Ten days ago we arrived in Kigali with trepidation and expectation. It seems like a day or two ago in some ways; yet in other ways it seems like a lifetime ago.
Today we drove across the entire country of Rwanda—from Bukavu at the Congo-Rwanda border to Kigali. It took almost 8 hours. The countryside is…
We are taken by convoy on an impossible 3 hour drive, high up in the mountains where the Congolese Tutsis control the terrain. The “roads” are indescribable. Half the time our vehicle is gliding through the mud and the other half it feels as if it is almost on its side. Torrential rains fall, the…
I have been thinking during the last four days about the definition of a woman of valor, something we talk about in our Jewish tradition. Our time in the Congo has demonstrated to me, once again, the anomalies of life on the African continent. This is my sixth visit to Africa but only my first…
As she entered the room, my eyes froze on her scarred and disfigured face. Skin melted like a plastic mask. I winced and a pain shot through my heart. I instructed my eyes to move off of her face; but where should they go? On their own, my eyes darted to her arms bound in…
For nine years Mama Francine (for her safety I cannot reveal her true name) has lived in the safe house in a remote and isolated area outside of Goma. For six years before that she lived at a hospital and endured surgery after surgery to repair the damage to her body caused by violent rape.…
Yesterday we drove east from Kigali to visit the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village, an extraordinary program established by Jewish philanthropist Ann Heyman as a response to helping Rwanda move forward following the horrifying genocide of the early 1990’s. While visiting the Genocide Memorial in Kigali earlier in the day, we stood in a room filled…
I met Ingrid in person in April, 2007 when she came to California for her admissions interview at Stanford University. At the time, Ingrid was 19 years old. But I had actually seen Ingrid a few years before…when as a young teenager she was prominently featured in a documentary film (brilliantly produced by Global Nomads)…
It took us 30 hours from the time we departed from Los Angeles to when we arrived in Kigali, Rwanda. We spent the evening visiting with our new Rwandan friends who will be our guides and translators While we have not yet seen Kigali in the daytime, from our conversations tonight and by the looks…
Naama Haviv will share stories from her mission to DRC with the actist student from USC’s Fight on For Darfur. When: 7:30pm Where: USC (exact location TBD)
JWW Assistant Director Naama Haviv will speak about her recent trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo at Temple Ahavat Torah. This will be the first time she discusses her mission. When: Discussion starts at 1:00pm Where: Village Lutheran Church, 343 Church Lane, Brentwood, CA