In October we we will be traveling from Uganda to one of it’s neighbors, Rwanda. If you are moved for the people of this country I’m asking you to donate $11 to partner with me in reaching this country for the Gospel.
RWANDA
Geography: Rwanda is a landlocked country that borders Uganda as well as Burundi, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has 28 lakes, six of which are completely located inside the 10,000 square miles of the country. Fun fact: lions, elephants, buffaloes, zebras, gorillas, hippopotami, warthogs, rhinoceroses are totally native to Rwanda.2 African Safari? Yes please. (And please don’t worry about me being attacked by a lion. Adventures In Missions has sent over 100,000 people to the nations in the past 25 years. No one has died. No one has been eaten. Please turn those worries into prayers to be used by God and for the safety of my Squad. ((I’m far more worried about getting a parasite than I am being mauled by a hippo.)) ).
Size and Climate: Rwanda is a little smaller than the size of the state of Maryland. It is mostly hilly savanna grassland and, like Uganda, has two rainy seasons; February to April and November to January. I will be there in October right before/as the rainy season starts. Maybe investing in this rain jacket is a good idea…
Language and People: The official language of Rwanda is Kinyarwanda and is spoken by over 90% of the population. Interpreters will be a huge part of our ministry here. It makes me thankful for a month in Uganda where the official language is English! That slower transition into new cultures for a year will be a huge blessing.
Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa and nearly 70% of the 12 million people that live there live in rural areas. (What does that tell you?? That if the majority of the population of the country lives in rural areas and it’s densely populated, there might just not be many urban places in the country.)
Similar to Uganda, here is the population pyramid
Again you see a high population of infants, but a much thicker base overall. The length of the bars doesn’t plummet until around 50. In fact, you see a good handful of improvement over Uganda’s numbers. A Rwandan mother is almost 23 by her first birth and only has an average of 4 children – as opposed to 19 years of age and 6 children. The life expectancy is nearly 60 and the overall percentage of those living with and dying from HIV/AIDS in the country is lower.
The per capita GDP of Rwanda is $1700 per person, per year. Very similar to Uganda, only the percentage of people that live under the poverty line in Rwanda is nearly 50%. Half of the population of the entire country lives on less than $1.25 a day. Think about how far you got with that amount of money before breakfast…
Again, nearly 80% of the country identifies as either Roman Catholic or Protestant. This is an advantage as there is already familiarity with the Gospel, but it is a disadvantage because of those who have just heard their whole lives and think that is good enough.
Lastly, Rwanda is still healing from the genocide 20 years ago in which nearly one million people were murdered within 100 days. The economy was crippled, infrastructure destroyed, STD’s were spread through conquest and vanquishing, sickness tore through refugee camps, and the country struggles to recover.
Why I’m Excited: When people hear the word “Rwanda” they automatically think “genocide.” I’m thrilled to get to go see this place and love on it’s people and get to know the country outside of that stigma.
Being able to work with kids is also huge this month. Ministry opportunities could include teaching English, working with churches, house visits, and VBS or block parties in the community. I want to show love to this place that has been so stricken with hatred and anger and hopelessness. I want to change the world and I want to start where there are hearts that need it most. Rwanda is wide open to receive the love of Christ.
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Thinking about this trip as $16,000 is impossible. It’s overwhelming. It makes it seem like I’ll never fill up all that white space in the bar at the top of this page. But broken down it’s way more manageable than that. $16,000 divided by 11 months is about $50 a day. With the support I have pledged it brings the total down to about $28 a day. If each of my facebook friends gave $20 I would be fully funded. Hit the SUPPORT ME button in that bar on the top of the page to join with me. If you can’t go I’m asking you to help send me. You are a part of my team and your gifts are the reason I can go. Thank you for helping me share God’s love with Rwanda one loved child at a time.
1 – http://www.cramersinafrica.com/#!about-us/c1sv8
2 – http://www.africa.upenn.edu/NEH/rwgeography.htm
3 – All pictures from a previous Racer, MK Hill. Her blog can be found here http://mkhill.theworldrace.org/index.asp?filename=seven-{top-11-pictures-from-month-7-rwanda
4 – All statistical information from the CIA World Factbook page for Rwanda
