Memorials, Villages, and Children in Rwanda

We are currently in Uganda, but I want to make sure I give our final visits to people, sites, projects, and places in Rwanda some justice, though these short summary paragraphs will never do true justice to those experiences.

We visited the genocide memorial at the church at Nyamata. People sought refuge at this church, but their religious leaders gave them into the Hutu Power. Over 10,000 people were maliciously killed at this site. In 1999, their bodies and remains were finally given a proper burial. People from the surrounding area have also been buried there and continue to be buried as they continue to find remains. The clothes from the bodies of all the people buried there have been piled on top of the benches in the church. It is breathtaking--the sheer number of clothes that line the rows where people should be sitting and praying instead of having been killed. In back, they have mass graves. There are over 40,000 peoples' remains buried there. 40,000 people. Stairs lead you down into the dank, dark resting places of these innocent people. It is something to behold the bare skulls and bones that fill shelf after shelf. Other remains are piled into caskets and stored in that manner.

There are striking stories of the brutal deaths people experience there; I think I will spare you of that, but I will share just this one. We said Kaddish in front of the wall where we learned, retrospectively, babies were killed when their legs were held and their bodies were swung and so their heads smashed against the wall. What more can I say.

Though I will say one more thing on that. The ride through the countryside to the memorial is breathtakingly beautiful. Rolling hills covered in lush vegetation and cultivation. It is so hard to imagine that such horrors could have taken place in such a peaceful, gorgeous place. But it is inspiring to see that life has returned to this region. We've learned that former members of the Hutu militia groups are being re-accepted back into their communities. It's hard for me to imagine what that process is like, but I am heartened to know that it is possible.

On Saturday, we visited CHABHA (Children Affected By HIV & AIDS). The kids were adorable. They sang and danced for us and then pulled many into our circle. Nancy Segall, from our trip, just joined the board for this organization. It is inspiring to see the support networks that have formed for those living with HIV/AIDS, especially for the children.

On our last day, before flying to Entebbe, Uganda, we visited the UN Millenium Village Project (MVP). I have read a bit about them before, and I also read Jeffrey Sachs' "The End of Poverty" (which I highly recommend). In this he discusses these initiatives. Much to my surprise, I discovered that MVP was not just one model village, but projects spread out throughout a region. We were short on time, but our guides showed us examples of projects relating to education, health, entrepreneurship, and agriculture.

Women have created a basket-weaving co-op. Their work is beautiful. We also got lessons in basket weaving. I have a fine new appreciation for the art. The farm was very cool. We learned lots about banana and cassava trees. (Cassavas are a Godsend. They grow in seemingly sandy soil without any need for irrigation or fertilizer.)

I used to think this type of initiative was only good, but now I view them with a more critical eye. To begin, the development occurring in this region--paved roads, plans to relocate the airport, etc.--have had negative impacts as well. Due to people's desire to live there, the price of land has risen considerably. This means that the poorest of the poor cannot benefit unless they already own land in the region. Only those with some form of social mobility are able to move to the region and reap the benefits. Also, these projects are so dependent on outside inputs. They don't seem to be coming from the people, which I think is most sustainable in the long run. However, there are many benefits coming to the region. Better access to better health care, better school facilities, access to more productive crops, and infrastructure for income-generating projects, to name a few.

Okay, I'll end it here. What an experience I had in our short week in Rwanda.