Rwanda’s miraculous resurrection after a brutal genocide in 1994 decimated the country, along with its resilient people, spirited children and progressive social and ecological movements makes this mountainous land a fertile learning ground for our young people.
The country has policies and practices that could be retrofitted to resolve problems found in many other countries.
- Only bio-degradable plastic bags are allowed in the country.
- Men who were once animal poachers have been successfully retrained to be tour guides.
- Corruption is shunned socially and prosecuted legally.
- Criminal activity is not tolerated by the average citizen.
Serious problems are mediated within each community.- Peacefulness is prized.
- Everyone in the country has basic health insurance that costs $2 a year.
- Ambulance service is free thanks to the confiscation and sale of personal government vehicles.
- Education is a high priority.
- Average people have limited access to running water and electricity, but do seem to enjoy unlimited happiness and faith.
- Once a month everyone goes out into their neighborhood and cleans the streets, plants trees and flowers. It is called Public Service Day.
- New people, businesses and NGOs are welcomed with open arms along with new ideas.
Living and working in villages alongside people who do not know what electricity is; dancing, laughing and trading stories with children who long only for an education provides a life changing experience. The return on investment is incalculable.
People can be changed by experiencing other cultures. The Rwanda Project has the potential to effect positive change in the Virgin Islands.
— Barbara Young
