With Sylvie (left) and Susan at Sylvie's amusement park.
Lunch with Sylive.In no particular order:
I love the comments on the blog! I didn’t think I was lonely but the comments make me feel more connected. So while I don’t respond to the comments individually I do get this warm, fuzzy kumbaya feeling when I read them.
Everyone here, as might be expected, was thrilled when Obama won the election. The big joke is that every Kenyan claims he is a cousin to Obama (Kenya borders Rwanda and there are a lot of Kenyans in Rwanda) and will visit him at the White House when they pay a visit to America. When Obama does visit Kenya, they will have to close down the country. You may remember Bush visited Rwanda a few years ago in support of his Aids initiative, I believe. They closed down Kigali while he was here for a few hours because of security reasons.
Rwanda reminds me of The Little Engine That Could, chugging with determination up that hill. The country has so many problems to solve, not the least of which is healing in the aftermath of the genocide which was only 15 years ago. There is only a Rwandan identity now, whereas before people had to identify as Hutu or Tutsi. 800,000 to 1 million killed in 100 days in 1994. The country is very poor with a population of 10 million, with 60% living below the poverty line, and few natural resources.
The orphan population is 1.2 million (over 10%!) It is a young population with a median age of 18; 42% of the population is between 0-14, and only 2.7% are over 65.
60% of the teachers in the country were either killed in 1994 or fled the country. As of now, 50% of high school teachers are underqualified.They are investing heavily in education to produce a more skilled labor force but it will take time.
The country needs to draw much more foreign investment in order to grow its economy, but that will happen in a bigger way once it stabilizes its power grid – electricity on demand all the time still isn’t happening and the lights often go off.
However, there is much to recommend Rwanda:
It has the lowest crime rate in Africa. Over 50% of the parliament is female and women occupy many senior positions in the government. Rwanda keeps pushing gender equality and has made it a major government program.
Yesterday morning Susan (Bpeace program assistant and translator) and I visited Sylvie, a Bpeace Associate, at her place of business on the outskirts of Kigali--a most astonishing complex of an amusement park, a restaurant, a large catering hall, conference center and beautiful gardens. And Sylvie has ambitious plans to expand even further. Here’s a link to a brief article on her – she was honored by an international association for amusement parks.
The long road approaching the amusement park is unpaved as are many streets and roads in Rwanda and unpassable when it rains, so she will lose restaurant business during the rain because she can’t afford to pave the road.
We were served a delicious lunch outdoors and talked about how to establish HR processes in her business, like performance appraisals; it’s implementation that’s the challenge.
In the afternoon I met with Symphrose and one of her managers who started with a hotel in Butare and has recently opened a hotel in Kigali, both businesses going well. We discussed HR problems typical the world over – how do you keep a good employee loyal and happy? Why hire this candidate over another one, a discussion she and her manager are having.
Tomorrow, 2 or 3 more consultations.
In closing, if you want to read a book about the Genocide, Shake Hands With the Devil, written by Romeo Dallaire, the head of the UN Peacekeeping mission during that period, is considered very comprehensive. General Dellaire had a breakdown after the war and returning to Canada because of his horror at what happened and what he considered his inability to get the UN to intervene in a forceful way. I’m reading the book now and can recommend it.
A more personal account is Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza, whose story was also told in a PBS special. She and 8 other women were hidden in a small bathroom for 3 months – and could not move. It’s an incredible story of how faith got her through the most harrowing circumstances.
I love the comments on the blog! I didn’t think I was lonely but the comments make me feel more connected. So while I don’t respond to the comments individually I do get this warm, fuzzy kumbaya feeling when I read them.
Everyone here, as might be expected, was thrilled when Obama won the election. The big joke is that every Kenyan claims he is a cousin to Obama (Kenya borders Rwanda and there are a lot of Kenyans in Rwanda) and will visit him at the White House when they pay a visit to America. When Obama does visit Kenya, they will have to close down the country. You may remember Bush visited Rwanda a few years ago in support of his Aids initiative, I believe. They closed down Kigali while he was here for a few hours because of security reasons.
Rwanda reminds me of The Little Engine That Could, chugging with determination up that hill. The country has so many problems to solve, not the least of which is healing in the aftermath of the genocide which was only 15 years ago. There is only a Rwandan identity now, whereas before people had to identify as Hutu or Tutsi. 800,000 to 1 million killed in 100 days in 1994. The country is very poor with a population of 10 million, with 60% living below the poverty line, and few natural resources.
The orphan population is 1.2 million (over 10%!) It is a young population with a median age of 18; 42% of the population is between 0-14, and only 2.7% are over 65.
60% of the teachers in the country were either killed in 1994 or fled the country. As of now, 50% of high school teachers are underqualified.They are investing heavily in education to produce a more skilled labor force but it will take time.
The country needs to draw much more foreign investment in order to grow its economy, but that will happen in a bigger way once it stabilizes its power grid – electricity on demand all the time still isn’t happening and the lights often go off.
However, there is much to recommend Rwanda:
It has the lowest crime rate in Africa. Over 50% of the parliament is female and women occupy many senior positions in the government. Rwanda keeps pushing gender equality and has made it a major government program.
Yesterday morning Susan (Bpeace program assistant and translator) and I visited Sylvie, a Bpeace Associate, at her place of business on the outskirts of Kigali--a most astonishing complex of an amusement park, a restaurant, a large catering hall, conference center and beautiful gardens. And Sylvie has ambitious plans to expand even further. Here’s a link to a brief article on her – she was honored by an international association for amusement parks.
The long road approaching the amusement park is unpaved as are many streets and roads in Rwanda and unpassable when it rains, so she will lose restaurant business during the rain because she can’t afford to pave the road.
We were served a delicious lunch outdoors and talked about how to establish HR processes in her business, like performance appraisals; it’s implementation that’s the challenge.
In the afternoon I met with Symphrose and one of her managers who started with a hotel in Butare and has recently opened a hotel in Kigali, both businesses going well. We discussed HR problems typical the world over – how do you keep a good employee loyal and happy? Why hire this candidate over another one, a discussion she and her manager are having.
Tomorrow, 2 or 3 more consultations.
In closing, if you want to read a book about the Genocide, Shake Hands With the Devil, written by Romeo Dallaire, the head of the UN Peacekeeping mission during that period, is considered very comprehensive. General Dellaire had a breakdown after the war and returning to Canada because of his horror at what happened and what he considered his inability to get the UN to intervene in a forceful way. I’m reading the book now and can recommend it.
A more personal account is Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza, whose story was also told in a PBS special. She and 8 other women were hidden in a small bathroom for 3 months – and could not move. It’s an incredible story of how faith got her through the most harrowing circumstances.
Phyllis you look fabulous - so happy and relaxed. I read your blog with mixed feelings. Its great to read about your experiences and impressions, but I am so jealous and want to be there with you and the associates and Richard and Susan. I can imagine you in all your settings - the Serena, Republika, Sylvie's amusement park. Keep up the amazing work. Rwanda (and Bpeace) needs you!
ReplyDeletePhyllis, I am really enjoying your daily reports. We are all learning so much about Rwanda through your eyes.
ReplyDeleteI find myself anticipating your blog updates. The grit of these woman, what they wish to accomplish, are accomplishing...incredible..
ReplyDeletePhyllis, you look and sound like you have been there your whole life. Thanks for transferring your incredible skills across borders and cultures. It's a wonderful thing.
ReplyDelete--Toni
Mom, the pictures say so much, what a trip so far! I'm loving tracking all and am so inspired by you... Keep up the posts and loving seeing you smile so big. Africa has that effect! Love you, arzy
ReplyDelete