Rainbow Over Kigali
6 October 2009
Rainbow Over Kigali
By Gavin Sword, KF9 Rwanda
It is no secret that the rainbow is a harbinger of good things ahead. This photo is a view of Rwanda’ capital city, Kigali after a brief rain spell. On my very first day here, a rainbow was a happy sight indeed..
I am happy to report that I have arrived to begin my work here as a Kiva Fellow – my first day is tomorrow. In the meantime, I thought I would (briefly) share some of my impressions thus far.
First, some perspective, I was perusing over the map of Africa in Brussels Airline’s newsy inflight magazine while en route to Kigali and I learned that Rwanda has a population of over 10 million and a landmass of approximately 10,000 square miles. Using a useful web-based tool called “google.com”, I further learned that Rwanda is a bit smaller than Maryland with twice the population.
So, Rwanda is about 100 miles by 100 miles in area – this should bode well for microfinance efforts to reach rural regions since they are relatively close to urban centers. Microfinance is surely needed here as I also learned that the average annual per capital income is just over $US1,000. Ok, no more statistics, onto anecdotes!
Last night I ventured out to a café/bar and enjoyed watching a football match on TV with a room full of football loving Rwandans. Recognizing a foreigner (not hard to spot with reddish/blond hair), several people came up to me to welcome me to Rwanda and asked where I was from, what I was doing in Rwanda and which team I was cheering for. (Deciding allegiance was called for; I am a very newly minted fan of Liverpool’s football squad and was utterly crestfallen to see them lose to Chelsea last night). More seriously, I was genuinely moved by the good-natured, friendliness of the people I met. A kinder welcome to a country one could not hope to have. There truly is a rainbow over Kigali… I am excited to be here and begin my work as a Kiva Fellow!
Entry Filed under: KF9 (Kiva Fellows 9th Class), Rwanda, Vision Finance Company s.a. (VFC), a partner of World Vision International. Tags: Gavin Sword, KF9, Kiva Fellows, Rwanda, VFC, Vision Finance Company.
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1. Avani | 6 October 2009 at 10:46
What a beautiful welcome to Kigali! Thanks for sharing, Gav.
2. Alan | 6 October 2009 at 12:25
DUDE!!! more anecdotes!! go liverpool!
3. Victoria | 6 October 2009 at 12:28
“Using a useful web-based tool called ‘google.com’…” hahaha zing! nice one, gavin. and good luck tomorrow!
4. Leslie | 6 October 2009 at 13:11
I love this!!!
5. John Briggs | 6 October 2009 at 14:58
Now you have me hungry for more Sword-sharp statisdotes. Or anectistics.
The rainbow bodes well for your Kiva time in Rwanda and beyond. Keep on posting!
6. Jan & John, KivaFriends | 6 October 2009 at 15:02
Rainbows always mean the “calm after the storm”. Rwanda could use many rainbows. We will try to help by watching for those Rwanda loans. be well, and good luck tomorrow. jan
7. Christina | 6 October 2009 at 15:28
gorgeous! can’t wait until the next post!
8. Lindsay | 6 October 2009 at 15:37
Very dense. Love the blog. Go Manchester!
9. Nanay | 6 October 2009 at 22:33
Well done! This could be the beginning of YOUR book! Keep on blogging.
10. nickigoh | 7 October 2009 at 00:50
Great to hear your news from Rwanda and enjoy the first day at work. Keep those blogs (and tweets) coming.
Oh, and good choice of Liverpool over Chelsea
11. patrick | 7 October 2009 at 05:21
dude, so web 2.0. Love the blog
12. stephanie | 7 October 2009 at 07:22
Thanks Gavin!
This is an awesome post. Rwanda is lucky to have such a great guy! Maybe the rainbow was a Thank You!
13. chris | 7 October 2009 at 09:32
Gavin – Thanks for sharing your journey. Good luck on your first day.
14. Thomas | 7 October 2009 at 11:34
Hey Gavin!
Nice post, I loved it!
For similar reasons, I’ve just become a fan of “los tigres de licey” baseball team (even though I still don’t undderstand anything about this sport)
Be well in Rwanda
15. sona | 8 October 2009 at 19:18
Gavin,
what a great Rwandan welcome to you and your family! it was great to meet you and i look forward to reading about your adventures and impact on humanity. thanks for being the difference…you are inspirational!
16. mary riedel | 12 October 2009 at 19:04
this is an absolutely amazing image – thanks for sharing it Gavin