Clear International

Donna in Rwanda

Posted by Donna Smale on 21 10 2009
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It's been an interesting couple of weeks, lots of ups and downs! I was exhausted when I arrived, but keen to settle in. Within 24hrs of arrival, I had my first injury! I stepped in a hole when crossing the road, and sprained my ankle very badly. This has been quite a hamper to finding my way around as I can't walk very far! Despite this, I have figured out Kigali a little bit, traveling on public transport including my first ever motorbike ride, on a moto-taxi!

 

In the office, I am working with the Lawyers of Hope team, David and Claire, who are both fantastic. So far, I have been reading all about the work of the organisation, future projects and strategy plans. I have also been using my limited Excel knowledge to sort out some of the accounts and presenting the budget. I'm very excited to get stuck in with the new projects, hopefully doing lots of visiting, as well as contributing more to the running of the office.

 

At the same time, however, the team has come up against obstacles in obtaining legal personality for LOH in Rwanda. It's frustrating that officials and paperwork can be hampering such good work, but we'll keep going and find a way around it!

 

I have managed to see a bit of the country in my first few weeks. The LOH staff went on a mini-break to Lake Kivu with a visiting LCF team. The country is really beautiful and provides a fantastic back drop to my time here!