Umuganda!

Working on the road on a Saturday morning!



Having a break with our Rwandan counterparts, Moses and Gilbert.



Having fun the old fashioned way - Doing Nothing!



         “Umuganda” is a Kinyarwanda word meaning “pillar.”  The pillar is a reference to the pillar of development for the future of Rwanda.  However, most everyone knows “umuganda” as the word for community service.  On the last Saturday of every month, every single Rwandan is required to participate in umuganda in their community.  If a Rwandan does not participate, they are fined by the government.  The local jurisdiction determines what the umuganda project will be for the month. 

Umuganda can be anything from improving roads, forestation, to building schools.  In fact, some of the newly developed schools and reforestation of rural areas is a result of umuganda.  The previous training group built schools in our training village of Nyanza.  Our training group was responsible for improving roads and drainage structures in Nyanza. 

Since we will be Rwanda residents for the next two years and are trying to be a part of our communities, we are strongly encouraged to participate in every umuganda in our village.  Umunsi mwiza (have a good day)!

Swearing In as a Peace Corps Volunteer

Me with Mupemba, the training manager for our Rwandan education group.



The entire Rwandan training staff that helped us with every aspect of culture, language, and education pedagogy.



A collection of the Peace Corps Rwanda Education Group II just after swearing in as volunteers.  We are on the steps of the Ambassador's House.



Listening to speaches at the Ambassador's House shortly before swearing in.



            Swearing in is the culmination of a volunteer’s long road from application, medical reviews, invitation, and training to being an actual volunteer.  It’s a long road, one from finishing the application to being an actual volunteer can be from 6 months to 5 years. 

            In order to be a Peace Corps Volunteer, the trainee must pass a language exam (able to speak “survival Kinyarwandan” which is the technical equivalent of an intermediate level foreign language), medical exam, and technical exam (teaching test, and approval of the educational instructor that the trainee will be an effective teacher as reviewed from the educational training staff), along with the training group believing that the trainee will be an effective and positive volunteer. 

            On January 3, sixty-five trainees swore in as Peace Corps education volunteers.  The ceremony was emceed by the United States Ambassador to Rwanda and the Peace Corps Rwanda Country Director, and took place at the United States Ambassadors House (side note, the house is the nicest building I’ve seen in Rwanda). 

            The day culminated in a shopping trip in Kigali.  The next day, all of the volunteers said goodbye to each other and moved to their sites.  The volunteers will reconvene together for a five day in service training (IST) in April.