Rwanda welcomes UK Conservatives

Yesterday over 100 volunteers from the UK Conservative party gathered in Kigali for the second phase of ‘Project Umubano’. PAULUS KAYIGGWA talked to those waiting to receive them. Gabo Wilson, coordinator of the Genocide Survivors Fund (SURF), is excited. “We cannot wait to see them again. They work voluntarily to help us realise our long term goals,” he said. In partnership with SURF, a Conservative team will be working alongside Rwandan builders in the construction of a community centre in Kinyinya where the majority of households are child-headed. “It’s marvelous for them to serve as an example to us; they help communities in the country meet their great potential,” Wilson continued. He further added that Project Umubano offers a chance for Rwandans to learn new skills. “I think that we are learning a lot from them as they are also learning from us,” Wilson said. Remy Manzi, a medical student at national university of Rwanda in Butare, is one of the students who will work with a group of medical experts from the delegation. “We are well prepared to receive them and hoping to learn a lot from their medical expertise within the two weeks,” said Manzi. He further added that it’s important for students studying medicine to be exposed to such experienced people and to learn from their professionalism. “With the partnership, I think medical students from this country will visit hospitals in the UK to see what other doctors are doing and gain a broad perspective of medical issues,” expectant Manzi said. The Conservatives are also turning their attention to the private sector. 22 volunteers will be divided between the Capital Markets Advisory Council, the Kigali School of Finance and Banking and the Private Sector Federation where they will run workshops depending on the needs of their Rwandan counterparts. Emmanuel Hategeka, the secretary general of the Private Sector Federation, said it’s important for such experienced and skillful people to come to the country. “The private sector personnel are expected to acquire new skills in strategic planning, and acquire advice and experience from the experts,” Hategeka said. He further added that business consultations are very expensive, unaffordable to most in Rwanda. “UK Conservative Party members deserve credit for their willingness to share their knowledge and expertise free of charge.” A lecturer at the Kigali School of Finance and Banking, preferring to speak on the condition of anonymity, said they expect a team of technicians to work on their website. “I am hopeful that services on our website are going improve,” he said. Andrew Mitchell MP, shadow secretary for international development and the project’s leader, will lead a project of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) trained volunteers in association with the Ministry of Education. As part of the ministry’s month long training programme for 1,500 primary school Englsih teachers, Conservatives will help train participants in English communication skills. The training will take place over two weeks in selected schools in Butare and Kigali and the 1,500 teachers will each receive an English dictionary. Vannesa Mutesi, a teacher at Girubuntu primary school, said that it’s important for such people to come to the country. “I am very optimistic that after the training, teachers will be able to disseminate whatever they have acquired to our children,” she said.She stressed the importance of language skills, “they are building blocks for a child’s future and society’s future too.” Furthermore she added, “Such learning and training opportunities for adults can turn a ‘job’ into a ‘career’.” Ends