Dr. Perdue & her students from KIE, at Lake Kivu (Kibuye, Rwanda)
It's been three years since I lived and worked in Rwanda as a Fulbright Scholar, but it feels like just yesterday. My memories are so vivid, I have trouble classifying them as 3 years old. The lingering effects of that experience continue to affect me and my students. This blog entry is a little report on some of those effects.
As I've written previously on my experience, describing my projects and some of the work I did, I won't go into that here. Instead, I'll refer you to these links:
- Brief description of the Fulbright program and my project (also the complete blog listing)
- Blog entry on my work at KIE
- Blog entry on my work at KIST
Thanks to technology (email, text messages, & Skype), I am still in close contact with all of my students and the other wonderful people I met in Rwanda. For that I am very grateful as I've been able to see and hear about all the fantastic things they've been doing since I left. Today's blog tells just a few of those stories.
I'll start by giving you a brief report on three of my students: Noel (next to me in the picture above, in the red shirt), Ladislas (3rd from the left in the blue shirt), and Modeste (next to me in the very back - you can only see his head). Then, I'll tell you a little about me and how Rwanda continues to be part of my life, even now, three years after the Fulbright.
Noel
Here is Noel with his class. Don't they look happy? I commented on that after he sent me this picture and he replied, "Yes, my students love me and I also love them."
Noel has lots of reasons to be happy: since I left, he graduated, got married (see picture on the right), and got a job as a mathematics teacher in Uwinkomo Secondary School in the Nyamagabe district!! He also was accepted to the online graduate program at Walden University here in the United States; however, due to problems with both internet access and funding, he had to discontinue his studies. As he puts it, "I have envy to get Master's degree ... so these days I need prayers from you." Absolutely, Noel, my prayers are with you, as is my pride at all you've achieved and continue to achieve.
Ladislas
Today, Ladislas is a teacher at G. S. Mushongi in the Rulindo District. Like Noel, he also graduated after I left Rwanda and got a job teaching secondary mathematics. In fact, every single one of my students successfully completed their programs of study and graduated! *proud teacher*
I think I will let you read Lasislas' story in his own words, as he tells it better than I ever could:
For those of you unfamiliar with Rwanda's higher education system, it may surprise you to know that students are required to conduct research and write a dissertation as part of the requirements to earn a Bachelor's degree. Ladislas decided to investigate the challenges that Rwandan's must overcome in order to complete the nation's education requirements. The title of his research is "Challenges Facing Students and Teachers of Nine Years Basic Education in Rural Areas in Rwanda. Case of Rulindo District." Here is the PDF file of his research.
He sent me this picture of his school:
Modeste
Modeste completed his program of study and graduated from KIE in the time since I left Rwanda. His dissertation research was on disciplining without using corporal punishment. Here is the PDF file of his research.
This is Modeste at Lake Kivu:
He also got married! As you can tell, many of my students celebrated wonderful occasions (weddings, graduations, new jobs, etc.) -- it was SO hard to be invited to all of this events and not be able to attend! (Not the first time I've wished for unlimited air miles!)
Modeste is currently working as the Sector Education Officer for the Ruramba Sector, located in the Nyaruguru District. I am SO PROUD! (Did I mention that already?)
Dr. Diana
Next, I'll tell you about me. Every April I find myself thinking of Rwanda even more than usual because it's the remembrance month for the 1994 genocide. This year marks 19 years since it happened. Faustin, one of my dear colleagues at KIE (the Kigali Institute for Education), told me just before I left to come back home that I was now "an honorary Rwandan" and, as such, would serve as an ambassador of Rwanda to the United States. I took his pronouncement very seriously and have tried my best to be a good representative of this beautiful land of 10,000 hills. This year, I took my message to church.
Last Sunday, I preached on "Modern Day Parables from Rwanda" and received a wonderfully positive response from the congregation. Here's the link if you'd like to listen. I showed pictures as I spoke, and many people told me later that they really loved being able to see what I was describing (Lake Kivu, my students, etc.) Later that afternoon, a group of us got together to watch the film "As We Forgive" -- the story of two Rwandan women who meet the men who killed their families during the genocide: a story of forgiveness. I'd gotten to see the film in Rwanda, at Heaven, one of my favorite restaurants, during a special event during the memorial month in 2010. That was an amazing evening: watching that film, in Kigali, among many who had survived and forgiven. It reminded me of watching The Long Walk Home when I was in Montgomery, Alabama way back in 1990 -- something about being there made it extra special.
Yes, Rwanda is definitely still in my heart and on my mind -- I think it always will be. My Fulbright experience was fantastic as it was happening, but it's also been a lasting influence on me since then. For that I am truly grateful.
Want to help the people in Rwanda? Here's three ways you can:
- Learn! Educate yourself about what happened so you can recognize dangerous divisive language and speak out against it.
- Share! Tell others about what you've learned and help alleviate the many misperceptions about Rwanda (and Africa in general).
- Give! There are many wonderful organizations doing great work in Rwanda. One is the As We Forgive Rwandan Initiative and another is Generation Rwanda.
The Solver Blog
Author: Dr. Diana S. Perdue