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August 5, 2008
FIRST LADY RETURNS TO THE TERRITORY FROM TRAVELS IN RWANDA
First Lady Cecile deJongh, together with a delegation from the Virgin Islands, returned to the Territory Tuesday afternoon after spending two weeks in Rwanda as part of an educational and humanitarian effort to assist children orphaned by HIV/AIDS and genocide. The group spent time working in five separate orphanages and traveled the countryside to learn more about the country’s history and culture. The group was greeted warmly by a welcoming committee of family members and friends upon their return to Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas. Governor deJongh was among those greeting the returning delegation.
"It is truly wonderful to be back home in the Virgin Islands, and to reflect on all that we have learned and experienced on this amazing journey. This trip allowed us to spend time with the children of Rwanda who were orphaned by the 1994 genocide, and whose parents lost their lives from
HIV/AIDS," First Lady deJongh said. "Despite their many challenges, the Rwandese children are upbeat, incredibly warm in spirit, kind, and full of curiosities about our home and our customs in the Territory. Likewise, the students from the Virgin Islands were similarly curious about the Rwandese children and their daily lives. It was truly a joy to witness the new friendships form and to experience the coming together of our two cultures in pure peace and
harmony," deJongh continued.
While abroad, the group held to a very active agenda, which included visiting and working in the Amizero, Benimpuhwe, Imbabazi, Nyamata, and Rebero orphanages, where they painted and spruced up the interiors, as well as the playground areas and benches. The students also helped plant a garden and build a composite site at the Nyamata orphanage. Some of the other activities included: cooking together, and spending time enjoying one another’s company, including singing, dancing, and sharing children’s games native to both Rwanda and the Virgin Islands.
While the V.I. and Rwandese youth worked and played together, they built foundations for a future together and through a translator shared experiences of their backgrounds. First Lady deJongh spoke with the directors of the orphanages to pledge a commitment to cooperatively assist in the future and noted that all of the children were simply overjoyed and delighted to spend time together.
"It was hard to leave Rwanda."
The V.I. delegation went on cultural excursions, including a safari to experience some of the local wildlife together. The group shared first-hand and close-up experiences with gorillas, baboons, impalas, bushbucks, giraffes, crocodiles, and hippopotamus, just to name a few. First Lady deJongh also visited the First Lady of Rwanda, Mrs. Jeanette Kagame, and attended services at both the Musanze Catholic Church and the Kigali Shining Light Church.
DeJongh wrote about her experiences in her Travel Journal, which are posted at her web site,
www.governordejongh.com/firstlady, about the many profound experiences, personal impressions, and group activities during the time abroad, which included visits to Lake Victoria, Lake Kivu, the origin of the Nile River, also known as the
"Yabayungo," the Ihema River, which rests just across from Tanzania, as well as many scenic countryside drives. Some of the excerpts from her Travel Journal are below.
DeJongh was impressed by the children and Rwandese people, in total, blogging on Day 2 of the
"incredibly rewarding" experiences during the trip. She noted the "total sense of national pride within all the Rwandese, as exhibited through their knowledge of their cultural dances and
songs." The Day 2 blog continued, "Benimpuhwe, similar to the other locations, is a day center for orphans but it also provides vocational training for young women. During one of our work breaks we went out front and sat with the children. They immediately started singing and dancing and we joined in with them. Two little boys began dancing the
"calypso" which we all knew how to do and they were amazed that we knew it and called it the same
thing."
On Day Three, the First Lady and V.I. delegation visited the Rwanda Genocide Museum, which depicted the devastation from the 1994 war, and they then visited the U.S. Embassy in Kigali, where they learned more about the history of Rwanda and the programs in place to assist the Rwandese children.
The First Lady also wrote on Day Four, July 24, 2008: "Everything and everyone is covered in the red clay dirt that distinguishes Rwanda from most any other place. The locals say that the red dirt represents the blood that has been shed
here." In total, the V.I. delegation shared experiences and learned about one another’s geography, customs, history, language, and culture. Overall, the human element in all of us resurfaced again and again, deJongh noted, reminding the Rwandese and Virgin Islands youth, in particular, of the vast differences, as well as singular similarities that we share as a common and united people of the world.
DeJongh noted the similarities between the languages and cultures of Rwanda (known as Kinya-rwanda) and the Territory, describing a compelling discovery in one of her blog entries from Day Ten, July 30, 2008:
"Interestingly enough, the Rwandese word for crocodile is ‘ingona’ and we have the ‘iguana’ at home. Just like the word ‘calypso’ is found in both places, as well, evidence of words that were brought to the Caribbean from
Africa," deJongh said.
"I am incredibly fortunate to have been asked to be a part of this trip and to be involved in this opportunity. I look forward to continuing the effort to assist the Rwandese children as part of ‘The Rwanda Project,’ including expanding the opportunity to include students from St. Croix and St. John next
year," The First Lady said. |
