Rwanda's Treasures

Rwanda’s children are unquestionably its most precious treasure and most valuable resource.  Over the last few days, I’ve walked the streets; talked with children; and listened to the comments, burdens, and successes shared by Charles Nsengiyumva, national COP director in Rwanda.   I am more convinced than ever that sponsorship is so vitally important to this country.  We must continue to invest our love, our resources, and our prayers in these present and future leaders of Rwanda.  Yes, they are present leaders.  They are leading in their schools and Sunday schools, learning how to lead and support in Biblical ways.

This morning, Charles and I took a break from our intense administrative work and visited another of Rwanda’s treasures – the gorillas in the wild.  We trekked with a small group straight up the mountainside into the national forest outside Ruhengeri.  There we were able to spend an hour with a gorilla family of 14 in their habitat.  We observed the chief of the family, the silverback male, exerting his leadership, two youngsters wrestling and playing (the smaller one ran by me and slapped me on the leg because I didn’t move out of his way fast enough!), a 3-month old nursing and riding on the mothers’ back, naptime for the family, and the familiar gorilla stare as they contemplate your presence, but make no move to interrupt it.  It was an incredible experience.

And, from our guide, I learned so much about the families of our sponsored children who live in this area.  Their struggles with farming (the government is telling them what they can grow and what they can’t grow on their plots of land), their challenges in providing for their families, the pride in which they work, and the traditions which guide them in their everyday lives.

Well, they say the key to a successful blog is to be brief, so I’d better quit now before I completely obliterate that rule.  I’ll be traveling tomorrow from Rwanda to Tanzania, where I will be interviewing several hundred children in a number of sites, as well as working with the local director and staff.  So you may not hear from me for a couple of days.  But thanks for joining me today. Even more importantly, thanks for supporting Children of Promise and partnering with us in bringing help, health, and hope to children in 26 countries. 

I’ll be back soon.

Here are a some of my new friends from the Kuryama family group in Rwanda.

Dr. Paul Maxfield

Executive Director