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The White House Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives Recognizes Friends of Rwanda On February 7th, 2008, the White House Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives hosted a Compassion in Action Roundtable on “Social Enterprise: Reinventing the Public/Private Partnership.” The event covered U.S. government achievements internationally, but primarily focused on the work of Friends of Rwanda as an example of success and innovation in the developing world. The White House demonstrated its enthusiasm for the F|O|R network, assembling a number of speakers to share about their experiences in Rwanda.  Photo from the White House Office of Faith Based and Community Iniatives’ F|O|R Reception.  Burlington Northern Railways: Rwanda/Tanzania Rail Corridor During the UN Assembly in New York City on September 27, 2007 President’s Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of Tanzania met with John Orrison of Burlington Northern Santa Fe to discuss the propose railway corridor between Kigali and Dare es Salaam. Both President’s discussed the viability of the project with Mr. Orrison and determined it would be an advantageous project for both nations to move forward aggressively. President Kikwete communicated he had always believed in the power of this project and will work with his government to make this dream a reality for Tanzania, Rwanda and the region as a whole. The Rwandan delegation has since traveled to the US to visit various BNSF sites and learn more about the processes, technologies and infrastructure essential for a flourishing transnational railway. Minster of Infastructure Stanislas Kamanzi says the relationship with BNSF has been very beneficial in assisting their guiding and execution of the new rail plans. Rwandan Delegation met with Matt Rose, CEO and Chairman of BNSF at the companies Headquarters in Fort Worth TX. In the picture: Daniel Cooper, John Orrison, Minster Stanislas Kamanzi, Philippe Munyaruyenzi, and Denis Voisard. John Orrison and Dan Cooper are planning a trip to Rwanda and Tanzania in mid-January. Look for updates on the f|o|r blog.  Costco and Jim Sinegal This October, Jim Sinegal took his wife, two children and grandchildren with him to Rwanda. He visited the famed mountain gorillas, toured various coffee farms supported by Costco, and met with President Kagame. Reflecting on his trip, Jim said it was one of the “top experiences on his life.” In 2008, Costco pledges to continue its role as the largest purchaser of Rwandan coffee in the world. Costco will also continue to make its purchases directly from the Rwandan coffee farmers throughout the coming year. Jim Sinegal continues to be a passionate advocate for Rwanda throughout his network and community. Presidential Advisory Council is launched! On Wednesday 26 September 2007, President Paul Kagame officially launched the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) – a special team of Rwandans and friends of Rwanda whose mission is to advise the President on Rwanda’s strategic development choices and initiatives, using their considerable combined and wide-ranging knowledge, experience and contacts, in a concerted effort to contribute to the country’s socio-economic development.  The inaugural PAC meeting took place in New York, where President Kagame took part in the annual United Nations General Assembly and the Clinton Global Initiative. Attending this first discussion were PAC members:
(Prof. Michael Porter is also a member of PAC but was unable to attend) Also at the PAC meeting were high-ranking Rwandan government officials including James Musoni, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning; Stanislas Kamanzi, Minister of Infrastructure; Rosemary Museminari, Minister of State for Cooperation; and Francis Gatare, Director General of Rwanda Investment and Export Promotion Agency. Participants at the meeting co-chaired by President Kagame and Joe Ritchie discussed from their unique perspectives, various ides to boost key areas of Rwanda’s economy based on the country’s national development policy Vision 2020. At the conclusion of the vibrant dialogue that lasted several hours, PAC members formed focal groups that will delve deeper into innovative strategies for targeted sectors and work with the relevant Rwandan institutions on proposed solutions, supported by RIEPA, which was identified as a coordinating agency for PAC activities The next PAC meeting will be held in April 2008.  “A Thousand Hills: Rwanda's Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It”, By: Steve Kinzer The bestselling author of “All the Shah’s Men” profiles one of the most successful revolutionaries of the modern era, tells the dramatic story of how he seized power in Rwanda, and travels through the Rwandan countryside to witness this shattered country's astonishing recovery. "A Thousand Hills" tells Kagame's tumultuous life story, including his early fascination with Che Guevara and James Bond, his years as an intelligence agent, his training in Cuba and the United States, the dazzlingly original way he built his secret rebel army, his bloody rebellion, and his outsized ambitions for Rwanda. It is the adventure-filled tale of a visionary who won a war, stopped a genocide, and then set out to turn his country into the star of Africa. President Kagame is obsessed with a single outlandish dream: to make Rwanda the first middle-income country in Africa, and to do it in the space of a single generation. The book will be published in June by John Wiley & Sons in New York, according to Rick Christian, president of the Colorado Springs-based literary agency Alive Communications, who negotiated the deal. Stephen Kinzer is an award-winning foreign correspondent who has worked in more than 50 countries on five continents. He has been New York Times bureau chief in Istanbul, Berlin, and Managua, Nicaragua. His other books include the bestsellers "All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror" and "Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq." Click here to view books.  GlaxoSmithKline and Clet Niyikiza GlaxoSmithKline, under the leadership of Clet Niyikiza, Vice President of Strategic Asset Management and Biomarker Research Program, is in the process of establishing a National Center for Clinical Research (NCCR) based in Rwanda. GSK, the second largest pharmaceutical company in the world, is renowned for its research and development of drugs to combat viruses such as HIV/AIDS and malaria in the developing world. The NCCR in Rwanda will be an internationally acclaimed research center, focusing on the study of diseases prevalent throughout the developing world and at home. With the help of a Presidential Task Force, Clet Niyikiza along with the Minister of Health of Rwanda, are working towards establishing Rwanda as a medical research center of the highest caliber. As they started looking for places that might be suitable for a research center of this kind, Clet said that Rwanda easily stood out among the rest for its strong governance, the integrity of the medical research field, and the quality of the Rwandan people. With the creation of the NCCR, Rwanda will become the epicenter of clinical and biomedical research in the developing world, as well as significantly expanding the healthcare infrastructure and capacity across the country. The NCCR will also offer strong financial incentives to participating individuals and health centers. Saddleback Church/PEACE Plan Over the past three years, Rick Warren and Kay Warren, along with hundreds of members of Saddleback Church, have invested their time in Rwanda with the goals of empowering local church leaders and supporting a variety of development initiatives. The P.E.A.C.E. plan is a coalition of local churches working alongside public and private institutions to address the problems facing Rwanda today. The Western Rwanda HIV/AIDS Healthcare Initiative, a part of P.E.A.C.E., aims to “dramatically increase access to quality healthcare in Western Rwanda…promoting healthier lives, preserving families, protecting children, and building stronger communities.” Based near the town of Kibuye, the western region was chosen because of its high occurrence HIV/AIDS and the lack of healthcare professionals and treatments to effectively combat the epidemic. This initiative will train churches to be distributors of basic health services, as well as equip fifty churches to act as satellite health centers; the church of Rwanda will be fully empowered to behave as a secondary healthcare provider. Relationships and planning is in place to expand and scale this initiative across the entire country of Rwanda, and eventually into the bordering countries of Congo, Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi. This critical grassroots program, along with the ever-increasing amount of positive publicity surrounding Rwanda, promises to bring life-enhancing changes to the people of Rwanda. During the fall of 2007, Rick Warren and team are also implementing the “40 Days of Purpose Nationwide Campaign” throughout Rwanda, using Purpose Driven Life, written in Kinyarwanda. Jack Hanna Jack Hanna, a world-renowned wildlife expert and enthusiast, recently participated in a rare gorilla naming ceremony in the Ruhengheri province of Rwanda. With over 15,000 Rwandans in attendance, as well as celebrities like Natalie Portman, John Stanton (President of Animal Planet) and President Paul Kagame, the afternoon ceremony named the newest of the silverback gorilla members and brought worldwide attention to Rwanda. On October 26th at 9:00pm EST, a special, “Saving a Species: Gorillas on the Brink,” aired on Animal Planet showcasing the ceremony and Rwanda’s unique wildlife. Jack Hanna has also spent significant time working with the Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project and Partners in Conservation, both of whom work to support and protect the gorilla community in northwest Rwanda. Jack has long been one of Rwanda’s biggest and most popular advocates. Hanna continues to work with Colin Bell to establish one the most prestigious resorts in Africa, located next to the Rwandan National Mountain Gorilla Reserve. Mr. Bell’s new venture will put Rwanda on the map as one of the premier destinations in the world. To learn more about Jack’s time in Rwanda Click here. Project Rwanda After a trip to Rwanda in 2005, Tom Ritchey of Ritchey Bicycle Design, embarked on a journey with fellow enthusiasts to create a bike that would change the lives of many Rwandan farmers and families. Through Project Rwanda (www.projectrwanda.org), Ritchey and team raise awareness and support for Rwanda, build and distribute specially designed bikes, and promote national pride through the Rwandan National Cycling Team. Within the first 9 months of racing and training, Team Rwanda National Cycling Team has become the 4th ranked team in Africa, missing placement in the Olympics by only 60 seconds!  Some of Project Rwanda’s most innovative initiatives include the Wooden Bike Classic Mountain Bike Race and The Coffee Bike, a bike designed to increase the amount of coffee products workers are able to carry, thus creating a higher amount of marketable goods. Currently, plans are in place to distribute the Coffee Bike to a few premium coffee cooperatives in the coming months, and begin a rural microcredit programs for participating local farmers. Water for Rwanda—Living Water International Otto and Virginia Helweg, with Living Water International, officially began drilling wells around Rwanda in early June. Since then, requests for wells continue to pour in from across the country, and LWI is responding as quickly as possible to bring water to much needed regions! With LWI, Otto was completing about 21 wells per month. The end of September boasted a wonderful Well Dedication Ceremony with high-ranking individuals from the Rwandan government, representatives from Geneva Global, and Otto and other LWI team members in attendance. Hundreds of local villagers came out to witness and experience the well first hand, including an entire press van intent on documenting the exciting event for the Rwandan news. The wells, both in orphanages and local villages, are fostering in new hope and improved health for thousands. To learn more about Living Water International, visit their website at: www.water.cc Rwandan Air Traffic Control At the beginning of 2007, a high-altitude Air Traffic Control (ATC) Implementation Plan was developed for Rwanda by Williams Aviation Consultants in Phoenix, AZ. The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has designated Rwanda to take the lead in the development of the Communication Navigation & Surveillance/Air Traffic Management system for the region. COMESA consists of 20 countries ranging from Egypt in the northeast to Angola in the southwest of the African continent, including the islands of Madagascar and Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. With Rwanda as the hub of future Air Traffic Control for the entire region, the economic and social benefits will be widespread. The initiative will be funded and launched in 2008, with implementation planned to follow in 2010. Urwego Opportunity Microfinance Bank: Kigali, Rwanda In July, four global faith-based non-profits (Opportunity International, Hope International, World Relief and World Relief Canada) entered into an exciting and unprecedented partnership to create Urwego Opportunity Microfinance Bank. With Todd Brogdon and Ross Nathan leading the way, UOMB now boasts 150 employees, offices in 27 out of 30 districts, 28,000 borrowers and more than 3,000 savings customers. One of UOMB’s goals is to offer finger print accessible savings accounts to every Rwandan family. After a very successful term as the bank’s CEO, Dabbs Cavin and his family returned to Little Rock in August. To see what Rwandans are saying about the new bank: http://allafrica.com/stories/200709060140.html The Sonrise School: Ruhengheri, Rwanda The Sonrise School, led by Bishop John Rucyahana, continues to expand its facilities and programs in order to accommodate a growing number of eager students. Through the generosity of friends in Colorado, the Sonrise School received over 150 personal computers in May, creating one of the largest computer centers in Rwanda. Construction has begun on the academic quadrangle of the high school, as well as on additional classroom and dormitory facilities at primary school. Sonrise continues to excel with the top academic testing scores across the entire country of Rwanda.  David Weekley David Weekley continues to invest alongside Geneva Global in various sectors across Rwanda. Currently, numerous projects are centered in the Bugesera region, a suburb of Kigali, and focus on holistic community development and health. With everything from wells to schools to health care training, David Weekley’s investments hope to empower small organizations and communities through targeted research and consistent due diligence. Fermi Water Project/Gabe Lyons Gabe and Rebekah Lyons, along with Jeff Shinabarger, founded the Fermi Project in 2003, a broad collective of innovators, social entrepreneurs, church and societal leaders. The last couple years have been spent gathering funds for the Rwanda Clean Water project, which aims to alleviate the suffering and illness that comes from drinking unsafe water. Through the administration of Geneva Global, the Fermi project will bring clean water solutions to communities throughout Rwanda-- one new well alone can bring clean water and renewed health to over 3,000 Rwandans. As Jeff Shinabarger says, “Through clean water locations, healing to individuals is happening daily. Conviction and character is being restored.” To learn more: www.rwandacleanwater.com Rex Amini Over the last couple of years, Rex and Deborah Amini have worked closely with Friends of Rwanda and Geneva Global to support a wide variety of social enterprises across Rwanda. Most recently, Rex Amini backed a visit to Rwanda by Raphael Quiano, an oil and gas expert from Houston, TX. Raphael met with government and business leaders, advising them on aspects of the energy business, as well as sharing his experience and suggestions for Rwanda’s future in energy. The Aminis also continue to work alongside the Anglican Diocese of Rwanda, supporting various education and community development projects. In the Remera district, just outside of Kigali, the Aminis have helped build a nursery school, a high school and an accompanying kitchen facility that will serve the impoverished community nearby and provide children with a comprehensive education and adequate facilities.  Gregg Bettis Kids Across America Foundation and Kamps, with the leadership of Gregg Bettis and Joe White, has recently established Kids Across Africa Camps Rwanda (KAACR). KAACR is “deeply committed to reaching those children who are most in need with the love and power of Jesus Christ…meeting the desperate needs of tens of thousands of precious children in Rwanda.” In the 2009 camping season, KAACR will host approximately 3,000 Rwandan youth, coming from communities and villages across all regions of Rwanda. Over seven days, Rwandan campers will “meet new friends, build deep relationships with over 200 caring counselors and staff and will be exposed to the message of hope and reconciliation in Jesus Christ.” The KAACR Board has identified strong potential leadership, both American and Africa, to lead the ministry goals of KAACR as it moves forward in this critical and joyful time of development. For more information: www.kidsacrossafrica.org |
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