2006 Rwanda Study Tour
Dawn Marie Lemonds' Journal

February 1, 2006: One Week to Go!

Dear Friends,
I have invited you to be part of my online journal for our Upcoming Soroptimist International Study Tour to Rwanda. Cathy Standiford told me about this - and I thought – WOW - what a great way to share with you along the way.

I will be taking my PALM and keyboard and typing notes of the women stories each day- to use as resources when I return. I imagine that this will be more a summary of what is happening, who we are meeting, and my impressions. It makes me smile to think that I have a "neighborhood" at home- that might want to share these observations with. Please feel free to pass any of this along to anyone that you think might be interested. I will try to keep it "semi-literate" but- I probably will have typos and you will just have to live with it!

I am really excited about this upcoming activity. Today- my club amazed and surprised me with a donation to my travels. I am humbled and stunned with their unflagging support of so many projects...and of me! Today they decided to do a really exciting new program with Girls Scouts!

I need to get off to my church choir rehearsal. This will be my last time to sing with my choir for a month and it always centers me.

Thanks to you all!
HIMO (Away we go!)
Dawn Marie


February 7, 2006: Ready, Set, Go…Off to Rwanda!

Zoom went this week with a million little travel details that seemed to be "musts". I cannot remember another journey I have taken with so much anticipation and preparation except perhaps my trip to China in 1995 for the NGO Forum.

It is absolutely amazing how many things I HAVE to take....most- God willing- I will never need. My wonderful neighbor Jackie added a medical kit that is the size of two bananas - with an amazing treasure trove of stuffs that I PRAY that I don't have to use.

Here I am, dreaming this trip for over a year...having the luxury of "owning" almost every detail and meticulously selecting every garment I can take in my 50 lbs of luggage. (When we went to Bosnia the allocation was 70 pounds so I had to trim down the stuff.) Sam- a confession- I have more than 5 outfits..........but.....the irony is that I comfortably go to a place of people who had no time to pack. No time to plan ....their lives and the lives of their families were changed immeasurably forever through the brutality and unimaginable disaster of civil war.

It is astounding how many people fret and worry about the potential of sadness that we will face. I take my tears, my heart, my laughter and all of you with me. You are an amazing team and I know that you will be my living angels as we meet the real heroines in life....heroines who are facing their ghosts and moving forward.

This will surely be a trip of joy.
Au Revoir,
Dawn Marie



February 11, 2006: Rwanda Experience Begins

It is phenomenal to really be here. It has been so long on my mind and dreams and to actually be here-to smell the air and experience the first moments of this living dream is thrilling beyond what I imagined. The first views from the air were magic - the hills, the red paths the winding water, the palms, fields and lushness. How fantastic to see the turquoise, yellow and green flag unfurled of Rwanda. A flag that I hope means future of peace for the people who have endured too much over these past 40 years of unrest- and 12 years now of tenuous peace.

We were met by a smiling Erica and Patty and our new best friend SETH who gives big hugs and kisses twice- kiss, kiss and an amazing smile and sweetness. I was groggy from too many hours of travel- but- ecstatic with the excitement of being here. We wound our way through the streets of Kigali- very few cars, lots of walking people, and men and women with baskets on their heads. In some ways it feels like a tropical paradise with the wonderful greenery and flowers and balmy air......in other ways it feels quite difficult to live with so much commotion and work that has to be done to simply live. Today- Saturday- we saw many people bustling up and down hills with huge yellow jugs that they carried to the local water-place. It is a drought and water is expensive. I was "pleased" to see both men and women carrying the jugs- not just the women- but my goodness- what a lot of work for something we take so lightly. Only this morning I was whining to Cathy about the "inconvenience" of brushing my teeth with bottled water. It just wasn't EASY and gosh- easy seems to be my life.

So- not to be gloomy- YES- those of you that know me- know that I was in the pool- although the prospect of a nap in the yummy comfortable bed lured me....that blue pool with delicious refreshing (NOT COLD) water lured me and stretched every "stove" up muscle that yearned to be free.

Last night- we went to the Chinese restaurant with Berra and the "girls" (Patty and Erica). Actually they are competent and wonderful and bright young women who have developed a wonderful trip with us- but its fun to refer to them as the girls- because they are young in spirit and sweetness and feistiness. Berra is the Country Director for the Women for Women International program here in Rwanda. Her story is great and so much more to tell – but - a little about this young woman is that she was "an externally displaced" person in Uganda - which her parents fled to in 1959. The whole family returned in 1994 - right after the genocide and now has returned to the homeland that they yearned to be in. Berra first worked helping women in the country- many widows - with recovery from their recent devastation. She says that has helped her "understand" and I know that there will be more to learn from that story. Berra is the leader of 32 staff members who work in the Rwanda office and across the country. She is going to be someone to learn from and has a spirit that is welcoming and wonderful. We already started learning about the women, the work they are doing and her excitement with the programs that they are able to provide. I must admit a bit of pride thinking that to a very small way- us as Soroptimists and friends - are making her contributions possible and we are connected. Berra's Chinese restaurant (named the Chinese restaurant) was in some dark street somewhere in Kigali - made especially dark because the power was off for the second time that day. We crept unconfidently down the uneven stairs and I saw that we were the only women. We were led to a table in the corner- with one candle......wowie....Dawnie Marie you ain't in Kansas anymore! OK- Chinese food in Kigali, Rwanda- that should be interesting!!!!! So- we ordered at about 7:30 and at 9:15 the food arrived....each course cooked individually and fresh...mmm...it was different but tasty and I did really well keeping my chin off of the table after 40 plus hours of VERY limited sleep.

Today - refreshed - 8 hours of sleep and a good swim, the first knitting class for "the girls" (we are going to be working on making an knitted afghan with tour participants who want to do it and raffle it off) great breakfast, WONDERFUL COFFEE and a relaxing day - the highlight of which was going to the Kigali Memorial Center. This center was opened by the government at the 10-year anniversary of the genocide- a time when the UN and governments around the world finally acknowledged that this was not a little massacre or civil war- but clearly a genocide- defined as a systematic political action aimed at eliminating an entire race or group of people- in this case the Tutsis. We have just returned to this amazing hotel where we are staying- the Intercontinental- and are stunned with too many images and stories that have certainly changed my life already. 256,000 people are buried here and more to come- all from Kigali......more mass graves will be added down the hill. We saw and read the stories, many film clip interviews- and left wondering HOW and WHY could this have happened?

I leave you with the children's room. There were pictures of children who were killed- precious children that someone loved. On the plaque for each it said their name, their age, their favorite food, their best friend, and what they like to do. Finally, it said how they were killed- most often by a machete. These were the innocent...perhaps they would have been the heroes of today’s Rwanda.

How did it happen?

I leave you and will return. The smell and taste of Rwanda is in me...love Dawn Marie