Day 5 - Gorillas in the Wild

This post was published on Opportunity-UK’s travel blog at opportunityinrwanda.wordpress.com. 

As we have a lack of internet access today, we’ve only got one post for you, written by Dorthe and sent via text message. Today, we hiked into the mountain and had an encounter with a whole pack of gorillas. 

A knock on the door at 5:30—wakeup call! Today is the day.

We got organized and were given a trekker, a porter and assigned a gorilla family called Hirwa. There were 16 family members, mostly women and babies with only one silverback male. There were even baby twins—which are very rare, I can quite honestly say it was an incredible experience.

After an hour of walking through potato fields and half an hour into the muddy mountain, tight with bamboo and eucalyptus trees, we saw the sight of our first gorilla—up in a tree! As we approached them, we saw more of the family. Mums, babies, and young gorillas right next and playing all around us! It was magical!! The big silverback was having a rest but he soon became interested and led us all further down the mountain. There he munched on some bamboo and the family were all around him and us. This was an unforgettable experience and much closer and much less intimidating than I thought it would be.

(Day 3) Elizabeth:

Woke up to a wet and cloudy morning. We visited a longstanding Trust Group who were meeting to make their loan repayments outside a local cafe in a rural area outside Kigali. I was struck by the professionalism of the group and the meeting.

(The Trust Group president, treasurer and secretary. Photo: Anne Grafe-Buckens)

They have a president, treasurer and secretary, all of whom receive special training for their roles by the bank. As it was raining some of the Trust Group members had not yet arrived to make their repayment so one of us asked what happened if they missed the meeting. The answer was a very matter-of-fact “they receive a fine.” Somehow, I don’t think fines are needed often. I then had a very interesting experience of visiting one of the more basic Rwandan “facilities” before our second meeting—one I will remember for some time I’m afraid!

I also had the pleasure of sitting opposite Urwego Opportunity Bank’s CFO at dinner. A lovely Ugandan woman named Sheila who received her accountancy certification and degree from Oxford Brookes University by correspondence. Her husband is currently studying at Loughborough and they have two young children.  We spoke about the struggle of balancing career with family, nanny problems and trying to “juggle lots of crystal balls” desperately hoping not to drop any. I felt a real connection with her and realized that although we are worlds apart in some ways, we really are not that different in our personal ambitions and hopes for our families.

(Source: opportunityinrwanda.wordpress.com)

(Day 3) Julie:

Today was another one of beautiful Rwanda and beautiful Rwandans. Two in particular struck me. The first was Francine, a lovely, softly spoken woman, wearing a stunning yellow head dress, in the “We Trust Each Other” Trust Group.

(Rwandan client Francine. Photo: Anne Grafe-Buckens)

She shared how her first loan had enabled her to buy more salt and sugar and increase her daily sales. From there she added soap to her inventory. Recently she’s purchased a goat, which is now ready to give birth to a kid. With her profits, Francine has put a concrete floor in her home, installed electricity and bought new furniture. She also mentioned her provision for her children and her new ability to buy clothes for herself. Her final comment, delivered with a shy smile, was that she is no longer a burden to her husband. I took that at face value, not assuming she had a domineering spouse who demanded no pressure to provide, but rather a woman who was happy to bless her family through her work.

I didn’t get the name of the other woman who greatly impressed me but she stood boldly at the end of the meeting and told us why she had joined an Opportunity Trust Group. “When I heard about a bank that wanted to work with people because of Jesus’s love for the poor I thought, that’s the type of bank I want to partner with.” She wanted to partner with us. Opportunity International loans and training are not a hand out, but a hand up as women, and some men, recognize the chance at improving their lives through business development. I was so encouraged to hear that directly from a client. Fantastic!

(Source: opportunityinrwanda.wordpress.com)

Day 2: First Impressions

This post was published on Opportunity-UK’s travel blog at opportunityinrwanda.wordpress.com.

Five of us have taken time to write today. As you’ll see, Rwanda has made a big first impression! Here’s the first in a series of posts from travelers, written by Dorthe.

Rwanda – indeed Africa’s pearl. The land of 1,000 hills has captured my heart. We started our day in Opportunity’s Kigali headquarters with the staff gathered for their morning devotions. What a perfect way to start the day and this trip. I was truly moved by the spirit that filled the room. The lesson & reading was from Genesis 47, where Joseph teaches the people to save, as there will be seven years of feast followed by seven years of famine. Joseph established the law in Egypt of putting 1/5 of their produce or income aside. The lesson to the staff was poignant and, throughout the day, the importance of every farmer and market client doing the same was made clear to us.

(Germaine, Opportunity Rwanda COO, giving a devotional talk)

We met rice farmers in cooperatives on their first loan cycle and merchants in the market on their 24th loan cycle. All were appreciative of the difference their loans, however small, were making. A 30-year-old woman, whose name I didn’t understand, was introduced to us. She was selling coal behind the public latrines and next to the rubbish dump. She was a true success story. Her loan enabled her to buy wood to make and sell coal. Her profits enabled her to buy a cow ($1,400 Frisian import) which produces 10 liters of milk per day, versus the cheaper domestic cow that could only yield one liter per day. Then she invested in a motorbike that was used as a taxi. She had two kids. A true business lady, but that was not my first thought as we were led to her rather sorry, dirty spot behind the main market. The day was filled with women like her.

Inspirational and impressive, this was a day full of great impressions! The landscape is captivating. There’s an order and cleanness unlike anywhere I’ve been in Africa. The people are smiling yet slightly reserved. I feel completely safe and at ease. Can’t wait ‘til tomorrow for more impressions. Factoid of the day: as we are at the equator the earth is moving at 1,000 m.p.h. rather than 600 m.p.h. in London. Should we be dizzy? Either way it seems that things even out as not much gets done faster apart from the drinks at the pool bar this p.m. Very impressive. The rest of the day much of the time was spent just waiting. Getting our balance, perhaps?

(Day 2) Julie:

When I first moved to the UK last year I was surprised by the number of times the media, and the people I met, would refer to the War. Nearly 70 years after the conclusion of World War II it still impacts the way people live. Here in Rwanda, with only 18 years to distance the pain of war, not many talk about what happened but you can see it affecting nearly everything they do—how they interact, and how they live. A woman named Anitalia shared her story with us today. We met her at her fabric stall in the market, she’s been with Opportunity since 1998. What brought her into the bank 14 years ago was the sudden loss of her husband during one of the many post-war insurgencies in her area. With his death, she not only lost her life-long companion but also her stability and security. Anitalia, her seven children and one more on the way, had to cope not only emotionally but financially with his death.

(Dorthe with client Anitalia)

Thankfully, Anitalia is a fighter and worked hard despite her grief, using her first loan of $50 to buy beans to sell on the side of the street. After several more loan cycles she was able to buy some land, and after a few more, a few cows. She then built a house for her family and continues to diversify, renting a stall in the market to sell waxed batik fabric which she buys in Kigali and sells in her village. That was where we met her—a smiling, happy, successful business woman who had managed to provide for herself and her children. There’s a photo here of her making a sale to one of our team, Dorthe. Anitalia’s laughing and I know she’s proud of where she is today.

(Source: opportunityinrwanda.wordpress.com)

(Day 2) Elizabeth:

What an incredible day. Beginning with the most amazing coffee I have ever experienced at breakfast—working on a way to bring a supply of beans home with me! We arrived at the bank in time for the devotions, a lovely service which takes place every Monday and Friday to begin and end the week. The music and singing was so beautiful and the service created a great feeling of peace and community.

Then, we arrived at an agricultural cooperative who are working with their first Opportunity loan. Meeting with the Trust Group leaders and hearing their ambitions and plans really underlined for me the importance of empowering these clients to become self-sufficient. They not only work the land they lease from the local government, but to improve efficiency they employ people to help with weeding and even to scare birds away from the crops! The group has employed a agronomist who is testing 100 different varieties of rice on the land to determine which is best for their land conditions. It is this forward-thinking that is so powerful to me. Seeing these beautiful people who have so little materially but such ambitious plans for the future for themselves and their families, all made possible by the opportunity to borrow a relatively small amount, is very motivational.

(Veronique and I are talking to a farmer)

The fields were separated by a road, along which a group of children were walking home from school. There were cars, motorbikes and trucks speeding by with these little children walking along the shoulder of the road. The over-protective mother in me really had to take a deep breath. The children were stunning and so clever. I asked to see their schoolbooks and they were rightly proud to share them with me.  They all learn English and their lesson books were beautifully neat. As they skipped off I realized the future of this country is so bright and positive, even after the tragic recent past.

(Source: opportunityinrwanda.wordpress.com)

(Day 2) Veronique:

Dorthe mentioned the coal lady; I believe her name is Valentina. The image of her posing for our photographs with the young bank staff member will stick in my mind. Her batik wax print, dirty from the coal, contrasting with his smart tailored suit; both under 30, seemingly a world apart; yet, I would like to think that they represent the future of Africa, or at least Rwanda. She is street-smart and a confident entrepreneur who needed the opportunity the university-educated banker provided. It’s great to see it succeeding; inspiring for me and, hopefully, for others.

(Meet the five bloggers from Day 2! Anne, Julie, Dorthe, Elizabeth and me)

Land of thousand hills it is! Green, lush, rich and orderly— hard to think of all the horror that went on here for 100 days 18 years ago. It is the anniversary at the moment and the local press is full of testimonies and acts of remembrance. Hard to grasp.

(Source: opportunityinrwanda.wordpress.com)

Day 1

(Four of our travelers in transit in Amsterdam, en route to Kigali.)

Julie:

We’re here! Our plane touched done in Kigali Airport just after dark so our first impressions of Rwanda have been by night. Initial observations—it’s so clean!! And the traffic is incredibly orderly. After my time in Asia I was expecting a similar level of craziness but apart from a slight running of a stop sign all lanes were acknowledged and no speeding was undertaken! The lovely Adele from Opportunity’s US office met us at the airport, along with Molly who is our fellow Insight Tripper from Chicago. I have a great feeling about this week, can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Veronique:

Anti-malarial treatment has started! Drinking gin and tonic at the bar of Hotel Serena where we are staying. It is around the corner from Hotel des Mille Collines which inspired the film Hotel Rwanda, based on the story of its manager. Charming staff; mix of French- and English-speaking; heavy tropical smells but not the usual heat and stickiness as Kigali lies at 1400m. Lovely, truly.

Elizabeth:

After a VERY early start we had a great flight and arrived in Kigali. Felt amazing taking my first steps on African soil! Lovely people—have learnt murakose, which means “thank you.” Seem to be using it a lot! Comfortable room—after a bit of furniture reorganization with Veronique it’s great. Really looking forward to an amazing day tomorrow. Watch this space! 

Dorthe:

Finally we are here! I’ve been looking forward to this day! An early start. Shared the flight with a Danish UN soldier who was on his way to southern Sudan & spoke warmly about Rwanda, confirming all that I’ve heard about the smiling population and low crime rate. His stories of Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan left me grateful for my destination. We are missing two girls in the group but by morning we should have all seven women all raring to go! A day meeting clients in the field as well as meeting the staff at the head office of Opportunity Rwanda. Another G&T and time for bed.

Anne:

Just arrived at the hotel to join the group after a lovely day in Kigali with dear Belgian friends: church, market, gathering of expats on a hill with lots of interesting aid or NGO projects, and fascinating discussion over dinner with Rwandan friends. I felt spoilt and very grateful. There is lots to say, lots to understand, and getting an insight with Opportunity International staff and clients will no doubt be a true experience.

This post was published on Opportunity-UK’s travel blog at opportunityinrwanda.wordpress.com.

Our journey starts here…

Our party sounds a bit like the start of a good joke—a Belgian, an American, an Aussie, a Frenchman and a Dane walk into a bar…

But we’re not walking into a bar, we’re flying into Rwanda. And it’s not a joke. Over the past few months, in anticipation of this trip, I’ve learned so much about this wonderful African country. I’ve shared some of Rwanda’s story with my children—the story I’ve learned from books, social media, movies, newspapers—all someone else’s perspective. But soon, I will have my own perspective to share, my own story to tell.

(Opportunity Rwanda client Solange Mukakarangwa in her store)

Five of us, all women, all living in the UK and all members of the Women’s Opportunity Network (WON), are joining with another four women from the US to experience Rwanda and her people firsthand. We’ll start in Kigali and visit staff and clients of Opportunity International’s implementing member Urwego Opportunity Bank (UOB), spending three days with those impacted by this microfinance institution.

After what are sure to be very full days, within many different communities from rice farmers to market stall owners, we’ll move onto the Musanze district. Here we hope to see gorillas in their natural habitat—quite a hike so I’m hoping my winter fitness is up to it. Finally, we’ll return to Kigali, debrief and then head home, with my own story to tell.

The five of us will be updating a travel blog for the week we’ll be in Rwanda, and then that blog will be no more. We’ll take turns writing a brief report each day, and post loads of photos so friends and family elsewhere in the world can see a bit of our time as it happens.

This piece was posted on the Opportunity-UK travel blog, opportunityinrwanda.wordpress.com, on March 28. Check out the UK WON members’ posts there and we’ll also be cross-posting them here along with posts by US staff and travelers. Some of the travelers are already on their way to Rwanda, and they’ll begin arriving on Sunday. Follow along with their week-long journey.

This post was published on Opportunity-UK’s travel blog at opportunityinrwanda.wordpress.com.