When you look back and think

Rwanda, 2003

When you look back and think of the devastation in Rwanda just ten years ago, it is hard to believe the huge progress the country has made since the horrific genocide of 1994.Today, public services are up and running, and on the surface, at least, there are few evident signs of the trauma. Yet, deep down, the scars are there.” So comments Áine Clancy, a young Irish barrister who has just completed twelve months volunteering with MMM at Kirambi.

Her fiancé, Stephen Coakley went to Kirambi also, to experience for himself some of the challenges faced by people who have been through so much. “It is amazing to think how they manage to live with each other after such a short space of time, and when so much happened. Yet they seem to be able to get on with their day-to-day lives.”

Áine believes that doing things together contributes to the reconciliation that is taking place among ordinary people. “For instance, the MMM programme to improve nutritional levels is never called a reconciliation programme, but in effect it plays an important role in helping people to get on together. If your child is sick or malnourished and you come to one of these Clinics, nobody asks to which group you belong. Everyone participates together in these sessions, so this type of health care becomes the context in which women are drawn together. They are also working together in the fields in agricultural groups and I believe this contributes to understanding of what people have in common rather than what divides them.”

Áine’s work took her to visit many people in their homes. “Each woman who participated in the Nutrition Programme was visited in her home every six months. The purpose was to ensure that the people were putting into practice what they were taught in the Clinics. We drew up a questionnaire to help us keep track of what percentage had planted crops in the way they were shown, using compost heaps, and what vegetables they were growing, whether they were preparing balanced meals, and using clean drinking water.”

To help raise funds for the housing project before going out, Stephen ran in the Paris marathon and pestered all his friends for sponsorship.

“The traditional round houses are very basic and very dark”, he said. Space is tight and the thatched roofs unable to withstand the heavy rains.”

As they embark on their legal careers in Ireland, the welfare of the people of Rwanda will continue to be important for Áine and Stephen.

See also: Aine Clancy writes on her visit to Kirambi Health Centre

Last modified: Tuesday, April 14th, 2009