Day 2 - Abishyizehamwe & Twirererabana Co-ops

How is it only Day 2?! We feel like we've already lived a lifetime in this beautiful country - we're so at home here.

Today we drove two hours north to a remote mountain area to see Abishyizehamwe ("United People") and Twirererabana ("Let Us Raise Our Kids") Cooperatives. The drive was so beautiful, climbing higher and higher, giving us a breathtaking view of Rwanda's rolling hills.

Our first stop was Abishyizehamwe - a community of women farmers. Led by a courageous president named Devota, the co-op received us with open arms and open hearts at the site of their bakery - our first time ever seeing it in person!

The bakery was funded in 2016 with generous help of WD4H supporter Michelle Joanou, and is prospering! The community learned many lessons from Tubeho's bakery which was started a year earlier, and in turn is now helping Good Family, our student co-op, launch their own bakery. This cross-training is a crucial part of our Rwanda business program.

After introductions, we listened as Devota and some of her fellow co-op members explained the journey they have been on together. They started out as a small group of isolated, impoverished farmers, with no hope of a better life. One women expressed she was so lost, she didn't even know how she'd ever experience happiness again. Now, they are a strong, successful cooperative, with productive cows, plentiful crops, students in school, and a flourishing business. We toured the bakery, and watched in awe as the bakers made dough from scratch, started up their giant wood-burning oven, and deep fried some beignets for us all to enjoy. Delicious!!!

We brought with us 4 bikes to give to Abishyizehamwe, which will allow them to travel far to sell and deliver their baked goods. The bikes were also donated by Michelle, and are named for her four grandchildren: Alice, Janet, Jennifer, and Philip.

Down the road to Twirererabana!

This community is very special to us. It was started by a small group of unwed mothers, who were rejected from their families. Left with no way to keep their children alive, they joined together and pooled their resources. The community now has 527 members, their crops are thriving, the children and teens are attending school, and their business, Dignity Café ("Café Isheja) is a success. The cooperative is led by a courageous, clever, inspiring young mother named Olive.

When we pulled up to Dignity Café, we were greeted by a troupe of traditional Rwandan dancers called Intore. Their performance was completely mesmerizing! Before we knew it, we were pulled in to dance, doing our best to keep up with them.

Exhilarated, and a little out of breath, we sat down on a row of chairs designated for us, and had a wonderful gathering with the Twirererabana women. Once outcasts from their communities, these women are now respected business women, thanks to their enterprise Dignity Café, which was also funded by Michelle Joanou in 2015. We toured the café, and got to see the brand new solar panel, which was just installed the day before, thanks to a gift from Starr Siegele. The panel provides enough electricity to power lights, a small TV (for soccer games), and a full-size refrigerator.

Three students (Seleman, Egidia, and Sandrine) joined us there, and Connor had the opportunity to present them with a laptop - a gift from his family. These students will be using this laptop to track their co-op's business.

Sherry gathered the young children and gave them coloring materials, while speaking to them in her impressive Kinyarwanda. Pamela played ball with another group, using a globe beach ball, which she also used to show them where America was in relation to Rwanda. Naima, Jayne, Leesbeth, and Danna paired up with Rwandan dancers, who were teaching them some beautiful moves!

The Intore dancers performed for us one last time, wearing long wigs made of straw. Jojo, who has gorgeous blond hair down to her waist, let hers down and joined in with them! Even though this is traditionally a men's dance, the dancers were so excited that they gave Jojo her own spear, and incorporated her into their dance! It was such a memorable moment for all of us.

We said an emotional goodbye to our dear friends, and began our journey back to Kigali.

Tomorrow, we head to Kayonza, a district in Eastern Rwanda where we will visit 10 of our cooperatives over the next two days. WiFi access maybe limited there, so if you don't hear from us, know we will catch you all up as soon as we can!

Biracyaza ~ Onward!

Thoughts from travelers:

Pamela: Everyday brings a new joy...the dancing today was extraordinary and the beignets were made with pure love. So grateful to share this day with our global World Dance family.

Leesbeth: If you think you know joy, you should come to Rwanda and visit our cooperatives and dance with these bright people. You will find you have know fun, excitement, and pleasure, but joy? The helium kind that changes the world into a kaleidoscope of color, sound, movement and happiness? No, you really need to come to here and do it right. Look your dance partner in his twinkling eyes, try to mimic his rhythmic foot stomping, fly your arms like magic wings, and imagine you have danced with him since men first roamed the earth. You will know joy, and a feeling that you could love these people for a million more years.

Abishyizehamwe Cooperative:

Twirererabana Cooperative:

www.WorldDanceforHumanity.org