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!