Trip to Rwanda - Tuesday, 5th of October 2010

Tuesday 5th of October 2010 - Rwanda from Nkem Dennar's Perspective.

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Our day started very early at 6.30am because we had to embark on a 3 hour drive to visit the community of Kaduha which is in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. Kaduha is one of the 60 communities that are supported by Solace ministries spread across Rwanda.

The drive to Kaduha could be compared to being on a rollercoaster but on a bumpy surface. It’s not like any drive I’ve been on in my life. Although the scenery was beautiful, it felt like my heart was in my mouth for the most part. Stuart’s reaction to the drive made me seem very brave but along with Bolaji he had us all cracking up. To be honest I think the place is in the middle of nowhere. It’s hard to believe people live there.

We arrived to a large congregation of people who apparently had been walking for hours to see us. There are about 114 families in the community and each family received a pig which was donated by Jesus House as part of the pig farm project as well as 2 cows and 2 goats for the community. Prior to this donation to the community, the average monthly income for the community was £2 per month. With the pig farm project and the income generated from the rearing and sale of the piglets, they now earn about £16 per month which is an 800% increase in their income.

The reception we received was second-to-none. The people sang and danced their hearts out. One of the ladies who expressed her gratitude said she believes God answers prayers. All this, made the entire journey worth it.

After the singing and dancing, Edo & I performed a symbolic handover of the animals to the community. It was a very humbling and fulfilling experience for me and it brought me to tears.