Touchdown in Kigali

So here I am, in Kigali, Rwanda. I arrived about two weeks ago in the land of a thousand hills and I must say Kigali is gorgeous. I have traveled to more than 30 countries and I was still immediately impressed with how hospitable Rwandan people are as well as how incredibly clean Kigali is. I mean, I could eat off these streets! I probably won't test that theory out but still, this city is immaculate.
Outside the Feed the Future headquarters in Kigali
So, what am I doing here? I am a Nutrition Assistant for Plan International, specifically working on the USAID Feed the Future Hinga Weze Activity! Launched in June 2017, Hinga Weze will sustainably increase smallholder farmers’ incomes, improve the nutritional status of Rwandan women and children, and increase the resilience of the agriculture and food systems in a changing climate. Plan International is a subcontractor on the project and as a Nutrition Assistant for Hinga Weze, my job is a mix of Social and Behavioral Communication Change (SBCC) messaging, agricultural input and nutrition strategy development, as well as a whole mix of other exciting things!

 Once I arrived, I quickly found out that while I will be stationed in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, my work will require me to travel throughout ten rural districts where program implementation is happening. Needless to say, I am very excited! I have just come off a week-long trip to our program sites in Lake Kivu and after some much-needed rest, I'll be blogging about the work we did along with plenty of pictures. Stay tuned!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stakeholders, Acronyms and Blue Cheese

Year two validation just came to an end for Hinga Weze. In the spirit of aggressive partnership, Hinga Weze invited many of our stakeholders to a year-end meeting at the Marriott hotel in Kigali. Those invited included government of Rwanda officials from MINAGRI and RAB , USAID representatives, CHAIN partners and D.C. representatives from CNFA and Plan USA . The takeaway from all of those acronyms is simply that Hinga Weze was thorough in inviting stakeholders from as many levels and sectors as possible. That was even more so illustrated when the list of invitees grew from 30 to 60 people in a matter of days. In the end, district vice-mayors and similar lower level government officials were added to the invitation list in order to elicit their valuable input as well as the chance for Hinga Weze to solidify their support on year two projects happening within their districts.  The lead up to this event included many late nights, internal meetings and MEL data consolidation. Oh, t...
Read more

My first safari in an inspiring national park

Image
A giraffe and zebras in Akagera National Park I took a much-needed break from work last weekend when I went on a safari in Akagera National Park . It was really spectacular to see some of the eastern parts of Rwanda since I am based centrally in Kigali and usually head west for work. As a child, I used to rip pictures of wildlife from National Geographic magazines and post them on my bedroom walls. This trip gave me the chance to finally see some of those magnificent creatures in the wild. Additionally, I was able to learn more about Rwanda's history and its dedication to wildlife protection, all while riding around in the coolest vehicle I have ever seen.  After Rwanda's civil war in the 1990s, much of Akagera National Park was reallocated as farmland for returning refugees. The park size was diminished considerably and poaching went unchecked, decimating animal populations. However, after human security returned to the country, the government of Rwanda committed ...
Read more