Guest writer, Grant Jenkin: Reminder of the past

 Grant Jenkin (Developing World Connections volunteer) writes directly from Rwanda about building a cultural centre in Rwanda, new school programs for women and reminders of the past

Back in Kigali after an excellent week of work and fun. Looks like the rain has finally stopped and that we are well and truly into the dry season, and it happened just in time for the celebration at Nelson Mandela Education Center (NMEC).  The Green helmets, a German NGO who have been working on developing a school and young students since 200, has finished its term and has handed the school over to the Rwandan Government. It was an excellent ceremony. Illustrating all the new technologies and building principles that they have been working on for so long.

 It also showcased the Covaga Innovation Centre and the work that the NMEC students did last year before graduating and now thee six former students have created their own construction company - Vision Construction Company. Some members of the Covaga women were also there to show there appreciation to the green helmets and the school. All in all a great day for everyone.
Then took a group to the very emotional genocide memorial at Nyamata. A church which was used for the slaughter of over 5000. It is always so shocking even for myself after experiencing something so positive and uplifting and then having the reminder of the past...

Yesterday was liberation day in Rwanda so we so worked a half day then visited the finally completed Girls initiative school in Gashora. Very impressive facilities which makes school facilities in the West look poor. Its a very interesting experimental program only for women studying sciences. It hosts some of Rwandas most intelligent girls for three years before they hopefully go on to universities here and all over the world. 

Finaly we are waiting to catch a bus to Gisenyi, on lake Kivu,  for some much deserved R&R. A short trip as we will be returning to Kigali tomorrow so that we can catch the Festival of independence day at Amahoro stadium July 4th -  to signify the end of the Genocide.

A Letter from Rwanda, Part 1: The Covaga Women get a pavilion to showcase their work

Amakuru Sussana!

Greetings From the "Land of a thousand hills" my name is Grant Jenkin, I and my co leader Robin Ripley have arrived in Kigali awaiting the rest of our team who should be arrive this evening. Robin and I are very excited to be back for our second volunteer trip to Gashora. We met with our host partner Lama Mugabo yesterday and he brought us up to speed on where the project is and what Building Bridges with Rwanda (BBR) is hopefully expecting from our trip. 

We will be continuing with the construction of the west wing of the Covaga Innovation Center (CIC). Everyone is very hopeful that we will be able to complete the first part of the center, the pavilion in which the Covaga women can showcase there work. We will also be doing extensive work with the gardens trying to incorporate some nutritious vegetable and fruit that can be easily harvested for the eventual restaurant. It is also hopeful that the CIC will become an example of sustainable crops in which the entire Village of Gashora will be able to harvest.

It was really great finally getting here and seeing all our hard work with planning and fund raising coming into fruition. It was especially nice seeing Lama again as well as our friends from La Palisse Kigali. It makes me so much more excited to get to Gashora and meet again with all the special relationships we made with the people last year.

Tomorrow we are hopefully going to take our participants on a tour of kigali By moto and bus, and also visit the Kigali memorial center which has the history of the genocide and all genocides around the world. Monday morning we are off to meet with our partners at the Nelson Mandela Education Center, with a short visit to the Rwanda girls initiative in Gashora. And last but most certainly not leasst we will be meeting with the Covaga woman and taking a look at the project....

Chloe Allred "Collect the stories of the people"

                                                     

Chloe Allred is a sophomore at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. She recently organized an art auction at Cornish to raise funds for Rwanda Partners. Chloe is also the designer of our "Art for Rwanda" logo. With tradeyourtalent she speaks about art as a form of communication and why she sees herself as a storyteller. 

Chloe Allred, gnomecentric.tumblr.com

You recently organized an art auction at Cornish to raise funds for Rwanda Partners. Do you think art can help to raise social awareness? 

Certainly. Art is a form of communication, and a beautiful form at that. The arts not only have the potential to bring these issues to a greater public eye, but to then also spark interest and curiosity for that cause. 

Art and Rwanda, if you had the possibility to carry out any art project in or for Rwanda, what could you imagine to do? 

I see myself as a storyteller, my work a visual narrative; going to Rwanda, I would want to collect the stories of the people there and do illustrations from those stories. I love the coupling of two art forms, word and imagery, they have a synergistic effect when combined. A lot of my favorite artists are illustrators, so that tends to be what my mind aspires to. 

Besides social causes, what inspires you to your art?

I'm mildly obsessed with environmental science and just finished a 3ft by 2ft painting about endocrine disruptors in US waterways and their effects on endemic fish populations...I also like to take a general idea and explore it, see where I can push it. A lot of making art happens before you actually sit down to do the piece. Through out your day your constantly picking up fragments of information; these fragments combine, and combined make the seed of an idea. I'm always carrying a sketchbook so that I can record little details as they come to me. I'm really fascinated by the human body....there's just so much variety from person to person, little tweaks in detail can entirely change a character. I love that. I love drawing long time friends and discovering new things about their face, or little gestures that they have, that I just didn't notice until I sat down to draw them. 

Chloe Allred, gnomecentric.tumblr.com

If you could collaborate with any artist in the world, who would you pick? 

Oh man! What a difficult question.... I just finished watching Wasteland, about the Brazillian artist Vik Muniz. He's definitely super inspiring as an artist and as a human being, it would be a dream to collaborate with him. I love Michael Shapcott's aesthetic, he's been a favorite artist of mine for quite some time. David Choe. Travis Louie. João Ruas. It would be most excellent to collaborate with a writer; it would be wonderful to illustrate a story of Neil Gaiman's.   

Chloe's Blog: http://gnomecentric.tumblr.com/

Chloe Allred, gnomecentric.tumblr.com

Chloe Allred, gnomecentric.tumblr.com

Chloe Allred, gnomecentric.tumblr.com

Chloe Allred designed a logo for our Art for Rwanda Project

Special thanks to Chloe Allred,  a sophomore at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, for designing our first logo for our Art for Rwanda Project. Some of my readers might have been wondering why I often posted special interviews about art projects in Rwanda. During my studies of History I wrote a paper on the Genocide in Rwanda in 1994, and what happened there really upset me. This is why I'm also sponsoring a little girl in Rwanda. A couple of years ago I actually started my own "Project Rwanda" but somehow it didn't go in the direction I wanted it to. This is why I'm now very passionate about reporting on art projects in Rwanda, because art is very powerful in creating social awareness. An interview with Chloe about her own art auction for Rwanda will follow soon. This is the logo Chloe Allred designed

I know we also have the mascot competition going but anyone can submit a logo for Rwanda too, I will then post it on TYT! If you have your own passion about a particular country (and how you maybe supported it through an art project) feel free to comment below and tell us all about it. 

Building a Cultural Centre in Rwanda: The Story of Covaga Women - a program developed by Developing World Connections (DWC)

This summer, the non-profit society Developing World Connections (DWC) will support Covaga Women, a cooperative of weavers in Gashora, Rwanda. They have a mission to protect the environment and create jobs in their community. Hopefully this summer, DWC volunteers will be able to report directly from Rwanda and tradeyourtalent will provide continuos news on the process of creating a cultural center in Covaga. The first steps have been made with building the Covaga Innovation Centre in 2010. 

Copyright Developing World Connections

Copyright Developing World Connections

Copyright Developing World Connections

Background: Beginning in the fall of 2009, Developing World Connections (DWC) has been working with Building Bridges with Rwanda (BBR Ltd), to implement a long-tem development program to support Rwanda’s Millennium Developing Goals. BBR began to work with Covaga in the fall of 2006. This collaboration was the result of BBR interest in contributing to Rwanda’s reconstruction efforts following the devastating 1994 genocide against the minority Tutsi. International volunteers help raise funds in COVAGA, a cooperative of weavers in Gashora whose mission is to extract water hyacinth plants and use them as renewable natural resource to protect the environment and create jobs. Last summer, DWC and Softchoice, a Toronto based software company, built the Covaga Innovation Centre. 

Copyright Developing World Connections

Copyright Developing World Connections

This summer: In 2011, another four DWC groups are scheduled to work in Gashora. They include three student groups from Quest University and University of Victoria, in British Columbia Canada. In addition staff from Jones Delaurier, a Toronto-based insurance company, will spend a week working with Gashora residents to continue the construction of the Covaga Innovation Centre. During their stay in Rwanda, international volunteers work on the construction projects, visit interesting sites; such as world’s renowned mountain gorilla, they go on neighborhood walks, home visits, pay tribute to victims of the 1994 Genocide at memorial sites, they visit museums and national parks. 

Copyright Developing World Connections

Copyright Developing World Connections

Copyright Developing World Connections

Cultural Centre: When completed, the CIC will have a boutique where Covaga will sell its products, two weaving studios, a kitchen and restaurant. The restaurant and boutique will create jobs for Covaga and contribute to Gashora tourism and hospitality industry. At the same time, the centre will host learning exchanges between international visitors and local residents. It will have events that promote Gashora culture, such as storytelling and cultural performance.  

Copyright Developing World Connections

Copyright Developing World Connections

Copyright Developing World Connections

The Covaga Innovation Centre/ CIC

Covaga had approached BBR and asked for support in building a new facility, in the past they had received a dilapidated building from the local government that members were using as weaving studio. Soon DWC agreed to send volunteers to work on the construction of the Covaga centre. In 2010, four DWC teams spent the summer and fall working on the construction of the Covaga Innovation Centre. BBR has made arrangements with a vocational training school that is being constructed by Green Helmets, a German NGO called the Nelson Mandela Education Centre.  NMEC students and instructor work with Covaga members, residents of Gashora and DWC volunteers to build the centre using German technology. The project is supervised by a German architect, Till Groner, who is the principle of NMEC. 

Copyright Developing World Connections

Copyright Developing World Connections 

DWC philosophy is inspired by the interconnectedness between travel, cultural exchange and development. The organization creates a forum where Canadian volunteers raise funds and travel to work in developing countries along side with the local residents. Through a learning exchange, visitors and locals engage in a meaning contribution to the local development.  

For more information, please contact:

Lama Mugabo, BBR Initiator bbrwanda@gmail.com

Jessica Kleissen, info@developingworldconnections.org

Website: Developing World Connections