Hello blog friends, it has been a while and a lot has changed. I won’t go into detail about all that life has brought me, but I wanted to touch back in as I have returned to Africa.
I am now living in Rwanda working for Duke University. I have been selected to be the site coordinator for DukeEngage’s program that is partnered with Kuazamura Ubuzima (KU) or Growing Health. The goal of KU is to provide nutritious foods to young people at the local hospital. The idea started several years ago with my boss, a pediatrician, was working at the hospital here. She noticed that the kids who were brought in were taking longer than expected to get better and with the help of the local community members she linked it to malnutrition. From this sprang the idea of providing food to these kids that would promote them getting well.
There are many factors that are linked to this widespread issue from families not being able to afford healthy food, to expensive medical bills burdening the families, to the lack of food provided to patients at the hospital. Some of these I will examine later, others I will not delve into. But, suffice it to say, the problem is prevalent, and widespread throughout the country.
KU now has over 3 hectares of land it cultivates right on the hospital grounds. The team grows everything from sweet potatoes, to bananas and avocados. Using the food grown on the farm, in combination with some foods bought from the local market, they provide two balanced meals a day to the young people being treated at the hospital. They employ a team of local experts who oversee 23 farmers and 3 cooks who grow and prepare the meals. They employ only those people who need work the most and, in general, attempt to build up the local community.
My role here is to guide our dedicated students in how they work with the organization to boost its productivity and grow the organization towards a more sustainable and productive organization. This project presents many challenges in the form of securing sustainable funding, ensuring local acceptability, and general continued feasibility. All of which our students must overcome to be successful.
My time in Rwanda has given many flashbacks to my service in Ethiopia. There are so many similarities, as well as many differences. The history and culture have many echoes from what I experienced in Peace Corps and it has been so interesting seeing the students go through many of the same experiences and cultural shocks that I went through a few years ago.
I am excited and energized by the projects and tasks that we will be endeavoring in over the next few months. I can’t wait to see the projects and ideas the students come up with and look forward to helping the students better understand and identify with the local culture.
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Our students and amazing KU staff.
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| Some of the vast fields of sweet potatoes, bananas, maize, and sorghum are grown to feed the 110+ recipients twice a day. |
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| Rural Rwanda is still primarily dependent on subsistence farming. It is contrasted by one of the quickest growing economies in Africa and has been highlighted as an example of stability and growth on the continent. (More on this later) |
