Thursday's Blog

Jonathan left for Uganda straight after breakfast for an overnight trip to visit a hospital that his church in Lyndhurst supports.  Soon afterwards the rest of the team headed off to visit two new parishes supported by the Support A Parish programme.  Prior to departure, a large water tank was observed on the back of a pick up truck driving past our guest house.  As suspected, this tank was heading to the same destination as we were!  We journeyed for a long distance along a dirt track, which wound its way up the mountain sides.  The road is currently under construction, under the direction of the Chinese, but this does not stop the traffic in Rwanda, probably because we were one of the very few vehicles to pass that way today.  There were construction workers along the route, and ladies feebly waving green or red flags to direct the traffic, though as we approached the first lady raised her green flag, which promptly dropped off its stick and fell to the ground, leaving her wafting an empty stick in the air!

After some distance, we turned off and climbed up an incredibly steep incline on a dreadfully bumpy road, which left Hannah and Paul rolling around like marbles in the back of our 4x4 truck.  All along the orange roads people were carrying bundles of firewood, bulging sacks of vegetables on their heads or pushing over-loaded bicycles, weighed down with produce or several jerry cans of water.  It’s incredible to consider exactly how far people travel daily on foot to collect water and then carry it up extremely steep slopes.  We were climbing high up on the terraced slopes, moving from one mountain to the next.  Far below us was a very flat open valley of green.  From high above, it resembled the green baize of a snooker table.  Placide told us that it was in fact water, which had been colonised by many plants.  In 1994 this had been one large lake but a large portion of it had silted up and become a marshland, which is now protected as and area of special scientific interest.

After about an hour’s drive we finally arrived at the hilltop parish of Gitovu, where we were warmly greeted by Pastor Emmanuel, who proudly showed us the brand new water tank, that had been delivered this very morning.  Rev James Bruce from UK, had visited this parish last month to discuss the installation of a new water harvesting project funded by Damascus Trust, and we were visiting to see how this project was progressing.  The project aims to collect rainwater off the roof of a building and then collect it to sell to locals to save them having to traipse right down to the valley several times a day to collect water, or to buy it at RFr1500 (about £1.50) from the men who spend their days in the gruelling task of walking up and down the hills pushing a bike, which carries 5 jerry cans of water.  

Paul, Andy and Pastor Emmanuel viewed and discussed the project and also examined the new church building, which is being constructed around the old mud brick church building, which will eventually be demolished from within.  Meanwhile the others enjoyed wandering along the terraces between the fields, where women were hard at work, breaking up the sun-baked earth for cultivation.  Three of their little children spied us and gradually moved towards us, finally plucking up enough courage to stand right in front of us, with very solemn expressions, and too nervous to hold out their hands to greet us. It is unlikely that mzungus are often seen in these remote parts.  Two of the girls in ragged dresses, were about 5 years old. One of these tots was holding a tiny baby, who was very unsure of the pale faces before her.  When Grace reached out her hand towards the baby, her mud-smeared face crumpled, close to tears and she turned away to press her face against her small guardian’s cheek.

We were invited into the pastor’s home, where a plastic bowl of water was held out, whilst a lady poured a measured amount of precious water over our hands prior to being offered the customary variety of rice, beans, vegetables, potatoes and chicken dishes to share with a few church members.

Hannah and Isobel bravely went in search of the long-drop, in the back yard, next to the cow pen.  The poor cow was lying in an enclosure, barely large enough for her to turn around, with her 3 week old calf in an adjacent pen.  Just under the manger, a hen and her tiny chicks were pecking up any fallen grain from the cow fodder.

Andy and Grace made a video interview of the pastor and his wife with their daughter helpfully translating, whilst the rest of the team wandered  along another mud path between  the terraces.  As if from nowhere, children appeared.  School was out and clearly word had got round that mzungus were in the vicinity!  Paul stooped to draw a noughts and crosses board in the dusty earth, and having challenged both Hannah and Isobel to a match, some of the onlooking crowd of children had grasped the game and were keen to play.  Just as they were embarking on their first game, Paul was summonsed for a video interview re the water harvesting project.  Obediently Paul followed this call, but was accompanied by a torrent of children pouring down the hillside after him!  They were fascinated by the tripod, supporting a video camera and soon the whole scene resembled a Hollywood film set!  Andy, in the director’s hat manned the camera, facing Pastor Emannuel, Paul and translator Placide in front of the new water tank.  In a large semi-circle, out of shot, was a great gathering of children observing the spectacle from behind the cameraman, looking every bit the crowd of local ‘extras,’ Hollywood often drafts on location!  After the interview however, as Andy scanned the camera round the ring of spectators, they scampered off, disappearing into the fields, leaving only a few brave souls to play a hand slapping game with Paul.   Little by little they reemerged from their hiding places but it was only the bold who reached their hands out to engage in Paul’s antics.

Soon we were back in the 4x4 truck and on our way to the next new parish to join the SAP programme, Ruyange.   We climbed higher up the mountainside to achieve wonderful views of the marshlands, which then gave way to a fresh water lake as we travelled further.  At the far end of the lake we dipped down to the muddy water’s edge only to climb up again the other side of the valley on a very bumpy road, to finally arrive at another hilltop parish.  There were stunning views of the lake far below and endless terraced hills on all sides as far as the eye could see.

Once again, we were invited into the pastor’s home, where our hands were washed and we were ushered to sit in the large wooden chairs along with the church committee.  As usual we were presented with the same range of dishes along with delicious, freshly cut pineapple.  Following the meal, the committee introduced themselves and explained their roles one after the other, as one of their members, a school teacher, translated for us.  

Just above the pastor’s home, perched on the pinnacle of the hill, was the small, dark mud-brick church building.  Andy and Pastor Danot found a hole in the uneven ground surrounding the church, where they both reclined and filmed a most unorthodox, relaxed interview! 

The English teacher from a school just below the church enjoyed practising his English on us and told us all about his remote school that had 2500 children on roll. The catchment covered a large area as there were so few schools in this region.  He told us of some children that walk for 2 hours to attend school, which starts at 6.40am.  This means that they must be setting and walking for some distance in the dark.  It is incredible to consider how they navigate this mountain terrain in the dark without a torch.  Some children join hands to bring a blind child along with them too.

As were standing chatting in this idillic hilltop setting the sky was darkening and storm clouds were moving in with very ominous rumbles of thunder around us.  So we were keen to get underway before the rains came to make the long bumpy return journey more hazardous.

Tomorrow we will be visiting another of our new SAP-linked parishes - Bugarura.

Until then - good-night.

Grace, Isobel, Hannah, Paul, Jonathan and Andy