11 December 2008

Today, I experienced a breakthrough, which I find very fulfilling.

Over the past month I have been teaching young Rwandan students, many who are orphans of the genocide in 1994, English. ALARM’s Youth Advocacy Program led by Benjamin Nkusi provides English and Music lessons to youth leaders coming from various local churches in Kigali every Tuesday and Thursday. I am currently leading the English club, which hosts around ten to fifteen people at any given session. The program is a great opportunity for young leaders to network with one another and work to gain skills they will need to succeed in University and in life. During my short 6-month stay in Rwanda, my goal as an English teacher is not only to practice grammar and conversation drills with the students, but also to open and expand their minds to other countries and cultures and the similar burdens they may share with the people who live in those places. As I make up lesson plans for each week, I realize more and more how integrally connected together language and culture are.

So far, there is a good turn out at class when we meet; about 15 to 20 people show up mostly because a Mazungu is present. Beyond giving them tools they can use to learn English on their own and providing them a chance to listen to an American accent, I hope to give them a taste of what they can do with their lives in the future after they are proficient in English. There are many barriers however, which prevent many students from seeing beyond the short-term future.

Orphans face many life challenges; the struggle to hope for anything beyond tomorrow can leave many near sighted to the opportunities English can provide them in the world. The stories I hear from some students who trust me enough to let me into their lives a little bit tell me they are trying to care for physically and mentally ailing siblings, many who are probably still affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from the genocide.

On top of responsibilities to care for their siblings, students may be hard pressed to find sufficient food to eat let alone money for school fees to finish secondary education. Looking at these young men and women who are leaders in their community, churches and families, it would be hard at first glance to tell they are deprived as much as they are. Some are well dressed; some are fortunate enough to partially complete secondary education; and some even speak English relatively well already. But if I were to look inside their lives, I think I would find plenty of depression, anxiety and apathy about reaching dreams, which may never come to fruition. In despair, it can be hard to find hope to continue pressing forward without much certainty of what tomorrow will hold.

In spite of the odds, most of the students still have positive attitudes, hold a smile and, if asked what they want to become, will talk about their dreams. One day I asked the class what their dreams were for the future. Many want to become singers and play the synthesizer; some want to be poets; still others desire to be in government and politics. One student, a bright, energetic, hopeful young man named James, told me he wants to lead people in worshiping God through music and media as well as evangelize others for Christ though public speaking. When I see him, he has a smile on his face and wants to learn as much as possible about English and God. One day he was not afraid to tell me about the hardships he and his three brothers face alone as orphans of the genocide. All the same, James is an exception in the class. Many students I teach are reserved yet polite and do not speak very much; it can be difficult for me not receive feedback in order to know whether they are learning from the English lessons I teach.

The main question I strive to answer is: how do I give the young people under my care hope; how do I inspire them to see beyond their immediate circumstances? Many Rwandans talk about wanting to go to America, so I thought I would expand their view a little by inviting them to Kigali’s U.S. Embassy Culture and Information Resource Center.

Many Rwandans are prohibited from entering the embassy to access the library not because the U.S. prohibit them from using the facility, but because the Rwandan employed security at the front gate create prohibitively exclusive requirements—must presently be a university student or employed—which deny many access. To circumvent the problem of access, I decided to make an appointment with Charles, the Library Director, who could prearrange passage with the security at the front gate to allow my students to enter unimpeded.

When I went to visit the Resource center, I was kindly introduced to Charles, the Director of Librarians. After introducing myself and notifying him of my affiliation with ALARM, I requested an appointment for a group orientation of the center and a presentation of the opportunities a free library membership card could provide students for independent learning. Kigali does not have a public library which freely loans out books. For a young person to have access to a large body of books without attending a University is virtually impossible. When he accepted my request, I was very please to tell the students of their newfound opportunity and to provide them with a spark of hope. When the students heard of our field trip, the energy of the group lifted. It was fun to see the students start to think of the possibilities of checking out books—for most of them probably for the first time.

In the orientation, Charles and his fellow colleagues spoke about the mission of the U.S. Embassy in Rwanda and its different functioning departments; the many types of print materials—books and periodicals—available to reference and check out; the internet and search engines available on the computer; the student advisor in the library available to help students begin the process of applying to U.S. universities; and monthly interest groups where students can meet with American expatriates who specialize in a particular professional field of learning. I enjoyed watching some of the young people’s eyes widen when they began to think about the resources available to them and the possibilities.

After our time was over and everyone had a chance to apply for a library card, I could tell a new chapter in many of the students’ lives had begun—one which will hopefully open their hearts and minds for a moment outside their own problems and concerns in Rwanda to the needs of their fellow human beings around the world. As they read and learn, I pray the Lord will put a burden for the nations on their heart and call them to a journey far greater than they could have imagined on their own.