Massive Update Number One: Work

Where to start? I think I am just going to pick things up from now and refer back to various things that have happened since I last wrote an entry – which was December 19th I now realise, plus Alfred’s entry of December 29th which was mostly pictures (Alfred: He has forgotten the one on January 22nd, though to dignify it with the description ‘blog entry’ would be to violate the basic decencies of the English language). But it is – in a way – a good thing, because I have been so busy with work, life and basically having an enjoyable and fulfilling time that I haven’t had the time to keep up the blog! Alfred has also been preoccupied with Alphonsine, but more of that anon (Alfred: Oh no you don’t, you leave my private life out of this!)


UPDATE ONE: WORK
Work has been busy, tedious and fascinating all at the same time. I spent a large part of January visiting the centres in my District where the REAP (Rwanda English Action Programme) training has been taking place – every primary and secondary teacher were required to attend four weeks of English language and methodology training. I managed to get around twenty-one of the twenty-nine centres before I had to head off to Kigali for VSO training. It was good stuff and I was impressed with the quality of training and the level of interest shown by the trainers and teachers. There were problems of course – someone higher up had ordered one marker per trainer for a four-week course rather than one BOX of markers. Also, having all the teachers in one class regardless of levels made it very difficult for the weaker teachers to benefit properly from the training. Having said that, most people seemed happy with it but are obviously hoping there will be more courses to follow.

It also gave me the chance to visit some of the really far-flung parts of the district I hadn’t yet visited and grab quick meetings with the school directors I hope to visit this trimester so, all in all, a good couple of weeks’ work.

Then it was off to Kigali for a two-day education sector conference followed by the arrival of the new volunteers. They arrived in in dribs and drabs over a two-day period and it was nice to see so many familiar names and faces (I don’t know what it is like in other VSO countries but it is remarkable the number of volunteers here who either extend or re-enlist!). Antonia Eastman is back for the third time (her placement promptly fell through less than forty-eight hours after she arrived but she has already fixed herself up with a new one), Annemiek (who was Amy’s predecessor in Kigeme diocese) is back to join Moira in the College of Education in Kavumu. And Christine Mack who was here before but not as a VSO volunteer is joining Amy in Kigeme. In case anyone out there is interested in the kinds of things we do with VSO in Rwanda, here is a list of all the new intake and what they will be doing:

Melissa Hipkins from England will be in Nyanza working (like me) as an Education management Adviser for two years. Her husband Stephen is a vet specialising in dairy cattle and is travelling as an ‘accompanying partner’ (VSO’s phrase) and is hoping to find employment here as well (Alfred: As Nyanza is the centre of the Rwandan dairy industry, he should have no problem)

Rana Al-Atia from Iraq will be working with the Anglican Diocese of Huye for two years as a Primary Methodologist (it is where my great friend Tiga was based before) and she will be living in Butare, a new neighbour for Sarah and me.

Hussain Wakhule from Kenya will also be living in Butare and will be working for two years in the Butare School for the Deaf

Peter Loach and Cathy Byrne from England are on three-month placements working in two sectors in my district, each of them working with two schools. The fact that three or four weeks has been lopped off the term hasn’t made their jobs any easier! And they will also be based in Butare – it’s suddenly getting crowded down here!

Christine Mack from Australia, who used to live and work with Paula Rolston in Gahini, is now the Education Management Adviser in Kigeme Anglican Diocese (Alfred: So Amy – after a year and a half on her own – FINALLY has a colleague to work with!)

Annemiek Miller from Canada, who spent two years in Kigeme Diocese before Amy, is working in the Kavumu College of Education as an advisor to their internship programme (Alfred: that means their teaching practice programme)

Ken Goodwin is replacing Bruce Upton as Education Management Adviser in Gitarama. He is from Dumbarton and supports St Mirren, but we are trying not to hold that against him. He also seems to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the pubs of Galway and, indeed, most things Irish. I have seen many interesting t-shirts in this country but didn’t expect to meet someone wearing an ‘An Spailpín Fánach’ one!

Colette Étienne from Mauritius is going to be working in Ngororero as a Primary Methodologist. This is the first time a VSO volunteer has worked there and, interestingly, is where my Sarah was originally supposed to be going before she got diverted down to Gisagara.

Jeremy White from England, guitarist extraordinaire, will be working with Jason down in Ngoma District, based in Kibungo for six months as an Education Management Advisor

Shala Grindlay from Canada is working as a Primary Methodologist in Byumba, living in Paula Rolston’s old house. I never did to get to visit Paula there so I am glad someone else is there instead!

Antonia Eastman from Wales was originally going to work in Kibuye for six months but a flood in the school has made the placement unworkable. So, to be honest, I am not sure what she is going to be doing. I heard mention of Cyangugu, the Program Office and various other possibilities. But Antonia is an old Rwanda hand and will get it all sorted out in double-quick time, I am sure. Still, her case emphasises what they told us during VSO training – anything can happen!!

Steve Vaid from England will be working in Kigali for two years with FENAPH, the national organisation that co-ordinates all disability organisations.

Kristenne Pickles from England (often known more by her surname than her first name) will also be based in Kigali, for two years and working with UPHLS, the umbrella organisation for anti-HIV/AIDS work among people with disabilities.

Nic Clark from England – Nic has the job most people here seem to envy immediately – he will be working with the National Paralympic Committee and will be based at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.

Vanessa Hill from England will be working with the National Volunteering programme for two years, based in Kigali

Evelyn Nyakojoo from Uganda is going to be based at the VSO program Office in Kigali for four months advising them on Gender & Equity policies

Yolanda Haarewijn from The Netherlands will be based in Kigali for two years working with the Rwanda Union for the Deaf.


So, I spent ten days in the Amani Guesthouse with them, as a kind of live-in advisor and it was a ball! I ran a few presentations and workshop thingies but most of the time it was just chatting, answering questions, bringing people in and out of town and so on. All culminating in the Family Dinner on January 23rd when all the present volunteers gather together! (Alfred: he is omitting the high point – the practicalities workshop where, in company with Portia, Ruairí demonstrated to the new volunteers how to work a kerosene lamp, kerosene stove, charcoal stove, water filter and mosquito net. Aficionados of the classic days of silent comedy films would have appreciated the way in which – effortlessly – Ruairí turned it into a workshop on how NOT to work all these things. Trying to light a kerosene stove that he had not put any kerosene in was a high point. If any of the new arrivals are keeping a blog, it would be well worth your while tracking down their accounts of what happened!)

I returned from all that to find that our house had been completely redecorated in our absence following the wiring that had been installed previously. And a fabulous job the painter had done too! Every item of furniture had been moved and painted behind, there were no splashes and the place looked a lot better.

Upon returning I had hoped to start visiting the rest of the REAP training centres during their last week but the National Primary and O-Level Examination results had come out and that took priority. Sarah and I spent a thrilling three days manually inputting the results for eighty-something schools from spreadsheets that were supposed to have been sent to us in soft copy but …. hadn’t been. Then we had to try and identify which of the candidates were boys or girls – all analysis must include differentiation by gender (correctly) but they don’t include that data on the spreadsheets!

So, apart from the day when Cathy and Peter came out to meet the District staff and get various bits and pieces sorted out, I spent the rest of the time analysing the exam results. On Friday I turned up with Sarah at the office to find that the only place we could find to work was the meeting hall. Then, around ten-thirty, they told us there was a meeting and we had to move. Sarah managed to find a place in Odette’s office but I couldn’t find anywhere at all. So I went home to work only to find there was no electricity. I worked until my laptop gave out (Alfred: Do ALL Dell computers have absolutely crap batteries??) ‘Bugger this’ I said to myself and headed into Butare and then on up to Gitarama to see Ken. Around half-past four Sarah rang me and said the chargé had just turned up in the office and wanted a full set of statistics on the exam results for a meeting the following morning! I, of course, immediately felt guilty for not being at work (though I had tried to find someone to tell I was leaving but there wasn’t anyone around at the time!) and also really annoyed because what he was asking me for was going to take at least three or four days’ work to prepare!!

What it did mean was that, when I met Ken and Annemiek in Gitarama, instead of chatting and being sociable, I marched them straight to a bar with a working electric socket and proceeded to assemble and email off whatever I had ready for Alexis. I have to say, Ken and Annemiek were remarkably good-tempered about it all!!

So that is the main work update. We also had a visit from a KPMG delegation who are considering starting a volunteer involvement in Rwanda, which went well (I think) and next week (apart from Tuesday when Charlotte Phillips my Program Manager is coming to visit) I am hoping to get back on the roads again. Busy days ahead! And only 20 weeks left before I leave!

Alfred: That was the work update. Tune in for the non-work update, which includes visiting Gisenyi, New Year’s in Kigali, Martine’s (and Alphonsine’s) departure, the saga of Ken’s computer, touring the dam construction site in Rukarara (some good pictures of that), the coming of electricity, and much much more! And he may share with those of you who are interested some of the interesting trends coming out of his analysis, especially in respect of girls' education. There will, of course, be the usual health warning on that blog entry so that those of you who find that kind of stuff insanely boring can flick over to Facebook instead.....