Ay Musanze, How Ya Doin?

The past few days being in the community have been incredible, awe-inspiring, and joy-giving. For starters, the views both from our hotel and in Cyanika are breathtaking. Mt. Muhabura is the largest volcano in the region, and it seems to remain the only constant on the horizon.

Our team met with the Executive Sector Director of the Cyanika Region on Tuesday morning to discuss our schedule for the trip as well as the long term goals our team has with the community. He outlined the areas of need that we will be assessing and indicated the strong desire for latrines that would greatly benefit public area sanitation. He couldn't thank the team back home enough for all their hard work...so GREAT JOB TEAM! We are your representatives, but this couldn't have been possible without the long hours put in from all our members. It is special that people here understand and value that. I miss you all!

Afterward, we were able to meet with the Community Vision Board, composed of all the chiefs and owners of the systems. Not only were they overtly humbled and grateful to be meeting with us, but they all were very proud of the success of the systems. Their kindness and willingness to talk with the team and tell us their stories, meet their families, and invite us into their homes is a true indication of how genuine Rwandans are.

People here are proud to say hi to a muzungu (foreigner), so we have definitely been getting a lot of hello's, handshakes, and head nods from strangers. Everyone, from our taxi driver Misu Niza to our hotel waiter Jean Claude to our translator Hasan, has shown us tremendous hospitality, and we are lucky for the time we have with them.

We have kicked off our survey and community testimonial data collection and will be doing so all week. We were able to attend the Munini site today and hear firsthand how the systems are impacting the community.















Water is a life source that affects all that we, as humans, do. It is unbelievable to see how something as simple as a water catchment system can transform a life, a family, a community and a lifestyle. Time after time, people emphasized how their health has improved, their income has increased and become more reliable, and how their quality of life has soared to new heights. Children can attend school, fathers can work reliable hours, and the family has vastly improved hygiene...all rewards of a seemingly simple idea of obtaining rain for clean drinking water at an accessible and affordable cost.

In the city, you can see the lines of people waiting for water at the government tap stands that charge large sums of money for a jerrycan. In this, the full effect of our systems can be understood. Those that live far from the city cannot reach or afford this water. Even more so, our systems are thriving when compared to the other alternative option, obtaining water from a lake in Uganda 15 kilometers away.
Hasan told us that the favorite drink in the community used to be milk...why, you might ask? Well, many people feared the water they gathered from the lakes and the streams, as it made them very sick. They would much rather drink the milk in confidence that they would not get sick.

The team was invited to Jacques home today after our work with the surveys. Jacques is an employee of our partnered NGO, Village Makeover, and one of our guides on this trip. He truly cares for everyone in his community, and treasures the relationship he has with the team and their friends back in Colorado. The best part about going to his house was meeting his family, and hearing his young son, Shaka, introduce himself. "I am fine, smart, and hard-working".

I just want to end by saying that clean drinking water should never be taken for granted. It is refreshing to see those who understand the power of water. Walking around on this rocky, volcanic terrain and carrying 20L jerrycans is no easy feat, regardless of if you walk for 5 minutes or 6 hours. We are all very blessed, so I encourage you to be conscious of that when you wash that stain out of your clothes, sing in the shower, slurp up at the drinking fountain, or take a dip at the local pool.

Stay tuned for more awesome updates throughout the trip. Thanks for all the support...SKO BUFFS!