Why is the crazy white person sitting next to me crying?

I was sitting on the public bus this morning, going from Kigali to Gitarama and started sobbing and could not stop. This was a very familiar setting for me, as I have taken this bus route many times in the past. I began reflecting on the past three years, when I moved to Rwanda in 2008 for five months to establish Global Capacity’s work in the country.

All of the emotion of accomplishment as well as disappointment hit me at once and all I could do is continue sobbing. There are times in which feelings overwhelm and rather than keep them in, as I wish, they manifest in the form of tears I cannot stop. Some of the emotion is pity for the little children I see walking from miles away to gather up water in their plastic cans. And at other times it is the stark truth that I cannot help everyone, as the needs seem insurmountable. At other times it is the gratitude I feel in being able to be part of something that is greater than myself.

I began thinking about how far Global Capacity has come since 2008. At that time we had no concrete vision of our work or mission or how we would proceed. We saw the needs but did not know how to answer them. And then slowly God began to reveal the answers and our work began to take form. We began to get connected with wonderful people to help us and assist us. And we saw how Global Capacity would be a much-needed organization in Rwanda.

There have been many bumps along the road. There have been struggles and hurts and pain. Ideas didn’t work and people in America did not grab on to our vision as much as we felt it in our hearts. We saw the need but they didn’t. And we were also hurt by the very people we were serving in Rwanda. Providing aid is messy and sometimes I have wanted to walk away.

Yet, something has kept me in it. And I am so thankful to be able to be involved in the work that we are doing. The need for providing scholarships for secondary and vocational school became absolutely clear on this trip. I cannot tell you how incredible it is so look into the eyes of a mama or a papa and reassure them that their child will be able to attend secondary school. It’s that look, of gratitude and satisfaction, which keeps me doing what we are doing. There truly are not many more exhilarating things for me than to be able to change someone’s life with the means of education.

One room, five people

Today we visited six of our students' homes for the purpose of learning more about them and meeting their families. It's one thing to see a photo of these kids sent in an email. Up until this past week that had been my reality with most of the students. I had not met them yet. I read about them - their grade in school, what they want to be when they grow up, their hobbies. There is nothing quite like meeting them in person, seeing them in flesh and blood, and celebrating in the big smile on their face because of what you have done for them. It's a much more profound experience.

Going into their homes today was my favorite part of the trip so far...as well as the most challenging. It put my knowledge of the students way past what I had known about them. Sure, it was extremely difficult to see the living conditions and gave me a greater understanding and respect for what we are doing. For example, in the first home we visited lived two of our students, grateful that we had the time to stop by. The two boys live with their widowed mother and two younger brothers. And all five of them live in a one-room house. We sat on their mattresses since there was no other furniture. They had their clothes hanging from the ceiling, with no place to put a dresser or closet. The mother was not ashamed about the conditions we had walked into, but rather thankful to have us there and to be putting her sons through secondary school.

At another house we talked with a father about how he was retired and using his pension to pay for his son's schooling. The pension ran out and he had no other source for payment. His wife had to move far away to live with relatives with a plot of land for gardening. She sends the little money she makes on occasion. Yet, this wasn't enough. I had tears in my eyes as he described the joy he has that his son is once again getting an education.

It was story after story from one home to the next. The living conditions were much worse than I could imagine. There were mattresses on dirt floors, piles of clothes hanging from doors, and holes in the tin roof that would leak during a rain. These folks are the poorest of the poor in the village. They have hopes and dreams for their children, just like any other parent does. They want to see them succeed in school, so they can get jobs and make fulfilling lives for themselves.

Our scholarships enable the children to go to school and begin to stop the cycle of poverty in their life. Hopefully one day our students will live in a house that has more than one room, or a bedroom with a bedframe and concrete floors, or a roof that doesn't leak.

The next time you are sitting in a room in your house or work, think about five people living in it. It will bring the situation of our students' families into a new light and help you understand the need for our Right2School scholarships.

Go to www.right2school.org to find out how you can support our students.

Our education scholarships are healing to the body

Angela [her name has been changed], who is one of our students, has been suffering really bad back pain while in secondary school. This happened close to exam time at the end of the first trimester. Thankfully, one of the components of her Right2School scholarship is health insurance. She was able to get medicine for shots in her back, which helped. Her pain occurred in the second trimester as well. This time she was able to get pills and only one shot.

This is why we are providing more than just school fees to our students, but rather holistic scholarships. Angela most likely would not have had the opportunity to receive medical care without her education scholarship. Her family was probably too poor to have access to health care or medication. We desire for our students to have every need of their covered while in school, so they can concentrate on their studies and excelling in their education.

I know Angela appreciates this and doesn't know what she would have performed in school with her terrible back pain.

Read more about our holistic scholarships.

So much to do - Manasseh's goals after school

I recently read over Manasseh's Right2School application. He is a 15 year-old boy in S-2 (which is equivalent to 8th grade) and was quite impressed with what he wants to do after he graduates from school:

I will work for the government, I will help orphans, I'll care for vulnerable families, I'll found my own company, I'll be a businessman, I'll found an orphanage center, I will care for handicap people, I will care for all sick people, I'll be head of state, I'll care for old boys like me at home, I'll develop the education, I'll be a doctor and care for sick people, I'll fight violence, I'll be an Ambassador, I'll build houses for those who don't have a place to live, I'll pay school fees for the children, I'll develop professionals, I'll protect the environment, I'll be a teacher, I'll be a minister, I'll be a member of parliament.

Keep in mind that he is just 15 years-old. Most likely he will not be able to accomplish every single one of these dreams, but with an education chances are high that he will live to fulfill some of them.

I love working with young people in Rwanda because they see so many needs in their community and country. If you would ask a 15 year-old in the U.S. what his goals are after he graduates from school, do you think he would list as many?

Manasseh does not currently have a sponsor. Do you want to learn more about him and stand beside him and his high hopes? If so, send an email to matthewh@globalcapacity.org.

How children become our students: Marie's story

Yvonne Parr, our partner in Rwanda, recently shared the story of how Marie [her name has been changed] came to live at one of the homes that she and her husband began. It's a sobering reminder of what our students have lived through and why we have chosen to be their advocates for their education:

We have worked with Marie since 2007 in counseling her and went through her healing process in her genocide memories. She has an amazing testimony. She was in such pain when she first came to us for counseling that she could not even speak. She brought her very dear and closest friend with her Ann, who spoke for her. The next counseling session was one of the most difficult I have ever encountered. The atmosphere was all pain. She could barely speak. I held her in my arms for over 45 minutes as she wailed and wailed. Then she would stop. Then it would begin again. My shirt was literally soaked with her tears. She gave testimony afterwards that she was on a road and each time she was wailing she thought of a point of pain in her life. Then as she stopped she was kicking it out of the way and continuing on the road until the next point of pain and so on. We were amazed.

She was a genocide survivor and her mother was killed in the genocide. She thought her father had been killed as well but found out in 2002 that he was alive and in prison for genocide crimes. She went to see him but could not bear it and never saw him again. As we counseled her we began to find out she was daddy's little girl when young. To make a long story short with our counsel she went to visit him after all those years and was reconciled with him. The account is like a prodigal son kind of thing. During our time of counseling with her, she lived with Ann's family. But then Ann's father was going to put her out because he did not want the burden of school fees. So we started sponsoring her then but she always lived with this family and her and Ann were very, very close. Ann stood by her in many ways.

But then in 2008 Ann's family moved and Marie had no place to stay. She came to us for help and though we were in America at that time we allowed her to stay at our girls' house.

-Yvonne Parr, A Voice For Rwanda

Marie recently left the girls' house and the Right2School program to live and care for Ann during and after Ann's pregnancy. Fortunately, Ann is paying for Marie's education so she can continue to be in school and make a better life for herself.

Do you want to impact a student's life like Marie's? To find out more go to www.globalcapacity.org.

What is in Marie Claire's bookbag? A squeegie.

What is in Marie Claire's bookbag? I recently received a list of items that we bought for the 14 year-old Right2School student, to begin her year at secondary school:

2 school uniforms
1 sweater
1 pair of sports shoes
1 igitenge (cloth to wear while cleaning)
1 mosquito net
1 mattress
1 pillow
2 sets of bed sheets
20 200-page notebooks
10 pens
1 math set
1 calculator
1 set of passport photos
1 lucrette (like a squeegie to clean floors)
1 plate
1 cup
1 set of utensils

As I read through the list I thought about how different the items are than the ones my mom and dad used to buy me for school. Typically that list contained things like: a couple new sets of clothes, a pair of shoes, tablets of paper, folders, a lunch box, lead pencils, pencil bag, erasers, and so on. They were tools that they would purchase for me year after year because I would lose them or break them or mistreat them. I had the luxury of returning to Wal-mart each year because we had the money to do so. I learned to take school supplies for granted and not value them.

Then consider Marie Claire, who will not take any item on this list for granted. She might never have had the opportunity to own some of these supplies before. I can guarantee that at the end of the school year, some of these items will be in mint condition because she treasured and valued them.

It brings joy to my heart to know that students like Marie Claire will be improving the lives of her future children by going to school, and one day will be buying school supplies for them.

National Heroes Day: A Reflection

It was Heroes Day in Rwanda this past Tuesday, a national holiday designated to reflect on the past and present heroes of the nation. We asked three of our students who their heroes are:

"In this world there are people who make the right choice for their countries. Those heroes accept even to lose their life for the nations which is an incredible example for us. My heroes are Fred Gisa RWIGEMA, KING MUTARA III RUDAHIGWA, Students of NYANGE School, UWILINGIYIMANA Agathe and all others who sacrificed their life to save the people and plant the good culture of loving the country. In different ways they all fought against ethnicity and bad politics. As youth we have to learn from them and be the engine to keep peace and build better community."
-Jean Claude

"Fred Gisa RWIGEMA is my hero, He refused to stand and see Rwanda continue to lose the dignity, he started a war to stop the violence and liberate our country. He and all other heroes are unforgettable."
-Alphonse




"As we remember our heroes every 2nd February. It’s time to realize their exemplary activity they did for saving our country. And it’s a good time for everyone to think about how he/she must do better to restore the country and build a stable economy. God bless all those heroes."
-Thierry


Read more about these important figures in Rwanda's history and find out why our students see them as heroes who helped shape the nation into what it is today.