A Day in Kigali

 

June 14, 2023

Wednesday

 

A Day in Kigali

 

Today’s blog entry focuses on pictures of a day in Kigali. Joni, Kaelen and I left the MGS campus at 9:00 to meet Sister Juvenal at the Benebikira Residence in Kigali. The MGS campus was already abuzz with excitement and preparations for the Confirmation ceremony that was to be held for the students were being confirmed as adults in the catholic Faith. the Cardinal was coming to preside over the ceremony. I knew there would be joy and many stories when we returned from a day in the city.

 

Arriving at the Residence, Sister Juvenal greeted us and after a brief fragrant tour of the bakery that bakes the bread for several schools including MGS, we were off to re-visit the Notre Dame de Anges where the primary school teachers whom we trained in Novel Engineering in December have been developing their maker space. They have taken such pride in creating a space in which students are mindful of making that re-uses materials, reduces waste,  

The structures and decorations that the students are making all demonstrate ways to solve climate change by building homes that save water and energy or use scraps and stuff that we might think have no use, thus filling land fills. The teachers also showed us the exhibit the students are preparing for June 24. It is in praise of trees to clean the air around us.

After leaving Notre Dame, Sister Juvenal took us to the FAWE school in Kigali that is administered by the Benebikira Order. There are 840 girls enrolled from all over the country. They had been given a LEGO robotics by the Ministry of Education and they shared with us a demonstration they had done the day before for a conference at the Serena Hotel. Sister Eugenie, the headmistress called them out of class to share with us! They had very little notice of their task yet they were poised and through in explaining how they woould make fuel to power cars cleaner.

After lunch with the Sisters, we said good bye and took Kaelen to see the Genocide against the Tutsis Memorial. The Memorial tells the story not only of the 1994 tragedy here in Rwanda but about how genocide continues to haunt our human experience. It is a moving and necessary story to understand when considering how Rwanda is re-building its nation and believes that education of all students is essential for peace. The Memorial reminds us that each of us has a role to play  in creating a peaceful world.It was a solemn, but hopeful ending to a busy day in the Kigali.

It meant  a great deal to me to share that experience with my grand-daughter, Kaelen. It is her generation that will have the next opportunity to make the world a place of peace and social justice.

Amahoro, Linda V Beardsley