Top 10 Things I've Learned

In January 2009 I wandered into my first EWB-CU Rwanda meeting in the DLC Conference room in Boulder.  After 3 EWB-CU trips to Rwanda and 5 full semesters of working hard with the team, I've learned more than I can ever attribute to my Engineering degree alone.

Here's the top 10 things I've learned from three years with EWB-CU Rwanda:

10. Show up on time for meetings, especially if you are running them.

9.  Nothing ever goes perfectly to plan, especially with an Engineering project in rural Africa.  Always be ready with a backup plan.

8.  Most people outside of EWB-CU under-value the effort we put in as students and over-value the project results.

7.  You don't need to be a business student to win a business plan competition, but you must thoroughly understand your idea and clearly show your passion for it.

6.  Many people love to help, but sometimes you need to ask them for it.  Don't be afraid to ask for help once in a while.

5.  When conducting an assessment, collect more information than expected.  You never know exactly what information you might need down the road.

4.  Convince someone to participate, and they'll participate with an absent heart.  Have someone convince you to let them participate, they'll participate with true passion and enthusiasm.

3.  Opposites attract.  People in Africa want to go to America, and people in America long to go to Africa.

2.  All Rwandans are better than me at soccer.

1.  Take your education outside of the classroom. Learn by doing, and you'll be rewarded for the rest of your life.

Thank you to donors, teachers, friends, family, and most of all, the CU Rwanda Team for making the last three years a truly valuable experience for me and countless others both on and off this continent.

Eric Millinger ('11)

Dream Big

One of the most amazing blessings that we have as human beings is our ability to dream. Dreams allow us to enter a world of imagination in which we can be the architects of our very own futures. We envision ourselves playing soccer at the World Cup, finding the cure for a disease once previously thought incurable, or taking the first steps on an unexplored planet. Dreams transcend all of humanity.

Children are the best dreamers. They are able to see past the limits many adults have imposed on themselves and remind us of the limitless possibilities of this world. What is more, every child should be given the chance to achieve his or her dreams. Every child should have the opportunity to become a doctor, to sing the national anthem on Opening Day, or to find his or her family after separation. In reality though, not every child is given an opportunity; in fact, many aren’t.

Many of you reading this have been given opportunities to achieve your dreams. The dreams you have today are likely different from the ones you had as a child, though part of your heart probably still hangs on to the threads of hope that your childhood dreams may still come true. But to actually achieve your dreams is a stark challenge. It’s almost always a constant, uphill battle, as you swim against a current of people and events that try to set you back. But with support, tenacity, and courage, you eventually pull through.

Can you then imagine how difficult it is to achieve your dreams as an orphan in a developing country? Spending two weeks at L’Esperance Children’s Aid orphanage in Rwanda was certainly, among other things, a humbling experience for me. I began to come to grips with what it means to be an orphan – to grow up without parents or family of any sort. I saw kids who never had a mother’s arms for shelter or a father to play soccer with. But I also saw kids with hopes and dreams. I saw future doctors, future soccer stars, and future musicians. Though small, these orphans have a chance to become someone and to do something in their lives. Knowing that our project would directly support their dreams meant more to me than I could have imagined.

If I could have one wish, I would ask for every child to be given the chance to achieve his or her dreams. So if you are a kid, you know a kid, or have a kid, just remember this; dream big. Don’t let others tell you no. Don’t let society hold you back. Dream big and follow your dreams because you never know how lucky you are. Hold on to and cherish those dreams as you would your most prized possession. Then one day when you’re older, you’ll recognize just what an accomplishment it is to achieve your dreams. And if you’re lucky, you may help another child achieve his or her dreams. That’s my dream. What’s yours?

Bonus Projects

While at the orphanage, we wanted to explore other needs, so we branched out into several side projects. I will start with the most pressing need that the orphanage had.

Project Ventilation:

The latrine in the guest house had weak ventilation and left many of our team members distraught. So, Elliot and I headed up an initiative to make the latrine experience more bearable and maybe even more enjoyable. We took out the glass door cover and replaced it with a beautiful, fine mesh. Additionally, we demolished several bricks and created what I would term a “breathing space.” I also had the opportunity to drill some giant holes. Acoustical security may have been sacrificed, but it was for the greater good. The finished product is shown below:

Project Hand Wash:

I felt that the hand washing situation at the orphanage was awkward and dire. The established system called for having a partner pour water from a pitcher onto your hands. It did not really work well trying to pour water over your own hands, as you could only do one at a time. And at times I felt that my handwashing friends were not invested in the process. They would lazily pour water over my hands, stop too early, pour sporadically, or act like they had better things to do. Using the extra bulkheads and taps we had, we attached taps to several Jerry cans. Hand washing can now be done at the orphanage free of awkwardness. The station can also be used as a teeth-brushing station, an elbow-washing station, a Jerry-can filling station, etc. I also see this as a huge business opportunity and Project Handwash will probably go global real soon. Maybe even tomorrow. Investors, please contact me.

Project Pump Rehabilitation:

Our irrigation project uses water from an upper tank that is filled with a water-wheel powered pump from a stream three-hundred meters below. Unfortunately, when we got to the orphanage, the pump was not working. So we replaced a bunch of parts, etc. and got it to dominate. This project was essential to our overall irrigation system. This project is also less sexy than the other ones.

 Cheers, 

Ankit

Project Update

Team Rwanda completed our project yesterday! After almost 2.5 weeks of materials buying, design tweaking, problem solving, and fun-filled days with the 130 orphans at the L'Esperance Orphanage in Kigarama, Rwanda, we are happy to show you the final product.

Above, you can see the children surrounding one of the six tap stands we installed. Each tap stand will be used to irrigate a portion of the tree nursery, which will allow these trees to be grown year round, sold to the local community, and produce a profit to better support these children. In the background, you can see the 2 AfriTanks we installed. These supply extra water, which is pumped up for a small stream 300 meters downhill. We are really pleased with the final product and will continue to monitor its functioning. 

Still to come: personal reflections, side projects, and more! Stay tuned! 

Maramutse.

The team is buttoning up our project at the L’esperance orphanage in Rwanda. We are fixing our leaky pipes, building valve boxes, smoothing out our tap stands, and gathering assessment data. The team has also repaired the hydro-powered pump that feeds the system, which was a huge victory. Initial testing has shown that the irrigation system functions and the tap stands can adequately fill up water balloons. The kids had a great time trying to hit me with the balloons but then mis-firing and hitting Cori. Next steps involve using the system for irrigating fruit trees to help the orphanage on their path to economic sustainability.

My experience here leaves me with mixed emotions. It has been inspiring and insightful playing with the orphans here after a hard day’s work. I have seen kids that are future soccer stars, singers, teachers, and leaders. It’s apparent that they are strong and have relied on each other’s camaraderie to get past rough times in their lives. The little babies here are disciplined and adorable. I am always in awe when I see that the den mothers are able to get them to sit on their potties at the same time. Precious, a toddler here, has been practicing her ABC’s by writing her letters out on my arm. Francois, whose demeanor is reminiscent of my brother, has been trying to teach me Kinyan-Rwandan and giggles when all I remember is oomosatsi – the word for hair. I have plenty of it. The affection that the children have shown leaves me woozy, and these feelings help me understand why there are so many people that are invested in the welfare of this orphanage.

Victor Monroy, the director of the orphanage, has emphasized how he wants the orphanage to function without charity, to become economically self-sufficient. There are mechanism’s underway to help educate and provide for the children. Today, we interviewed Victor about his vision for the eco-lodge hotel, an environmentally friendly hotel that will be built at the base of Lake Kivu. The hotel will be one of the first in the area, providing services such as kayaking, hiking, and even wind-surfing. Most importantly, profits from the eco-lodge will help fund university studies for the older kids at the orphanage.

The team will lose Judy and Lila today, as they fly out tomorrow from Kigali. Cori, Eric, Andy, and I take off Sunday. We will be able to spend a day at the lake with the kids and follow our project to completion.  Hearing the kids sing and looking at the layered hills with Lake Kivu in the background leaves me feeling content. Until next time.

Murabeho,

Ankit

Judy's Guest Blog

It was very early in the morning and I had to travel to meet with EWB-CU friends. I arrived in Kigali at around 8:30am in the morning from Nairobi. Since I did not know where we were supposed to be based, I had to wait for the mentor (Elliot) who was to arrive later in the afternoon. I waited patiently and after five hours Eliot arrived. I went with him to the place where we were supposed to spend the night and also meet other EWB-CU members who had arrived earlier on. That was Eric, Cori, and Ankit. The warm welcome that I was given really impressed me. We stayed in Kigali for three days then we went to L’Esperance Orphanage where we were supposed to carry out our project. The warm welcome that we were given at the orphanage was very encouraging.

To cut the long story short, my stay at the orphanage with the EWB-CU group has made me experience a lot of positive things.  Playing soccer with the children and also being involved in the projects was amazing. My friends Lila, Eric, Cori, Ankit and Andy; please continue with the same spirit.

“Experience is the best teacher.”

Judy

Note: Judy joined the team for the past two weeks through a connection with our professional mentor, Elliot. Born and raised in Kenyan, Judy is studying mathematics and computer science at Kenya Methodist University [KMU]. It has been a joy to work and get to know her during our time. She hopes to continue volunteering with our group. 

EWB Saves the Day

A little insight into the culture here. Yesterday, we began to notice that a number of orphans weren't going to school. After inquiring, we found out that many of the orphans had been turned away from school because their hair was too long. Apparently, the school requires students to shave their heads shaved once a month. Why? Well we asked around and nobody seemed to have an answer. While this was seemed strange to us, we were much more concerned by the fact that these kids weren't going to school and weren't allowed to return until their hair had been cut. We found out that the buzzer that the orphanage owns was out of commission and that someone had been sent all the way to the capital city, Kigali, to pick up a new one. He wouldn't return for a couple of days. But we weren't going to let that stop us. There were two ways to get back to school if you were a student: go and ask for forgiveness or go and get your hair cut. When we found out that at the local barber it costs 100 Rwandan Francs per student to have their hair cut, we were so taken aback. We needed about 70 haircuts, so the total would be 7,000 Rwandan Francs. Divide that by 600, the exchange rate with the US Dollar, and it costs a little over $10. That is to say, it costs less for 70 haircuts here in Rwanda than it did for my last haircut in the States (which was also a buzz cut). Needless to say, our EWB team offered to pay for all 70 haircuts, "saving the day". We thought the kids would be upset with us for spoiling their "vacation" from school, but instead most cheered when they heard the news!

Soccer Stars

Everyday after we finish work around 5, we play soccer with the orphans on their mini field located on their land. It's always great fun and our skills have definitely developed with so much practice against these kids who should probably play on the Rwandan National Team someday. Because of our playing, on Sunday, Ankit, Lila, and I were recruited by our friend Safari to play in a local soccer match. We thought it would be similar to all of our little scrimmages we had played at the orphanage. Little did we know that we were in for a treat.

To get to this soccer field, we hiked about 30 minutes across a small portion of Rwanda's beautiful hills. By the time we arrived, we were already feeling a bit winded since we're not yet accustomed to African walking distances. But we soon forgot about the long hike there. Arriving to the field, we were greeted by a crowd of over 1,000 spectators from around the region. On the field, the opposing team was already going through their warm-up routine, dressed in the full outfits of the Brazilian national team. We asked Safari, our 18-year-old captain who is an orphan at L'Esperance, who the other team was and he informed us we were playing soldiers. As if to confirm, standing on the sideline was a fully-dressed soldier with an AK47 across his body. It was on the whole a rather intimidating scene that we had found ourselves a part of.

Throughout the game, it seemed as if the odds were stacked against us. We were short on players in the beginning, though Ankit, Lila, and I were able to step in to fill the spots. The referee seemed to clearly favor the opposing team, as did the crowd. And we had little water to share amongst ourselves in the heat. But as in any Hollywood movie when the plight becomes just about hopeless, after 90 minutes of intense, scrappy, and sweaty football, we pulled out a victory, 3-2. It was great to be greeted with cheers by the many children and orphans who had come to watch the match. It was a glorious day. Usually, one might take a victory lap, but we needed to take a victory walk, actually a victory hike, all the way back to the orphanage in the fading light of dusk. Without water. After 45 minutes, we returned and I may never appreciate water more than I did at that moment.

Cheers,
Andy

Foundations are poured!

We’ve been in Rwanda now for almost two weeks.  I was surprised by the organization and infrastructure of Kigali and now I’m taken back by the beauty surrounding me at this orphanage.  Not only the physical beauty, but also the beauty of this little community.  I’m sure it’s not always perfect and I only see snapshots, but it reminds me of what heaven might be like.  My favorite memory so far has been the children singing! 

Making sure that this community can continue is why we are working so hard to make this project a success.  We have been making good progress so far.  Yesterday we were able to pour the foundations for all our tap stands in the nursery and tomorrow we should be able to complete the actual stands. 

Cori

A Day in the Life

Amazing.  Just about a week into the project now and we're starting to get into a rhythm here. 

Mornings start at 6:00 am with singing from the children.  They fill the warm tropical air with beautiful harmonies and playful tones.  By 7:00 am we are eating breakfast, usually a mixture of fantastic pancakes, unbelievably sweet pineapples, and wonderfully fresh guacamole.  

The team working on one of the six tap stands.

Work starts around 8:00 am.  We've been making progress with the irrigation system.  Today we dug most of the pipelines and also created the concrete forms.  Here you can see the team working hard in the hot sun.  We are in great position to make the tap stands tomorrow and finish the system next week.

Just another Rwandan sunset at the orphanage.

At 5:00 pm the sky starts to turn orange.  As the sun sets over Lake Kivu, the day begins to wind down.  Yesterday the team went for a walk to a gorgeous lookout point near the orphanage where we sat and watched the sunset.  At about 7:00pm we all broke out into spontaneous dancing with the locals.  We all had a great time.

At about 9:00pm our nights end gradually with dancing, singing, or sharing of stories from around the world.  Or in my case tonight, blogging.  Now I must go to sleep, because at 6:00am tomorrow we will start it all over again.

Ijoro Ryiza, or Good Night,

Eric