Kigali

We Arrived, 3:30pm 8/15/2018
Kigali...I'm not sure what we expected possibly a smaller Johannesburg or Nairobi but thats not what Kigali is at all. Kigali is safe, clean, and relatively modern. And I mean CLEAN...What struck me the most as we drove from the airport to our hotel was the utter lack of trash. Our driver informed us that the President mandates community service from 7am - 1pm the last Saturday of every month. They maintain the structures, pick up trash, and assist the poor. Let me tell you - it seems to be working.

The City Tour, 9:00am 816/2018
Embarked on our Tour of Kigali this morning with our driver "Magnifique"...Yes thats his real name and he lives up to it! Our first stop was the Rwanda Genocide Memorial which was beautiful, disturbing, and moving all at the same time. 24 years ago over a million people were slaughtered and tortured over a 100 day period. Whats even more startling is that this Genocide was neighbor against neighbor - Hutu vs. Tutsi. We sat down over Coffee with Magnifique to learn about his experiences (he was 10 at the time) and his views on Rwanda today. His parents were murdered and he was left in the care of his 7 siblings. What resonates the most is his capacity for forgiveness and determination to move forward and create a united Rwanda. His story is the story of the new Rwanda.

Since that time the city has rebuilt and has become a model for the rest of Africa focused on Community, Education, and Acceptance.