How pens can write some wrongs that blight Rwanda

Aug 14 2008 Agenda

The Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Solihull, Maggie Throup, was among the participants of Project Umubano, the Tories' social action project in Rwanda this month. She describes why Rwanda gets under her skin.

Why did I return to Rwanda to carry out voluntary work for a second year? This is the question many people have been asking me – Rwandans and fellow volunteers alike.

Well the answer is simple – last year I took far more away from my experience than I gave. It was never meant to be like that. I was giving my time and experience so why should I benefit too?

It is not a simple task to explain how I benefited from the experience – words cannot describe how Rwanda and the Rwandans get under your skin and in your blood and I know my second visit to this country will definitely not be my last.

This is a country rapidly recovering from the devastating genocide of 1994, when almost one million people were massacred in just 100 days. How does a country and its people every recover from that? It's down to pure determination and hard work and I do feel that progress has been made in the 12 months since my first visit. Every one is looking to the future with optimism, hope and a sheer determination to build a modern, progressive society.

To personally experience the impact and the need for international development first hand is by far the best way to understand it. Reports and strategy documents do not do justice to what is actually needed on the ground. International development is more than just giving money. Skill-sharing is equally important, and is what is behind the whole project.

In 2007, 43 of us came to Rwanda, focusing on volunteering across a wide range of projects. This year there are over 100 of us, focussing on five project areas – private sector, teaching, health, construction and justice.

Continuing last year's theme of giving marketing skills to businesses involved in the increasingly important tourism industry, this year I have been working with the fledging Chamber of Tourism to ensure the business support it gives is tailored to the needs of its members.

Many experts acknowledge that establishing sustainable tourism in developing countries is an effective and relatively rapid way of getting a country out of poverty. Tourism is high on the Rwandan's Government agenda for this very reason.

Every Rwandan I have met, both this year and last, has been so absorbent and ready to learn. It is so refreshing and rewarding. Rwanda is a country full of hope and could probably be described as the world's newest country. This brings with it its own specific challenges both socially and economically.

There are many strong and influential women in Rwanda, borne out by 48 per cent of the Rwandan Parliament being made up of women, putting our record to shame. There are also many women entrepreneurs and I've had the privilege to meet Janet and Joy as prime examples.

In 2003 they set up a business, teaching widows of the genocide and Aids victims how to carrying out basket weaving to a commercial standard. The training lasts two weeks then the ladies go back to their villages and teach other women what they have just learned. In the last five years, Janet and Joy have trained 3000 women, who in turn have trained many more thousands of women, to be independent and earn a living. The other part of the good news story is Janet and Joy are exporting their products to Macey's in the States - what a success story. I am now looking for links into the British and European markets for Janet and Joy to widen their customer base.

I have also had the opportunity to visit the school I twinned with one in Solihull during my visit last year. It is a state-funded boarding school as students have to travel many tens, and in some cases, hundreds of miles for their secondary education. But how can students get the most from their education when the staple diet is beans and rice? The school budget does not run to meat.

The school specialises in sciences, yet the laboratories were devoid of equipment for chemistry, biology and physics experiments. A lot of the teaching is just theoretical, without any opportunities for practical experience.

The 800 boarding students share one football pitch (where the school cows were grazing when I visited), and one makeshift dual purpose basketball and volleyball court. With just 20 computers for internet access during free time, the leisure opportunities are very limited. Added to this, I probably have more books in my home than I saw in the school library.

While I was at the school I was able to hand over thousands of pens as part of my 'Pen4Life' project I set up after last year's visit. Many families in Rwanda struggle to afford a pen for their children to take to school for their lessons. My goal is to ensure that every child in Rwanda can go to school with a pen. If you give a child a chance of an education, you give them a chance in life.

Many people across Solihull and further afield have been so generous with their donations of pens, the smiles on the children's faces made it so worthwhile. My Pen4Life project does not stop with this delivery, but will continue for many years to come; just one of the many reasons why this visit will not be my last.

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Jean-Louis Kayitenkore
Procurement Consultant
Gsm: +250-08470205
Home: +250-55104140
P.O. Box 3867
Kigali-Rwanda
East Africa
Blog: http://www.cepgl.blogspot.com
Skype ID : Kayisa66