I am Umuzungu

I know I have already brought this up before, but everywhere we go we hear cries of umuzungooo! It means white man, and it's never meant offensively like it would be considered at home, and in fact when the children say it, it is adorable! It's a tad strange though the respect children seem to be brought up to show white people. I wish i could tell them there is a holy God out there who loves them, who fearfully and wonderfully made us all equal.

We have spent the week visiting different cooperatives partnered with CJ, all of which have their own specific attributes. First off however, we began the week going to a local church with Justin. It was called New Vision Pentecostal church, and had much more of an 'African' feel than the one we visited previously. There was singing and dancing, and just as I started to get into it, their pastor noticed and grabbed me to dance at the front, I was completely scundered! They usually have their services in Kinyarwanda, but just because we were there they had a translator. Much to Luke and Dave's malaise, I think I almost feel in love with her lol!

On Monday we visited a group who made a living breeding rabbits. They needed more hutches built to increase their stock. Cute as these rabbits first seemed, the only thing they were interested in was eating and breeding! A useful source of income where even their excrement is used for fertilizing crops.

Later that day we visited a place called kimichanga. People often say when they come back from Africa trips that the kids were amazing and i always figured it was lip service, but the kids here are genuinely so pleasant and playful. We actually got justin into trouble for them following us everywhere!

The next day we saw a group who showed great promise. They were entirely subsistant, where all their crops, livestock and farms worked in harmony. There was a real sense of community with these people. Their land covered a vast space that we had to walk, only for us to find after all that effort our camera battery had somehow died! Despite have much less technology people here don't get bored and they seem to be authentically content with their work. This is a place i could see myself living in. CJ provided advice and the capital to get the project up and running, and now they are in a place where they can return that capital for another project to use, praise God.Wednesday had us visit almost the polar opposite of the hope of the day before. Here we net a group made mostly of widow genocide survivors, some of whom were rape victims. They are still finding it difficult to cope with the atrocites of 15 years ago. Living conditions for these people are hard with the rainy season washing away peoples huts. Food is scarce at times making it difficult to take HIV medication as it makes them sick. Many of the children don't go to school, and there is a real need for counselling here. CJ stepped in and are trying to help build a bakery, that would provide the much needed capital that would give the momentum to this community to improve every aspect of their lives. They still are a few hundred dollars short, so we're trusting in God.

Finally today we visited another plantation called bom boga. This time fish is the main produce. The excrement from the rabbits they keep feeds the fish, while the water helps irrigate the crops. This is a group of HIV/Aids Sufferers who have worked really hard, and have showed great improvement and are a great encouragement to the other cooperatives. The land is located down a treacherously steep mountain, and if it wasn't hairy enough coming down it, it was amazing that we got up it. At one stage Luke, Dave & Justin had to get out of the car while we reversed up a cliff edge!On a more lighter note. I thought I had seen it all when it came to vanity in the west with fake tan etc, so i couldn't believe my eyes when i saw can of spray lightener! That's right people at home wanna be darker and people here wanna be lighter. The world can be pathetic sometimes!