It is a surprisingly long walk in Banda Village from Point A to Point B and mysteriously all up hill. Not knowing that, a few of the Rwanda Project USVI travelers went out early for exercise on our first morning in this jagged valley that cuts through the mountains of Nyungwe Forest – the largest mountain rain forest in Africa.
Turns out “exercise,” as we know it in America, was defiantly not required in order to keep us in shape while here.
From Point A, the Kageno guest house, we weave our way through narrow mountain paths and then onto wider rutted roads that are barely suitable for the motor vehicles that are nearly non-existent in this remote area of southwestern Rwanda.
Point B is the Kageno enclave which holds a “health post”—nursery school, community center and wooden playground. A small wooden shack, out of place in the center of the cement buildings, is where Jacqueline prepares the porridge she feeds to several dozen malnourished children every day of the week.
Elise, the project supervisor of Kageno [Kageno Worldwide, Inc. is a New York City-based non-profit international community development organization operating two community development projects in Kenya and a third in Rwanda. The name "Kageno" translates to “A Place of Hope” in the Kenyan dialect of Dholuo] guides us through the grounds pointing out how Kageno has markedly changed the opportunities for the 5,000 villagers, in this typical Rwandan village that shares the sun, air and water with Nyungwe. Fortunately, according to Elise, they no longer share the trees. There is a buffer zone. Villages have been educated to the need to protect the forest’s flora and fauna.
The warm, sunlit morning that began with information ended with the delighted screams of village children splashing in the river that gurgles through the tall grasses, weaving between the mud-brick huts providing water for drinking, washing and irrigation.
Suddenly, much to the surprise of Kageno personnel, the Banda babies begin to unabashedly strip off their clothes and toss water at each other, laughing, screeching, splashing, and even washing their hair.
We pass a carefree hour at what Kageno country manager Levi calls Banda beach, skipping stones, rock hopping – not entirely successfully – and bantering with our Rwanda friends in an attempt to master just a few words of the complicated language.
Back at Kageno guest house for lunch, we stuff ourselves on rice and beans Rwanda style, the freshest fried potatoes available on the planet and are treated by our hosts to a variety of room temperature Fantas. Almost everyone takes two helpings of the variety of vegetables grown just yards from where it has been cooked and eaten.
Bloated, we slog our way back up hill to the community center to meet the three dozen waiting Rwandan teenagers who have had advance warning of our visit.
They are quiet at first, listening to Elise deliver a heartfelt speech about the great opportunity the Rwandan children and the V.I. youth have in their coming together.
“One hand represents Rwanda, the other the United States,” he says bringing his palms together in front of his heart.
“We both have dreams about what we want to be, and we are both united.”
As the group takes turns saying their name and what they want to be, V.I. traveler Evanna notes that the Rwanda youth said, “I will be,” rather than I wanted to be.
Alexzandra made a point of telling her new-made Rwandan friends, “We”, she says referring to her travel mates, “don’t know what we want to be; but we are proud that you know.”
After the serious moments, without much provocation, the four-dozen teens break into a series of hand games: Four White Horses, Miss Mary Ma and Numbers.
When time runs out for both groups, sunlight turning to red-orange hanging over the hills, the V.I. Pied Pipers of Banda snake their way back through the village center with an entourage of a hundred children in tow, looking forward to their next Banda meal prepared lovingly by house mistress Christina.
