Arriving in Rwanda
By Erin Galegher
Maternal and Child Epidemiology
Writing from Kigali, Rwanda
"Certainly, travel is more than a seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living."
-Miriam Beard
I arrived in Kigali, Rwanda in the morning of June 1st. The reason for my time here is to intern with an organization called FACT-Rwanda, which deals with torture victims and human rights issues. During the past week, it has been difficult for me not to compare Kigali with the city of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania where I lived for five months in 2003. Kigali is a pretty clean city I have noticed and is saturated with NGO's. They outlawed plastic bags so the usual blue hued ditches do not exist here. Also, there really isn't stray animals and monkeys aren't trying to steal my lunch.
Kigali is a most beautiful city. There is so many green hills and there is a nice breeze that keeps the city cool. I feel very safe in the city and it is really difficult to imagine the horrors that took place here in 1994. There is a lot of development here including new roads and a nice shopping center.
On Saturday the 10th, I went with two other Americans to Nyamata. This is one area where horrific massacres took place. Many people took refuge in churches during the 1994 genocide, only to find themselves under attack. This particular memorial is in a church were I was told 10,000 people were killed in two days. There are shelves upon shelves of skulls and bones stacked up. These displays are not separated from the visitor by any barrier and are very disturbing. The skulls show the signs of who was killed by a bullet, clubs, or macheties. It was a very somber afternoon.
My time at FACT has been a learning experience too. We have had a young girl come in for assistance who had her arm broken by her teacher and a young man who was tortured in Uganda and held prisoner for two years without legal assistance. Every day is something new and I am glad I chose to come here for part of my summer. I know that I will not leave this country with the same ideas in which I entered.