One of the questions I kept asking myself in Rwanda is: what is my purpose here? Of course, in many ways that question is obvious. I was in Kigali to learn: about human rights, conflict resolution, sharing cultures, and hopefully a lot about myself — as cheesy as that may sound. It was all about the knowledge I would gain and the experience, right? However, as the amount of time I spent in Rwanda increased, my perception of this trip broadened as well. I realized that my trip was not all about me. In other words, I would take away a great deal—more than I could imagine when I first boarded my plane at from O’Hare in Chicago to travel to Philadelphia. But what would I give?
I was reminded several times throughout my trip that I had a responsibility to give—in addition to my responsibility to learn and absorb everything I possibly could as part of this delegation. I don’t simply mean the word give in a monetary sense. I mean to give my time, my energy, my voice and passion. I was reminded of this responsibility to give at Kiziba Refugee Camp, where simply listening to the stories of refugees wasn’t enough. I was reminded of this everyday as part of the cultural exchange aspect of the program, because I had a responsibility to teach others about myself and my own culture in addition to learning as much about Rwandan culture as I could. I was reminded of this at every memorial to the genocide my group visited; obviously observing and absorbing isn’t enough—sometimes it falls drastically short of what we owe our fellow human beings.
As I moved through my month in Rwanda, our delegation started focusing on how we can turn this knowledge we gain into advocacy—and from advocacy into action, and that action into positive, sustainable change. One method we discussed to create change was political or governmental advocacy, which can then affect laws, social policies, etc. During the delegation, we visited various governmental organizations and ministries, such as the Ministry of Youth (currently the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Culture), Parliament, the Norwegian People’s Aid, and our final week we visited both the Ministry of Security and the US Embassy, as well as met with a UNCHR representative for dinner one evening. All of these different organizations offered different perspectives on what action should be taken, and how it should be carried out.
The Minister of Security himself was able to meet with our group and discuss the overlap of security and government in Rwanda. The Ministry of Security oversees the supervision of the Rwanda National Police, implementation of the law, and punishment for those who break the law. The Minister stated that “the law is our pillar.” Therefore, it is important to make sure that laws do not impede on human rights, and it is important to make sure that the system in which the law exists does not violate human rights as well.
The main goals of the US Embassy were to promote relations between Rwanda and the US, and to monitor different human rights issues within Rwanda throughout the year. Many of the programs that the embassy assists with are small funding programs and enterprises, such as through a program called the Ambassador’s Self-Help Fund. One challenge that was pointed out to us on this visit is that there are so many different communities and issues where time and money can be directed, and it is very difficult to stretch a very limited amount of money very far.
One of my favorite visits of the trip was when a small group of us had dinner with a UNHCR representative to discuss the current conditions of Kiziba Refugee Camp. She has worked in many different camps throughout Africa, and in the last couple years she has been working with the three refugee camps that are in Rwanda. She said that the most challenging aspect of her work is being in these different locations, on the ground and trying to do good, but being separated from her family. Coming to Rwanda was a dream-come-true for me, because it gave me the opportunity to be “on the ground;” it was the opportunity to see myself in a place far away from home and everyone I knew, and it gave me the opportunity to see if I could do this every day. I think I could—the only challenge for me is being away from my friends and family. It was comforting to hear this driven, passionate woman say it, too, and to know that it didn’t stop her from having her own life while following her dream of helping others.
Sometimes knowledge doesn’t always lead to positive change or action. But it’s helpful to know that discipline, monetary means, and passion can go a long way in creating a positive and sustainable difference.
