Rwanda links

- Postcardjunky is perhaps my favorite regional blogger, and his latest satire is amazing as always. The last fictitious quote, “We are grateful for the gift of your blond nubile daughters and your bright-eyed sons willing to work for slave wages,” hits a little too close to home for this Peace Corps volunteer.
- A filmmaker documented the genocide-related trauma in Rwanda, and was interviewed on UN Radio. The film brought together people from both sides, and the interview discusses the liberation that comes with understanding that feelings of trauma are natural and shared. My development worker would like to apply some monitoring and evaluation to their claims, but at the very least it’s an interesting exercise in peace building and a local, low-cost mental health intervention.
- President Kagame gave a speech at West Point, where his son is a student. Anybody know the history of and rules governing foreign citizens attending West Point?
- A photojournal of Rwanda on a Wall Street Journal blog. 
- Kigaliwire links to a podcast describing the Murambi memorial, which I visited a few weeks ago. I can't access the audio, though.
- It’s true, Rwanda’s roads are in shockingly good condition. The paved roads here are probably a smoother ride than post-winter roads in Boston right now. No idea how the bridges measure up. 

Rwanda: the basics

Here are some basic internet resources on Rwanda.

Country info
- The CIA Factbook entry
- The US State Dept. Background Note 

Tourism Info
- Rwandatourism.com
- Lonely Planet Rwanda
- Travelwiki (a little bare-bones) 

Kinyarwanda language
 - Morgan in Africa's Rwandan Dictionary
- A Kinyarwanda language wiki site
- Transcript of the book Kinyarwanda Lessons

Rwanda links

Here are some recent links on Rwanda:

• PBSVideo has a great segment on Partners in Health's program in Rwanda (you may recognize the organization for their work in Haiti). You will learn a bit about Rwandan health care, the PiH approach, and community health workers, as well as get to see some Rwandan scenery. If you have 20 minutes, take a look. Rwanda may be best recognized in the West because of the genocide, but the country is an innovator in the fields of community health and national health care (as well as economic development, among other things).
• This IRIN article discusses the NGO Avega Agahozo's work with widows of the genocide. The effects of rape and other forms of sexual violence are still felt 16 years later, but this article discusses the positive steps being taken by survivors themselves. Avega Agahozo, founded by women survivors, is now treating nearly 50,000 women for medical issues associated with their traumas and has 25,000 members who presumably gain psychological and social support from the organization. Avega also provides legal services for women who want to testify in Rwanda's gacaca courts (ga-cha-cha: the traditional community courts adapted to address the genocide).  
• On the economic front, The Economist recently wrote about Rwanda's plan to get every child in the country on a computer. This represents a huge logistical and technological challenge, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.
• Texas in Africa (one of my favorite blogs) writes about politics in Rwanda and links to a recent Human Rights Watch report on the subject.
• Lastly, This is Africa's Real World: African Autocrats edition cracked me up. A lesson in African politics in the form of blunt satire.

I leave in less than two weeks. I'm ready mentally, but my to-do list is still too lengthy and my farewell tour in DC in NY has been disrupted by the snow, leaving me unable to say goodbye to several friends.