Proof that we have done something!

Hello All,

I have officially failed as a frequent blog updater. Sorry! But, Sarah has made me feel bad so I decided to write a little something to appease her and to make me feel a little better in my heart as well. Let's see...100 days left of service...that is crazy and hard to believe. May 5^th is our official close of service date. So with most of our Peace Corps service behind us I have decided to write a little about our work over the past 2 years and accomplishments so you can see that we have actually done some things besides hole ourselves up in the middle of a rain forest for the past 2 years.

This is probably going to be a very un-detailed blog but should give you some understanding of the work we have been doing in our village. Most of our work has been health related since we are technically health volunteers. But, a lot of it has been outside of the health field and has dealt with community development. So, starting with health...we have worked constantly with a malnourished feeding program to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the project by continually weighing and measuring the children on the program. Sarah has also been able to help in this area using her background in nutrition to improve the quality of food the children are receiving to better meet their nutritional needs. For example, incorporating fresh carrots from the local garden to supplement their cups of porridge.

I am sure we have mentioned this in previous blogs but hygiene is one of the biggest issues in the village...well, all things health in general are an issue. Things that we know as just common sense like wash your hands before you eat and after using the bathroom, brush your teeth to prevent teeth issues, wear shoes because it can help prevent worms, don't drink bad water, don't have 359 children because you can't possibly feed them all and give them a good life, NO, condoms do not have HIV/AIDS implanted in them by the western world, they actually can help you prevent HIV/AIDS transmission, don't eat only potatoes every single day for every meal because you are getting no nutritional balance from eating all starches all the time, you are actually making yourself malnourished and so on. These are all things we deal with on a daily basis that many people have never even thought about because they have had no one to teach them. So, that has been part of our job...educating people on these topics: family planning, nutrition, hygiene, HIV/AIDS, etc.

We have also both done water projects with 2 schools in our village. My project was a clean water catchment system that we constructed to service over 500 primary school children and Sarah completed another bigger water project at a different school that now supplies 1600 students with clean drinking water.

In the not so health related field, we have done things like constructing a play ground for one of the previously mentioned primary schools. This is still a work in progress but we are getting there and hopefully will be done in a month or so. It takes quiet some time to level an acre + of land by hoe and shovel that is off by 15+ feet. I have also worked with our organization to bring an alternative fuel source to our village AKA briquettes. These are small donut looking things that are made from sawdust and scrap paper left over from carpenters and schools. They are mixed with water and compressed into briquettes which can be used for cooking, are half the price of charcoal and reduce the impact of deforestation around the village...which is pretty important since we basically live in a national park that is slowly being chopped down illegally.

We have also worked with the nursery school teachers to do a world map project. This map is 6 feet by 12 feet and actually turned out much better than we had planned. This is great because to be honest, most Rwandans (at least the ones from our village) know nothing about geography. I have still not found a person under the age of 30 who could find Rwanda on the map. They also believe and are even taught in most schools there are only 5, sometimes 6 continents. Because of course N and S America are all just one big continent and as far as Antarctica is concerned, it can't be a continent because, how can people live under the sea? These are all serious questions asked and simply come from a lack of education...another thing we take for granted. But we were so excited about this project because a person can actually learn so much from just seeing a massive map on a wall.

So, these are some of the things we have been working on. Other things include bringing 2000 books to the village (this is still in progress but the books should be in Rwanda within a week or so), teaching English lessons, conducting clothing drives with help from people like you and putting on one stellar dance party with the kids. Also, I have been teaching English songs to one of the local churches now for several months. So far they have learned 3 extremely well (Open the eyes of my heart Lord, O come let us adore Him and I am a friend of God) and these we have presented in church on Sunday morning. But I had to also sing their songs as part of the deal and do all the awesome movements and hand gestures. It 

was great. We have helped refer youth to feeding programs, health centers, monitored and evaluated all programs in our village and probably the most meaningful thing of all is we have developed relationships and friendships with our neighbors and co-workers that will last a lifetime. We have truly been accepted into the village I feel as much as any foreigner can be accepted into such a remote, rural and isolated village. The people are amazing and it will be extremely difficult to leave them.

Oh I forgot to also mention another huge accomplishment and one that was a life saver...that is mastering the art of a make-shift stove to make....wait for it.......PIZZA!!!! Without this little contraption, we might have been home a year ago and still be sitting even now in Pizza Parlor basking in the amazing goodness of that glorious salad bar and abnormally thin pizza dipped in delectable ranch dressing served on what I can only believe are old hubcaps. Oh Pizza Parlor...it will no doubt be a joyous reunion 100 days from today! This blog is for you!

Anyway, sorry I got a little carried away there. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and that you are enjoying the new year. I hope to see you all very soon! Be blessed!