The eastern province of Rwanda has always been exceedingly poor - it has never housed a health clinic or a community center. Now (or, when construction is finished), it has both. The area was especially destroyed in the 1994 genocide. When Network for Africa visited the area and asked what the people wanted, they responded: a community center. They asked for a place to congregate and to learn skills.
So, atop a beautiful hill, 2 proud buildings stand as a testament to what a little money and a lot of need can generate.
The health clinic will house a medical dispensary, an AIDS treatment and testing center, and a laboratory. More serious cases will receive attention and then be transported to a hospital. Right now, the nearest other clinic is a minimum 45-minute walk away.
Classes like basic hygiene and social skills - things we take for granted but are badly needed in Rwanda following the genocide - will be taught in the community center, along with sewing, computer skills, and other vocational training.
The buildings are in the middle of beautiful agricultural country, complete with the amazing people who live there.
Next - on M's request - our group visited a development of orphan-headed households. The first thing one notices is the silence; for a village of children, there is no laughing and playing and running. There are only wide eyes and open faces.
And they ran from photos at first, too (especially the older girls), but soon they came to love it.The insides of the houses are bare; there are no possessions, only a mattress and some blankets. But these children have homes.
The only piece of furniture in this room - the main room - is a narrow wooden bench.
The shed above is a cooking shed and outhouse separate from the home - a real luxury.
I was taking so many pictures with them that everyone else in our group left, and I had to run after them... I was laughing, and all the children were laughing with me.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment