Hills of Rwanda

Ahh..... So we begin the narrative of my experience interning in Rwanda. However, my internship starts next week and I have only had a brief visit to the organization to make acquaintances. Monday will begin my emersion and hopefully, after meeting with staff, a clear project plan will emerge for my time here.

In the meantime, the geographic beauty surpasses my expectations, I have yet to leave Kigali ( the capital) yet am surrounded by lush foliage, beautiful flowering bushes, and the birds here have a sound of their own (which I will try to video... you have to hear this). I am so anxious to explore the rural areas, but have to say that the city life ain't half bad :)

This week I attended a conference by World Learning on Conflict, Memory, and Reconciliation. I went with the expectation that they would be discussing applied case studies or interventions, however, the content was more theoretical and conflict analysis. Interesting, to be honest a bit over my head, but I came away with some insightful questions surrounding using testimonies, the manipulation of historical narratives as truths, and that memory has individually, collectively, and nationally variations that can create both silence and conflict. The critical analysis application to various global conflict should me my own limitations or lack of seeking to understand the side of all participants in a much broader realm ( which embodies social work principle but can often be negative without sufficient background analysis). However, the lack of application was a disappointment due to lack of tangible illustrations.

Today, I had the opportunity to present a research proposal on behalf of a clinical psychology graduate student ( and fellow Kovler intern) to the National Rwandan Ethics Committee. Although, the panel was gracious in their feedback and questions, it was a bit stressful in the hope that they would find the research significant. The proposal is to conduct a 6 week module on Compassion Fatigue for trauma counselors with WeAct ( the organization I will intern with). I have taken on the role of research assistant and am hoping that this comes to fruition.


Plan to takes some picks over the weekend to at least share me lodging (which is amazing) and share the scenery.

Best Regards