Day 8: Thoughts on development and leadership

(The two Angels (second to the left and furthest to the right) pose with two of their friends)

Today we traveled through the eastern part of Rwanda to explore Akagera National Park, a sprawling animal reserve that runs along 1,000 kilometers of the border with Tanzania. We saw zebras, baboons, hippos, giraffes, elephants, and antelope. Most of the park was savannah land, but there was also lush shades of yellow and emerald green grasses and trees surrounding the brilliant blue lakes and marshes that claim small swaths of the reserve.

I enjoyed seeing the animals, but I most appreciated traveling through the Rwandan landscape and observing moments of daily life along the roads we traversed. There are no major highways in Rwanda; the main roads are two lanes and run through rural municipalities that make up the majority of the country. Chris and I both agreed that out of any other country we have been to, there are more people traveling along the roads: women in brightly colored pattern dresses gracefully balancing fruit and large packages on their heads, men riding bicycles piled high with freshly harvested green bananas to sell at market, small boys and girls skipping along on their own to unknown destinations, groups of young people pumping water to fill the yellow multi-gallon containers that will be used to cook and bath.

In these quick and detached observations of humanity going about the business of living, I was reminded that in so many places in the world people skillfully live on very little. Molly told us that 90% of Rwanda’s population primarily survives on subsistent farming, which is radically different from the reality of most people in the U.S. For many people in Rwanda so much more labor goes into the practice of survival (pumping water, harvesting crops, bringing produce to market, etc.), yet there is also a level of autonomy and self-sufficiency that does not exist in many “developed” countries where we are dependent on our digital technology and industry to provide our basic needs. If our financial and material infrastructure were to fall apart, we would be completely helpless. I do not want to discount the realities of poverty here that cause a great deal of suffering, but I am also inspired to reconsider the meaning of poverty as a designation solely based on financial wealth.

Some Maranyundo students and I actually discussed these ideas last night. Two 9th grade girls, both named Angel :-), came up to me and we had a long conversation about politics, education, personal passions, and the differences between Rwanda and the U.S. Both Angels, and many other young women here, want to study in the States because it is “developed.” I asked them how they defined “development” and they talked about technology, infrastructure (big buildings, major roads, etc.) and access to more resources. Their dream is to gain important skills in the U.S. so they can help Rwanda further “develop.” When I asked what it would mean to make Rwanda more developed, they talked about eradicating poverty and building up the infrastructure, and helping the population heal from the deep wounds of the genocide. I told them I greatly admired their desire to travel abroad with the vision of giving back to their own society, but I also warned them that poverty and suffering are also present in the U.S.; I talked about the extreme disparities in wealth and the existence of homelessness. These realities often don't make it to the glittering superficial surface of American culture that is projected to people throughout the world; I don't want the young women at Maranyundo to think that all the solutions to the challenges of their nation will come from the U.S...

In fact, I believe the type of leadership that these young women are cultivating will be far more effective at envisioning and implementing solutions to poverty than any model that is currently implemented in American society. Six of the juniors at Maranyundo just launched a club called Bright Rwanda that focuses on youth empowerment, leadership, collaboration, creativity, and gender equality. Yesterday afternoon, they presented their vision to about 60 other students through speeches, music and interactive games. “Leadership is not about your position…it is how you influence yourself and others,” Nicole, one of the founders of the club explained. I have seen this principle gracefully embodied every day that I have been here, from the ways that the girls help each other during class, to students’ self-management and organization when running events without any adult involvement or presence. Kamiya and Ja’Hari want to start a sister club when they return to BAA, and I am excited to see what collaboration will look like among these young women across continents.

As I wrap up this post, I realize that I’ve come to the same conclusion in my last reflection: the power of collective leadership. As we prepare to end our time here, I feel my most important contribution to the young women I’ve had the honor to meet at Maranyundo is to reflect back to them the incredible resources and gifts they possess. These are the markers of development that I believe will reshape our world for the better.