Greetings From The Field!

Brad Perrine
IEE Director Field Operations

I arrived in Kigali, Rwanda on May 26th, 2008. My job? To “set up shop” for the IEE Teacher Training Program. This entailed the usual relocation requirements including renting a house, buying a vehicle, setting up a bank account and a host of other chores. A challenging, yet straight forward set of initiatives. Armed with the natural excitement of a world traveler and the western-style organizational tactics of an educated American, I set out to make IEE a well-oiled, local Rwandan machine. Now, if only I could get out of the airport.

I realize that I am not the first person to watch a luggage carousel stop revolving. As countless air travelers can attest, if you’re empty handed when the laps have finished, you stand alone with only the demoralizing realization that your horse wasn’t even in the race. Somewhere along my 3 flight / 40 hour route to Rwanda, “Baggage Claim” had, in fact, claimed my baggage. The crushing disappointment was compounded by the fact that the missing bag was actually a 70 lb. box of school supplies headed to needy school children and not my expendable knapsack filled with sunscreen, socks and Tylenol. All I could do was fill out the proper forms and wait ‘til the travel gods were done borrowing our stuff.

Undeterred, I pressed on…but not alone. Wilson B. Kagabo, IEE’s indispensable Director of Rwandan Affairs was there to guide me through it all. In fact, he’s been with IEE since 2006. Without his incredible work here in Kigali, none of our efforts would have been possible. Together, we set out to build the nest.

If you’ve ever been to Africa you’ll understand that NOTHING is simple. It’s almost comical. There seems to be a complete and blissful disregard for anything sensible. But as I’ve learned, this ain’t New York. It’s very, very, very far from it. “Appointment” is just another word for “Maybe I’ll see you there”. Adhering to a schedule in Rwanda is like riding a rodeo bull: You’d better be flexible and should expect to get thrown off.

Purchasing a vehicle is a process more likened to panning for gold. I had to sift through a heaping pile of crud to find something that shined. There are no dealerships here, no Auto Trader Magazines, just a bunch of dudes who let their friends know they want to sell their 1985 Ford Bronco for $15,000. Yeah that’s right, $15,000 for a vehicle that you’d only donate to charity in the States. Because there are so few cars and trucks here, owners make repairs for years to keep their wheels rollin’. I don’t think I saw an SUV with less than 150,000 miles under the hood. So we settled on the best deal I could find, an over-priced Mitsubishi Pajero. If you’ve ever ridden in one, you know they’re pretty awesome. It’s a former safari vehicle and it’s perfect for the rough roads of Africa.

I just can’t wait ‘til we get it back from the mechanic after it’s catastrophic breakdown last weekend.
If you don’t have a car and need alternative transportation here, I’ve got one, hyphenated word for you…Moto-Taxi. Kigali is filled with them. They are the best, and cheapest way to get around. Just hop on the back of one of these motorcycle cabs and the licensed driver will take you to your destination for less than two bucks on average. It’s fantastic!

Before I came to Rwanda, I knew my schedule would be quite busy and I needed to be mobile. The SUV would serve as the official IEE vehicle and primarily be used by our teaching crew to get back and forth to school. As Director of Field Operations, my responsibilities lead me in all different directions. So I took the moto-taxi thing one step further. I simply rented the whole bike, not just the back seat, from a driver for the entire summer. “Take the summer off, pal”, I said. Now I’m a fully insured Moto-Taxi driver in Kigali, Rwanda. Ha!

As you may imagine, a giant “Muzungu” (white person) driving a moto-taxi around Africa will garner some attention. Everyone stops to stare, or wave, or smile, or point, or whistle, or simply say “Muzungu, muzungu, muzungu” as I cruise by with a grin. It’s pretty hilarious. The native Rwandans have no problem gesturing toward Caucasians and saying the equivalent of “white person, white person, white person” right to our faces. It’s actually endearing. This culture has tremendous respect for foreigners and we’re treated like first class citizens. I think I speak for the whole crew over here in saying we have been welcomed into Rwandan society with open arms and bright smiles.

Which brings me to the kids. Oh, the children of Rwanda. Now, I realize that kids all over the world have a pleasant and innocent curiosity, but this is unreal. The brilliant smiles and unending energy that we witness everyday are enough to run all the moto-taxis in Rwanda for a year. All they want to do is talk to us, learn from us, play soccer with us, or touch the hair on our arms. I know, that last one’s kinda weird. Body hair isn’t very common here. Come to think of it, I’m not sure if muzungu means “white person” or “hairy arm”.

Our work at the school has been terrific. Molly, Meredith and Pat arrived in early June and have done an incredible job. Because the IEE Teacher Training Program is in it’s infancy, we are using these early days as a time of observation and identification. They have done a great job of understanding the organization’s philosophy and building a program at the Kagugu School. We are aware that we can’t change the world in a day. We can only make progress by truly understanding how foreign educational systems operate. With Wilson’s incredible guidance, we’ve set about identifying the major issues that need attention. The four of them have worked together with the teachers and students of Kagugu tirelessly and with much success. The future of this program will be built upon the early work of these four individuals.

July has brought about a new phase in our Rwandan operation. The addition of Andrew, Jane and Elisabeth has brought a new level of experience to the Teacher Training Program. During this important month, we will be focusing on the development of Kagugu’s teachers through computer literacy and extensive English instruction. We can now move ahead and furnish the Rwandan teachers with the skills to better prepare their students for success during this crucial period of Rwanda’s development.

Just take a look at the IEE photos and videos of the students here in Rwanda. The excitement contained in these kids and their eagerness to learn is something you simply don’t find in the U.S. on such a large scale. We are learning from this culture as much as we are teaching.

Through the important documentation of this project, we aim to show this organization’s transparency and accountability. Besides paying power bills and fixing flat tires, my job here in Kigali includes the photographing and filming of our efforts. This is a pure joy. We can bring our work right into your home or office. Through these videos, photos and blogs, anyone can see exactly who’s doing what, when, where and most importantly, why. IEE aims to keep it that way. Our accountability is our path to sustainability. With support from people like you and a belief in our program, we can improve the educational systems of developing countries as well as our own.