Thursday 17 November 2016

Huye Talking To? Week 3

Week 3...


So perhaps it’s time to tell you what we're actually doing here in Rwanda…





So there are two groups in Huye, an adult’s group and a children’s group each group has a bunch of resources provided by ICS, and we work in partnerships with AMU a local Christian organisation, with those resources we plan, deliver and develop workshops.

Workshops can be on a range of topics for example for the adult’s team we have personal finance, business planning, sexual education, HIV and Aids awareness, health and sanitation, human rights, and English language classes.


For the children’s team we have human rights’ workshops, classes on what it means to be a good Samaritan, workshops where awareness on HIV and Aids is raised, special activities to suit “world days”, planting and growing a vegetable patch, the importance of education, and a workshop on drawing and presenting a ‘empowerment tree’.


Name, Occupation, age, favourite quote:

Hi my name is Bryony Gemma Nisbet and I am the Team Leader based in Huye. I am 25 years old, I have a Masters in International Social Development and Health and my favourite quote would have to be, “Within every hardship there is a hidden blessing” by Siddhartha Gautama… I think”





So who are you and what do you do?

“I have lots of things to do, my role is split between 30% project work and 70% pastoral work, however my main role as a team leader is to support the volunteers and make sure they are happy with the work they’re doing, I also delegate work and get involved with a lot of the activities that the volunteers have planned.”

How are you finding the project as a whole so far?

“I think the project as a whole so far is going good, initially there were teething issues, in terms of knowing what it is that we’re supposed to be doing, because this a new partnership between International Service and AMU it has been challenging, for example getting our resources sorted, and working out how our projects were going to work, after the first week of low morale and low productivity, we split into groups where we were able to decipher who would fit in where…but overall it’s been really really good.”

What do you enjoy the most about this project?

“I think what I enjoy the most about the project so far is probably the people, the volunteers, the people we meet on a day to day basis, the staff, the relationship we have with International Service, when I think about what I enjoy the most its social stuff, its being with people and communicating with people.”

How are you finding your host home?

“So I live with my counter-part team leader Messi, and we live with the head of AMU Huye, John D’ Amour, his wife Solange, and their two children Shemma and Anaya as well as the house help Monny, so there’s a few of us. What’s great about our host home is that the family is so full of love they’re very caring, they’re very supportive and recognise when I’m having bad days to give me my own space, they’re just so humble and loving and I love them.”

What have been the most challenging elements of the project so far?

“For me personally the most challenging elements of the projects so far is that this is actually a 24 hour job, obviously we get to sleep but we have to be on stand-by if something happens, and I think I would be so much more at peace with this role if we got to go home and switch off.”

Use three words to describe your experience overall?

“Haha what a disgusting question, ok well I’ll have to try and not think of buzz words, well I would say that this role so far has been exciting, overwhelming but in a nice way?, and I guess, educational because there’s so much learning going on.”




Name, Occupation, age, favourite quote?

“Ok so my name is Rudasingwa Tatiana Messi, I’m currently unemployed, I have a Masters in Gender, Peace and Security and I’m 26. My favourite quote is in French and it comes from the Olympics, “Always Further, and Always Faster”.









So who are you and what do you do?

“I am a team leader, and what I do is baby-sit the volunteers, haha, no only joking what I do is facilitate the activities, I’m sort of a link between the volunteers and international service staff.”

How are you finding the project as a whole so far?

“I would say it’s been very successful although it started slow because we still had to do a lot of planning, we are the very first cohort to be in Huye, it’s been challenging trying to put things in place for the next cohort as well as our own."

What do you enjoy the most about this project?

“What I enjoy the most is the location, I feel like it's quiet, and very different from the place where I used to live, I also like the organisation, AMU I like the work they do with the children.”

How are you finding your host home?

“My host home is wonderful I stay with the head of AMU, John D’ Amour, they are very welcoming, and even though the walk to and from AMU is very far, its ok because the family is so loving.”


What have been the most challenging elements of the project so far?

“I would say not being able to take part in the activities is difficult because we see the hard work and effort that is put into the activities but often the team leaders just sit back and watch what happens rather than getting stuck in, also the pastoral side of the role can be very difficult, trying to manage everybody’s individual likes and dislikes is very hard. Also there seems to be a lot of miscommunication with the partner organisation, and that has its own problems.”

Use three words to describe your experience overall?

“Wow, that’s difficult, I would say, life changing, cross cultural, team working” 


Stay tuned for week 4...

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