Thursday 27 October 2016

ICS Volunteers arrive in Gatsibo!

Welcome to the start of our journey here in Rwanda, we’re all here through our own personal reasons, but all share the same goal; equal Human Rights and Social Justice for all.

We’ve been brought here on an ICS placement – ICS is a volunteering programme for 18-25 year olds funded by the UK governments department for International Development. The aim of this scheme is to fight poverty by bringing about three tangible outcomes: project impact, volunteer personal development and active citizenship.

We’re here in Rwanda as a team of 13, made up of 7 UK volunteers and 6 Rwandan volunteers. All similar in age – ranging from 21-25 and as previously mentioned, the same passion and enthusiasm to achieve our one goal, as well as a beautiful team dynamic; we are truly like a family.

Part of our project is to also integrate with the local community, we’ve been allocated host homes in which we have literally become part of their families; calling our host parents “Mum & Dad” and our fellow counterparts “Brother & Sister.” Our families ensure we’re always fed and have fresh water to shower with daily – although a shower here is a bucket of water on the floor, and in Rwandan culture you certainly aren’t just fed, we feast 3 times per day! Many of us UK volunteers have been shocked to find that we now eat more – which we really didn’t expect from a Volunteer trip to Africa!
From our homes, we all walk to work in the morning to meet at our base – the AJPRODHO office for 9am. Here we work on the project and build ideas until 5pm. After work many of us will stick together to socialise and unwind from the day of work. Curfew is 9pm, which is perfect because the sun sets at around 6.30pm and rises at 5am; we’re all enjoying our early nights through this!

Our project runs until late December – where we leave Gatsibo on the 19th and fly back to the UK on the 21st. I have no doubt that saying goodbye to the Village, community within and our counterparts will be an incredibly emotional time – given how friendly they’ve all been to us.

But for now, thank you for the warm welcome Kabarore!


Turabakiriye mwese mugutangira urugendo rwacu hano mu Rwanda, turi hano twese kubera impamvu zacu zumwihariko ariko twese duhuza intego; Uburenganzira bw’umuntu bungana nubutabera kuri bose.

Twazanywe hano muri program ya ICS­. ICS n’Umuryango ukorana nabakoranabushake bari hagati y’Imyaka 18-25 y’Ubukuru, ikaba ishyigikiwe n’Umuryango w’Ubwongereza bagamije kuzana amajyambere mu bihugu byose. Intego yayo nukurwanya ubukene binyuze mu mishanga itandukanaye, kwiteza imbere kumukorana bushake no kuba umuturage ushishikarira gukora.
Turi mu Rwanda turi ikipe yabantu 13, 7 bavuye mu Bwongereza na ba 6 bava mu Rwanda. Twese turasa nkaho tungana kuva ku myaka 21-25, nkuko twabivuze haruguru dufite intego imwe  kugirango tubashe kugera kubyo twifuza. Ikindi turi ikipe ikundana kandi tumeze nkumuryango mubyukuri.

Bimwe mumishinga yacu nukumenyana cyane nabo tubana. Twahawe amacumbi, mu byukuri tumeze nkaho turi umuryango, tubita ababyeyi “Mama & Papa” kandi nabandi bakoranabushatse twazanye twitana “ Bashiki bacu & Basaza bacu.” Imiryango turimo itwitaho ikamenyako twariye ndetse twanyweye namazi meza ndetse ko twaniyuhagiye – nubwo hano koga umuntu akoresha I basin y’amazi akayishyira hasi akoga, kandi mumuco nya Rwanda, ntabwo urya gusa ngo urangize, turya incuro 3 kumunsi. Benshi mubakoranabushatse babongereza twatangajwe ko dusigaye turya ibyokurya byinshi – kandi nikintu tutigeze twumva ko cyaba nitugera muri Africa.
Iyo tuvuye mumacumbi tubamo tuza kukazi namaguru tukajyera ku biro by’ AJPRODHO sa 9am. Iyo tujyezeyo dutangira gukora kumishinga yacu itandukanye y’Amajyambere n’Uburenganzira bw’Ikiremwamuntu, duhana ibitekerezo bitandukanaye maze akazi kacu kakaza kurangira sa 5pm. Twishimiye ukuntu tuzindukira mukazi kacu buri gihe.

Umushinga wacu uzarangira mu Kuboza aho tuzasezera Gatsibo ku wa 19 dusubire I wacu mubwongereza kuwa 21. Nizeye ntashidikanya ko gusezeranaho bibabaza, kubo twakoranaga, abaturage, abakozi ba AJPRODHO ndetse cyane cyane nabakoranabushatse twakoranaga baba Nyarwanda.  Bizaba  ari amarira  adasanzwe ndetse avanze nibyishimo kubyo tw
agezeho. Bagenzi bacu batubereye abana beza kandi buje urugwiro.

Tubaye tubashimiye ukuntu mwatwakiriye, Kabarore!

No comments:

Post a Comment