By Natalie Karakey, Learning Trip Member
Today, we drove 40 minutes to the All Souls Church in Gasogi, Rwanda where we spent two hours worshipping and enjoying their music, dances, and skits. The church itself was dug out of the red earth mountainside. They had orange decorations wrapped around the support beams. After the service, we listened to empowered women describe their “VICOBA” system, which stands for Village Community Banking. The program entails a group of women, coming together to save money and giving loans to those who need it to start small businesses. These include: a self-sufficient bakery, jewelry making, and a goat, pig and chicken farm.
Goat at Togetherness farm
Then we walked through the village from the church to the Togetherness Cooperative in Munini, Rwanda. Pastor Steven gave us a tour of the 6 acre property through their animal farms, banana plantations and well. Then we ate a meal comprised of potatoes, red beans, and plantains. Later, most of the team played soccer with the Togetherness girls. Once we finished the games, the drums and the dancing began. A group of about 9 girls in matching skirts began dancing for 30 minutes, inviting all of us along.
Learning trip team and Togetherness girls playing soccer together
The Togetherness cooperative practices traditional Rwandan dance
After the dance, we were overwhelmed with kids of all ages eager to talk to us and take pictures with us. When we got back to the hotel, we asked everyone on the team to share their “highs, lows, and hallelujahs”. These were some of their responses:
Highs: Talking to the girls on the soccer team, singing Amazing Grace for their church congregation, learning about VICOBA and its impact on the community.
Lows: The initial morning heat, limited water supply, and remaining effects of jetlag.
Hallelujahs: Hugging and greeting kids, seeing the joy in all of their faces as they welcomed us into their community, seeing the work the Togetherness Cooperative has achieved, and our ability to learn, worship, and communicate despite the language barrier.
Togetherness children