First day back in Rwanda in 2019

I arrived safely at Kigali airport and I must say it is lovely to get back to the warmth of the sun and the warmth of the people. As soon as I chatted to the Rwandan clerk issuing my visa I remembered the cheerful and relaxed attitude that most people here have towards life. I really really hope that development doesn’t also bring hard faced and miserable attitudes to life.

After a lovely deep sleep under the mosquito net I woke with the sun and went out into the garden.

After admiring the view over Kigali I went around the back of the house and has massive surprise!

Ritah has a workshop for carpenters at the back of their house! All the machinery was brought from the UK in suitcases because it’s not possible to buy them here. They are making wooden toys for Ritah’s business which she started less than three years ago. It is called Toddle Care and you can explore it on www.toddlecare.com . This is a completely new concept in Rwanda and it is becoming very popular. One of the principles we used when I was working for VSO was not to bring in lots of plastic for children to play with but to use locally sourced materials as much as possible. There are more and more items being ‘Made in Rwanda’ by Rwandan Workers. These two carpenters are symbolic of this policy. Ritah also employs people who make beautiful items from fabric, such as dolls, playhouses. If you are ever in Kigali it is worth a visit to her shop or take a look at the website and ask me to bring something home.

I’m hoping to meet Theogene soon when he arrives in Kigali so I will keep you posted!

The Blogger website planner keeps jumping about, it is a little unstable but I will do my best!

Thanks for all your care and interest in what I’m doing here.

Bless you, Tricia