SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 23

Today was our last day of distributing another 500 bedkits at GS Cyivugiza, one of the suburbs of Kigali.  Our Overseas Volunteer Partner, the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga (RCKV) site manager was already on site when we arrived, making sure that all was set for another successful day of helping children get the benefit of a better sleep experience.

The families were already waiting in anticipation in a combination of shade and hot sun.  We figured out quickly how to most efficiently have the children registered, pictures taken, given a bedkit and have them re-united with their waiting families, with smiles all the way around.

While waiting for the distribution to start, there were local ‘cheerleaders’ leading all assembled into song and dance expressing their love for a united Rwanda.  Here is a small video of what we saw:

Prior to starting each distribution this year, we had either the mayor or a representative to provide opening remarks to the waiting families followed by the Rotary Club representative who explained what is going to happen next. Our SCAW team was given the opportunity to thank the Rotary Club for making all this possible as well as showing what was in the bedkit this year . . . to the delight of everyone there!

Then the process officially started.  When all runs smoothly, we have been able to hand out 500 bedkits in under two hours to ensure that the families, some who have come from afar on foot, can get home before dark.

These last 10 distribution days have been an amazing experience for our whole team, consisting of members from the RCKV in all its forms - from adults (Rotarians), University students (Rotaracts) to teenagers in high school (Interacts) - to the local volunteers, the security guards, the site host (school or government site) and our own SCAW team of five.  No matter the challenges that we faced, we were able to resolve them as a team to ensure a successful distribution for the day.

Being a SCAW team member with the opportunity to make a difference with others of like mind in a country like Rwanda is just an amazing experience!  The long days, interesting sights over various roads that include the “African Massage” experience once you leave the paved roads are just part of it.  The most pleasant and rewarding part of these distributions is seeing the children and their families’ reactions when they are given their bedkit to take home. 

They are the reason we do this.  We know that getting a good night's sleep is vital for their health, their ability to learn better, and to handle their circumstances a little easier. 

We successfully distributed 5,000 bedkits over these 10 days in various regions of Rwanda.  We are grateful to the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga and all other volunteers who made it possible. 

We leave tonight knowing that we have made a difference to those children and their families and have helped them thrive a little better by providing them with a good night’s sleep!

For the children.

Team Rwanda, 2025

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 an

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 22

We love to watch the bustling life all around as we drive up and down the never-ending rolling hills of Rwanda.

Everywhere there are beautiful colour combinations in women’s clothing.  The women are always meticulously dressed.  Another wonder is watching how babies and small children are carried on their mother’s backs.  Just using small blankets and some magical twists of fabrics, the babies are snug and secure.

Today on our home visit, this mother had two small rooms to share with her four children.  She rented her space for 40,000 RWF which is the equivalent of about $40 CAD per month!  She had a shelf with pots and pans and cooking supplies. The walls of the rooms were made out of mud bricks and stucco with a concrete floor.  She made her meals on a small charcoal stove in the outdoor space.  

Her home was situated a short walk from the main paved road going down a narrow path winding past other similar homes. 

The two very small rooms had one electric, bare, dim, light bulb each that provided a minimum of light during the night.  

The bedkit items were a much appreciated addition to this humble home and will improve the sleep of the child that received it.

Across the hill from this home, we could see new apartment buildings built by the government for affordable housing.  Families were moved from an over-crowded area while this apartment complex was built and then moved back into small but comfortable apartments.

Tomorrow will be our final distribution day.

For the children.

Team Rwanda, 2025

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 21

This morning we had a couple of minutes before our departure when we were able to enjoy the garden at our hotel. Our driver showed us they have squash that grows 2 metres high and that they can even eat the leaves! We also saw and heard African kites flying overhead.

We arrived at our distribution site in good time and set up photos under a Madagascar almond. There was a lovely wooded area with silk oak and hoop pine as well.

The distribution of 500 bedkits went very smoothly and in record-breaking time but it was sad to have to turn a few away who were hoping there were extras. I was then able to have an interview with a lovely mom and her child who were so grateful for the bedkit. They have been sleeping on a bare concrete floor and have nothing remaining after dad left them.

We made a home visit next. There was a one room mud house for mom and her two children who sleep on the floor. They cook on an open fire and also have a latrine and a well. They rent the house for $30 a month and share cooking with the community. They do grow some vegetables and have a tamarillo tree.

Since we didn’t have too far to drive we went to the Nyamata Genocide Memorial. We had a very harrowing but educational tour there.

On the way home we stopped at a small fruit stand where we bought oranges, bananas and mango. The vendor was so happy and declared “You made my day!”

For the Children,

Team Rwanda, 2025

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 20

After completing our distributions in the Northern Province today, 20 August, we began our remaining bedkit distribution that will happen over the next four days starting with the Nduba Secondary School, district of Gasabo, city of Kigali.  We reached our destination early and all the parents along with the children were patiently waiting until the children received their bedkit. Meanwhile, some of the school teachers were keeping the children in order with songs and sermons. We had distributed over 300 bedkits in less than a couple of hours in the first half of the day. Then we had to wait for the remaining children to come as they had a holiday school exam to write.

The second half of the distribution took place amid a big crowd of parents and children. It was amazing to notice how happy the children and their parents were to be receiving the bedkit after walking over 15 km just to reach the distribution venue. They looked tired yet kept those great smiles on their faces and never forgot to say Murakoze (Thank you or Mercy) to us.

It was quite heart-warming to see the maxims/moral sermons displayed throughout the school, such as the following: TUBIBA AMAHARO ( We're Peace Makers), TWITAKUBANDI (We Care for One Another), TURUBAHANA (We Respect One Another) and TURU ROHERANA ( We Don't Fight One Another). 

Prior to the distribution, the Executive Secretary (Vice Mayor) in Charge of Social Affairs, the Gasabo District, Ms. Jeanne Nibagwire and the SCAW Team Lead Joep Diening spoke before the audience. The SCAW Team then displayed all the items that were in the bedkits. The turnout of youth volunteers, both the Rotaractors and the community volunteers, were relatively fewer than the other days which made the distribution a bit of a challenge.

In the evening, the SCAW team attended the Fellowship meeting of the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga where Joep Diening spoke about SCAW. The Rtn. President presiding over the meeting handed their club banner to Joep in recognition of SCAW's outstanding services. 

For the children,

Team Rwanda, 2025

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 19

After our day off, we were ready to jump back into our bedkit distribution today. We drove to a school in the Gicumbi District, north of Kigali.  Together with the Rotarians and Rotaractors, and some local volunteers, we gave out 583 bedkits bringing our total to 3000. The singing and smiles of the children and their parents warms our hearts and brings a smile to our faces too.

In addition to the bedkit distributions, we have been making a home visit most days.  This allows us to see the conditions the children live in and understand the value of the bedkits.  The families have been welcoming, opening their doors and showing us their homes.  This usually includes 2-3 small rooms for sleeping, a common living room and a small “kitchen” in a separate building.

Some homes have some livestock such as goats or a cow.  In this mountainous country, getting to the homes frequently involves walking up or down a steep path from the road, but the views they have are spectacular.  These people are strong and agile!  

For the children.

Team Rwanda, 2025

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 16

Day 4 - a late blog

Our group headed out at a comfortable hour of 8:00 for what turned out to be a two hour drive. We had a very interesting drive complete with monkeys, tea plantations and crazy back country roads under construction.

At the school we had  an assembly of 1000 children, students and volunteers and it was lovely to watch them sing and dance together.

We walked a kilometer along a steep path to a home visit. The mother and children greeted us in her house with 2 bedrooms and a separate kitchen where the goat sleeps. There is also a cow in a corral. It was great to see sweet potatoes and bananas growing there.

For the Children,

Team Rwanda, 2025

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 18

Today is a much needed rest day.  

Some team members decided to literally rest while catching up on lost sleep, others decided to visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial to gain a better understanding of some of the Rwandan history while still others are catching up on some of the administrative requirements of SCAW.

Distribution days tend to be long with an early rise, a quick breakfast, a couple of hours drive into the country- side on a combination of paved roads and those that give you a guaranteed “African Massage” as explained to us by our excellent, professional driver. We normally get back well after the sun has set to start the process again the next day.

While on yesterday’s distribution, we experienced a wonderful example of singing parents and children as can be seen in this video:

But today, we slept in, had a leisurely breakfast at 8:30 am and then proceeded to do what we wanted to do.

We are halfway through our distribution with five days done and just short of 2,500 bedkits distributed. We will be starting Day 6 of 10 days of our distribution and should be done with 5,000 bedkits given to the children by Saturday, 23 August.

Although we are in the current dry season cycle of Rwandan weather, last night we were treated to a tremendous downpour of water including a complete lightning light show and very close sonic booms, right overhead. Today has been a drizzly/rainy kind of day to the surprise of our Rwandan hosts. They keep telling us that it is dry season! Hopefully, for tomorrow’s distribution, we go back to a normal dry season distribution day! We can’t wait to see those happy faces when they get their bedkits.

For the Children.

Team Rwanda, 2025

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August, 17

Being on a SCAW distribution requires you to live in the moment, be flexible, resilient, focused, and very much open to a variety of experiences.

Rwanda is an amazing country that continues to work very hard as Rwandans focus on bettering the life that they live.  Everywhere you look, people are moving either by walking, on bikes, motorcycles, cars, vans, buses and trucks.  And all these modes of transportation know how to weave in and out while integrating their movement on the road that they share in what seems to be guided by some invisible master conductor.

Given that Rwanda is a very mountainous country, when travelling on the roads, you are continuously going up and down, while turning left and right.  

You see people walking with a variety of loads on their heads.  

You see bicycles equipped primarily with single gears, carrying amazing loads - from people on the back as bike taxis, to loads of hundreds of pounds of fruit, vegetables, building supplies or furniture going up and down these hills!  You can see the effort, strength and determination it takes of those who ride these bikes!

Then there are the myriad of motorcycle taxis who really are the master weavers as they negotiate heavy traffic and swirl around slower vehicles in a very gentle yet purposeful manner to get to their destination in the shortest possible time so that they can get the next fare.

The cars, vans, buses and trucks pass each other often under various road conditions using a horn or a signal to warn each other while helping each other getting to their destination.  For most of the country, the speed limit is 60 km per hour with a few stretches where up to 80 km per hour is allowed.  These speeds are constantly monitored through the ever-present photo radar that is everywhere. Also, the Rwandan police are very vigilant and watching while working as teams to ensure any traffic offences are dealt with efficiently.  

The movement of all of these modes of transportation resemble the movement of the jitterbug, tango, slow waltz, and every other modern dance you can think of given the interaction between drivers who look at each other while moving forward. And the bottom line: we have seen no accidents and it all works!

At the end of the day, we join the cacophony of traffic with the visual memories of the happy, smiling faces of children who received a bedkit today.  It makes everything that we experience so worthwhile!

For the Children,

Team Rwanda, 2025

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 16

Today was the Day 3 Distribution in a picturesque location surrounded by mountains and a lot of tea plantations on the land named Base in the Rulindo District of the Northern Province. The  travel experience today was relatively more comfortable and enjoyable as the roads were less bumpy. 

The SCAW Team started for the distribution destination at 7:15 am and reached there by 9:30 am. The Vice Mayor in Charge of Social Affairs of the Rulindo District, Mr Mutaganda Theophile, along with quite a few Rotarians including the President of the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga, were present during the distribution of the bedkits. The location of the distribution was the GS Kiruli Primary and Secondary level school compound which was quite ideal for the distribution.

All the parents along with the children came early and were patiently seated until the children received their bedkits after going through SCAW's regular procedure of sitting for a photo shoot. It was a bright and sunny day with comfortable weather. There was wider participation of youth volunteers, both the Rotaractors and the community volunteers, that made the whole distribution experience quicker and smoother.

Everyone at the distribution was in a festive mood. Prior to the distribution, the Vice Mayor, Mr. Theophile and the SCAW Team Lead, Mr Diening spoke before the audience and displayed all items that were in the bedkits. All parents and children present highly lauded the noble effort of SCAW and expressed their gratitude by a warm round of applause. SCAW Team members each have carried out their assigned role diligently.

One mother, along with her child who received one of the bedkits ,was interviewed on-site by one of the SCAW members. After the distribution, the SCAW Team along with the Vice Mayor, Rotarians, Rotaractors and other volunteers paid a visit to the nearby home of one of the child recipients of the bedkit. The home was located up on the hill and the family (the mother and her daughter) were present during the home visit. It's been quite intriguing to notice that many of the children came from far distant remote areas, walking for hours to receive the bedkit.

Our way back took nearly an hour and we noticed that quite a few families were still walking back to their homes. It was quite reassuring and only reinforced our spirit of giving to a good cause. We are helping so many children living in hard-to-reach remote areas who desperately need a comfortable bed (mattress and mosquito net) for a good night’s sleep. It was a rewarding and fulfilling once-in-a -lifetime experience to see so many families and children benefitting from SCAW's noble mission. One of the mothers whose daughter received a bedkit expressed her deepest gratitude citing that it mattered most to see that an agency thousands of miles away in Canada cared for her child and came all the way to Rwanda to physically distribute the bedkits. She also thanked the Rwandan Government for allowing agencies like SCAW to care for the children of Rwanda. With the spirit and wisdom of that mother we look forward to our Day 4 distribution tomorrow.

For the children! 

Team Rwanda, 2025

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 14

Today was the second day of bed kit distributions and we ventured into rural Rwanda.

Previously, we had appreciated the skills of our driver as he drove us through the busy streets of Kigali managing the hectic traffic with a multitude of motorcycles and cyclists constantly weaving through the vehicle traffic.  Today’s transportation included all of that and the addition of back country roads. To say the roads were rough would be an understatement and we experienced an “African massage” as we bumped along.  More challenging were the worn log bridges . . . better not to look out the sides of the van! 

In addition to our driver’s driving skills, we got to benefit from his love of markets as we stopped by a roadside market on the way home. The onslaught of eager sellers could have been overwhelming but he casually managed our purchase of fresh fruits with appropriate negotiations.

Between these driving and market experiences, we had the joy and satisfaction of handing out another 569 bedkits with much help from the Rotarians and some local government folk, bringing our total distritubtion-to-date to 1000.

Team Rwanda, 2025

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 13

Today was a special day as the team really wanted to meet the children who would be benefitting from and taking home a bedkit.

Before starting we were met by the Governor of the district as well as the Mayor of the Gakenke Sector in the north part of Rwanda.  The contents of the bedkits were happily presented to the parents and very enthusiastically received! We then started the distribution of bedkits with the excellent support of the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga (RCKV), the wonderful Rotoracts and some other volunteers which made this complete team effort possible.  The members of RCKV worked very hard in preparing the site, the bedkits and the associated transport to the site.

And then there were the children, the real reason why we were there. They were curious about the bedkits and proudly carried some or all of the parts on their heads, backs and in their arms as they walked back home with their parent or grand-parent or guardian and for many, this distance was in excess of 5 km to return to their home village. They were looking forward to getting ready for a really good night’s sleep. 

We are thankful to the generous donors and all the volunteers who give freely of their time to make it all possible, especially because 100% of the bedkit donation goes to the child.

For the Children.

Team Rwanda, 2025

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2025: August 10-12

SCAW distributions are always an adventure, providing continuous learning opportunities, usually giving one hours of travel experience using various modes of transportation in interesting countries, while being exposed to different cultures all in support of getting to the country where the distribution will take place!

As no distribution is the same, our travel experience was unique . . . a 7 ½ hour flight from Toronto to Brussels and an 8 ½ hour flight from Brussels to Kigali, Rwanda . . . just as scheduled. It was a totally different experience from last year’s trip to Rwanda, which took much longer.  

After the standard customs clearance and arrival procedures, we were met by our very enthusiastic and hard-working Overseas Volunteer Partner, (OVP) the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga (RCKV) who immediately made us feel at home.

Our SCAW team of five have come from various parts of Ontario.  After some well-earned sleep following our  24 hour continuous travel experience, we spent our ‘rest’ day having our first full Canadian team meeting, followed by our Pre-Distribution meeting with our OVP, obtaining local e-sim cards for our phones, picking up some local currency and making a quick visit to a local market.

We also got to experience a Celebration of Life event in the evening in honour of the Mother-in-Law of our RCKV SCAW Chair volunteer member who passed away just before we came to Rwanda.  We wanted to support him during this difficult time for the family and the family much appreciated it.  On distributions you often feel part of the family of the OVP as we have become very close over the past year with the various activities involved with the distributions.  And the main reason for this is our shared steadfast belief that children need a good night’s sleep to be more healthy and  better able to handle the many challenges that they face.

Tomorrow is Day 1 of distributing a total of 5,000 bedkits over the next 10 days. We do all of this as volunteers . . . for the children!

Team Rwanda, 2025

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2024: October 4

The distribution of 1,000 bedkits today was successful - whew! The site was good, with lots of space for kids and parents. Having parents able to see from above the photo and bedkit site was great and Margo did good work directing traffic handing out bedkits.

And of course the grand finale has the Rotary and SCAW teams together for the final photo

Team Rwanda, 2024

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2024: September 30

Up early today as we have two sites and a long drive ahead of us. As we arrived back at Karama, children and families were already lined up. We managed to complete the remaining 100 bedkits in less than an hour before heading back on the road.

Kinazi was our next destination where we received a nice welcome from the Mayor. As we made introductions, kids and parents cheered loudly as we explained the items in the bedkit. With temperatures dipping below 20 (cold for Africa!) the blanket was a special hit. The 500 bedkit distribution went extremely smooth today, and we were on the road again before we knew it. Next up is a 5 hour drive to Rubavu, near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

One interesting observation is the number of children wearing Christmas and Disney themed clothing. It's a good reminder that as seasons change and fads evolve, the circular economy is evident in Rwanda.

Team Rwanda, 2024

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2024: September 29

After a much needed rest day, the team departed south for Huye, formerly known as Butare. The journey began with a long and slow crawl up one of the steeper hills behind a transport truck that just barely made it to the top. We enjoyed watching the bicycles hitch a ride using the bumper of the truck as it rolled along.

As the road opened up we took in the lush greenery of the rolling hills of Rwanda. Huye is home to the National University, and was once a leading candidate to become the capital of Rwanda after independence, but lost out to Kigali due to its central location. Now, Huye is the fourth largest town in Rwanda with a population of 55,000.

On the outskirts of town, we turned off the main road onto a rain-rutted, red clay trail, until we arrived at Karama. The site was large, situated in a valley surrounded by tall hills. Today's progress was slow, but steady. This particular area was one of the more impoverished, with many disabled and barefoot children. The need here was very evident.

As the day progressed, dark clouds turned to torrential rain with mothers, children and the team all seeking shelter. A decision was made to pause the remainder of the distribution for the day, and continue the next morning. Our team shuttled back for an overnight stay in Huye to rest up for what will be a busy day tomorrow.

Team Rwanda, 2024

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2024: October 3

Today is our second last day in the Lake Kivu area and the distribution was cancelled due to bedkit transport issues. Tomorrow will be a double distribution day (2 x 500) followed by a four hour drive back to Kigali ahead of a factory visit and then a flight home on Saturday.

Today we enjoyed a local chicken lunch on the shore of Lake Kivu.

Wish us luck tomorrow! 

Team Rwanda, 2024

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW: Rwanda, 2024: October 2

An excellent day, today, in all sorts of ways!

This is our eighth day of distributing bedkits and it took place right in Rubavu Town, about 10 minutes from where we are staying.  The site was a school with children from grade 1 to grade 11 and the principal helped us by providing access to three classrooms which we used for handing out the bedkits as well as a space for taking pictures of the children receiving them.

In the classroom there was a timetable for the grade 5 students and it shows how much time these children spend in school, starting at 8:45 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday.  Students are provided a lunch by the school each day, a common practice in Rwandan schools.  Blackboards are still being used with chalk for writing. Here is a picture of the timetable in one classroom: 

We successfully distributed 500 bedkits today and thanks to the weather holding (i.e. no rain or thunderstorms), an excellent, hardworking Rwandan volunteer group from the local area as well as the Overseas Partner Volunteer Rotarians on site, all was done within five hours, our best time yet.

We try and make the experience of the children receiving the bedkits as fun and memorable as possible.  Our team leader, Doug, is a master at this using his oversized clappers and bubble wands to the delight of the children.  Some samples of Doug’s talents are pictured below. 

When we finished the bedkit distribution, we then headed out to do a home visit.  From where we distributed the bedkits to where the family lived, was about 5 kilometres.  On the way there we saw other families on their way home carrying their bedkits.  They had big smiles on their faces and looked so happy as we drove by.

At our home visit, we met a family where the husband and wife had two children and had received a bedkit this morning. They walked the five km home and were there to greet us.  They lived in a one bedroom, brick/concrete three room part of a house. We were shown the main room and kitchen. The mattress was a very welcome addition so that the little girl had a place to sleep on her own without having to share the communal bed.  The family was very happy and appreciative to get the rest of the bedkit which will, no doubt, be put to very good use.

The team worked very well today to ensure that another 500 children will get a good night’s sleep.

For the children . . . .

 Team Rwanda, 2024

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2024: October 1

Today’s adventure!

We were delayed with today’s distribution until the afternoon so being able to sleep longer and relax in the morning was a treat. Our team strolled down to Kivu Lake, giving us a chance to explore the area. Then off we went to our distribution. Thank goodness for our wonderful driver, Jean Claude, as he maneuvered us through the rough roads of Mahoko! The team had to get out of the van while he safely got us over this hole in the road (pictured below). There was a street market going on so everyone was watching.

Around lunchtime we arrived at an alternate site from what was originally planned and we were greeted by many wonderful nursery school children who just wanted hugs and boy did they get them. It was a Catholic school with 250 nursery school age children and 1250 senior students. The headmaster graciously canceled school in the afternoon so we could use his school for our distribution!

Before the senior students left we watched and participated in a little basketball. Apparently the game of basketball is taken quite seriously in Rwanda and these boys did not disappoint!

Before the students went home we were able to engage in some English conversation with them and as you can see in the photo below, English was one of the subjects being taught. One young man in a group asked me, “How can I learn better English like you?” to which I answered, “Well I was a teacher and these 2 ladies are nurses and the best answer is to stay in school and study,” to which he replied, “I will do that!”

When all students had cleared out of the school we began to give out the 500 bedkits. Of course we had some help at the beginning to get the mattresses in place.

We also had help as the children left the gated school to find their parents.

It was another successful day here in Rwanda with 500 more children sleeping well, despite the rainy day!

Team Rwanda, 2024

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2024: September, 30

First Rwanda Road Trip

Home base has been the capital city, Kigali, but at the end of the week we headed east a few hours to the district of Gatsibo. We went to three distribution sites over two days with an overnight in a hotel in Kabarore. This was challenging for the Rotary and SCAW teams but successful although we ended in the dark the first day using car headlights to help take the final pictures. On the road trip we saw interesting types of road conveyances and then we saw the extensive cooperative, as well as agriculture in the lush valleys (Rwanda is the country of 1,000 hills) with rice, kidney beans, bananas, potatoes, tea and more.

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Our team is great, and we are having fun with the children, parents and the Rotary members as you can see in the team photo with bubbles.

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And we ended the evening in Kabarore sampling the local Banana wine – which was a uniquely new taste – and look!

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We are travelling back to yesterday’s site to finish since lightning and torrential rain shut it down - it will be a big day with two sites one hour apart and then a 4-5 hour drive to the western sites. 

The view from my hotel room is above and there is a bus station that emits VERY loud revs starting at 5:30 am.

Team Rwanda, 2024

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦

SCAW Blog: Rwanda, 2024: September 27

It was a good day! 

It is a big operation to organize 500 children to receive their bedkits with contents of the right size: dresses for the girls, shorts and t-shirts for the boys, sandals, a basin for washing, sheets, a blanket, three workbooks, two pens, a mosquito net, a backpack for school and a mattress for a good night’s sleep. Oh, and there is a language challenge as well which makes it really interesting as do some of the cultural norms!  It is a great learning experience for us all. And, at the end of the day, like magic, there are happy parents/guardians and children on their way home.

Rwanda is a recently added country for our distributions and SCAW has been working very hard with the Overseas Volunteer Partner (OVP), the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga, to provide bedkits to various parts of the country where they are most needed.  It is a tremendous undertaking given that the OVP sources the contents of the bedkits, organizes their assembly, and then, after selecting the various distribution sites, gets them to the sites.  Once there, the distribution process of registering the children, getting their picture taken and handing out the bedkits is always a challenge, especially to do it in a timely manner.  And then we have to get the children back to the parents.  So, it has been a learning process for all involved.

Our distribution site was a local government area and included a small compound of confiscated bikes and motorcycles.  Here are our fearless team leaders hard at work!

While the children and families were waiting, ‘Bubbles’ AKA Doug, entertained the children and adults alike. There were lots of happy smiles and delighted laughter.

Team Rwanda, 2024

Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga 🇷🇼 and SCAW 🇨🇦