The required disclaimer!

This blog is NOT an official Fulbright Program blog. The views expressed are my own and not those of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State or any of its partner organizations.







Friday, September 26, 2014

Everything is the same and its all different

My week in Kigali is quickly coming to an end.  By now I've had a chance to visit with many people we befriended in 2011.  Each time I met up with someone I would be told that it is not surprising to see me in Rwanda again, that I haven't changed a bit (well except for the former student who told me that my hips look bigger) and then I was asked when I am next coming back.

Early in the week I had dinner with Chantal who was our housekeeper.  She is now in school studying hospitality while working 2 jobs.  With Chantal, everything was the same and we shared some food a few stories before she had to moto off to school, I hope she successfully explained to her teacher that she was late because of me.

Today I met up with Patrice who was one of our guards.  Patrice has just finished business school and passed the examination to be a public accountant.  He was dressed in his finest because the public accounting association was going to recognize his achievement in the afternoon.  Again with Patrice everything was the same only now, he has the skills and advanced certification to get a well-paying job and hopefully a permanent job

I've also caught up with some of the KHI faculty.  They are the same but the institution is no longer Kigali Health Institute as it is now the University of Rwanda, College of Medical and Health Science.  From what I can tell the name and organizational change has added many new layers of bureaucracy and has not been positive for the physio department.  When I was a visiting professor there were 8-9 faculty, now there are 3!  Spending a bit of time with Juvenal was a highlight but finding him was a trick.  The faculty offices have been moved off of the campus to the new Kigali City Tower, an expensive high-rise in center city Kigali.  On the visit I got to ride in my first Rwandan elevator in this very fancy, upscale and expensive office building that appears at least 1/2 empty.  I can't imagine how they will fill the other 6 planned high-rise buildings that are going to surround Kigali City Tower.  The noisy area where we used to pick up buses is now a quiet downtown street.
It may sound as if I've spent the entire week visiting old friends but that's not exactly the case.  I've been working with our grant manager and our local grant coordinator on evaluating our progress and planning the next 8 months of activity.  The evaluation piece meant that I got to visit with some clinics where I know physios including CHUK, King Faisel Hospital and Rwanda Military Hospital (formerly Kanombe).  The hospitals look the same, the staff look the same but in each place there were small upgrades or building changes and other evidence that the Rwandan initiatives to improve infrastructure are ongoing.

I've visited some new areas of the city.  The other night we took our local grant coordinator, a man named Bernard and his wife to Green Corner to eat the amazing slow-grilled fish.  Good thing his wife arrived early to make the order because I've heard from some people that it can take 2-3 hours to get the fish.  When it comes, you wash your hands and dig in.  I was so stuffed I couldn't eat again until late the next day.

I've had much more luck with food on this trip.  Not because Kigali is suddenly a gourmet city but because I know how to find things I like and how to avoid all else.  Aside from brochette, mangos, avocado, maracuja and bananas this time there were some new spots at which to eat and some new foods.  One afternoon while running between hospitals I grabbed a smoothie at the new Hero - quite delicious avocado, ginger, mango and coconut milk made to order by the "smoothie girls" in what looked very much like a Vitamix

The biggest transformations here have been to the roadways and buildings around the city.  There are far more high rises, tarmac streets and traffic lights than previously.  I think I may even have seen a crosswalk.  Gratefully the very old tree at the top of our street across from Parliament still stands.  In a city bent on changing an old tree is a miraculous find.

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Where the streets have no name

During the day (today included) much of my time is going to be working on activities related to the grant.  Still, I've promised to show how Kigali has changed since our last visit.  Just before departing I did a little Google map search and was surprised to see that all the streets had numbers.  Its true, every street in the capital now has a street sign and is numbered.  Too bad, according to the two drivers with whom I've spoken (Zaidu and Richard), almost nobody is using them as actual landmarks or for directions.  They look great, very official and efficient. I guess if we still lived in that house "behind the yellow bar" we'd probably now say behind the yellow bar on KG 605 St.


Saturday, September 20, 2014

Postscript return to Kigali

One goal of a Fulbright award, at least according to the government, is to create lasting relationships and possibly professional opportunities between Americans and the world.  In my case it seems to have worked.  On returning home in 2011 I started working with Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) to set up a site for US physical therapists to do some training work in Kigali.  Along the way we applied for and received a USAID grant entitled the "Advancement of Rwandan Rehabilitation Services".  Details on the grant were nicely described in this HVO press release:

Health Volunteers Overseas will work with the Kigali Health Institute (KHI), a nationally-funded institute in Kigali for students pursuing degrees in health professions, including physical and occupational therapy.  The institute will be a key component of the Rwanda University of Medicine and Health Science, which will soon merge with the medical school, and public health school.  In recent years, there has been a large infusion of funds and resources for the medical profession, but physical and occupational therapy will need further development in order to address the rehabilitation needs of the country, where those with disabilities number close to 523,000.

Continuing professional development is a crucial aspect of a vital health care force.  HVO will partner with the Kigali Health Institute and the Association of Rwandan Physiotherapy (ARP) to develop a model of continuing education for rehabilitation providers to enhance their knowledge and skills.  The abilities of these professionals will be developed to reach out to medical providers, community leaders and rehabilitation extenders to expand access to services for underserved populations.


To further the capacity of KHI and to develop a vital rehabilitation community, HVO will work with the institute and the national therapy association to develop their leadership capabilities and promote the role of rehabilitation within the medical community.  With the commitment of the Rwandan government to its plan of action, Rwanda could potentially be a leader in regional rehabilitation care.  HVO will work with KHI and the Ministry of Health to explore this possibility and assess if it could realistically serve as an East African Regional Rehabilitation Education Center.

 So, here I am sitting in the Brussels airport celebrating my 52nd birthday with a return trip to Kigali for mid-grant evaluation and planning purposes.  Wow, I'm going back, Ngiye Kigali and I'm back on the blog!