Check out some of the new pictures of our project and the patients at the Huye Health Clinic! Our GROW team recently returned from their 7 week trip to Rwanda where they oversaw the Income Generation Project's progress while collaborating with our amazing partner in assessing the needs of the Huye district so we can begin to fulfill those needs with new projects.
Muraho! Hello from the land of 1,000 hills!
The past six weeks have been incredible living in Huye, Rwanda. As yesterday was Liberation Day, the day the Rwandan genocide ended 17 years ago, I feel that it's a perfect time to relay the progress that we have witnessed, particularly in the lives of those who participate in our women's cooperative. A few weeks ago we had the wonderful opportunity to visit almost all 50 women from last year's cooperative at their homes. We were able to meet their children, their goats, and see the land they farm. These amazing women were SO thankful for everything our program has provided them, and much of that is solely a result of the support we received from all of you. All of their children look very healthy. They have been giving them milk from their goats, which has drastically reduced Kwashiorkor (severe malnutrition). They have also been selling the extra milk for food (in addition to the vegetables they are farming themselves). And we got so lucky--all 50 of the goats we purchased for the women are healthy!! Most of them have already had between 1 and 3 babies, and many more are pregnant. The great thing about this is that once they have three extra goats, they are able to exchange them for a cow, which will produce even more milk and more manure for the fields. Cows also imply a higher status in society, giving the women much more confidence and respect.
While it was amazing to see last year's cooperative doing so well, our efforts this year are really focused on the new group of 50 women. The only thing is, there have been an average of 60-65 women at every maternal health education session! They have all witnessed the tremendous progress that their neighbors' and friends' children have made over the past year, and they are all so interested in participating. Because we don't want things to get out of hand and we want to stick to our system, we are still limiting the number of goats given to 50, despite the high numbers of people at the education sessions. However, to ensure that we're reaching the maximum number of people as we can, and to meet the need, we are considering increasing the number of women we reach every year to 100. We would do this by hosting the ten maternal health education sessions twice per year instead of just once. At the tenth session every woman receives their goat. It would be really amazing if we could do this, as we would be increasing our impact so much! But we need your help to get there!!! The waiting room in which the education sessions are now hosted is complete, and the women are all SO excited about that. But now we need more money to continue providing education, goats, and land to the mothers of the Huye District! Your continued support would be tremendously appreciated by GlobeMed, RVCP, and most importantly the mothers and children you are helping.
Unfortunately Rwandan internet does not allow us to post pictures, but upon return to the US we will be showing you pictures of the women and children you are supporting, along with pictures of their goats and land. We hope that you'll continue to stay engaged in our work and proud of the progress you have contributed to! Thank you so much again for all of your support, and we look forward to updating you more once the education sessions have been completed!
All the best,
Alyssa
Happy Spring, everyone! It's April again, a month full of energy and life here in Washington, DC. With the cherry blossoms blooming and the streets bustling with activity, the sun seems to be shining a little brighter these days. For our friends in Rwanda, this month has also been about brighter days. April is a month of both mourning and moving on in the country. Just seventeen years ago a tragic genocide occurred that took place over a few short weeks in April, 1994. The month witnessed nearly one million deaths and millions more displaced citizens; the health system weakened tremendously and Rwandans were left with broken families and shattered lives.
Yet if there is ever a country that has proven the power of human resilience it is Rwanda. Today the country is on its way to becoming a model for developing countries across the globe, witnessing tremendous improvements in all key health indicators over the past ten years. So while this April is a time for mourning in Rwanda, it is also one for moving on. In fact, for fifty women in the Huye District, this month is particularly significant--it is corn harvesting month. Below is a picture of Donatha Mukantwali, the Treasurer of the women's cooperative at the Huye Health Clinic. Here she is with her children, ready to take home dinner after a long day of harvesting corn. Because of the generosity of all of our supporters, she and others will have one less thing to worry about in this month of mourning. Thank you!
Between May 2 and May 20 GlobalGiving is hosting a Recurring Donation Campaign. The projects with the most recurring donors get up to $12,000 in bonuses! If you'd like to consider supporting this project, please see this link to find out how to set up a recurring donation. I know I will once I graduate and move on next month!
So from the women's cooperative, our amazing partner RVCP and the GlobeMed at GWU Team, thanks so much for helping to make April a month of moving on and making progress in Rwanda. We look forward to updating you from the field this summer!
