We had our Rwanda Assmblies this week alongside the Rights Respecting Team.  See below for the audio recording and the text of what folk said. Thanks so much to our good friend Susan from Comfort International for coming along!

Lauren

Hi, my name is Lauren and I’m going to tell you about my experiences at the “Comfort International” projects we visited.

1. I was amazed to see how welcoming the children were
2. I loved getting to know them all and teaching them highland dancing
3. I was worried I would be judged but they were all so kind and friendly towards all of us
4. I feel I have gained confidence from speaking to people I don’t know as this is normally difficult for me but because they didn’t care about who you were it was easier
5. I got involved with dancing and sports even though this was a massive challenge for me as I am not a fan of people watching me
6. They so little but yet they are so grateful for what they have and this is something a lot of people can learn from

Ben

So for the first time going to one of the street kids projects I was expecting it to be kids my age, maybe older maybe younger. But it was filled with kids of all ages, even babies and toddlers. Babies and toddlers that mums and dad have abandoned and left to fend for their own. Before the kids got took in by the project, they were sleeping all over, places like rubbish dumps and swamps, so that where the projects come in, these kids off the streets and get them into school and set them up for a better future.

Kieron

It started with 1 smile

That’s what happens the second you step off the bus, you are bombarded by so many kids who are so happy to see you and all smiling that you can’t help to be happy to be there.

The street kids projects are influential, they are getting kids as I say off the streets and showing them opportunities with education, friends and work. They are making a difference. Not one kid did I see seemed unhappy they are truly doing so much but with so little and that’s whether you have to commiserate them, they take nothing for granted. You see kids playing games with a stick and a tyre.

They have a game called Agati where you are simply running around in a square and chasing someone with a stick but it does so much to help them.

I had the privilege of also being able to teach a large group of kids some Rugby in which I could see how much it meant to them to be able to share such an enjoyable experience with us and I completely felt the same, I was glad I got to have that

Sophie

I think we can all agree that what happened in Rwanda was absolutely terrifying. Nearly 1 million Tutsi’s were slaughtered in just 100 days and no one was spared. Women were raped with men carrying HIV. The men would then spare some of the women so that they would have to live with HIV. Going to the memorials made it feel so real. Seeing all the dirty clothing and the broken skulls. The whole experience was so intense.

Zaynah

Personally out of the three genocide memorials we visited the national genocide memorial museum was the most hard hitting.

Out of everything I saw and learnt in this memorial the saddest part overall was hearing about the children’s deaths, these were shown in the child’s room. An example of this is Gillette who was 2 years old and she was smashed against a wall.

In child’s room they also included their last words and their favourite food, this made it feel more heart-breaking. One girl aged 12 her last words were “mum where can I run to?” These were especially hard hitting as unlike the other memorials you could put a name to the faces or clothes shown.

Dominika

I don’t even know where to begin. Rwanda was an amazing experience inside out, from the people, the culture, to the beliefs and everything in between. I felt truly honored to be submerged in such a diverse and welcoming community, and if the opportunity presented itself I would gladly return in a heartbeat.
For now I’m going to speak a little bit about the memorials we visited whilst over there. Every memorial had something different to offer, which made all of them unique and interesting in their own way. The main memorial based in Kigali was my personal favorite as it told the story of the genocide and was most informative about the events that took place during that time. The Neomata/Nytarama memorials were much more chilling as we walked through the ruins of churches and building, piles of skulls and bones encased in glass boxes next to us, the feeling was surreal. From the whole experience, I certainly took away some valuable life lessons that I will carry with me every day.

Thank you for allowing us to share our experience with you all today. You could also have this experience. Dr. Murray and Mrs. Cunningham will be looking for applicants from the current 3rd and 4th year for the next trip in September/October 2021. Keep an eye on the Bulletin for more and if you want to find out more about our time in Rwanda, please check out our Blogs at www.khsinrwanda.org.uk. Thank you for listening to us!

Esha

Having spent this time in rwanda has taught me about the impact of colonialism on the history of the country.

I learnt about how the differentiation throughout the region into three fully distinct ethnic groups occurred during the colonial period and grew much from European ideas about race and identity than from historic cultural patterns.

A more inclusive conception of national identity that regards Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa as one nationality came into place after all the terrible occurrences and now having spoken to many of those affected by the genocide I have learnt about how these identities no longer matter and all three groups are equals.  All three groups do indeed speak the same language and practice the same religions.

Being someone who is multilingual, I already understood the importance of language and communication before visiting Rwanda but this idea was reinforced when I got to witness how excited these individuals got over the fact that we were trying to understand them fully and communicate as well as we could.  Communication is a vital part of life and so I spoke to every person I came across while I was in rwanda and I think it’s fair to say that the people and language were amazing.

I would urge anybody who believes they are interested in this to apply for the next trip to rwanda, it’s truly a brilliant place full of kind people that need help.