Exploring Rwanda - Mutara

This is the third part of our trip to Rwanda last November. Read also part one and part two.

"Mzungu, mzungu!" We heard the cries long before we saw the children. They were running behind our vehicle as we bumped and jostled over the rain damaged roads. We had arrived. Even the women came out from their homes and their work to look at us, their faces filled with curiosity. White skin is an unusual sight around these parts. They were shy, content to watch from a distance, but they agreed to let me take their picture, giggling when I showed it to them afterwards, and gibbering away at each other in their language. We didn't stay long, just long enough to have a look around and get a feel for the place, then it was off to town for lunch.

When we first heard of the Project, we were told it was in Mutara. We searched many a map, but we simply couldn't find it. We were more than a little apprehensive about that, but we soon discovered that it's the name of the village/local area, located about 20 minutes (by car) away from the Provincial Capital, a decent sized town with lots of services. The area houses about 1000 families, who would benefit directly from the project. It is currently a plot of land, which is being used to grow corn and beans, with a water pump on it. The general idea is to build a community centre on the land for the surrounding families and villages, with a preschool/school, clinic and possibly vocational training. These services are mostly inaccessible to the families in the area, as a 20 minute drive is simply beyond their reach. Part of the idea was to also provide for orphans in the area, but that is temporarily put on hold due to the government currently making changes to their policies in this area.

It was a really interesting week, and great to be able to visit this region of Rwanda. We had to use a lot of time talking and thinking and deliberating over what we wanted to do. We had lots of questions. Do we want to be involved? Do we want to move our family to this part of the world, to this particular place? Can we do this? Can we build something from nothing? How would we cope with living in a smallish town, homeschooling our kids, and not knowing if there will be any playmates for them? What if it doesn't work out? What if we don't get the money we need or visas? Finally, we had to ask ourselves - But, isn't this your dream? Wouldn't you regret it if you didn't even try?

And so, the decision was made. We will go. We will give it a shot. We will accept that we can not know all the answers now, and that we are not in control of all the deciding factors. But, we will do what we can do, and trust in God for the rest. No matter how it ends. So now, we will work towards heading out in August. We are nervous, but we are also excited about the opportunities ahead of us, and we look forward to seeing how this adventure will unfold!

Hugs, Fiona