Day 25

Today is split into 2 groups. Alistair, Becky, Annobelle, Ruth and Yvonne decided that they fancied a more relaxing day and so, have been into Kigali town centre with Julienne to do some last minute souvenir shopping. To get there was an exciting experience. We were clambered aboard a packed Rwandan mini bus with whatever limbs we could out of the windows to get more space. When we arrived, it was the usual hustle and bustle of Kigali, using the busy roads to walk down the streets rather than they empty pavements which they don't seem to want to use. Following Julienne to three different boutiques Wooden figures, sandstone sculptures and banana leaf products found our eyes and some found their way into our luggage for the journey home. After this, we went to the Union Trade Centre for a much needed trip to the Bourbon Coffee Shop to fix our chocolate cravings after the month of going cold turkey! Another fun packed journey back on the bus and a short walk to the guest house, we spent then next hour sorting through the gifts from the various places we had visited, to distribute them through everyone's cases.
The second group headed to Butare for the day to visit the King's palace and The National Museum of Rwanda. We set out at 7.30 am and before arriving in Butare we stopped off in Gitarama to visit a training centre for pastors which Anastase had originally planted. On arriving we entered a small room full of pastors who were in the middle of their studies for the day. It was interesting to see a pastor who is a woman, which Fiona was particularly happy about. We were shown around the accommodation, which was very basic and were also able to hear the history of how Anastase started the church in this particular place. Although this was only a short visit, we all able to understand the importance of training within the Free Methodist Church. During the bus journey Anastase's two daughters taught us some Kinywanda phrases, which we all found very difficult to pronounce. The group expected the King's palace to be a building however we were surprised when we saw a selection of bamboo huts. Due to the construction of the huts it was evident that great skill was needed. The initial hut we were taken to belonged to the King himself. We were asked to remove our shoes before entering. The throne was significantly smaller than a comparative King's throne in England at the same period. It consisted of a wooden stool and was not decorated. Within the centre of the hut there was an open fire around which women would dance for the King. We were told that the King had many wives in each in province but only one wife would live with the King at once. The King's bed was extravagant in comparison to the rest of the hut with baskets surrounding it. The King's wife was only allowed to enter through the back door and always had to wait to be called. This was only a reconstruction of the King's hut but we were told that normally it would have been surrounded by sixteen smaller huts. At this reconstruction there were two huts to demonstrate the concept of them. One hut was for the storage of milk. The milk had to be protected by a virgin and must always be tasted before it was given to the King. She was also given the role of looking after the King's children although her hut was smaller and more basic. The final hut we visited was for the preparation of various types of beer for example banana and honey. The male in this hut had to be castrated in order to ensure he did not interfere with virgin woman. The King's son decided to be a Christian and only have one wife which meant that the Belgians built him a palace. We were shown around this building which was more modern and seemed very distant from the thatched huts of his father. Around this building there were bits of history about the development of the country through the centuries. During the 18th and 19th centuries the territory which Rwanda governed included parts of what is now Tanzania, Congo and Burundi. Due to colonisation the Belgians split it into what it is today which meant that Rwanda decreased in size. There were various pictures of exchange visits between Belgian royalty and Rwandan royalty. Towards the end of his reign he decided he didn't wish to live under Belgian rule and so began to construct a palace of his own and make steps for the independence of Rwanda. The palace he was building was not completed before he died and is now used as The National Art Gallery. Next we travelled into the centre of Butare to visit the National Museum of Rwanda. To begin with we were entertained by traditional Rwandan dancing for approximately an hour. It was accompanied by traditional drumming and different types of traditional dress. It was amazing to see the life that was in their faces and the enjoyment that they got from dancing. The whole dance portrayed a story that conveyed the history of Rwanda itself. After seeing the professionals dance, we were all invited to join in which caused much hilarity. Inside the museum there was an in-depth tour of Rwandan history encompassing the geographical and sociological aspects of the country. There were different sections to show the different parts of Rwandan culture including agriculture, weaving,clothing and music. Throughout the museum there were visual displays containing artefacts from the different time periods which enabled us to better visualise the development of life in Rwanda at certain times. As a group we were struck by the skill that was employed in every aspect of their daily lives. We found the museum very insightful and was an excellent day to spend the penultimate day to our trip.

Day 24

We started our day by returning to PHARP to get the remaining gifts and clothes people had ordered. They welcomed us again with dance and song and we were told that the translation meant they were embracing us there and showing joy of our unity as God has bought us together again. People tried on their tailor made clothes and showed them off to the group, they all looked lovely. We attempted to sort out the gifts that were made for sale at St. Johns. As we were leaving Julienne presented us all with traditional Rwandan outfits. Skirts and tops for the girls and shirts for the boys. We proudly modelled them all for the workers of PHARP to see their handy work. Anastace then took us to see the new PHARP building which is in the process of purchasing. It wasn't far, it's 79 Um Inshuti not far from the national stadium. The building is much larger than what they have now and the grounds outside are more spacious. There was an overall good feeling about the new building and we were pleased to see Anastace showing it off so proudly.

We went for lunch in the town of Kigali to the Simba café. AT 4pm Bishop Samuel had asked us to go to Gikondo. However, he hadn't told us why so we were all guessing what may have lay ahead. He had organised a farewell ceremony with the closest people we were fortunate enough to form a closer friendship with. They offered us biscuits, muffins and refreshments. After giving a few speeches of their gratitude of our hard work and our thanks to them for offering us the wonderful opportunity we were all presented with a gift. This was a friendship basket, which is told to hold our secrets of relationships and friendships. We were all very moved by this generous gesture. We were then taken to the next building, which is the school for the mentally disabled where there was a large audience watching different performances. We were seated at the front and watched groups sing and two dance acts. A prayer was then said for all of us to wish us a safe journey and to express that our friendship, once formed will never be forgotten or broken no matter how many miles there are between us. This whole evening became very sentimental and will be cherished by all of us.

Day 23

Today was the day we have all been looking forward to for a while, the safari!! We awoke at 4 am in order to be at the park for 6 am, as most of the animals are visible at this time. After collecting our guide we were ready to see some animals and were raring to go. We went on a 4 hour safari however we were told that because of the dry season we were unlikely to see any elephants or herds of animals because they moved up north where there were swamps. Luckily he was wrong! As we travelled round we could see a herd of zebras and were lucky enough to be able to take some close up shots. In the distance we could see a giraffe's long neck and head towering over tree-tops. As we approached there were a number of giraffes together and we were again able to get close up shots on the camera. In particular the male giraffe was larger than expected. We were told that they could live up to 25 years, but in the last 5 years they live in solitude away from their family. There were then more zebras with their young. Behind a number of trees we saw some buffaloes, but were unable to capture them on camera because they were too far away. Further on there were a number of baboons and we were fortunate enough to see a family- a male, female and their 5 day old baby. As we headed down to Lake Ihema, the second largest lake in Rwanda, a large number of antelopes were crossing our road ahead. We were able to get quite close to them before they hurried off into the trees. When we arrived at the Lake we were able to get out of the vehicle to see the hippopotamuses which were bobbing up and down in the water. Although we were unable to see their whole bodies, from the size of their heads we could see that they were huge. It was hard to take a picture as every time we got ready they would bob back under the water. Our guide informed us that hippos can spend up to 15 minutes under the water without taking a breath. We then followed the track onwards and as we turned a blind corner, Tel (our driver), slammed on the brakes as there was an elephant. The elephant was enormous. We were told to back away as this elephant is well known for charging and tipping cars. He had previously tipped the French ambassadors vehicle. Chief, the elephant, is the only one that travels alone in this game reserve as the others travel as a herd. We had to take a diversion back as he had blocked our route ahead. As we passed the lake again, we saw some baby crocodiles that were approximately a meter in length. After our 4 hour safari we felt very lucky to have seen as many animals as we had and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. We headed back to our guest house for lunch before returning to Kigali in the afternoon.

Day 22

This Morning was the last church service of our trip. It wasn't far from where were staying. It started at 9am as the usual tradition. They played live music as the congregation came in and it was lovely to see all the children at the front dancing without a care. They looked truly happy. There were three choirs, which sang two songs each. It was then our turn and as our last performance we gave it our all! Fiona led the sermon, which was a change from hearing John and all the other male pastors. They presented us with gifts as a thank you for visiting them and helping and interacting with their children. At the end of the service we all gathered outside to meet the congregation on a more personal level. A number of them thought we could speak Kinyawanda as we had sang two of our songs in Kinyawanda. It was quite emotional leaving as this was our last village we were interacting with. On the afternoon we had a relaxing few hours and packing for our journey back to Kigali.

Day 21

The final holiday club was upon us. We piled into the van and set out on the short journey to the church where we were working. The children were ecstatic to see us. They were singing and dancing and wearing the bracelets, badges and hats which they had made. They seem so pleased with their new things, which gives a sense of achievement for us as we saw there faces as we offered them the gifts. They began by singing to us and obviously we returned the favour. We soon got down to business though and began our activities according to day 3 of the plan. These were the puppets, jointed people, sports games, team projects, team chants and the workbooks. The children enjoyed working on the workbooks as they were able to keep them once they had completed the tasks. It also helped to build up their English skills which is a key to the new education scheme as English teaching has only been brought in during the last 18 months. It is amazing how far they have come with their spoken English in a relatively short amount of time. Whilst we were doing the various tasks, a small audience of local people congregated around each of the tables watching what we were doing. At the end of our holiday club John gave a speech to the children on all of our behalf expressing how much we have enjoyed being with them and getting to know them on a more personal level. We left the remaining resources, such as sports equipment and paper with the school. We felt very sad to leave as we had all built up a relationship with the children in our groups.

After lunch we were taken on a 2hour drive to a well known waterfall on the border of Tanzania and Rwanda. After checking with immigration we were allowed to go half way over the bridge as we had to stay on the side of Rwanda. The waterfall was much more powerful and larger in scale than expected. From this point it flows to the Nile and then the Mediterranean. After lots of photographs we headed back to our Guest house in Kibungo.

Day 20

The second day of the holiday club and the two ill people were feeling much better and joined the rest of the group at the school. We followed the second day's plan of doing the wall hanging, insect gliders, prayer bracelets, sports games, scoobies, and then finished with parachute games and songs. We sang to the children, and taught them some of our English songs such as, “Praise ye the Lord”. We performed “The Wise Man and The Foolish Man” and Alistair and Becky were the Wise man and wise house, and Richard and Rachel were the foolish man and house. The dance to the song was learnt by the children and they copied the moves as we sang the song.

We returned to the guest house and had some lunch, soup and stale bread (again). After lunch we returned to the secondary boarding school to play a game of volleyball. 2 and a half hours later, some blows to the face and body, all the players enjoyed it! We soon came back to rest and wash the dust and muck off. A quick relax and dinner was served.

After dinner we inevitably practised our singing and musical instruments of “the International Band.” During this there was a power cut but this didn't stop us (unfortunately) and we finished our nightly meeting and went off to sort the resources for the last ever holiday club. A small group of us were still not tired so we took the opportunity to start making bracelets out of the left over wool. Stuart and Richard invented a new game and of Velcro ball! A source of great enjoyment for all that participated as well as those watching the game take.

Day 19

After a tough night's sleep, including 2 members of our group being ill throughout the night, we woke up for breakfast. We ate and then moved out into the car to go to the holiday club half an hour away. We stopped at the sector office to report to the authorities our presence in the area. We finally arrived at the holiday club where we were greeted by a classroom of 35 children who were singing for us. After a short introduction we began our activities in our teams. We followed the first day's programme similar to the activities we fulfilled in the last 2 holiday clubs. The children here spoke more English and so made it easier to communicate what we needed to do. 3 hours later, we returned to the guest house for a light lunch of soup and bread. The ill members were resting themselves and were planning to join the group for the afternoon. Unfortunately after lunch they weren't feeling too well so stayed behind for some sleep. The rest of the group went to look around a local secondary boarding school. It allocated for both boys an girls. There were around 350 boarders and 150 other day pupils. The dormitories were very basic for the amount of people sharing it. The beds were pushed together and looked very claustrophobic. We were then shown around the classrooms. 60 pupils are in each class. 3 to 4 share one desk which compared to our schooling system would not be allowed. It was hard to imagine how any structure is managed in a lesson of this size. As the lessons changed, the teachers moved but the children stayed in the one room. There was a small computer room which had 15 computers, not all had keyboards and the children were meant to be sharing the computers. The school had internet connection, however no longer have access to it. Per term for the day pupils it was 50,000 Rwandan Francs which is about US $100 and 80,000 RwF for boarders. Although this may not seem a lot, but it is still too much for some families especially those with more than one child of school age. The group played volleyball, rounders and basketball. The volleyball went about as well as the football game we played earlier in the trip. Rounders seemed too complex for them to understand. They would hit the ball and run to the first base where they asked Annie - “Good game, who wins?!” The basketball leaders coached the children.

This evening we returned, the sick pair were feeling better and the rest of the group were covered in dirt and grime from the dusty fields which we played on. We had some dinner, and then prepared for the second day of the holiday club and went to bed.

Day 18

This morning we relaxed and packed ready to leave for Kibungo. This journey usually takes 2 hours, however due to yet another tyre incident, it took 3 and a half hours. We were only 15 minutes away from our guest house when there was a loud bang and black smoke surrounding our vehicle. All we saw was the military police with their guns running away from our car. As the smoke subsided we realised the tyre had completely blown out. The car was then encircled with locals having a look at what had happened. Between John, Tel (our driver) and a few helpful locals, we jacked up the car to put the spare tyre on. After this we continued on our journey to the guest house. We arrived to find our dinner made and our rooms to unpack. Once we had a slight alteration changing our bed sheets, we settled in fine.

Day 17

We had a very early start and left the guest house at 7am to travel to a refugee camp on the Congolese border with Rwanda. On the way here, we visited a Deaconess community. This was an opportunity for Annie to meet with other Deacons from different denominations. We were shown around the site which included, accommodation, eating areas, and gardens. We stayed here for about an hour and then moved on to go to the refugee camp. There were 18,000 refugees here. This was one camp out of three. We were welcomed in to the Methodist church in the camp with singing and dancing. After some introductions to the congregation, we were invited to sing for them. We sang two Kinyawanda songs which they enjoyed. After this, we taught them an English song, Hallelujah Praise ye the Lord. Which they were thoroughly pleased about as they saw it as us all being one group of brothers and sisters. They thanked us for the roof which we had raised money for and we were then shown around part of the camp. As we got out of the bus, hundreds of children came to greet us. They were eager to hold our hands, touch us and shout “MUZUNGU”. We were shocked at the conditions of their living, sewage running down the streets. The children had sores, their hair was orange. These were the worst conditions we had seen children in. There was only a primary school which the leaders in the camp were most concerned about. Some of these people had lived here for 15 years and we were told the people were “Existing not living”. Everywhere we have visited there has been a sense of hope and a plan to improve but here, there was nothing. There was no hope and no plan. The population was increasing, not because of new refugees entering but because of the amount of children being born here. This is all they know and this new life will have to stay living in a refugee camp and they know nothing different. Their source of food comes from the United Nations World Food Program. If this didn't arrive, they didn't eat. It arrives regularly by truck. However if there is a reason why it cannot come, such as during the rainy season or the roads are closed, then food cannot be delivered. This means the camp does not eat. This shows how they depend and rely on others completely. Their homes were nothing more than mud bricks with the UNWFP polythene roof. We had a meeting with the leaders of the camp and they told us how they needed a plan to improve the camp. The problem is the publicity of the camp. As nothing changes in it, the news are NOT willing to cover the issue. The second problem is, where to start. There is so much that needs doing. The main thing they were then worried about was the education in the camp. They would need funding to increase the scholarships as the level of education in the camp only goes up to Primary level.

Once we had this meeting, we got back into the bus and started the 4 hour journey back to the guest house.

Day 16

This morning was our last day at our church holiday club. We made up our own group chants then we performed them in front of each other to see how good and loud we could do them. The children enjoyed this in particular as they learnt to speak some English. We made jointed people, snap on bracelets, team projects and champions challenge. At the end of the session we awarded the children with medals for their hard work.

This afternoon we visited two HIV/AIDS groups. This was very moving as we got to hear some of their personal testimonies about how they got infected and found out about their condition. We heard how one man plucked up the courage to take the test after 4 years of contemplating to find out he was HIV positive. He described how low and alone he felt, which is a common factor for those people suffering with HIV/AIDS. He was told to find his local group where other people with the infection were and to know how to live and cope with the condition. He has since, married a woman who is also HIV positive and they decided to have a child. When it is at the foetal stage, medication can be administered to protect the child from the disease. Their child is HIV negative! They are not having any more children and they count their blessings for the healthy child they have. They showed us a number of group leaders and explained how they would treat the ill members at their homes by feeding, washing, and general hygiene before they got to the stage where they were terminally ill and had to be administered to hospitals. The group pray for all the sick everyday to give them strength. Two women in particular were pointed out as they looked skin and bone and the skin on their faces had sunken in due to the lack of food and malnutrition for the medication they were receiving. Once we had seen and heard about this we, as a group decided the right thing to do was to give up our lunch for the next day and give the money to them so they could have a good meal or put it towards something that is needed.

The second group we visited was similar to the first one. However this one was in a health centre for the ill suffering with HIV/AIDS. As we arrived, we could hear singing and joy coming from inside the centre. We were welcomed by a group of women and children praising their thanks to us for visiting. The leader of the group explained the purpose and nature of the group. We heard life experiences from the people at the group. In particular one women who contracted HIV in 1994. She was raped during the genocide and infected. She was extremely traumatised by this experience and thought every man was an animal and didn't trust anyone she met. Since she joined this group, her spirits have been lifted and she is now able to live her life with the condition she has. She told us she went from being 40kg to now being 67kg due to the support she receives.

Both groups have been helped by PHARP and also by the support of the Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury districts. We have sent them sewing and knitting machines. This allows them to make a living out of clothes, toys and jewellery that they produce. We plan to raise more money to send more machines to them so that they have the opportunity to further increase their income so they can afford food, medicine and support for their families after they die.

Day 15

We attended a service at Bishop Samuels church. It proceeded for 4hours and included interpreted dance, four choirs and testimonies. We sang 4songs , which they enjoyed. We were invited for refreshments after the service with the choir which was nice to get to know them more personally. On the afternoon we welcomed a free afternoon. It was nice to relax and have some time to ourselves.

Day 14

Our second day of the holiday club. However, today word seemed to have got out so there were more children wanting to join in. We sang songs including an English one they had learnt the day before. They then enjoyed a number of crafts and sports which were similar to previous holiday clubs that we had done. They all enjoyed working with us and using different resources that they had never used before. We went to the simba cafe for lunch. On the afternoon we had some much needed retail therapy. We visited a craft market where most of the group bought African sculptures, wall hangings and jewellery.

Day 13

After a comfortable night's sleep indoors instead of tents, we woke up to go to a mentally handicapped school where we were able to see how the people in Rwanda with special needs were taught. They graded them in their severity from groups A to C. The first thing that we noticed when we arrived was that the environment looked like a “death trap”, unconventional to the schools in England. As we walked through the classes they demonstrated different activities which varied on their abilities. We were told that in Rwanda, mentally handicapped children are sometimes hidden away by their parents because they feel they are not always accepted into society, some parents send them to school as they are too much for the parents to handle. We were told that some parent over medicated the children to make them easier to handle. We were shown some of the children that were unable to walk, talk, know their name and used to excrete on the floors when they first came to the school. However, they are now able to control themselves, can stand, understand their own name which is a massive achievement considering the conditions. Considering their surroundings the children looked really happy where they are. The teachers need praise for the miracles they have preformed with such a limit on resources and in a society that is not accepting. Comparing this to England, this shows exactly how less economically developed this country is. There was very little equipment to stimulate the children. They did not have multi sensory equipment as we do, they had dirt and rocks as flooring, not soft padded floors, the classrooms were boring and not very stimulating, broken desks exposing nails and splinter wood and sharp edges were used, just 4 walls. This illustrates how they struggle with everyday tasks with the children.

This afternoon we did a holiday club for the children of the church. Members of the youth team were split in to different colours so that each child coming to the club could identify what team they were in. There were a range of activities including, friendship bracelets, teams flags, badges, caps and parachute games. As the groups were smaller, we were able to get to know each one of the children better than in the previous club. They seemed to enjoy using the materials to decorate their caps, flags, badges and bracelets in their team colour and use new resources that they do not normally use. We noticed that, as this is more of an urban area, the children were able to speak and understand more English words than at the rural clubs where there children could speak barely any English making the activities easier to explain and work better.

Day 12

Today has been our long 8hr journey back from Kibagora to Kigali.We stopped off at Butare for lunch. Chinese which was a welcome change! Arrived back at the guest house at 5.30pm with no problems.

Day 11

We all set out at 8am in two cars with Bishop Samuel and Pastor Irrazmas. After an hour and a half drive on very unstable dirt tracks we arrived at the first church in Nyabinaga. The whole village greeted us with song and welcomed us humbly. There was a large choir that sang a few songs before speeches were made by several important figures of the community and Free Methodist Church in Rwanda. After speeches had been made, John introduced the whole group and we all sang two songs in Kinyawandan which they all found amusing. We continued to the local primary school which is twinned with Elmore Green. All of the children lined up while singing a song in English, as well as presenting us with pictures of Elmore Green. Two of the children put petals down on the ground in front of us as we walked down the steep path. The children had obviously put in a lot of effort to learn different phrases in English as some of them welcomed us with speeches. There was an exchanging of gifts between the group and the school. We gave them some exercise books while Elmore Green had given, along with a cash donation for the school. In return they presented us with some handmade gifts for their twin school, some doves made out of wood with inscribed bible verses and a few hand drawn pictures. After being shown around the classrooms of the school and their school rabbits, we set off again to visit the local health centre. The health centre was described as one of the better ones of the area, however we were still all shocked by the difference between Rwanda and England. As in Kibogora hospital we were taken around the different wards including the maternity unit and men/women wards. The health centres are more like cottage hospitals in England as wards are available to treat patients who are not seriously ill. To our surprise we were given lunch and there was another opportunity to meet members of the community and staff of the health centres. We were given more gifts to represent our friendship with Rwanda including some wood carvings. Due to the state of the hospital, Yvonne decided to use some of the money that the people of St John's in Bloxwich had given her to buy bed sheets for the wards. They were very grateful for this gift and it was obvious that it would be greatly appreciated. Our final destination was Gitsimbwe school, which was where Bishop Samuel taught for nine years before the genocide. We were told of how nine out of the fourteen teachers at the school had been killed in the genocide, with many of the children and teachers being locked in a room and set alight. It was estimated that approximately 5000 people died at the site of this school. As with the previous school we were greeted by singing and dancing. Unlike the last school, this school also encompassed a secondary department which is gradually developing. More speeches were made, and we were also given a tour of this school. A meal was also provided for us which ensured that we were all very full for our long journey home.

Day 10

We were split in to 2 groups. The first group arrived at the hospital to do occupational therapy with the children. We were given books, pencils, and puzzles to occupy them but we soon realised that this was too simple and completed them quickly. So, we decided that we would sing some English songs with actions. We then sung the songs that we had learnt in Kinyawanda to them and they wanted to show us what they knew. It started as a small group but after 2 eventful hours of singing later we had attracted a larger congregation of patients, which felt like the whole hospital. The first group then walked back to the mission station 5 minutes away where we sat waiting for the second group to bring lunch. We all enjoyed sitting on the grass in the sun and relaxing for some time before the second group had to do their occupational therapy at 3. The rest of us carried on to the second day of our holiday group. Again, we split in to groups of 15 children and occupied them with more fulfilling activities such as colouring, painting, bible reading, and parachute games. At the end of the session, they were very hyper and happy that they had had the opportunity to come to the club and play.

Day 9

After an early start the group was split into two and the first 8 made their way to Kibogora Hospital. Due to the lack of transport the group were required to walk part of the way there. Once there, the first group were greeted by a nurse by the name of Julie who is a missionary that has been living and working in Rwanda for 3 years. On the tour we were able to see all sections of the hospital such as the maternity ward, physiotherapy unit, isolation unit. Also, the womens and mens ward which covered most problems from minor to major. It was interesting to see the diversity of the conditions of their hospital compared to ours in England. Each room was small, beds were pushed together and three to four patients were squashed onto two beds. We were told that this particular hospital in Kigali is very well supplied, medicine and materials are quite advanced compared to others in the area. We noticed with each patient that there were a number of family members around them and we learnt that whenever someone does get admitted to hospital a family member must come and stay with them to look after their every day needs such as changing their bed, bed pans and general personal hygiene for them. At 3 on the afternoon we all did a holiday club for 73 children. They welcomed us by singing a few Kinyawanda songs and then taught them two English songs, one of which was head, shoulders, knees and toes. We split up into groups having 12 children each. We organised a number of different activities for them such as making friendship bracelets, prayer bracelets, jointed people and decorating notebooks. They thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and found it particularly exciting when we took pictures of them. After a long we were on our last journey back to the campsite but we had a puncture on the jeep about 3 miles away. It had just started to get dark so our walk back wasn't too enjoyable but we all made it back in one piece.

Day 8

We were invited to attend a church service at Shara Peninsular which meant that we had to catch a boat across the river to their village. The boat was meant to arrive at 8am but after an hour of waiting it finally came. It took 15minutes to reach the village and the locals greeted us with singing and dancing as we got off our boat. After a steep walk up the hillside we were welcomed into their church. There was a large number of people attending and we were struck by the party atmosphere that was present in there. During the service there was a exchanging of gifts between Yvonne and a lady who was helped before when the previous group visited. Yvonne also presented the church with a cheque so that they could rebuild their church. They were proudly showing off their plans for this which starts next week. As a sign of appreciation the members of the church provided the group with a buffet lunch which was very unexpected. We were shown around their village and plenty of pictures were taken. We then returned to our accommodation for a much needed shower and rest.

Day 7

Another early start as we leave Kigali to go to Kibogora but despite making good time Johns jeep had a flat tyre. Thanks to some very friendly locals they helped us change the tyre and when we reached the nearest village we got it repaired. They must have found us an attraction as our vehicles were constantly surrounded by them. We arrived at our camp site at 5:30 where we inspected our bungalow and our minimal facilities! There is no electricity, our toilets which are holes are a short walk away and only cold running water. However, all of this is compensated for by the amazing view over Lake Kivu. For the majority of us there was no space in the bungalow so we started to set up camp but this proved a challenge in the dark. After our homemade Lasagne we were ready to go to bed. For those of us who were sleeping outside the night turned out to be quite eventful. We were all hearing strange noises and convinced ourselves that there was someone in the bushes so we headed inside with our sleeping bags welcoming the floor. In reality it turned out that it was the monkeys in the trees. However, our excuse is the fact that we were unfamiliar with our surroundings!

Day 6

We had an early start this morning because we were attending a methodist church conference in Kigali. This takes place every six years, its to discuss and make decisions about methodist churches and this year Bishop Samuel was re-elected his status of head bishop. We were asked to sing a few songs, which they enjoyed. Although the conference lasts three days we only attended the first morning. On the afternoon we were preparing for our next destination so we went into the centre of Kigali to do our food shopping. For our evening meal we were invited to go to Julians house. She is one of the main organizers of PHARP and has been with us throughout the week. We met her family and some friends while enjoying a buffet.

Day 5

We returned to PHARP in the morning to allow people to finish shopping and to watch the women work on their sewing machines. While they were working we sang to them and they said they wished to learn an English song. So, we taught them a short chorus, praise yee the lord. After we left PHARP we went for lunch in Kigali. After leaving the restaurant we went to two Genocide memorials. The first one we visited was at Nyamata. We all feel that coming here was very emotional and is too hard to explain in words, but we will try. We drove up a long dusty dirt track to the building which was yards from a local junior school. The gates surrounding the site were draped in purple and white material. The purple represents mourning and white is a representation of peace and hope.
The area was much more basic than the Kigali museum that we previously visited, which made the experience ever more real. The memorial at Nyamata was a Roman Catholic Church where thousands of people went to seek refuge during the genocide, thinking it was safe. As we walked towards the building the first thing that stuck us were the sheer number of bullet holes that were in the shelter above the entrance. On entering we could see how the perpetrators had forced their way into the building. The remains of the two large steel gates still stood from the damage of the grenades, also leaving a crater in the floor. Inside the church lay masses of the victims clothes as they had fallen and blood stains still remained on them. 45,000 innocent victims. At the alter they displayed some of the weapons used. All over the ceiling were bullet and shrapnel holes. In the basement of the church there was display of victims remains and their possessions. One lady in particular whose coffin lay at rest here was brutally raped and killed by the insertion of a spear through the length of her body. She still remains like this today. There were a number of mass graves outside, one of which we went down to see. Bodies that had been identified were placed in coffins, while others bones were on display, most of which were incomplete. An Italian missionary was also burried in the site in a separate grave. She was killed before the start of the genocide in 1992 because she attempted to alert the media in the rest of the world of what was about to happen. The government saw her as a threat and so shot her on her doorstep.
The second memorial at Ntarama was also in a Roman Catholic Church. 5,000 died here. From the outside we could see where grenades were used as a mode of entry into the building and to smash the walls. Like the last church there were endless amounts of clothes piled up alongside bones and skulls. Surrounding this there were two other buildings which were used as torture rooms for children, babies and foetuses. In the sunday school building there was a large bloodstain on the wall where they were smashed against the wall. In the kitchens they tortured the children before burning them by setting mattresses on fire then throwing them in alive. They have removed the larger bones but left the smaller ones as there were too many. As you look around it looks like debris, however as we looked we realised it was hair, teeth and belongings.
After visiting these two memorials we all felt emotionally drained as it had an effect on every one of us. As we drove home the red sandy tracks were a constant reminder of the blood that was spilt. Everyone felt they needed some time to reflect on what they had seen as the sights were so horrific.

Day 4

Day 4
We started the day with a visit to PHARP to see the work that were doing with the women. They welcomed us with singing and dancing, which we were all encouraged to join in. The women were particularly impressed with our attempts to sing some Kinyawandan songs which we had previously learnt. After sharing in prayer we were invited to look at some of the different items that the women had made. There was an array of items ranging from table mats to hand crafted giraffes. Some members of the group decided to get items of clothing made for them from the batique material that the women had made. All of the products were hand made and we all found them very impressive. Next we went to a restaurant for lunch where there was buffet on offer with a wide variety of rwandan foods which we all enjoyed.

In the afternoon we travelled back to the youth group, which we visited yesterday so that we could join in with a game of football. The teams were split into men and women, two matches were played. Unfortunately despite a valiant effort the women lost 1-0, however the men managed to secure a draw 0-0. As a group we were overwhelmed by the sheer number of people from the community that turned up to watch the match. The men's match seemed to be more serious with a line up at the beginning for the two teams to shake hands, where they also received pineapples. This match was also an opportunity for us to mix with the local people and to begin to understand the contrast between England and Rwanda. The children were fascinated by us as a group and were very grateful when we gave them our water-bottles. We also managed to take many photos with the locals, where the mothers in particular enjoyed seeing the pictures of their children and babies. When it was time to leave, the children didn't want us to go and decided to run after our mini-bus. Many of us were very touched by the whole experience, and were very sad to leave. We returned to the guest house to have a much needed shower and some food.

Day 3

Day 3
After a good night's sleep, we all awoke for breakfast and piled into the mini buses and went on a long drive to a youth group building in the rural part of Rwanda. Bouncing along narrow dirt tracks and Rachel banging her head on the roof from time to time, we finally arrived. We were welcomed to their village in their personal way by singing and dancing!This gave us an amazing sense of love from the locals. We were privileged to find that they actually took time out of their daily jobs and routines just to welcome us. We were shown around the grounds of the building that we helped to fund, being told about what the building was going to be used for, such as youth clubs, worship and weddings. One of the Pastors walked us around outside showing us the local trees and plants and the boundaries of their land.
They gathered us together into the building to sing a number of songs, which we were pulled into their group to dance along with them. This was a good way of getting us all to mix together and encourage interaction as a community. A number of speeches were made by the committee of the youth group explaining how peace work has made such an impact on their village and to thank us for visiting them. They expressed how they found it hard to believe that people from another country would help them and thanked us for our contributions towards their new building. John showed our gratitude to the locals of our welcome and how happy we were to be there. We gave out our gifts that we had brought for them. Crosses on rope necklaces from the Holy Land with personal messages attached. Also, football kits. Its was lovely to see the children's delight on their faces when they saw what they had got.
We then helped to move sand from outside the building to the area of which they were working inside. This was to make concrete for the walls of the building. Many times Lucy and Alistair (who were in competition to carry the heaviest bag) walked into the low scaffolding which the locals found hilarious. The locals found it amusing to see how the westerners worked, our weakness and lack of speed compared to their rate of work!

We then drove to the trade union centre, which is a shopping centre. In here we realised the difference between the rural areas and the more Americanized parts of Rwanda. Many of us visited the coffee shop that Yvonne has raved about and enjoyed, cakes, chips, coffee, hot chocolate and burgers!

Rwanda Day 2

Day 2
After no missed alarms we awoke for breakfast. We were given a brief history on the different aspects of Rwanda living. We were then taken on a tour around Kigali. We got to see the contrast of of how they live, looking at the rich to the poor. We noticed the development taking place of high rise buildings in down town Kigali. All the kids were happy to wave as we went past and shouted Muzungu! (Westerner)

We stopped at Caribu for a buffet lunch for a variety of local delicacies. Including, sweet potato, rice, peas, green banana, beef and deep fried cauliflower.

Once our stomachs were full we went to one of the many genocide memorial centres,which was situated in the district of Gisozi. It was opened in 2004 to mark the 10th anniversary of the genocide. Its hard to describe the emotional feelings that are felt while walking around the gardens and inside the centre. We were taken on the journey through the history of Rwanda dating the events before, during and after the genocide. There were personal testimonies and pictures from the survivors about their own accounts of what happened and why. There was a display encasing the remains of the victims, some showing the damaged bones of a tortured death. Also, recovered clothes, used weapons and chains that had been used to bind a couple who were buried alive. In the gardens there were a number off mass graves that are left unsealed as remains are still being discovered around Rwanda. In remembrance of the fallen they have paid tribute by planting a number of trees to represent different meanings. Such as, Cacti for self protection, roses for beauty and acacia tree for shade. They placed elephant figures to represent the memory and never forgetting the ones that have been lost. Although a lot of the remains cannot be identified, for those that were a wall of names have been erected in their honour. They are conscious that many more names are yet to be added, so space has been left. The one thing that struck us was that most names were the same showing large numbers of families that were cruely wiped out.

After returning back to the guest house we reflected on our day together in groups of 4 to discuss how we felt and talk openly about our experience.

Rwanda day 2

Day 1
4 hours sleep later and 3 missed alarms, “here's Johnny” came banging at the door telling us we were late for breakfast! Malaria pills taken we hopped into the mini bus and traveled to a church in Kigali. Having reserved seating at the front of the church, we were invited to take part in the service, singing and dancing along with them! They had 2 large choirs singing in Kinyawanda with live musicians. The songs and prayers were translated for us by Anastace. The church leaders welcomed new members to their church and there was a blessing of new born babies.

After our 3 hours service we had the chance to meet the local people who were friendly and welcoming. The children were wanting pictures with us, our water bottles and one took a fancy to Ruth, one of our group members, holding hands with her in our prayer. We then got invited to share in communion where we participated and received bread and wine.

We returned to the guest house to sort out our suitcases and the missing ones had been collected! A relief for those who had no clothes! We had chance to shower, relax and catch up on sleep before we were went to dinner! 3 courses! Soup for starters, beef, chips and spaghetti for main and a very juicy pineapple for pudding!

NIGHT

Rwanda journey

After our 24 hour journey we arrived in Kigali to discover that we had 7 suitcases missing between the group. Julienne and Bishop Samuel came to greet us with open arms. We piled our bags into rather squashed mini buses and tried to squeeze in together.

The hospital we will be visiting

Before we go...

We have all been working hard to raise money for the trip to Rwanda.

We are set to go on the 10 July 2010 and return on the 7th August 2010.