“What is She Doing in Rwanda Again?” Part I

 

Getting a thumbs up at a recent school visit.

Bad blogger that I am I never really did say what I was doing here in Rwanda or much about the organization that I am with.  I will try to correct that with this posting.  I am in Rwanda with CUSO-VSO a non-profit organization with a rather long history in international development.  Volunteer Service Overseas, VSO, was begun in 1958 by a couple from the United Kingdom who set up a program in Ghana.  Canadian University Service Overseas, CUSO, was begun in 1961 as a non-profit organization sending young Canadians abroad with the motto “serve and learn.”   In 2008 CUSO and VSO Canada merged. 

The overall philosophy is to send volunteers with experience and skills to work in partnership with various organizations, governments, and agencies to benefit people striving to overcome poverty, create sustainable development, and build both human and organizational capacity.   I am here through CUSO-VSO the North American member of VSO International.  Volunteers work with existing local and national organizations and live as members of the community they are supporting.   Here is the website for more information if you are interested, such as the names of the 40 countries they send volunteers to and the wide variety of work that they do: http://www.cuso-vso.org/.

Deciding to apply to CUSO-VSO came after a decision to take a year of leave from teaching.  I made the decision for various reasons, but the primary reason was the desire to visit Africa and to continue my own education.  Therefore, after exhaustive searches on the internet of the various organizations that worked in Africa as well as looking into teaching at international schools, or paying to volunteer, I was thrilled to find their website after typing in, “Teaching in Refugee Camps.”   I was thrilled as I could see that I would learn a lot, be supported as a volunteer, and feel good about the work I was doing.  To make a long story short including filling out applications, phone interviews, and two trips to Ottawa, an offer to work in Nigeria and then Cambodia, I was able to accept the placement to work in Rwanda for seven months as a Primary Methodology Trainer. 

Working with students in Hebron

I had thought I would begin a placement sometime earlier than January, but I am thankful that this is the way that it worked out as it left me with time in the fall to thoroughly enjoy Glacier National Park as well as to spend two months in Hebron, Palestine working with another fabulous organization, Partners for Sustainable Development (website: http://www.psdpal.org/ ).

So that is how I got here and who I am working with, Part II will be what I am doing here.