SLS-7b3 Mountain Village Living in Rwanda

Since going there for the first time in 2013, PolyU have been doing a lot of work in rwanda, particularly in the villages in the villages in the mountainous areas in  Rwanda.  Perhaps it is helpful to describe briefly what it is like over there.  It may be helpful to understand why we are so keen to work over there.  

In the mountains in Rwanda, even little children spend much of their time fetching water.  It is common to see a little girl carrying a 5 litre can, which weights 5 kilograms, or 11 pounds.  Adults typically carry 10 or 20 litres.  Often they have to carry the water for 1 to 2 kilometers to get home.  For us city folks, carrying water like this for a few steps can be an exciting, fun.  It is not fun anymore after the first 100 meters.  There are rivers and lakes.  And the government has set up water stations at strategic locations.  But there is no piping and pumping to carry water to the house.  There is a rainy season. But most houses have no ponds or tanks to catch or store the water.  Because the roads are unpaved, the heavy rain actually ruins the roads, making it difficult to drive over them.  

Most of the houses are constructed with mud-bricks.  They are just dried under the sun, without firing.  They look reasonably sturdy when new, but quickly fall apart against the elements.  Windows are small, presumably at least partly to make it harder to break in.  Some houses are blind - having no windows - perhaps because they didn’t know how to make one?   Inside the house it is very dark, damp and there is often a foul smell, perhaps due to insufficient airflow.  

Their lighting system may consist of one lonely candle.  Or a flash light with one or two almost-completely depleted dry batteries.  They may own a treasured radio, but often cannot afford the batteries to power it.  A lucky one may own a radio powered by a small solar panel, provided by some aid agency.  

The floor inside the house are typically unpaved, just dirt and uneven.  There are few furnitures.  There may be a bed, or a matt on the floor.  Most have no closets for clothes.  There may be a string pulled across the room or a few hocks on the wall for hanging up clothes.  No chest of drawers for storage of small items.  Most have no tables or chairs.  

For sanitation, there may be one or two tooth brushes stuck in the crevices of the mud-brick wall.  There may be a hoe, fork or spade for farm work.  For many families, that seems to the extent of their possessions.    

Cassava is a staple food.  We may eat it in Hong Kong in the form of tapioca, or “pearls” in “milk tea with pearls”.  It is very common to see raw cassava laid out under the sun to dry.  It is then ground into powder, and made into a cake.  Or simply boiled for food.  

Most kitchens consist of a pot set over two or three stones, fired by dried twigs.  Some grow beans, starchy corn, sorghum, potatoes, peanuts, …  Very few have green vegetables.  

The richer ones may have a few goats, pigs, or a cow for milk.  A few raise rabbits.  It is rare to see a dog.  I don’t remember ever seeing a cat.  A multi-cow family is quite rich.    One have to have a cow in order to get married.  Our partner, African Evangelical Enterprises, is helping them set up Self-Help Groups, to start small businesses, raising pigs, growing passion fruit, raising habits, planting vegetable gardens, …

The scenery is stunningly beautiful.  Upon entering a valley towards the end of the rainy season, seeing the little houses dotted among green fields, we often feel we could live there - particularly if you see it for the first time.  So idyllic. And romantic.  As we come closer and see the reality of village living without running water nor electricity, we all have second thoughts.   

But the people are always dignified, hopeful, cheerful, and kind. The place is always clean.  You cannot find trash anywhere even thought there are no trash cans.  The women wear colourful clothes even in the village.  We wonder how they keep their clothes bright and clean, when water is so scarce.  But they do.  The children are particularly curious and welcoming.  Our partner, African Evangelical Enterprise Rwanda, have done wonderful work year after year.  We have learned so much from them - both the community and AEE Rwanda.  It truly is a blessing to be able to come here to work.   That is why we keep coming back.