Trails of tears. . .

“There is a sacredness in tears. They are not marks of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief…and unspeakable love.” Washington Irving

It’s been two weeks since I have been home, but the images of being in Rwanda remain fresh and the friends/colleagues left behind are close to my heart.

The last weekend I was in Rwanda Alli and I went to Nyamata about 35 km. from Kigali where there is a Catholic church that is now a genocide memorial. This was intended to be a refuge for 5,000 Tutsis and “moderate” Hutus, but instead all but five were slaughtered on April 10, 1994. This is not a museum by any means, the “displays” are just there, almost as though the event happened in the recent past (although 18 years ago still seems too recent).

At the back of the modest brick church racks of stacked skulls, scapulae and femurs are housed. Bloodied garments are heaped in piles on either side of the concrete pews. Machetes and crude clubs riddled with nails are in piles near the altar. Remnants of people’s belongings are in a heap…shoes, a plastic yellow Gerry can for water, an identity card, a Bic pen and notebook. In the Sunday school area there is a brick wall that has been discoloured by the blood of hundreds of smashed infants’ skulls. Sorry to be so graphic, but this is a historic event that many people just choose to remain oblivious to or ignore. Those spaces felt as though there were thick veils of pain and suffering suspended in the air.

The reality of the genocide is closer as we now have friends who were directly affected. Both of us sat holding each other in the meditation garden at the memorial and wept which was therapeutic, but after spending the time there, we were both limp and drained. Haggling with the moto driver for the price of the return trip to Kigali seemed pointless, in fact after that morning every aspect of my “every day life” seems inconsequential.

When I am surrounded by the serene and bucolic beauty here, it’s harder to reflect on the challenges in Rwanda. I also find it disturbing that I am able to switch into the track of my “other” life almost too easily. I have been staying close to home enjoying the company of family and friends and taking long daily swims. Two minutes of the pre-Christmas mall scene for a very quick errand in Cairns was totally odious.

I just wish that I could converse easily and in depth in Kinyarwanda. At this point in my life, it just feels impossible that I could ever master this language enough to have real conversations and help people with their individual life journeys. Rwandan English speakers who have shared their stories with me, continually impress me with their ongoing sensitivity, wisdom and gratitude for life.

Leaving the extraordinary Gardens for Health community was an absolute heart wrench for me. I was deeply touched by everyone’s expressions of love and gratitude. I hope what I have tried to give and teach these resilient individuals will at least be equal to what I have received and learned from them. Perhaps I will be fortunate enough to return in 2012.

May we always remember to count our blessings. Here’s to a healthy and peaceful 2012 for all.

"Ambulance" in Kinyarwanda... a linguistic challenge for an aging brain

Helen's last Gikomero mama support group

Marie Therese, an extraordinary women with courage, resilience and compassion

A fun and special Sunday outing with some of my favourite women friends

'Heren' is touched by sweet love

Helen's airport sendoff

Counting daily blessings in Lake Eacham

Family Without Borders. . .

Much of the past week focused on GHI's presentation at the Second Annual Nutrition Summit in Rwanda which included participants from Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Nigeria and Malawi at the Serena Hotel, Kigali's finest and fanciest.

The invitation for GHI to do this presentation was issued at the last minute which put us into high gear. For a variety of reasons it was decided Solange, our Rwandan colleague, would be the best person to represent GHI behind the podium. We worked together fine tuning the PowerPoint and then coached Solange for her first big public speaking debut. Kinyarwanda is her mother tongue, but the language choices were only French or English...she chose English. Practicing with her was a treat as it was obvious that she has many natural public speaking abilities, some of which were generated from her time doing radio.

Wednesday AM we had a final rehearsal at home and knew she was ready despite her butterflies. When she left her seat to go to the podium, I gave her hand a last squeeze. As her coaches and friends, we all felt like nervous but proud parents, sitting on the edge of our seats. From the beginning, she was utterly composed and progressed steadily through the slides with remarkable aplomb and a professional demeanor. We all felt like cheering upon her wrap up, as she had done an absolutely superb job.

Afterwards she had many "big wigs" from UNICEF, World Food Programme and FAO (the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization) come and give her their cards with great interest and support for GHI which was exciting and gratifying. It was an interesting opportunity to see where GHI needs to focus, but also wonderful to realise that the hard work and vision of GHI is on the right track. Throughout the two days of talks, it was apparent that GHI's integration of psychosocial/mental health support is unique and something which needs expansion.

There was also much focus this week on Thanksgiving and explaining the holiday to our Rwandan friends....an epilogue to our community celebration on 11/11/11. Images of turkeys and times with family were swirling in our heads. A group of us gathered Thursday night around a bountiful meal which was lovely and full of gratitude...as Brad aptly stated it was a "family without borders" celebration.

Helen

Solange arriving to the conference



Solange at the podium


GHI Thanksgiving table

24 Hours In The DRC. . .

Climbing Nyiragongo, an active volcano in the Congo, was something that came up on my radar screen a few weeks ago, after hearing about it from a few friends here in Rwanda. The timing to slip away from GHI after the gigantic Thanksgiving event for a couple of days seemed good and the logistics fell into place, acquiring a visa and finding a reliable tour company. Despite some trepidation and much discussion about the implications of the upcoming elections in the Congo and the recent activity of another volcano, Mount Nyamulagira, three of us Metta, Johan and myself, decided to venture forth.

Camping on the shores of Lake Kivu at Gisenyi was a wonderful start to the adventure. A lovely dawn chorus and swim in the lake was a real treat. Watching the local fisherman paddle to shore in their threesome canoes after their night of work was a delightful image. Listening to their lilting sing-songy chanting/singing wafting through the sultry air, combined with a nearby church full of robust vocalists provided a great audio sensation too.

We were picked up promptly at 0730 by a man named Innocent, who assisted with the visa process on the Rwandan side (Gisenyi is right on the border). He then dropped us at the border where we were met by Roger, who assisted on the Congo side. It felt a bit like being part of the Underground Railroad with the handoffs from person to person.

The stark contrast between countries was immediately apparent and alarming. Gisenyi appears like the land of milk and honey with manicured parks and gardens vs. Goma’s depressed and battered streets, full of barbed wire and UN trucks and soldiers. Our route to the volcano climb took us through parts of Goma which had been swept away in the 2002 eruption of Nyiragongo. Tiny wooden clapboard houses on volcanic debris lined the roadways on both sides. Political posters, flags and banners were ubiquitous. There are 5 parliament positions open for Goma and 285 candidates for the November 28th election, 500 positions with 20,000 candidates for the entire country!

After about 30 minutes of car time we were dropped off at the park entrance. The bullet riddled sign is surely a photo op for many climbers (us included). After a briefing we set off with two armed guard/guides (one in the front, one in the rear), as well as a porter which I hired. I figured with my aging body and my decreased lung capacity that it was money well spent.

The entire climb took about 5 hours, including rests…The guide kept getting radio requests for updates from the base wondering about the “mama’s” status. They were obviously concerned about my abilities. His consistent replies, “she is strong”, were reassuring. We walked steadily through forest which opened up into lava fields (tricky footing) and then towards the summit of 3,400 meters (a gain of 1,400 meters). Part of the time it bucketed rain with nearby thunder which was a bit nerve wracking. Soaked to the skin, I required a change into dry gear at the last stop before reaching the top which was a STEEP climb.

Arriving at the rim was tantalizing as the crater and its lava were shrouded in mist, but the sounds were enormous; similar to gigantic Oahu breakers coming into shore and Yosemite scale waterfalls. When the skies cleared to reveal the lava it was utterly mind boggling. The lava is about 400 meters below, in a crater with a diameter of 3km. The deep orange of the lava was a colour I had never really seen. The rivers of lava looked like the patterns of the reticulations on a giraffe on one side and the other side like crashing waves of molten lava interspersed with mini eruptions throughout the whole field. It was totally mesmerizing to watch the lava for the few hours we were there.

Remembering to turn once in a while to see the other views of the Rwandan mountains, Lake Kivu, as well as the other volcano, Mount Nyamulagira, erupting smoke in the distance, helped keep the blood circulating...it was cold. The warmth from the lava wasn’t enough! Snuggling into the warm sleeping bag was a treat, though it took awhile to warm up… I especially missed Robert knowing how much he would have relished seeing the lava as well as for the warmth factor! I could see the orange glow and the waning moon as I drifted off to sleep.

We were up at 0500 for another session of lava viewing and then the 3 hour descent. Arriving back in Gisenyi and taking a moto to the bus for the trip back to Kigali makes one realise that the more “usual” risks in life are a reality too. Climbing Nyiragongo was a calculated risk/decision I will never regret…a life “bucket list” item.
Helen

Boats returning from a night of fishing

Mwende, the guide/guard

Helen with bullet riddled sign

Looking back towards Lake Kivu

Cabins on the crater rim

Helen overlooking the crater

View into the crater

Cauldron of lava

Helen on the rim

Dawn descent

Johan Helen Metta coming down
from Nyiragongo Volcano DRC

Smoke clouds from Nyamulagira volcano

Staples a la Goma

11/11/11. . .

Despite formidable weather predictions and the previous days heavy downpours, the Second Annual GHI Thanksgiving celebration was blessed with sunshine throughout the whole day, with nary a spit of rain. After the grey days, colors seemed especially vibrant; large white cumulous clouds, cobalt blue skies, verdant fields and gardens, vermillion and orange flowers, local women wearing their finest gitenge fabrics and the GHI women (moi aussi) resembling Statue of Liberties (without the torch and crown) wearing brilliant green umushananas. The complete rainbow which came out Thursday afternoon was apparently good luck and helped make the event wonderful for the throngs.

The whole week had been a build up to Friday’s event, but the energy really began to focus on Thursday. The GHI staff gathered and tackled a variety of tasks; washing and peeling 200 kg of potatoes; washing, peeling and slicing 100kg of sweet potatoes for fries; husking 800 ears of corn; slaughtering five large goats (after we all gathered and gave thanks); making pennants and erecting a covering over the cooking area. We all (about 20 of us) spent the night on mattresses in the office and took short shifts of sleep. Throughout the night there were intermittent bouts of dancing keeping everyone refreshed. Good humour and a festive spirit abounded.

Dawn broke to clear skies on Friday…still many things on the list to check off…salad prep, and the beginning of serious cooking of beans, rice, corn, potatoes, goat, turkey, dodo (all done over open fires) by an incredible crew of strong and hard working women (Clair, Naomi and Anunciata) as well as volunteer women from the community. 4 large turkeys to kill and prepare, tents to erect, chairs to set up, speeches and skits to rehearse, plus a myriad of behind-the-scenes tasks.

People began to arrive by noon. Many had walked far distances for this event and carried offerings of their own garden harvests on their heads in agseke (lovely traditional baskets). One man brought sweet potatoes in a battered brief case. Sunday and Solange were a terrific duo as emcees, keeping the pre-meal schedule of events rolling in a timely manner. One community health worker/mama, Marceline, brought her six sets of twins (she also has two singles!) to do a song and dance performance. Two men wrote a song about GHI’s vision and service to the community weaving public health messages into the lyrics. Community women gave testimonials and performed traditional dances. Julie gave a speech in Kinyarwanda before we broke to serve the food.

We really had no exact count of the numbers of expected guests which made quantities of food a bit of a worry. There was never a final tally of an exact number of attendees, but judging the amount of chairs and plates used, we estimate between 800-900 people….maybe closer to 1,000 if you count babies on backs. There was a steady and serene queue receiving food for almost two hours. The circular flow began with a hand-washing station and continued around the ‘bingalow’. Each dish was served by one person (I was on beans). Brad ended the line distributing de-worming tablets and condoms. GHI friends came and helped too (dish washers galore) which was a fantastic bonus and added great fun to the festivities. The quantities were perfect and some even had seconds.

Before people headed home there were more skits conveying public health messages done by community members and the GHI mamas who were terrific and humorous. Per the Rwandan tradition of an elder closing off the day, I was asked to do a reading (Advice from a Tree by Ilan Shamir) and say a few words.

Clean up continued into the night under the full moon. Exhaustion set in by 9:30 and we piled onto the mattresses again. Just as we had put heads down, Rasta, GHI’s extraordinary carpenter/fixit man, who had worked so hard all night and day, came in to ask for help. His wife was in non-progressing labor at the local hospital and needing transfer to the district hospital. Brad and Julie went with a Rwandan friend to help. Brad ended up finishing the day delivering a healthy baby boy, Joshua, around 11:11 pm on 11/11/11. The full moon was in action!

I woke early to take a walk and survey the area where everyone had gathered before continuing with the cleaning up process. Flocks of lovely red finches flew by in a flock as the dawn broke. The airs still held the festive air of love and laughter of this amazing community of people. 11/11/11 was a day never to be forgotten.

Helen

Julie Thursday AM

Potato crew Thursday AM

Potato peeling 150kg to go

Full rainbow over GHI

Josean

Shucking corn

Drying dishes from pre-wash

Goat prepping

Metta & Johan

Pre-dawn sweet potato crew

Rasta minding the fire

One turkey down

Blood splattered Helen with next turkey

Venerend cooking up a storm

Alli and Helen as 'Statues of Liberty'

Brad, Julie & Solange

The crowds gather

Welcoming committee

Helen with Rubungo mamas

Marcelina and her twins, minus one

Anunciata & Naomi doing dishes

Lists checked off!

Julie finally sleeps. . .

Preparations For GHI’s
Rwandan Thanksgiving. . .

A few of us went to Akagera National Park near the Tanzanian border on Sunday for a fabulous and full day of exploring. We saw water buffalo, wart hogs, baboons, gazelle, zebra, giraffes and so many amazing birds. It was lovely and refreshing to be out in the vast expanses of wild country. Small world again… we stopped by park headquarters before heading off , to see Sarah Hall (she and her husband are park administrators). Sarah’s father, Jeff, is a friend from Yungaburra in Queensland.

It’s been a bit of a swirl around here this week getting set for the huge feast on Friday (we are anticipating about 750 for lunch and festivities!) The regular routine of meetings, trainings, garden/farm work and CSA deliveries continues.

Torrential rain and difficult travel, no electricity or running water at our residence, the office printer going on the fritz, and all errands taking at least three times longer than expected, are giving everyone opportunities to practice infinite patience. Despite all these challenges, positive energy, enthusiasm and high spirits abound at GHI. It’s definitely a “hope for the best, prepare for the worst” sort of situation.

The “to do” lists are posted on the wall and the turkeys have arrived. The goats will be coming soon. We’ll be working with the local health centers to distribute condoms and worming medicine on Friday too, as well as making public health notices about hand washing.

We anticipate spending the night here tonight, hence the need for mattresses on today’s list! Let’s hope the sun decides to shine. Even if it doesn’t, everyone’s hearts will be brimming with love.

Helen

Akagera Adventure!

Giraffes in the park

Helen & Sarah

Adorable pups growing

Children gather for pre lunch handwashing

Muddy roads

Muddy Keens

Kitchen garden

Sunday with CSA orders

Signwriters

Naomi, Florence and Anunciata preparing flowers

New composting toilet

Julie with turkeys

Thanksgiving Menu

Today's list

Julie & Aline