Meghan and Caroline are returning to Rwanda to work at Umuryango, a home for former street children! We intend to establish a counseling program for the boys, as well as implement some expressive arts therapy, and create profiles for each boy documenting their "story." Meghan will also be doing some research for her thesis on ritual and healing. Upon our return, we will utilize some of their artwork to develop products to sell and generate income for the new counseling program. Click the links above to learn more about our plans!

We have raised some money, but are still several thousand dollars short. Please feel free to make a contribution to the cause... Even five dollars would mean so much! Information on donating is below on the right. We appreciate all of your thoughts, comments and support.

Below is our blog, which we will use to update you on our progress!

WHY RWANDA?


 PROBLEM STATEMENT: 

1. Every boy there has experienced some form of trauma. Many of the older boys witnessed the genocide firsthand. While the younger boys did not, they have been affected indirectly. With at least ten percent of the population killed, no one escaped without consequences. The vast majority of the country witnessed extreme violence which has affected people in various ways. Some adults seem to have lost the ability to be loving, involved parents. The boys who turned to the streets have often been neglected or abused by their family members.
In a study on Rwandan orphans ten years after the genocide, almost half displayed symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.[1] Umuryango has recognized a need for counseling, therapy and positive outlets for the boys’ emotions. Consolée, a registered mental health nurse, and member of the family who started Umuryango, has begun therapeutic activities with the boys. These include group therapy and the creation of a dance group which has allowed the boys to travel performing in Rwanda. While these efforts provide essential groundwork, resources are limited, and the ultimate goal of comprehensive mental and emotional health has not been reached. 

Philip Gourevitch, author of We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families, has said that “Rwanda's future lies with the country's younger generation, which will refuse to inherit the world that the older generation will leave behind."[2] These children are the future of Rwanda and efforts to ensure their emotional stability helps to ensure the stability of the country and its future.

2. To help fund the boys’ schooling, clothing, food and other necessities, Umuryango establishes sponsorships with individuals in the United States. In the past year, over half of the boys have lost their sponsorships. Thus, Umuryango finds itself in a financially challenging place. The organization has expressed a need for developing stories for each of the boys to help encourage new sponsorship.


[1] Schaal, S. & Elbert, T. (2006). Ten years after the genocide: Trauma Confrontation and Posttraumatic stress in Rwandan adolescents. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 19 (1), p. 95-105.
[2] Evans, T (2009, November 20). “Former Rwanda official warns of violence.” para. 9, Retrieved from www.cnn.com.

 

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