Today we traveled to Gatanda, the last new site! What a beautiful area! It was about a two hour drive to get there, but what scenery along the way! There were a number of associations that have joined together to form a cooperative of approximately 106 members. They are newly organized with a committee and feeling very confident about working together on their projects. Their main goals are to improve their practice in animal husbandry and agriculture. Not all members have animals yet, and the ones who do have varying amounts of knowledge. There are issues with the agriculture as the area's soil is extremely acidic and there is a lack of sufficient fertilizer.
Rachael and Leah, after getting an overview from the members present, taught on parasite prevention and the importance of deworming. The cooperative members participated eagerly and asked a lot of really good questions. Their desire to learn and improve will take that community really far!!
In the afternoon we went to Butare to do a little shopping. It is the second largest city next to Kigali, and about 30 minutes from Kigeme (although we went via the back route from the site, so it was longer on the dirt road.) We were looking for souvenirs as well as some treats, including a cold pop - but unfortunately we were unable to find the cold pop!