Cheryl and I have just completed “Round One” of living in Rwanda for a few months and then returning to the US for a few weeks. We are now back in Rwanda beginning “Round Two”
Our goal while in Rwanda is to find opportunities that help Rwandans become the solution to their own problems.
Our goal while in the US is to find people who are willing and able to help those opportunities become a reality.
Here’s a recap of what we learned from “Round One”:
• Rwandans are warm, welcoming, joyful, smart and very hardworking people who dream passionately of owning their own home and educating their children… it’s their “Rwandan Dream”
• Rwandans can’t own a quality home with lasting value because there are none available here and even if there were they couldn’t afford them without a mortgage and there are none of those here either
• Rwandans can’t give their children a quality education that prepares them for the future because there are too few schools and too few teachers capable of doing that
As Round One in Rwanda drew to a close, it became abundantly clear that we have two great opportunities to serve the people of Rwanda… Housing and Education
Housing goes WAY beyond helping these great folks have four mud walls with a tin roof over their heads while they cook on a campfire in the front yard and use the bathroom in a hole in the backyard. Housing means a home that allows a family to thrive, not just to survive. Housing means a home that will last for generations so that there can be the transference of wealth that is critical to the future of any economy. It’s this transference of wealth from one generation to the next, through real estate, infrastructure, education, etc., that allows children to have more health, education and opportunity than their parents.
Housing means a mortgage that allows a family to pay for their quality, durable home with an affordable payment plan, and that has the great additional benefit of bringing stability to the family, the community and the economy, as home owners follow through on these long term financial commitments.
Education goes WAY beyond reading, writing and arithmetic. Education means you have not just learned how to memorize, but you have learned how to think so you can solve the varied and complex problems that stand between you and the way forward.
Education means you know how to be a good employee or employer. You know how to be married. You know how to parent. You know how to be a good citizen, properly serving your community. You know how the world really works, what’s really important, what’s temporary and what’s eternal, and you know how to have a living relationship with the Living God. In short… you have wisdom.
Maybe… we could call our efforts “Project W” as the core of what we’re talking about is the transference of Wealth and Wisdom from one generation to the next.
Let’s be clear, these are not our hopes and dreams for Rwanda. These are their hopes and dreams for themselves.
We will not do this for them. They will do this for themselves. Our role is to help where invited and where our help doesn’t hurt.
So… Are you tired of all the talk? Are you ready for some action? …I Sure Am!
Next Up… an outline of a phased ACTION plan for you to review, improve and consider how you might pitch in.
It’s time… It’s definitely time… for Less Talk and More Action!
