46 days until I leave for Rwanda

Hi Friends,

It's hard to believe there are only 46 days left until my flight leaves on December 11th. I can't tell you how excited (and a little nervous) I am about this trip - since it really is one life-long dream that I haven't fulfilled, and for those that know me well, they know that I do everything I set out to!

In the last month before I leave, there is still a lot to do. I continue to fund-raise for Global Relief and Development Partners and will ask you to make a donation to this worthwhile cause - I've made it REALLY easy - just click the donate button on the right and it'll direct you to the donation page where you can pay with credit card or directly from your bank account. The money goes directly to GRDP and will help more business owners create sustainable, self-reliant businesses. So, for all you business owners that are reading this, please remember what it was like when you first started and how a little extra money can go a long way. Donate $40. If you're not a business owner, please donate anyway because every dollar counts and I guarantee your contribution will.

While I am volunteering in Rwanda, I will video my journey with the entrepreneurs I meet and I want to ask you, "What would you like to know about Rwanda, about my trip, about GRDP, or anything else pertaining to this journey?" Particularly, what questions would you like me to ask the people that I meet? Please submit your questions and I'd be happy to answer them.

Submit your questions to rebuildingrwanda @ gmail.com and I will post them on this blog with the answers.

Here are a few that have been asked recently:

1. What will the temperature be like while I am there?

The sun shines year round and the mean temperature is 24C (76F).

2. What will I be doing while I am in Rwanda?

I will be working directly with GRDP and their local staff in Kigali (the capital of Rwanda). We will be doing a program evaluation of their coaching/mentoring program that has been operating for three years and we'll set up events with current GRDP participants to speak to other entrepreneurs about signing up for GRDP workshops. We will visit a local school to give the kids paper, pencils and crayons (apparently they love crayons but can't get them there!), and visit an orphanage to provide dental hygiene products and teach the the kids how to brush and floss their teeth - many suffer from gum disease which often leads to liver disease.

3. Who am I going with?

I will be travelling with Elizabeth Cox, a colleague from Chicago.

4. Where will I be staying?

GRDP is arranging accommodations for us in a local hotel.

5. How long is the flight and what's the route?

My travel time is approximately 24 hrs with flight times and layovers. I have a stop in the UK and Kenya before arriving in Kigali.

6. How many and which vaccinations did I need?

I can tell you that I am happy to have this over with! Needles don't normally scare me but a couple of these inoculations were unpleasant. I had Hep A & B, Polio, and Yellow Fever, and I will have to take malaria pills while I am there.

Message from Dave Ormisher, Founder of Global Relief and Development Partners

Thank you to Elizabeth for meeting with Dave and creating this short video.

Dave is a client of Strategic Coach, the company that Elizabeth and I work for. He started GRDP in 2006 as a result of being in the Program and wanting to do more on a global level.

Please make your donation today so we can help more entrepreneurs create and build sustainable and self-reliant businesses that will employ people and create growth and change for Rwanda.

Expletive Warning, but Matt says it all for me. :)

One success story - this is how your donation will make a difference

Here is the story about one of the entrepreneurs that Global Relief and Development Partners works with - this is just one of many and proves that your donation makes a difference in the lives of those that need it most.

What stood out for me in this story, is the fact that Gahaya Links now employs 4,000 women - imagine how many kids eat and go to school because of this. Please donate $40 today to help improve the lives of more families.

(story from www.grdpartners.org)

Basket weaving has a long tradition in Rwanda, and two sisters, Joy Ndungutse and Janet Nkubana formed Gahaya Links, a small business with great ambitions. They employ over 4,000 rural women who weave intricate baskets that wind up on the shelves of Macy's in New York City.

Gahaya Links is an extraordinary story of two women overcoming all odds to build an export business in Rwanda that is a significant employer of Rwandan women, many of them widows from the 1994 genocide.

RURAL WOMEN COME TO KIGALI TO LEARN HOW TO WEAVE THE GAHAYA WAY.

Every month, a new group of women travel from their villages to live for a week at Gahaya Links to learn the Gahaya way of weaving. When they return to their homes, they take with them the materials and patterns they need to weave baskets and begin providing a new income stream for their families and communities. One of the amazing aspects of this story is how Tutsi and Hutu women often work side by side, thus providing an environment for reconciliation.

RANDY ROLLINSON AND JOY NDUNGUTSE WORKING THROUGH THE FINANCIAL MODEL.

The GRDP team met with Joy and Janet during the April 2008 Rwanda assessment trip, and Randy Rollinson, a strategy consultant and CEO of LBL Strategies, has committed to them as an executive mentor. He is working closely with Gahaya to audit and make recommendations on their financial model.

What is Social Entrepreneurship?

(quote from wikipedia.com)

A social entrepreneur is someone who recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create, and manage a venture to make social change. Whereas a business entrepreneur ypically measures performance in profit and return, a social entrepreneur assesses success in terms of the impact s/he has on society as well as in profit and return.

The main aim of a social entrepreneurship as well as social enterprise is to further social and environmental goals for a good cause. A social entrepreneur in the 21st century will redefine entrepreneurship as we know it due to their progressive business models.

Meet Elizabeth, my travel partner

Elizabeth and I work for the same company, however we've only met once when she was in Toronto for a workshop. My soon-to-be room-mate for three weeks and I have spent many hours on the phone planning and strategizing about our upcoming trip and our fundraising efforts. As it turns out, we share the same passion and goals for empowering people to be the best they can be, attain their dreams, and be sustainable and self-reliant. It's an honour to have the opportunity to share this experience with someone who is passionate, driven, compassionate, and dedicated to improving people's lives. And, I have to admit, she is quite patient with me!

Why is this type of trip important to Elizabeth, "the difference for her is the vision for changing to self-sustainability and create value for Rwandan entrepreneurs."

We are equally as excited (and somewhat scared) about this journey, but most importantly we're both dedicated to making it a success for the entrepreneurs that Global Relief and Development Partners work with.

You can learn more about Elizabeth at www.sponsoringgrowth.com

Donate $40 to help Rwandans rebuild after the genocide - your receipt is your tax receipt

Many new entrepreneurs in Rwanda are women, so why is it so important to support them?

• Conflict leaves many woman and children at the helm of their households for the first time and they must find a way to support themselves and their children on their own. Entrepreneurship is one way to accomplish this.
• Reaching women means reaching children. With more income, women are likely to ensure that girls, as well as boys, receive an education. Education is the surest way to lift a country out of poverty over the long-term. By educating both sexes, the positive impact of education is that much greater.

There are many reasons to support women’s economic empowerment, but it is easier to envision than to implement. I am asking you to implement, to make your short-term (easy to make) donation for a long-term investment.

If you are interested in helping, I am looking for the following assistance:
1) Pass along the website www.rebuildingrwanda.blogspot.com with a personal message from you to those that you think would be interested
2) Visit the blog on a regular basis to learn about the planning and execution of the trip
3) If you are interested in helping with content for the actual trip and the work we are doing, please email me.
4) Donate $40 or more (there is a donate button under my picture)

YOUR DONATION CAN AND WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Uganda arrests Rwanda genocide suspect (newsvision.co.ug)

THE Ugandan Police have arrested one of the four most wanted suspects from Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, Idelphonse Nizeyimana, after he sneaked into the country by bus from the Democratic Republic of Congo last week.

A former Rwandan army captain and senior intelligence officer, Nizeyimana is accused of organising the slaughter of Tutsi civilians in the southern province of Butare and ordering the murder of the former Queen of Rwanda.

He was captured on Monday from a motel in Rubaga, a Kampala suburb, by a joint team of Interpol Uganda and a tracking team of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, based in Arusha.

Nizeyimana was detained at Jinja Road Police station before being transferred to Arusha aboard a UN chartered flight yesterday.

The United States had offered a $5-million reward for his capture. The UN court issued an indictment against him in 2007, charging him with genocide, complicity in genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide and crimes against humanity.

The prosecutor accused Nizeyimana and others of preparing lists of Tutsi intellectuals who were handed to soldiers and militia to be killed.

Nizeyimana is also accused of setting up roadblocks where Tutsi civilians were slaughtered, and of providing weapons and transport to militia in the knowledge that they were being used for such attacks.

He is also alleged to have sent soldiers to the home of the former Queen of Rwanda, Rosalie Gicanda - a symbolic figure for all Tutsis - who executed her on his orders.

“Nizeyimana, through the chain of command, is alleged to have exercised authority over soldiers and personnel at the camp and was perceived as a member of the elite inner circle (Akazu) of the late President Habyarimana,” said a statement by the Rwanda tribunal in Arusha yesterday.

Following the indictment, Interpol, which is headquartered in Paris, issued a red notice which calls for a suspect’s arrest and extradition.

Police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba yesterday said Interpol Uganda had been tracking him since he crossed the border at Bunagana on October 3.

“He used temporary travel documents to enter the country,” Nabakooba said, adding that he did not resist arrest.
To beat security, he reportedly used a pseudonym, Itamana Kamogo, and was trying to make his way to the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

"Although we were aware of his presence in Uganda for a couple of days now, we couldn't arrest him immediately before we could cross-check thoroughly to ensure he was the person we were looking for," Nabakooba said.

Rwanda's government said he had spent the 15 years since the genocide fighting for a Hutu rebel group in the forests of neighbouring Congo.

"In Kinyarwanda, his name would translate as 'I believe in God,' which unfortunately is not the case. He believes in death," said Rwandan Justice Minister Tharcisse Karugarama.
"He was an agitator, a handler, the chief killer in Butare. The arrest of this man ... is a very big relief to survivors of the genocide."

In a statement, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed his capture and said it marked an important step forward in the fight against impunity in Africa's volatile Great Lakes region.

The Rwanda tribunal commended Uganda for its cooperation, saying such support was crucial to enable it do its work.

“This is the second time Uganda has cooperated with the tribunal in arresting an accused person,” the statement said.

“The tribunal has commended Interpol and the Ugandan authorities for their close cooperation. This level of cooperation is highly appreciated.”
Nizeyimana is the second to be arrested in the list of 13 fugitives in less than two months.

Gregoire Ndahimana, a local administrator in Rwanda during the genocide, was caught in August by Congolese troops during operations against Hutu rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).


Idelphonse Nizeyimana: The ‘butcher of Butare’

Captain Idelphonse Nizeyimana, who was arrested in Kampala on Monday morning, is one of the four most wanted suspects of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, that claimed over 800,000 lives.

The captain and intelligence officer in the former regime’s army is accused of having ordered the killing of Tutsi Queen, Rosalie Gicanda, on April 20, 1994.

His men also carried out the raids on Butare University, in which at least 600 Tutsi students were killed, and the raids on Butare Hospital where Tutsi patients were dragged from their beds and slaughtered, according to Human Rights Watch.

“At 11:00 am, a detachment of soldiers commanded by Lt. Pierre Bizimana, acting under the orders of Capt. Nizeyimana, invaded the modest home of Rosalie Gicanda,” said Human Rights Watch in its 1994 report ‘Leave none to tell the story’.

Gicanda was the widow of Mutara Rudahigwa, the ruler of Rwanda who died in 1959 just before the Hutu revolution that overthrew Tutsi rule. About 80 years old, she lived a quiet life as a devout Catholic sharing her home with her bed-ridden mother.

“Because she eschewed any involvement in politics and behaved with discreet dignity, even the most anti-Tutsi politicians had left her largely undisturbed throughout the 30 years of Hutu rule,” the report said.

When the killings in Butare began, the queen had trusted that the prefect and the mayor would look after their safety. According to testimony, she called on the mayor for protection but he replied that he could do nothing for her.

“The soldiers passed through the wooden enclosure that protected the house from the main street and entered the little house with its air of faded respectability. They seized the former queen and six others,” the report said.

“The soldiers then took Gicanda and the others to a place behind the national museum where they shot them. One teenaged girl, left for dead, survived to recount the murders. The soldiers returned to pillage Gicanda’s home in the afternoon and, two days later, they killed her mother.”

The news that the queen had been taken away by soldiers in the back of a pickup truck spread rapidly and alarmed Tutsi and all others who opposed the genocide. “They concluded that if soldiers dared to seize even this revered person, then no one was safe.”

Besides the horrendous killings at the university and the hospital in late April, Nizeyimana’s men were also involved in slaughtering targeted people from the intellectual and political elite of Butare, including Hutu believed to oppose the genocide.

Nizeyimana, according to Human Rights Watch, personally supervised the murder of his neighbour, deputy prosecutor Matabaro.

The rights group repeatedly pointed out that Nziyemana was a key figure in pushing the genocide agenda in Butare, taking charge of army operations after accusing his boss of sympathy with the Tutsi.
“The commanding officer for the Butare-Gikongoro operational zone during the worst of the killing was Lt. Col. Muvunyi,” the report noted.

“But military and civilian witnesses present in Butare at the time agree that it was not Muvunyi but rather his subordinates, Capt. Nizeyimana and Lt. Hategekimana, who aggressively pushed the genocide while accusing Muvunyi of being Tutsi himself and threatening him with death for his efforts to help Tutsi.”
The two had divided the tasks, with Nizeyimana taking care of exterminating the Tutsis in the central part of Butare town, including in the residential section of Buye.

“Soldiers had orders to take identity cards from those whom they killed. According to one witness, Nizeyimana regularly received these cards from his men as they reported on the progress of the killings,” Human Rights Watch wrote.

“They often appeared at his house shortly after a volley of gunfire was heard and handed the cards to the captain with the report: Mission accomplished. In the captain’s absence, his wife received the cards.”

OUCH!

In preparation for my upcoming trip in T - 72 days (and counting!), I went for my vaccinations today, which I discovered will take more time, effort and money than the "get them all over with in one go" appointment I had hoped for. It seems I haven't had any travel inoculations in nearly 10 years so I had to have three today, which will be followed by three more in the next few weeks. Ouch!

On a positive note, is it slightly morbid that needles have made me really excited about this trip?!!

Next one on the list - my visa for Kenya where I will spend nearly two weeks on safari after volunteering in Rwanda...