Well its our first full day here in Kigeme and we went for a walk around the area visiting APAP members. They were able to tell about how their livestock were doing, their successes and their challenges. Most importantly they were able to tell how much the Food Security program has enabled them to improve their lives. One special moment came near the end of our visits where the owner gave a moving speech (pictured below) sharing his appreciation of all the help he had been given in livestock management. He expressed being thankful for the training he has received both from Rachael as well as the training has been followed up by Viateur and the Food Security Team. He ended his little speech giving thanks especially Rachael's commitment to travel all the way to Rwanda.
We also discovered how many bulls are now in the area. The two bulls that the AVI's had purchased two years are both not being used currently. "Roger" served them well over a two year period but, alas, he became tired and needed to retire from his job. Ferdinand is being treated for a parasitic infection but will hopefully be back up and running soon. Other than that, they are in need of more bulls as well as training more local veterinary workers in artificial insemination.
Overall, we did see some good improvements and a willingness to continue to improve that is heartwarming.
Overall, we did see some good improvements and a willingness to continue to improve that is heartwarming.
After walking several hours up and down a lot of Rwanda's thousand hills, we returned to the guest house for a fantastic lunch! Then we did some laundry - African style. Chantal, who works at the guesthouse, had a good laugh at our ineptitude and rescued Alayne, washing about 15 pairs of Roger's socks - they look brand new!!
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