2010 Mission Itinerary > Message from Dr. Reckmeyer to the Team

June 2, 2010 (Wed)
Larry and I will leave Phoenix for Chicago.  In Chicago, we will join “Griss” (Marcus) and fly to Brussels, Belgium.

June 3, 2010 (Thu)
The “Dream Team” will arrive in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, and be personally welcomed by Cecile  with EOS Visions Rwanda or one of her associates who will transfer us to the Hotel Gorillas. After checking in we will do an historical exploration of the city of Kigali before retiring for the evening

June 4, 2010 (Fri)
This day was designed by me to give us the feel for what a country can go through under the wrong leader and what that same country can become under the right leader.

After breakfast, Cecile will take us to the Kigali Memorial Center where we will get an understanding  of the atrocities of the 1994 genocide and wonder “How did the people of Rwanda survive this?”

From there, Cecile will take us on a tour of Nyamirambo with the young and charming women of the Nyamirambo Women’s Center.


Nyamirambo
Nyamirambo is a bustling multi-cultural commercial district in Kigali that offers visitors a typical African flair. Comparable with South Africa’s “Township Tours”, this unique experience brings us right into the heart of the colors, noises and smells of urban Rwanda. Guided by the young and charming women of the Nyamirambo Women's Center (NWC), the tour allows us to experience the West African tailors, the hair salons, and the recording studio with its local rap music, the butcher and the Muslim quarter with its Arab influences. We will have a little Kinyarwanda lesson and visit a small market with a shopping list. Afterwards, our hosts will invite us to one of their homes where we will learn how to cook a Rwandan meal, and share lunch over intriguing conversations. The charm of this experience is its authenticity – we will take part in the real life of colorful Nyamirambo.

By midafternoon, we will travel back to Kigali and have an early dinner at Heaven Restaurant which is owned by Elisa Ruxin, wife of Josh Ruxin.  Josh’s NGO (Non-government Organization), Access Project, is a key partner of RRD

June 5, 2010 (Sat)
After breakfast, we will join Cecile for a ride to see Arlene Brown at the Urukundo Home for Children, also known as the Village of Hope.

Hope Made Real / Urukundo Home for Children, Gitarama
Located in Gitarama, Urukundo Home for Children is a safe refuge for orphans of genocide and HIV/AIDs run by Arlene Brown, a charismatic 79-year old American who is well known for her generosity of her time and spirit to the 40 girls and boys at Urukundo as well as the surrounding community. Arlene arrived in Rwanda a decade ago as a recently retired computer technician. Not content with her retirement, she started to work in refugee camps and discovered her endless love for the children of the country. Hence, when her contract ended, she was not ready to go back to the US but decided to found the Home for Children. She appropriately named the home ‘urukundo’, meaning love.

Arlene is eager to share her life story as well as her plans for expanding the home to accommodate more than 100 children. Since renting facilities for the children was very expensive and the dependency on donations a heavy burden, Arlene took the bold step of investing in the purchase of an entire hill on which visitors and donors are now helping to construct new homes, a chicken farm, a basketball court and other facilities.

After an introduction to the plight of orphans in Rwanda, Arlene guides visitors around the Home for Children. She explains her initiatives for an after school tutoring program and a community health facility, and invites visitors to share a meal at her little guesthouse. A visit to Urukundo is an inspiring look at the difference one person’s courage can make in the lives of others.

In the evening, we will be honored at a reception by the Ambassador to Rwanda, the Honorable and Mrs. Stuart Symington  

June 6, 2010 (Sun)
After breakfast, we will travel to Nyarutarama and visit the Village of Hope

Village of Hope
The Village of Hope in the Kigali suburb of Gaculiro is a project of the Rwanda Women’s Network. The organization is a Rwandan NGO that started its work in 1995 and has the mission of working towards the promotion and improvement of the socio-economic welfare of women in Rwanda, through enhancing their efforts to meet their basic needs. Its four core programs include the provision of health care and health support, education and awareness programs on different issues affecting women, including HIV/AIDS, human/legal rights, sexual gender-based violence, and socio-economic empowerment, as well as networking and advocacy.

The Village of Hope accommodates survivors of sexual and gender-based violence from the genocide. It emerged as a community development initiative as a direct result of the women’s experiences at the related Polyclinic of Hope. The Village provides shelter for the displaced and disinherited women and creates an important space for healing and peace building. Health services are available through the Polyclinic of Hope. It also organizes income-generating activities, sensitization of HIV/AIDS and education on human and legal rights relating to marriage and inheritance laws. In total, 100 women, youths and children live in the Village and over 1,200 members are involved in various activities at the Village.

After meeting with the director, we will see the young women learning to sew, watching the sewing “graduates” making uniforms for the schools, watch young and old do weaving, and marvel at the fine motor skills of teenagers making note cards with banana leaves

After a late lunch, we will take a 2 hour ride from Kigali to Musanze (also known as Ruhengeri). We will be stunned at the beauty of Rwanda’s hills as we travel up to an altitude of 6040 feet before checking into the Hotel Muhabura, our home for the next 3 weeks.  Each one of us will have our own private room with full amenities including complimentary breakfast every morning.

June 7, 2010 (Mon)
After breakfast, the U.S. dream team will meet the Rwanda dream team:

• Mr. Jean Claude RUKUNDO (lower left), Community Health Workers Supervisor (oversees 1884 CHW’s), Nyabihu District, Rwanda Liaison
• Mr. RUKUNDO is a 2002 graduate of Kigali Health Institute and has a 2008 Bachelor of Science degree in public health and is a candidate of Masters in Project Planning Management in Kabare University in Uganda.
• Mr. John Berchmans HABIMANA (lower right), Superior Dental Technician, Ruhengeri Hospital Dental Department, Rwanda Liaison
• Mr. HABIMANA is a 2006 graduate of Kigali Health Institution.  His first year after graduation, he worked at Butara Hospital before accepting the position at Ruhengeri Hospital

Together we will form the RRD team of 2 U.S. dentists and 2 Rwandan dental therapists. Together, we will set up the training clinic in the in the hospital’s extra emergency space.  We will have adequate space to for 3 dental chairs and sterilization

Another key member of our team is Mr. Bertin Gakombe (middle of back row)

We will be welcomed by Dr. KALACH , the administrator of the Ruhengeri Hospital, where we will do our training

The first step of our training is the most important part – getting to know our students:

• 2 nurses from Kinigi and
• 2 nurses from Mayange
• Adequate time will be allowed for this critical step.

By noon, the students will be trained in taking a medical history and how it impacts dentistry. 

We will try to adhere to the syllabus but conditions will dictate the pace of the training.

June 12, 2010 (Sat)
The US team will go on a gorilla trek 12 km away   We will come back to Hotel Muhabura thrilled at the opportunity to see an endangered species up close and personal

June 13, 2010 (Sun)
After breakfast, we take a day trip to Gisenyi

where we will do a Kivu Coffee tour and visit Batwa Community and experience the Dancing Pots. We will be back in time to relax and plan for week 2

June 14 – 17, 2010
Week 2 as close as possible

June 18, 2010 (Fri)
We will close clinic at noon and travel to Akagara National Park  and check in at the Akagara Safari Lodge for 2 nights.

June 19, 2010 (Sat)
We will go on a full day game drive with one game drive early in the morning and a second game drive in midafternoon

June 20, 2010 (Sun)
After breakfast, we will visit the returnee community Humura and return to Musanze and prepare for the third week

June 21 – 24, 2010
Week 3  as close as possible

June 25, 2010 (Fri)
This morning will be set aside for us to talk to the community health workers, teachers in the grade school with the help of Julie Ghrist (below), the CEO of Art of Conservation, and other community awareness people to disseminate accurate information on prevention.  The long range goal is not whether they own a toothbrush but whether they know how to use it. 

In the afternoon, we will graduate the 4 students and certify them in simple extractions and/or basic cleanings. This will be very emotional as we will have gained new lifelong friends with John, Claude, and the 4 students.  And we will have the fulfillment of building a legacy of sustainability for the people of rural Rwanda.

June 26, 2010 (Sat)
After a leisurely breakfast, we will pack for our return flight home. After taking the 2 hour ride “down the hill” to Kigali, we will have a leisurely lunch at midafternoon, visit  Agahozo Shalom Youth Village, and depart for the airport. 

June 27, 2010 (Sun)
We return to our respective homes with our lives changed forever!