The Key to Happiness.

One of the things that I learn--over and over again--from the refugees with whom I am fortunate enough to work in Rwanda is how much happiness can be found in the smallest things.

The man with the huge smile in this photo is the guard at the Health Center in Gihembe Camp, and he has been in that job for the three years that I have been working in that camp. He always greets me with a big smile and a thumbs up, his only ways of communicating as he is unable to speak.

Last year I gave the IGP team key rings from The Grand Hand Gallery, with red leather fobs embossed with the gallery's logo, a drawing of a hand. This seemed especially appropriate for a program that encourages people to do what they can to help themselves.

When I arrived back in Gihembe a couple of weeks ago I learned that the guard has wanted one of these key rings ever since he saw them last year, and who better to have one than the man with all of the keys?

So here we are, moments after I gave him not one but two key rings, one that clips to his belt and the other for his pocket. I don't know which of us is happier.

Teachable Moments.

We have many such moments here in our IGP trainings, but one in particular stood out to me today during our accounting training in Gihembe Camp.

This is a complex training, and one for which we try to invite only those refugees who know how to read and write. However, from time to time there will be someone without literacy skills who is so eager to learn that we will accept them into the class. In that case one of the Refugee Assistants will sit with that person, to make sure they understand the material to help them to take notes.

The woman that you see on the right in this photo is one such eager student and standing next to her is Aimee, one of our Assistants. Aimee did such a wonderful job of bolstering this woman’s confidence that she was willing to come to the front of the room and write her answers to the problem of “where are Joseph’s goats?” on the flip chart in front of the whole class.

And her answer was correct.

Working here is not easy, but moments like these make it all worthwhile.

Bag Ladies.

You really can’t imagine how rewarding it is to get these photos in which nearly everyone is smiling—or perhaps hiding shyly behind one of the bags that she has made.

This week we finished up our work in Nyabiheke Camp by meeting with the groups that are making these colorful nylon bags. We looked at all of the bags that they had made and talked about the quality, color selection and designs, all part of assisting the groups with improving the market for their work.

The bag that I am holding is a gift to me from these women. You’ll see me carrying it proudly this summer and if you want one of these beauties you know whom to call!

Yesterday I submitted our work plan for the final three weeks of my stay. It is hard for me to believe that three weeks from right now I will be in the air en route from Amsterdam to lovely summery Minnesota.

For the next two weeks, though, I’ll be in cold and rainy Gihembe Camp and will keep you posted from there.

What's New at Nyabiheke?

Here are just a few examples of what is new with the Income Generation Program in Nyabiheke Camp...


A public phone...to call friends and family.


A small boutique where Chantal sells everything from bar soap to beignets.


A fun and friendly hair salon.


And last but not least, our wonderful new IGP center. Thank you, ARC!

Off of the grid.

This week we will be heading out to Nyabiheke Camp, ARC’s newest—and smallest—camp, and also the most remote. Last year when I was there I had difficulty checking e-mail or getting a signal for my mobile phone and much of the time we were without electricity even in the house.

Now, thanks to a great deal of effort on the part of ARC Rwanda, things have improved. There is even wireless internet access available in a small building in the camp, but it requires a special type of modem that is not Mac compatible. So, I am planning to leave my little PowerBook behind in Kigali. I may have a chance to check e-mail using an ARC computer but won't be posting to my blog again until next weekend when I return to the big city to greet Carol Pavlish on her arrival from the United States.

Have a good week!

La famille de Charlotte.

This seems to be the year for family photos.

I took this one yesterday, on my last day in Kiziba Camp.

This is the family of Charlotte—the well-dressed woman on the right—who is one of leaders of our IGP Committee and who has volunteered a lot of her time to assist her fellow refugees with starting their businesses.

Charlotte also runs a sewing business in the camp as part of an association of about 20 tailors. They make clothing to order for the other refugees, and the impact of their work is visible throughout the camp. Instead of wearing cast-offs from America (which, by the way, are not donated, but sold for a profit here in Africa), many of the refugees in Kiziba Camp are now wearing outfits like the ones Charlotte is wearing in this photo. The clothes are made from local fabrics, using local labor, which makes them both less expensive and more appropriate for the people who wear them.

When Charlotte asked me to take this photo of her family she explained that it was their gift to me, to thank me for all that ARC has done for the refugees in Kiziba Camp and for the IGP associations.

Merci, Charlotte, c’est un cadeau extraordinaire.

The Road to Kiziba Camp.

Those of you who have been here remember the road to Kiziba Camp. Twelve kilometers of rocks, dust and bone jarring ruts that take their toll on vehicles and passengers alike.

I am happy to report that this road is no more. Thanks to a large-scale infrastructure project that will eventually facilitate the transport of natural gas by truck from Lake Kivu to an electrical power generating station high in the mountains, the road has been completely rebuilt by a Chinese construction team. It is now a smooth ribbon of graded gravel surface cut through the rock of the green hills that rise above Kibuye town and lovely Lake Kivu, wide enough for two vehicles to pass. Of course there is no guard rail and with a better road comes faster driving but still, this is an amazing improvement that shortens the trip to the camp significantly and makes it possible for us to reach the camp even on the rainiest of days.

Tomorrow I will be traveling the road to Kiziba Camp for the last time on this journey to Rwanda. I will be sad to say goodbye to my friends in the camp, and as always, I will share with them my wishes for peace in their country and a safe return to their homes and villages. I hope with all my heart that this will be the last time that I will see them here, and that the next time I come to Rwanda this will no longer be the road to Kiziba Camp.