The Leadership Summit

For those of you who know Willowcreek Community Church in IL, you might know that they do an annual leadership telecast. They bring in top-notch leaders to speak on leadership in the various spheres they are in. I brought the DVDs of the telecast with to watch with Ndash (and see for the first time). They are fantastic. I would strongly recommend watching them. Two talks have resonated with me so far and have really spoken to my current situation:

Jessica Jackley. She is the co-founder of KIVA, an online microfinance organization. This year they will exceed $100 million in loans over their history. They have supported over 100,000 entrepreneurs from around the world. Ms. Jackley spoke all about the history of KIVA and why she started it. The bit of advice that really resonated with me is to start small and be patient. This helped encourage and guide me as I have been wondering whether or not to continue applying the the NGO status or wait until we have more plans figured out. Patience is a difficult thing to come by when you are so excited about something and want to get moving on it! Part of me wants to move forward and go, go, go but I know things will go smoother and more efficient later on if I take time to breathe and plan.

Chip Heath and Dan Heath. These are brothers who speak on ideas and innovation. They are consultants to some big name companies. They spoke about a recent book they had written called Switch. What I gained from this talk was that failure is ok because it means you are working to accomplish something. They spoke about a U shaped curve.

At the top of the left-hand side is 'hope'. You have an idea and you hope it will succeed. In my case I had hope that I would submit the NGO application because I thought I needed that to be successful on this trip. The dip in the middle is called 'the valley of insight'. This is where failure happens, when things don't go your way, when you learn through the experience. This is when failure is important because you learn how to do something better and how you need to improve. The top of the left-hand side is 'confidence'. In this there is success of the idea or task. There is resolution. But you couldn't have gotten at this point without the valley of insight. I am at this point now with the NGO application. After hearing from our Board Officers about this, I feel at peace not to submit it now but to wait. I think things will go smoother in the future if we do so.

Getting over myself and my plans

I haven't written a post since Monday because I have been working quite busily on the NGO (non-governmental organization) application. This trip has been very different from my past trips since I have been stuck mostly on my computer each day, typing up documents to present to the government about why Global Capacity fits into the visions and strategic plans of the government. It meant a lot of reading and understanding the five and ten year plans and what benefit we could do for the country. It seemed like a no-brainer right...many children cannot afford school fees in Rwanda so we are going to provide them. Period. Why would the government not give us the NGO status, and thus give us the freedom to advertise and promote our services here? As I found out today, it is not so easy.

One of my main purposes for coming here was to submit the NGO status. Although it can be a six month long process, I at least wanted to submit it and introduce myself. And especially after having spent the past three days working on it, I especially wanted to turn it in. I saw my plans change today. What I thought was a carefully planned and written document (about 40 pages total) turned to be need many changes. Turns out that working with the government of Rwanda can take a long time, just like with any government. And in turns out that it is very particular and detailed with how it wants things done. I found today that we might not be as prepared on the Rwanda side of things as I thought. I also learned that we can continue to support students and distribute money without the NGO status, which I hadn't known.

I am currently in the process of praying through and deciding if I want to continue with submitting the application or if I want to wait until Global Capacity is further solidified and we understand our work here better. It is still fairly new.

After we left the Ministry of Immigration we went to umududgu Wa'kindege (village of Akindege) to meet with A Voice For Rwanda. I was so frustrated and needed to talk it out with other Americans who have dealt with the NGO process successfully. It was an amazing meeting! We talked all about the village and the people and the students. We talked about what Global Capacity's work would look like without the NGO status and with.

After that we visited one of the students we are sponsoring at his secondary school. He looked very happy and thankful to be there, and he is doing very well in his classes. It was a sweet reminder of why we are putting in the work and efforts here. Education changes lives and improves communities. No matter how much hassle it may be or money it may cost, one thing is certain...the work we are doing here makes a difference. And I am willing to put in the discomfort and the uncertainty for that to occur.

All this to say that earlier today I had to get over myself and my plans. So what if I don't submit the NGO application now, and instead wait for developments to happen. So what if I change my purpose of this trip and spend most of the remainder of it with the village we will be sponsoring students from? Sometimes God has something different in store, and I am learning to be obedient to that and work with Him instead of fight Him for it.

Partnering with A Voice For Rwanda

Today was an incredibly productive day! I arrived in Rwanda feeling like I was unprepared for one of the main reasons for coming on my trip, which was to submit the application for Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status. The status allows Global Capacity to act as an organization and distribute money. Without the status we cannot promote our services publicly. There is a pretty detailed application process, which I had hoped to complete weeks leading to my trip but the busyness of life didn't allow me to do so.

This morning we traveled to Kanombe to meet with A Voice For Rwanda at its office. It felt like coming home. A Voice For Rwanda is an organization started by Les and Yvonne Parr, two Americans. I had met them two years ago in Rwanda. They have a burden and calling to bring God's love to villages in Rwanda, by working with whole families. Global Capacity is partnering with them and providing scholarships to children of the village they are currently working in (called Akindege). It was such a blessing to see them in their element, at the office they are renting. They are a wonderful couple and are doing real work here in Rwanda. They shared with Ndash and me about Akindege and specifically about the children who need sponsored. There are a bit more than I was originally told about, around 50. They also offered for their staff member Martin to help with the NGO registration, so Martin will be coming with us to the Immigration Office to help us file the documents. I am so blessed to have this partnership with them!

Being back in Rwanda is overwhelming because there is such need. Speaking with Yvonne I am reminded of the desperation that extreme poverty causes. She would tell me story after story of the situations people in the village are in. I know I can play a very small part, and it feels very minute.

Part of the NGO application process is writing about how Global Capacity coincides with Rwanda's strategic development plans. It lists goals the government want to reach by 2020, as well as statistics about the population. Today I learned a lot by reading through these plans, such as that only 10% of children ages 13-18 are enrolled in secondary school. And of the students who are enrolled, five times as many of them are from wealthy families than from poor families. The cost of secondary education is a problem and hopefully Global Capacity can help increase the stats of the latter.

Les and Yvonne gave us a private office to work at. Ndash and I spent about three hours working on the application forms.

We are about to meet our good friend Gatera for dinner.

Life is good in Rwanda! Despite the two grenades that were thrown on Saturday night and the slight differences of life in America, I am so happy to be here! It's gonna be a great two weeks.

I am here!

As you have guessed it I am here in Rwanda! I arrived yesterday around 2 pm Rwanda time (8 am your time). It was a very long journey and I was so wiped. Ndash met me at the airport and we went right to our motel. It's a really super place, with a supermarket on the premises and sinks in the rooms. The public restroom has really hot showers, which is quite nice. Ndash and I didn't do much last nite other than eat dinner and watch a movie. Today we will start our busy schedule of meetings and such.

There were two bombings here Saturday nite and one person died. With the elections coming up in August, people who dislike the current president (who will most likely win another term) are protesting. There is still a safe feeling here and I am not worried. I will certainly practice discretion in where I go.

Flexibility has got to be the name of the game.

I stayed at a hotel near the Dulles airport last night due to a morning flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I had the perfect itinerary, putting me in Addis for a mere two hours tomorrow morning, and then I would board a flight to Kigali via a very short stop in Uganda. That would put me in Kigali at 1 pm on Saturday, just in time for some yummy sambousas and orange Fantas for lunch with my good friend and staff member Ndash. Well, anyone who travels should know that flexibility has got to be the name of the game. My perfect itinerary was blasted away by a 4-hour plane delay in Dulles. I am there now, waiting for the incoming plane to arrive so we can quickly depart.

I will miss my connecting flight to Kigali and will have to wait the day and night away in Addis, and fly out the next day. This means one less day in Rwanda, and I will arrive there on Sunday. But again, flexibility is the name of the game. I am already tired and a little annoyed from this trip, and we haven't even left Dulles yet!

I did get the opportunity to meet a cool American couple who are on my flight. They are flying to Addis to adopt three children from an orphanage, two siblings and a cousin. How cool is that?!? They already have five children at home and feel the calling to bring home three more.

What adventures will Addis bring me? I am wishing I had a travel buddy to roam around the city with, but I will have to make due by myself. Could be interesting...

Upcoming trip - May 14-30, 2010

Hello. As most of you know I will be in Rwanda May 14-30 for continued work for Global Capacity. The mission of GC is to provide financial assistance to secondary school students in Rwanda who cannot afford to go to school. The main purposes of my trip are:

To check up on the four students that we currently sponsor
To further relationship with a nonprofit called A Voice For Rwanda
To check up with our current staff member Jeremie
To apply for Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status
To meet new students to sponsor

Most of my time will be spent in and near the capital city, Kigali. This is different for me, as on my recent trips I have lived in Gitarama and visited the Umuryango Boys' Home a lot. As you can see I have other purposes for the trip, but I plan to visit Umuryango a couple of times. My staff member Jeremie and I will be staying at a motel in a convenient part of Kigali, which is where I stayed when I went to Rwanda on my first trip in 2007. It's a historic place where thousands of Tutsis sought refuge during the genocide in 1994.

With the help of A Voice For Rwanda we will be working primarily with students in a very small and extremely poor village. There are about 25 children who need scholarships for secondary school there. Many of these kids are either orphans and live in child-headed households or they only have one parent. We would like to focus on improving this village and the lives of its people!

When I return from Rwanda we hope to begin a fundraising campaign to raise the money for the secondary school scholarships.

Prayer Requests:

• Efficiency in my time there. It's gonna be a busy time and I want to be purposeful in what I do but also enjoy my trip.
  
• Connection with the students I meet with, both old and new.
  
• Connection with the Umuryango Boys' Home.
• Safety. Presidential elections are this year and although it's pretty much a guarantee for the current Pres to be re-elected there is unrest.
  
• Peace that my responsibilities at home are being taken care of.
  
• Continued guidance for the strategic plans for Global Capacity.
  

Thank you very much in advance for your prayers! To God be the glory!

Trip Update

I have been wanting to write a trip update for the past few days but have found it difficult to do so. My re-adjusting back to my life in America has been more challenging than I anticipated. This was my third trip to Rwanda, and one of my shortest. I didn't think that being away in Rwanda for just two weeks would have had such am impact on me again, but it has.

I think the main reason for the struggle in me is how life-changing a lot of my activities on my trip were. And I want more of that now. Life changing not for me, but for others. I had the opportunity to help bring life, future, and hope to people. There aren't many things better than that. When you see a disadvantaged person change their attitude, demeanor, perspective, outlook, paradigm, all because you are able to offer them something that they need, and by all means, deserve, you do not want to stop it.

Purpose of the trip.
The main purpose of the trip was to continue introductory work on Global Capacity's secondary school scholarship program called Right 2 School. After having spent five months in Rwanda last year, it became clear to me that education is central and essential in creating a better future for Rwanda, and it is also an area that I can get involved in.

Education.
The education system in Rwanda is much like that in the U.S.; there are twelve grades before university, and they are called 'forms'. Forms 1 - 6 are the Primary School forms. Forms 7 - 12 are the Secondary School Forms (but the numbers start with 1, so 7th grade would be S-1, 8th grade is S-2), etc.

In P-6, all students take the National Entrance Examination in to Secondary School. If they pass, the government assigns them to a particular school, sometimes very far away from home. There is boarding at the school, and they go home a few times each year The student will remain at this school for S-1,2,3.

During S-3, the student takes another Entrance Examination which will determine where he will spend his last three years of secondary school. The examination focuses on particular 'options', or fields of study, such as nursing, electricity, accounting. Depending on how the student scores on the particular options, he is assigned another school to attend. This is where he will be for S-4,5, 6.

Secondary School in Rwanda is not free. The average cost of school per year is $300. In a country where the average annual income of a Rwandan is $700, school fees can be near to impossible to raise. I was told time and time again during my trip how important and necessary a secondary school scholarship program in Rwanda would be.

In a push to better promote and educate the children in Rwanda, the government recently stated that the school fees for S-1,2,3 will be waived. This is an extraordinary move on the part of the government and will enable many students to attend those forms who wouldn't have had the chance before. Still, it means that many students will not have an education above S-3.

Students.
In hopes of starting and promoting the Right 2 School program soon, I went to Rwanda to find students to begin sponsoring. My goal was to find three or four students that wouldn't be able to afford secondary school next year, meet them, interview them, and use them as the inaugural students of the scholarship program. This turned out to be my favorite aspect of the trip. With the help of a secondary school headmaster as well as some other contacts I had in Rwanda, we identified four young men, all 19 year-olds with no birth parents. It was such an incredible joy to tell them that they will be able to attend secondary school next year, an opportunity that most children desire but most cannot have it.

The four boys are:

Egide.
Jean Claude.
John.
Thierry.

Ndash.
Last year I had met a 23 year-old guy named Ndashimye Jeremie (nicknamed Ndash), who worked in the internet cafe. He has a big heart for those in need and we became good friends quickly. We stayed in contact throughout the year and it became apparent to me that he would be a great resource and help for Global Capacity in Rwanda. After talking Right 2 School over with him and where the organization is headed in the future, he has decided to help us. He was a tremendous help to me during my trip, and even lived with me to aid in translation and anything else I needed to accomplish. He will be starting university later this year in hopes of getting a degree in computer science (his university education is largely being funded by a private donor of Global Capacity's). We could not do the work we hope to do without Ndash's help. He worked very hard during my trip, from translating for me, to interviewing the students, to helping us get bank accounts established, to taking pictures.

Good communication is necessary when working on business matters, especially between different continents. Ndash and I are able to email and chat on instant messenger every day due to his internet cafe connections. It is a very good arrangement we have with him.

Umuryango.
It was a delight to visit with the boys and staff at the Umuryango Boys' Home in Bukomero. A ten-person team from Calvary Baptist Church arrived at the home before I got there, and I had the opportunity to overlap with the team for two days. It was inspiring to see the close connection the team members had made with the boys. Many of the members plan on returning to Rwanda in the near future due to the strong impact the people had on them.

What is to come?
Due to the extremely important role that education plays in Rwanda, I am highly motivated and passionate about helping to provide more opportunities for children to attend school. Right 2 School is a scholarship program that will enable students to attend secondary school who would not normally have the opportunity to go. In order to start this program there is a lot for me to do, such as apply for 501c3 tax-deductible status and create a web site and promotional materials and such. These are all essential when promoting a fundraising program. Although there is a lot to do I am very certain it will be accomplished and help many people in Rwanda.

Off we go! Stay tuned for more...