5 weeks full of impressions come to an end

Our time at the HDVC Kabuga in Rwanda / Africa

Our trip started on Monday, November 4th, 2019, from Frankfurt via Istanbul to Kigali a full 10 hours journey. Christine, the head of the HDVC Kabuga project, welcomed us together with her entire family in the middle of the night. In the next few days we had to get used to all the new impressions and cultural differences. We gradually realized that the work at the center of the HDVC is definitely more diverse than expected. So in the first few weeks we considered which projects would be sensible to support the people not only with our therapeutic work as fledgling physiotherapists. Together with Christine and her team, consisting of a teacher and an occupational therapist, we gathered the things most needed from all areas. This included, for example, the creation of a “permanent garden” or seat shells for the children. The seat shells in particular are a great asset to children with postural disorders in the form of paresis or plegia. The little ones are carried only on the backs of their mothers outside the center, so that they can’t do any of their own trunk muscle work.  Smaller works like a ditch next to the kitchen corner for the prevention of flooding in heavy rain we executed on days when the center was not officially open. On all other days – Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays – we placed focus on important therapies as well as care for parents in dealing with their children.  In the last week we did some renovation work because the bridge that our predecessors had built was getting a bit old due to the weather conditions. We got new boards and nails on the market to fix them with Vincent, the caretaker and some other supporters.  November 6^th was our last day in the center. The evening before, we prepared two large trays of biscuits to distribute as a small thank you for the warm welcome by the children, their parents and everyone else.

We wanted to use Christmas time to come together and to do something good for people.

In conclusion, we would like to emphasize once again how incredibly helpful the Rwandan people are – to each other and to us as foreigners. Immediately you feel part of it, even though you don’t speak the same language or know your counterpart for a long time. Likewise, our cookie campaign at the end just showed us how valuable such things are for people here. Often it only takes the little things to achieve the great. Memories that will shape our whole life.

Michelle and Lena (November-December 2019)