Then, Sunday morning we attended church, a four-hour Kinyarwandan Pentecostal church service. Not my favorite Guitarama moment, but an experience nonetheless. Shortly after the service, the three of us left for Kigali. Riding in a taxi the size of a Volkswagen Van, we sat comfortably along with the other 19 people that were cramped in with us. After cutting off the circulation to my legs, I read a chapter of Paradise Lost, which held me over until we arrived.

Since then, work has been relatively slow. Monday, Aaron and I had a meeting with the World Food Programme to discuss their operations in the resettlement camp we visited last week. The headquarters was nice; I almost asked how much food they could buy if they sacraficed their immaculate gardener, but thought better of it. However, the meeting was short and sweet: "we only do what the district tells us, go talk to them."

So today we did. I slept most the way there and back, but while we were in the town, we had a decent time. After a scrumptious and relatively inexpensive lunch, we talked to the district head in charge of good governance. Though the lady in charge of the resettlement camp was gone, this fill-in was informative. He gave us a house-building project proposal and basically told us that, other than that, not much was being done for the people in that camp. He said that the government would welcome our assistance. There was also another project proposal for agriculture that we wanted to study, but that gentlemen was gone as well and he was the only one with that paper. Aaron and I concluded that we need to show them what a computer network is. Oh well.

Outside those two meetings, I have done nothing for Food for the Hungry all week. Normally, this would have bummed me out, but I have been busy preparing for something else. The
State Department informed me that my Security Clearance information is due next Monday, and they sent this information to my parents a week and a half before the deadline. Thank you US government. A full Security Clearance is mandatory in order for me to work with the State Department this fall in Rome. So if that does not get completed, then the second half of this blog will not exist. Needless to say, I have been scrambling to pull everything together, and between emailing my mom for information (thanks mom) and intermittent internet, it has been difficult. But I am almost done, hence my ability to finish this blog, and hopefully will have it turned in to the US Embassy tomorrow.

So that is all. Hopefully, I will be able to update sooner after this security clearance is done. Thank you for reading! God bless!

Out of Place

Hello readers, thanks for tuning in. Before I begin this post I would like to inform you that the Food for the Hungry Interns 2007 introduction video can be found at the bottom of this page. Simply click the link, and scroll up where you will find it loading. The video was made by Caleb Lilley, a fellow intern, and is pretty hilarious. It is also a good way to get to know the cast of characters that will appear in subsequent videos.

As for blogging my life here in Rwanda, yesterday is hard to describe. But as the following paragraphs will attest to, I am sure going to try. After a two drive from Kigali, Emmanuel took Aaron (a fellow intern) and me to a refugee camp in southern Rwanda to make a needs assessment, essentially, to figure out what role Food for the Hungry can play. The camp held about a thousand people, almost three hundred families. Though everyone referred to them as refugees, they are technically returnees. In the 1960s, during turbulent times, many families fled Rwanda into Tanzania. However, in the past few months, the government of Tanzania has been kicking these families out by force. Now there is nearly 16,000 "refugees" in Rwanda, out of an estimated 60,000 in the long-run.

Walking through the camp, I witnessed the most extreme poverty I have ever encountered. It was a filthy campground in a dry, hilly region. One obvious exception being that this was no vacation. The camp had two doctors and one healthcare center, a white tent, with medicine sprawled about it. The school was made to lashed sticks and tarps. Houses resembled forts I had made in the Boy Scouts, complete with old tarps (from UNHCR) and rough sleeping arrangements. Infrastructure was weak. The water supply was always low. And when it rained, the drops penetrated the tents, ruining what little food and furniture they had.



During our assessment, I had the opportunity to meet many of the people, from pot-bellied children to worn grandparents. Everyone looked hopeless: three university students who were a year away from becoming certified teachers, a woman who pleaded for help, an undernourished child who had scabs on his shaved head. It was devastating. All of them were stripped of their life in Tanzania and unexpectedly booted out into Rwanda with no means of survival.

Yet there certainly is hope. Talking with Rurangwa Gerard, a dressmaker who now makes clothes for his fellow refugees, opened my eyes to their situation in Tanzania. He told me that as former Rwandans, men were commonly beaten, and women raped. He said that life in the refugee camp, along with the help from the Rwandan government and international organizations, was better than it was before. Looking around me, that statement was hard to swallow.

Today, Aaron and I have been working on a program for FH to implement in the refugee camp. We think we have some exciting solutions. This weekend we are traveling to Guitarama, to meet with the other interns, where we will brainstorm some more as well. But that also means I will not have internet until Sunday. So I will be sure to write then.

Before I sign off, I would like to give a congratulations to Marc Hong and Sarah DeYoung, the latter of whom will become Sarah Hong tomorrow. I am extremely excited for you guys and will surely be thinking of you throughout the day. And for the rest, thank you for reading! God bless!

My first day of work

Yesterday was my first day work, and I would have to say that it went very well. It began with a meeting with World Vision to discuss DAP (Development Assistant Project), to discuss an upcoming assessment to evaluate its various approaches to promoting economic development throughout Rwanda. It is funded by USAID (US Agency for International Development). However, I learned that because USAID recently became a part of the State Dept., financial aid has become political, so DAP's budget unexpectedly received a 30% cut. This shortcoming will result in the reduction of impact of DAP, which will hurt the Rwandan people and the accountability of the organizations. Being the only American in room, it was certainly awkward, and I felt that I had to remind the group that such decisions did not express the opinions of the American people. You're welcome, America. : ) Following the meeting, we had an engaging discussion on the genocide in Darfur. In the room was two Rwandans and one German, so the conversation was very engaging.

After lunch, my boss Emmanuel thought I should see some FH projects. We proceeded to drive north of Kigali, into some of the most gorgeous scenery I have ever seen. Rwanda is called "the Land of a Thousand Hills" and now I know why. There were rolling hills as far as the eye could see. And not just foothills, like we have in Michigan, but hills that were more like mountains.



Though beautiful, this topograpy makes agriculture, Rwanda's primary economic sector, extremely difficult. Since the valleys often flood, and the tops are saved for grazing, many crops are planted along hillsides. When it rains, the erosion of topsoil takes away much of the harvest. This why FH is working to build terraces (seen above) in many communities, which maximizes the use of rain water and increases crop yields. FH also works in tea plantations, which do well along the valleys. In fact, Rwanda has been promoting its tea globally, and now Starbucks buys from many of the fields that I saw. Though this may not sound very exciting, to actually find yourself lodged in a lush valley was extremely pleasant and memorable. I am looking forward to similar excusions.

And that was work. Not too bad, if you ask me. Although, today is a little different. I just read through Rwanda's Strategic Plan for Agricultural Transformation. That's right... SPAT. Which reminds me, break-time is almost over, so I must get back to work. Have a great day. Thank you for reading! God bless!

Beautiful Rwanda

I have only been in Rwanda for a few days, but I already feel at home. That may be perhaps my residence, a Food for the Hungry (FH) guest house is wonderful. Not only is a spacious and has a cleaning/cooking staff, but its view overlooks the heart of Kigali. Additionally, none of us have gotten sick yet and all of our luggage miraculously arrived, which were perks as well. Though it is true that we did lose power for 24 hours, that allowed all of us to play a game of hide-n'-crawl-in (aka sardines) and just us guys to sing aHs we did the dishes. By the way, if you are wondering who "all of us" are, look for the upcoming video.

Though working in my internship starts tomorrow, I have already had many cultural experiences. One of which was attending an Episcopalian worship service in the local tongue. I have also been able to play and converse with many of the Rwandan children in very much broken French. Just today, we visited the Rwandan Genocide Memorial, which was beautiful and crushing. No lies, I cried. I won't describe it to you, mainly because I could never do it justice, but it grew my heart closer to Rwanda an its people.

One Rwandan that we have met who wasn't a small child seeking laughter with the white people, Felix, was kind enough to tell us his genocide story. Again, it is difficult to retell, but it had a similar result as the memorial. It hurt to hear that as an eight-year-old, Felix had to live with the constant fear and expectation of suffering and death. He told us how, to avoid the killers, he had to silently hide underneath a bed for two months. At first, this factoid did not touch me, but later, while playing hide-n'-crawl-in (as previously mentioned), I found myself silently hiding under a bed for 45 minutes. I found myself bored, alone and anxious, but when comparing my experience to Felix's, I had no reason to complain. So I just laid there in dark and thanked God that the people trying to find me weren't trying to kill me as well.

Though most of these memorable events seem depressing, they have given me a new appreciation of life and an excitement for my work this summer. I am having a wonderful and safe time. I am thrilled to begin working this summer and will be sure to continue to update periodically. Thank you for reading and God bless!

Written in my journal on June 7th 2007

Well, we're off, many a thousand feet above the air. Our flight itinerary is insane, from Phoenix to Denver, Denver to Washington DC (the flight I'm on now), DC to Rome, Rome to Addis Abeba, there to Nairobi and lastly to Kigali. I'm almost guaranteed to lost my luggage. The good news, though, is that I am excited, I feel safe, and I love the people I'm with, despite the face that not all of us know what we're doing.

Orientation went really well. Though it was a little lengthy, it gave me a great insight into Food for the Hungry (FH) as an organization. Vision: God called and we responded until physical and spiritual hungers ended worldwide. Despite the fact that the vision is slightly grammatically incorrect, I completely agree with it. Similarly, I love the programs and the community in the organization. On Wednesday morning, chapel for the organization really gave me an opportunity to see just how spiritual and connected FH is. A beautiful and collective version of "It is Well" nearly had me in tears.

The group of interns I encountered, the ones I'm going with and others, are great too. After overcoming the initial awkwardness of sexual harassment training, we all seemed to bond fantastically. In fact, I am truly bummed that I will not be with them again until the end of summer. Particularly, good memories include those at restaurants for FH meals and the endless supply of trail mix that gave me cramps. Overall, the orientation led me to trust and love the organization.

Another part of that is a result of my host-family in Phoenix, Presley and Kelly, a 5-year married couple who were some of the most hospitable people I've encountered. Not only did they provide most of my meals (including a healthy portion of mint chocolate dessert), but they took time to take me out on the town. Thought their still-in-the-process house was far from perfect (the exterior was white with turquoise animal paintings), their warmness made it a wonderful experience. I'm excited to see them again, to see the house painted properly.

But now the adventure has moved elsewhere, to Africa, where I'm sure other exciting and life-changing experiences await. I found out yesterday that I may be travelling to Burundi for a few weeks to do research, which will be amaxing, though I'm sure ten weeks of Rwanda would have satisfied me. But when you follow God's will, you'll never know where He takes you. At this point, the future in entirely in His hands.