New posts coming this week

Hi there..sorry we've been silent for the last 10 days ! We are still alive and kicking with tonnes of stories and photos to post. We will be doing so over the next few days, so please check back for stories on
* how a python began to wrap around Dal's neck
* how we survived a 2 day slow-boat trip down the Mekong river
* what kind of accomdation $5 gets you in SE Asia
* why David was in a sauna wearing a skimpy towel with 5 asian women (and Dal)
* how David took his elephant for a bath..and Dal's elephant took her for a bath

Also..on the left side of this blog are links to some of the videos we took in Africa of the kids. Feel free to have a gander.

DP

Final Goat Update - 155 Goats Delivered !

After 7 trips to the goat market where many of the goat sellers actually knew us by name, we purchased and distributed a grand total of 155 goats.

Here are some of the highlights of the goat market

Peterborough Connection

•  Seeing one of the goat sellers wearing a Peterborough Lakers lacrosse t-shirt. I grew up in Peterborough which has a population of about 75,000 so of course I had to take a photo with this guy
• The view of the Virunga mountains in the background (where the Rwandan Patriotic Front army (the good guys) regrouped and re-launched their efforts to achieve peace) made the entire thing surreal
• Sitting in the back of the truck with the goats as we drove the 20 minutes from the market to the school – I waved to everyone as though I was royalty riding a goat float..and of course many of them smiled and waved back

• 

  Rwanda's newest goat herder

  Dal trying to hold the ropes and maintain 5 goats…unsuccessfully
• Talking to the people who would inevitably crowd around me…..soccer/football was the easiest thing to discuss as ‘Man U’ ,‘World Cup’ and ‘Drogba’ need no translation







Ticket from Police



• Getting a ticket by the police on the 7^th and  final trip back home…because it’s apparently illegal to have people AND goats in the back of the truck together. You can have one or the other..not both. The fine was 10,000 RWF..about $17. And because Rwanda is a country that firm against corruption, we weren’t able to negotiate the ticket.

For us, the real highlight was being able to give the goats and see the emotions of the people we were able to help. We’re so thrilled to have been part of this project and we’re very grateful for the immense generosity of our friends and family and those we’ve never met that helped. On our last day, we received an official letter from the regional government executive secretary formally thanking us and our friends for helping the region. We’ll scan it and add it to the blog when we get a chance.

Thank you.

No..Thank YOU !

Group photo

*** BONUS BONUS BONUS ***

Teste was able to negotiate so well with the goat vendors (bulk purchasing power baby !) that we had about $1200 left over ! We’ve allocated the extra money as follows :

·    $200 went to 10 care packages for needy families (consisting of cooking oil, sugar, salt, 2Kg of meat, tomato paste, soap, a plastic basin and a blanket)

·    $150 went towards a roof, doors and windows for a family building a house near the school. They’re a very hardworking couple with a beautiful child and we were happy to help them accomplish their dream of completing their build

·    $75 went towards new boda-bodas (slippers) for the street kids who we play soccer with and feed on Saturdays

·    $500 went towards obtaining land across the street from the preschool so that Cathy and Teste can now build a primary school

·     $20 covered a care package for Mama Benita who invited us over to her house on the last day and is a fantastic mom to two of the nicest kids you’ll ever meet

·     $100 went towards the passport application fee for Ron – read Dal’s post on Ron to find out why we felt strongly about this

·     $200 for Cathy to use on any project she sees fit

Assembling the care packages

The house which will be getting a new roof, windows and door soon. As a sign of gratitude, they gave us their first born.

Mama Benita, Benita and Confiance. Just wonderful kids.

A photo in front of the new land Cathy's purchased to build a primary school.

Can't wait to see you in Canada, Ron !

Additionally, we’re using some of our business skills to help create a powerpoint deck that Cathy can use to promote PREFER to potential volunteers or contributors.

So there you have it. Sept 2010 has undoubtedly been the most productive month of our lives and we really proud of our achievements here. We’ve been called angels by a few of the goat recipients which is incredibly humbling. But the reality is that we are the lucky ones to have been experience such an incredible country and to have spent time with Cathy and Teste who perform saintly miracles daily to help improve the community (http://www.prefercanada.org/) . We would wholeheartedly recommend this experience for anyone looking to volunteer between 2-4 weeks and help make small, sustainable differences in the lives of others.

- DP

Last Day of School

It’s hard to believe that our stint in Africa is complete.  We arrived in Rwanda with a lot of ambition and a bit of trepidation and hoped to learn about this side of the world and about our ability to handle the challenges here. We depart feeling that we accomplished more than we imagined…but we both feel a bit guilty that we’re now off to vacation for 3 months while so many people that we’ve met in the last 6 weeks couldn’t even afford the $100 fee to apply for a Rwandan passport. As Ron Burgundy would say, we’re in a glass case of emotion.

To overcome these pangs of guilt, we’ve committed to looking for short-term volunteer opportunities in Cambodia/Laos/Vietnam, 3 of the poorest countries in the world. Robyn, a wonderful volunteer we met in Rwanda told us about an organization she volunteered with in Cambodia. If anyone else has recommendations, we’d love to hear them.

It’s very difficult to quantify the difference we made in Rwanda. We didn’t have visions of changing the world as we are only 2 people and there are so many things to be done. A couple of weeks ago, we realized our goal really should be to create as many small sustainable differences as possible. As Cathy says, the goat program isn’t a hand-out but rather a hand-up. It provides an immediate emotional boost to a family, but ultimately it’s their responsibility to take it and make the financial impact long-lasting.

On our last day at the school, the regional executive secretary came to do a presentation of the 20 care packages that Dal and I along with Robyn and Liz had funded to 20 deserving families.  As Cathy and Teste had invited Intore dancers to perform that day, there were a lot of neighbours on the grounds meaning the crowd was at least 300 people. He gave a fantastic speech to the crowd that crystallized what I love about the Rwandan attitude. His main points were

1)      Thanking us and our friends who have donated these important care packages without evening knowing any of these families personally

2)      These families are immensely grateful for these gifts from God..and they now had two main responsibilities:

a.       Use the help wisely…don’t squander

b.      Help others in your community who also have very little. You have been given something out of love…and you must show love to those around you who need it

After the speech, we hugged each family and exchanged greetings and then there were off on their merry way. One of the women took the speech to heart to the extent that she half-jokingly invited Cathy to dinner that night to share the meat.

Once the dancers and families left, the kids then did their daily 'goodbye' routine which consists of sitting in a massive circle and the teachers would lead them through songs. Dal and I went around the circle and high-fived each of the kids. The kids serenaded us with all the songs we had taught them, including "WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU", "ARE YOU SLEEPING, ARE YOU SLEEPING", "A WAVIN FLAG" but the hardest one to hear was "NAH NAH NAH, HEH HEH HEH, GOOOOODBYE". (I've written these in all caps because the kids literally bellow the songs). Dal and I stood in the middle of the circle and simply took it all in. At one point, Dal was about to break down into tears but then we saw one kid shove another kid to the ground which returned laughter and balance to our world.

Here are some photos from our last day at school.

Putting together the care packages

Intore drummers

Dal's decided to let her hair grow out. Ta-da !

White men can't jump...but they can.

Robyn, Dal, me, Liz, Teste, Executive Secretary Jean-Marie, one of the care package recipients

Exchanging greetings with the care package recipients

Walking out with the care packages.

The last high-fives

Dal's about to lose it..

The last goooodbye

Ronnie Bakira - our Rwandan Hero

During our stay in Rwanda at Cathy’s house, there is one person who has delighted and impressed us, and has earned a permanent place in both of our hearts.

Ronnie Bakira – preschool teacher by day, ‘Acidic’ – musical prodigy by night. He is the saver of orphaned kittens and the collector of lizards in your bedroom as you hysterically shriek for help. He is also the purveyor of the ‘African Knock’ – a culture-appropriate way of admonishing kids who throw stones at the dog, kick a ball at Cathy’s head or engage in any sort of unsavoury behaviour. (While Western society may balk at the thought of knocking little ones swiftly on the head with a knuckle, I’ll say all the kids I’ve met here – INCLUDING the street kids – are scores better behaved than 70% of the kids I’ve met in Canada). I might need to administer a few African Knocks myself when I’m back, so hide your sons and daughters.

Ronnie is 26 and returned to Rwanda from Uganda about 1997/1998 by his estimation. He has no parents, and one brother who lives in the area. Ron is a permanent fixture in the house – while he lives in his own place, he’s at Cathys house for all meals and to help out with any volunteer related details. Such as taking so and so to the bank, taking this one to the gift shop, and that one to go buy phone cards. He’s always available and ready to help.

He also says some interesting things like ‘I wish to live only until I’m 60’. ‘Don’t you want to see your grandchildren??’ David asked. He pondered it for a moment. ‘No’. Fair enough.

At school, he’ll spend a Friday morning playfully sparring with one of the 2 year olds in his class, while on Saturday morning he’s a strict disciplinarian and coach to the over 100 street boys who turn up every Saturday to play soccer and receive a meal of bread and sorghum, as well as soap. In the pre-school, any child who is misbehaving need only see him come around the corner and they’re swiftly back in place. And if someone isn’t doing quite what I tell them to do, all I have to say is ‘Teacher Ron’ and they turn into angels. Who says threats don’t work?

Ronnie hopes to come to Canada someday and go to school there. This would be an excellent opportunity for him – he’s a smart, witty, resourceful and personable young Rwandan man, and Canada could provide some amazing opportunities. In Rwanda, when the locals see non-black people, they shout out ‘Amuzungu, Amuzungu!’- which loosely translated means white-person/foreigner. Ron jokingly asked if when he came to Canada, people would point at him and go ‘BLACK BLACK!’. We said yes.

But first he needs a passport – which costs about $100 USD to process in Rwanda. While Ron has been saving for this passport, we decided it would be a really worthwhile initiative to use some of our excess goat money to fund Ron’s passport. Which we’ve done.  His first stop in Canada is BC – and when he makes it to Toronto, he’ll hopefully stay with us so we can treat him to Indian food (which he tasted for the first time with us, and loved)   and to feed him sushi which he will likely hate, but it will be fun to see him try to choke it down. Retribution for the time he told me a store bought strawberry ‘wine’ was ‘wonderful’ when in fact it tastes like cough syrup.

So here’s to ‘See you sooner’ Ronnie. We hope you make it to Canada real quick.

Dal

Dal, David and Ron on the way to Kigali. Ron LOVED wearing yellow

David, Steve and Ron have drinks at Khana Khazanaa..an amazing Indian restuarant in Kigali

Our Daily Routine in Rwanda

So what do we actually do ? We just realized we don’t have a post that detailed our weekly schedule, so here it is :

Monday – Friday 8am-noon : volunteer at the preschool
Monday/Thursday from 2-4pm : teaching english to the adults
Tuesday/Friday 10:30 am-noon : go to the goat market to purchase 20-30 goats
Tuesday/Friday 2:30pm-3pm : hand out the goats to those selected

Saturday 9am-noon : soccer and feeding the street kids

We loved Wednesdays because we were free after lunch to wander, nap or head to Ste Anne's hotel for free (but slow) Wifi and cheap beer and food.

The schedule wasn't all that hectic, but teaching is tiring so it suited us fine. We were often in bed and asleep by 9:30pm and work up the next day around 6pm or whenever the imam decided to be particular energetic with his morning prayers.

While at the preschool, our duties consisted of

·         Feeding the kids

·         Helping teach numbers, counting, alphabets, writing

·         Play with them at recess (see our post on evaluating recess games)

·         Teach them songs

·         Escort them to the ‘nurse’ (Cathy) to address boo-boos (real or fake)

Teaching English to the adults was a different animal, but was an exercise in patience as they struggled with concepts that come so naturally to us. We usually started the class by getting the adults to stand up and read out sentences such as “ My name is __“, “I have __ children”, “My favourite colour is __”,  “My favourite animal is __” and “I would like to visit __ someday”.  Or we’d simply write the alphabet on the board and have adults stand up and tell which letter we were pointing to. This would allow us to assess who’s a beginner / intermediate /advanced. From there we’d break up the classes. The beginners would continue to work on the alphabet. The intermediate class would work on vocabulary and the advanced class would work on reading and conversation. This structure somewhat evolved over our 5 weeks there, but it seems to work really well and we noticed demonstrable improvement in many of the students.

One of the ways we were able to connect with the class was downloading a Kinyarwanda-English dictionary to our laptop. We brought out laptop to school and then would write out english words on the whiteboard. We divded the class in two teams and the team that was able to spell the word and give the meaning in Kinyarwanda would get a point. As it added a small element of competition and because it helped us learn more words in Kinyarwanda, it would up being one of the favourites exercises for everyone.

This adult class was also very interested in basic health and hygiene knowledge (how to treat a cut, how to cure a headache etc.) so Cathy has organized those types of sessions as well that other volunteers have led.

In retrospect, we really enjoyed the adult classes because so many of them were really engaged and desperately wanted to improve their English. On our second last day, we took a group photo which we showed the class on our last day. They were thrilled to see themselves in a photo and it’s now hanging up proudly in one of the classrooms.



Dal holding court



David using a whiteboard..some things never change.

Group photo with adult class -  now hanging up in the classroom

Go Leafs Go chant... in Rwanda ?

This is precisely why the Leafs have opened the NHL season with wins over les Canadiens and the Sens and are atop the league standings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmq7WGF55yQ

I'm just one man doing my duty as a Leafs fan.

Touched by a Gorilla

Oct 3 2010 was a special day for a couple of reasons. First – it heralded our first wedding anniversary. We made it a year without killing each other – a promising sign. Second – it was the day we chose to go Gorilla trekking in the Virunga Mountains in Rwanda. We figured what better way to spend our anniversary than with a bunch of hairy apes. However, since friends and family weren’t able to make it to Rwanda, we decided we’d go see the Gorillas instead.

Our pick-up arrived at 5:45am and at 6am we were off to the main office to get registered and meet our guides. Our trek would be in the Virunga mountain range, where Dian Fossey conducted her research. (Her original study group – the Susa group – still resides in these mountains, but the trek to see them is the most gruelling, and we opted for a slightly easier trek). After about an hour of standing around watching the guides and other staff do the customary chatting/negotiating, we were separated into our different groups. The groups consist of a guide, a trekking ‘scout’ who goes ahead to see where the Gorillas are and report back, and about 8-9 trekkers per group.  I elected to get a porter for the princely sum of $10 USD – a nice 18 year old boy called Emmanuel who cheerfully accompanied us and insisted on even carrying the rain jacket I had, rather than let me wrap it around my waist. (The kid was later worth his weight in gold when he helped me negotiate a VERY challenging climb by literally airlifting me with his right hand as he cheerfully swung his machete with his left).

Our hike took us through some flat farmland and then on through some bamboo forest area. Our guide explained that the ‘man with the gun’ who accompanied us was not there to shoot the slowest trekker, rather as a security measure as the forest is also home to buffalo who can be aggressive buggers when the mood strikes them. The gun is to scare them off, as in these here parts, animal life is more sacred than human, and rightfully so.

We trekked along with me thinking what a lovely cake-walk this all was when we arrived at the stinging nettles. Then, we received word the gorillas were nearby and the path became extremely steep, and we all grabbed bushes and roots for leverage as we hauled ourselves up the slippery leaves underfoot, hoping we wouldn’t land face-first in a nettle bush. Gorilla watching is not effective when one’s eyes are swollen shut.

Then it happened. We heard a rustling in bushes about 10 feet away and saw a black mass in the trees. Just a few feet more to go when my feet started to slip and I did what I typically do when on a steep incline with no traction – I froze solid. This effective manoeuvre has also been tried with great success at Blue Mountain in Ontario. Someone handy notices you’re frozen and they come get you unstuck – in this case it was my friendly neighbourhood porter – Emmanuel. GOLD I tell ya.

Once at the site where the gorillas were, we saw 2 babies come tumbling down the hill just 4 feet away from us – absolutely unperturbed by their human visitors. In a tree beside me I saw yet another baby staring us squarely in the eye – trying to suss out the strangers. Then a sibling came along and smacked him on the head.

At this point, a smaller gorilla who was hiding in a bush by David’s leg, decided to cross the path we were standing on, and grabbed on to his leg for leverage as she passed by. We heard her coming and he stayed absolutely still as we weren’t sure what she would do. Seeing the little one grab on to his leg (gently and firmly, he said) and walk to the other side was absolutely magical.

Then I experienced what I’ll remember as an epic moment in my life. The lone Silverback in the group, a great big male of about 400lbs, emerged from the foliage. We were instructed to move out of his wave, which we did to the best of our abilities, given we were all standing on a steep incline surrounded by stinging nettles, mud and uneven footing. When he finally did emerge, he stood in all his glory, the sun shining down on him and he truly was magnificent. I had the privilege of being the closest to him in the group – a mere 4 feet from where he stood. Having never been this close to a gorilla before, I freaked out a tad, and turned my back to him and held on to David for dear life. I figure, if King Kong was going to punch me, he may as well do it in the back of my head so I wouldn’t see it coming. ‘Don’t worry’ said the guide’ It’s ok’ and sure enough, the big guy simply walked down the path we had come down, all 24 of his tribe following his lead. These creatures, with whom we share 97% of our DNA, are absolutely gentle and non-aggressive.

The next hour was spent following this gorilla family (to our relief he moved DOWN the mountain instead of UP it) -  during which the silverback made 2 more walks past our group within a mere 4-5 feet. The rule for humans is to stay 7 metres away from the Gorillas. Cleary, no one has explained these rules to the gorillas as some seemed to have no problems walking past us as though we were just another primate in the jungles they inhabit. Albeit an INFERIOR primate, as when you’re in the presence of a Gorilla, there is no doubt who’s in charge. 

The Rwanda board that oversees the Gorilla Trekking program is doing an absolutely fantastic job. The ‘habituated’ gorilla families (these are the groups that are allowed limited human exposure, so they can be a part of the trekking program) are kept a close eye on, and every member is known by name. They are monitored for health and there is a strong anti-poaching force in effect. Unlike some other countries, Rwanda is not overly susceptible to corruption, and the anti-poaching task force is extremely effective. The guides are friendly and knowledgeable and do a great job at communicating with the gorillas in ‘gorilla speak’ to ascertain safety and approachability. While the price is somewhat steep ($500 USD per permit/per person) – chances are the prices are only going to go up in future, as they seem to have over the past few years.  But it makes for one cool story to tell the grandkids.

Photos to come soon..we're at the Kigali airport right now waiting for our flight to Tanzania and the connection is pretty dismal.

- Dal

These are a Few of My Favourite Things

As we get closer to departure, I’ve put some thought into some of my favourite things about Rwanda. Note – I have not seen the Gorillas yet – that happens Sunday, so for now, they don’t make the list. This list is in no particular order.

1.       Friday night Chapati pizza – Cathy’s girls make a helluva good pizza using chapatis as a base. Said chapaties come from the house next door, from the Muslim woman who is an excellent cook.
2.       GOOD MORNING said about 100 times as we make our way to school – usually by exceptionally cute, small children, who will risk life and limb to come running out to wave at us, and have us wave back.
3.       The beautiful beautiful beautiful children who just melt my heart. Anyone who knows me will tell you I am NOT a sucker for kids. I’m usually not quite sure what to do with them. But here – the babies turn me into a drooley high pitched squeaking mess, and I’ve taken more than one little girl to Cathy’s medicine kit to put ointment on a non-existent booboo. (the trip to the medicine kit thrills them, as it means they get to go into Cathy’s office where all the cool stuff is)
4.       Giving away goats – the smiles of pure joy from the people receiving goats – such a small gesture making such a big difference. It’s enough to make anyone teary eyed.
5.       Max the dog – his ‘hug me’ stance when he backs his ass into you and sits on your foot. LOVE ME he demands. And you have to comply because he’s so darn lovable.
6.       Rwandan coffee – as bad as it is for me, it is sooooo deeelicious. It makes good people do bad things.  
7.       Feeding time – handing the bread and sorghum to the kids and having them yell ‘thank you very much!!’. Then chasing away the resident chickens who try to steal the bread right out of the childrens’ hands. I never liked chickens. They’re only good for eatin’.  
8.       The curious stares when we’re in the market, and the amused and genuinely friendly smiles of the women and men at our attempts at Rwandan words.
9.       The 4 or 5 little ones at school who will sidle over every day to hold my hand – it’s always the same ones – usually quiet, shy, and just wanting to hold hands.
10. Amina and Sara - 2 of the most precocious little girls in the school. I'd likely go mental if there were my kids but for 4 hours at school, they're full of rascally, lovable goodness. 

And here are some of our favorite photos !

Theogene. David's favourite kid.

T-shirt on one of the street boys.

Nozeeme 'The Doctor' heading off to a short call.

David teaching the concept of maximum extraction.

Learning K'Naan

CONGA!



Playing with the babies while Sara tries to mount my neck



Majid, AKA Colonel Sanders.

Sara, one of Dal's favourites, endearing herself.

More Genocide Memorials

Last Tuesday our group decided to make a trip down past Kigali to visit a couple of genocide memorials that are based at 2 local churches. The first visit was to a church in a town called Nyamata. During the genocide, Tutsis flocked to their local Catholic church, figuring they would be protected in the house of God. This particular site saw 10,000 massacred at one time, while inside the church.

As we arrived to the site, we observed a sombre air. We were advised that photography was not allowed inside the church, and as soon as we got closer we realized why. While the bodies have been removed from the church, the clothes of the deceased remain, piled up on the church pews. Steve – who spent some time in Afghanistan – did a positive ID on bullet holes in the clothes. Just piles and piles of dead peoples’ clothing. Inside a church. Bullet holes are visible in the walls…yet at the back of the church, the statue of mother Mary remains unscathed – a few blots of staining on her, but that’s about it. She looks serenely down at the church. What did she see that day as thousands of men, women and children were mercilessly slaughtered?  We asked the guide – what did the priests here do to stop this? He looked at us and answered – ‘nothing’.

We then proceeded to the room underground where the remains of bodies are kept. Some are piled 20 bodies (just bones now) to a casket while other skulls and bones remain respectfully on display. You can tell the ones that were killed by a machete to the head. A clean slice through the skull leaves no guesses as to what happened to that poor individual. As we made our way into the second underground tomb, Dave nearly face-planted into a pile of skulls as he missed a step. In another situation this might be funny, but this time around all it did was convince me I really didn’t want to go down there to see the remains of hundreds of more people.

Feeling  a bit sickened I joined the group as we headed to the next church in a place called Nytarama. Again, we saw the clothes and personal effects of the people who died in the church. Among the remains were a couple of ID cards. These ID cards, originally promoted by the church in the 30s, eventually became the death warrants for anyone of Tutsi origin during the genocide in 1994. Essentially, people were stopped at road blocks, asked for their ID, and if they were identified as Tutsi, they were then killed without discussion. The lady at the memorial allowed us to take a picture of this card, which surprised me immensely. But we took the picture as we feel people need to know and understand what happened here, especially given the way Rwanda was ignored by the world during its 100 day descent into hell. I personally remember living in Dubai at the time the genocide would have been happening – I clearly remember the headlines during that year – OJ Simpson and Tonya Harding going apeshit on Nancy Kerrigan.   I don’t remember a thing being said about Rwanda. Do you?

We then walked through to a couple other rooms. One was a kitchen – when the people inside wouldn’t come out, the genocidaires just burned the place. In here we found a human vertebrae which made me shudder, given my particular sensitivity to anything to do with spines.

We then walked to the third building which was the place where the children were housed for Sunday School. At the far end of the room was a bit of brick wall that had been burnt and blackened. It was only when the tour guide started explaining what we were seeing that I realized the horrific truth. The blackened area wasn’t a burnt spot – it was the blackened remains of dried up blood – this was where the genocidaires killed the children – by smashing them against the walls.

I recognize this post is heavy. No funny anecdotes about the kids, no positive stories about what we’ve come to admire about this place. Just the cold truth about two horrific incidents, among hundreds, the remains of which we got to observe personally.

As we walked away from the church, we passed by a primary school and as per usual the kids came out to say hello and give us hugs. I saw them running fervently towards something and I said to Robyn ‘What are they running towards’ and then a split second later ‘Oh my God, they’re running towards us, brace yourself’ Everywhere we go, the kids want to hug us. Their parents usually smile and wave. I guess what amazes me is how a country that was ignored by us at their time of need, can still embrace us with welcoming arms. Where were the Canadians when Rwanda was dying? Well – there was one Canadian TRYING but failing to do much due to the UN Handcuffs. But the rest of the world was silent and looking the other way.  It’s shameful to think this was allowed to happen. And to realize its happening still – in Darfur, in the Congo – thousands of people are being killed, maimed, raped or orphaned. So today I have one request if you’re reading this blog. Please find one war-related cause to read about, and sign a petition or offer support to an organization that’s trying to help the civilians that suffer the most. Write a letter. Do something small, in your own way, to speak up for someone who is suffering and desperately needs the world to help.

- Dal

Descending the stairs to see the bones of over 45,000 victims

This is the ID card that was mandatory to carry. He was killed because she's a Tutsi.

This photo was taken in Sunday school room for children. The blood stain remains from the violence in 1994.

Some of the clothes of the people that died while in the church.

Ntarama Genocide Memorial Sign.