Clear International

Donna in Rwanda

Posted by Donna Smale on 20 10 2009
3 Comments

27/09/2009 - Time of writing

I'm currently on a flight to Rwanda, and I thought this might be an appropriate time to write my first entry on my blog about my trip to Rwanda!

 

Firstly, a few words about myself. I'm slowly moving along the path of training to be a barrister. I did a law degree at the University of Sheffield and have just completed the Bar Vocational Course at Nottingham Law School. In 2007, I took part in a mission trip to East Africa for law students, visiting the offices of CLEAR in Uganda and Kenya. I found the whole trip incredibly inspiring. The offices achieved so much with limited resources and made a massive difference to the lives of many people. Last year, I applied to be an intern and was asked to go to Rwanda.

 

Throughout the summer, I received many donations to my fundraising. I have been very lucky to receive support from the International Bar Association and from Lincoln's Inn. The people at the church that I attend in Overton have been incredibly generous and I was really encouraged by all the personal messages of support that I received.

 

Most recently, I've had all sorts of difficulties sorting out paperwork for my visa. I'm concerned that considering how frustrating bureaucracy is in England, I'm not sure how I'm going to cope in Rwanda!