The Future of Rwanda is in Our Hands
I was at home with my brothers when a friend, James, came to pay us a visit. He is an agreeable person who holds a Masters’ Degree from India. However, ever since he returned to Rwanda in 2015, he has not been able to secure a job. He came to our house because he wanted me to share about my experience as a Global Health Corps Fellow and review his application. When I asked about his motivation to apply, he mentioned the training at Yale University in the US in an excited voice. When I started telling him about how transformative the fellowship experience had been to me so far, he cut it short and said that if he had a chance to travel to the US, that he would not return to Rwanda.
I turned to him and said: “James, you know what? Before you even waste your time filling in the application, I want you to know that GHC is looking for passionate people!”
A blush came over his face, and there was nothing he could add. I asked him what he thought he would do after being left alone in the US.
James immediately answered: “America is a rich continent; you cannot starve in the US. I would look for any job even if it would be cleaning toilets. They don’t have problems like we do in Africa.”
No words can express my disappointment with my friend’s vision of the world. I thought about his answers during interviews while he was applying to different jobs. Did my MBA holder friend have a clear plan for his future? Did he have a vision for himself, his community, and his country? While he was dreaming of America, did James remember that Rwanda needs its youth? What would happen if we all run away from our country’s problems? Running away will not solve the multiple issues that burden our country. The best approach to solve any problem is to study it and figure out a solution.
The tragic 1994 genocide took nearly a million lives, deprived Rwanda of decades of development, destroyed infrastructure, and crippled essential services. Since then, foreign aid has entered into the country, contributing to our rebuilding. But Rwanda’s continued socioeconomic development primarily depends on how well local stakeholders are able to collaborate to achieve a better future.
Many people have struggled so that others can live peacefully; they invested yesterday for what we have today. We have come a long way, but there is still a long way to go. I believe that there is no limit to growth — human beings must always strive to be and do better. We continuously dream to achieve higher, seeking to fit into this rapidly changing world.
Rwandans have made many breakthroughs over the past decades, from mending broken hearts to building health systems, infrastructure, and social cohesion. Great initiatives were established, including: Nyakatsi Eradication, a project that replaced weed roofs with sheet metal in order to offer dignified shelter to vulnerable households; Umuganda, the community coming together in common purpose to build the country; and Mutuelle de sante, a community-based health insurance program that was rolled out.
Many people have struggled so that others can live peacefully; they invested yesterday for what we have today. We have come a long way, but there is still a long way to go. I believe that there is no limit to growth — human beings must always strive to be and do better. We continuously dream to achieve higher, seeking to fit into this rapidly changing world.
When you walk around in the city of Kigali, you see many newly completed buildings, numerous structures under construction, and a few others under demolition. Rwanda has been steadily experiencing changes for the past decade, and to me, it is simply a sign that the country needs us, its citizens, now more than ever. For a better, greener, safer, and more sustainable Rwanda, the collective leadership, experience, and creativity of our country’s young people is paramount.
For a better, greener, safer, and more sustainable Rwanda, our collective leadership, experience, and creativity of our country’s young people is paramount.
In particular, we need leaders in infrastructure. One may ask, “Why infrastructure?” Not only is this the sector I have the most experience in, but I also believe that our built environment can radically impact society. There is clear evidence that investment in infrastructure leads to the growth of a country’s economy and the improved well-being of its people.
The rate of urbanization of my country, Rwanda, is one of the highest rates in Africa. The Rwandan population is expected to grow by 28 percent by 2030. Such rates highlight Rwanda’s exceptionally high need for primary infrastructure (e.g. shelters, healthcare facilities, and schools). Systematic planning is needed, and intensive capital investments are required to construct healthy built environments that not only sustain, but empower this growing population.
Some organizations in Rwanda, like my placement organization MASS Design Group, have taken this a step further. We believe everyone deserves dignified housing, healthcare, and education. It is our duty to advocate for better buildings. For instance, the Butaro Hospital in Northern Rwanda is designed to mitigate and reduce the transmission of airborne disease through various innovative systems, including overall layout and natural cross-ventilation. In Malawi, the Maternity Waiting Village gives mothers who travel to give birth at a health clinic a comfortable place to stay in the final weeks of their pregnancy. In both cases, using local materials and local labor to build these structures stimulated local economic opportunity and skill development.
We are the country’s strongest asset. We will be the generation to define the next fifteen years of development in our country. We have to stop running away… Our failure to build a society is a failure to realize our potential.
The work of everyone in all sectors is important. Everyone has a responsibility to change the world for the better. This does not imply big, scary projects, but simple steps in order to build a better society. A few examples include: preserving what has been achieved over years, saving energy and water, keeping our cities clean, fighting against corruption, being protective instead of harmful, doing whatever you are doing well and living unselfishly.
I wish I could keep reminding James and other young Rwandans the message of God written in Ephesians 2:10 that we were created for a life of good deeds, which God has already prepared for us to do. These good deeds are our service to the world. Whenever we serve others in any way, we are actually serving God. We are the country’s strongest asset. We will be the generation to define the next fifteen years of development in our country. We have to stop running away. As I was telling James, we should see our country’s biggest problems as our biggest business opportunities. Our failure to build our society is our failure to realize our potential.
“Now that Rwandans are no longer defined by race, religion, gender or ethnicity makes it even easier for us to be disruptive leaders. The lack of boundaries enables agility which is important for disruption and innovation.” — His Excellency Paul Kagame, The President of the Republic of Rwanda
Our country is in our hands now, and its future will depend on our actions. We are the only ones who can change it.
Esther Ndacyayisenga is a 2016–2017 Global Health Corps fellow working with MASS Design Group in Kigali as a Research and Operations fellow. Esther was born and raised in Rwanda. She holds a Bachelor’s in Real Estate Management from the University of Rwanda, and she is committed to use her expertise to redefine the future of the built environment and the lives of its inhabitants in Rwanda and beyond.
