The Elevation Project

Summer 2010 trip update

Theres no other way of saying it. The 2010 summer trip to Rwanda was a huge success! Hundreds of children and families from Rwanda were helped and 27 young people and leaders from Canada had their lives turned upside down.

We got the play park built and it was even better than we expected. The kids we worked with on the two camps had the opportunity to rush into it as we cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony and what a party it was.

Team member Alicia McIver wrote that night:

Today the play park officially opened. As I stood and watched the children when they were told the park was open, I was taken off guard by the looks on their faces. The look was one of absolute delight. It was overwhelming for me to see how something so simple will change the lives of the children at this school and in this community. I realized that this play structure is so much more than some nails and wood. It is a place of discovery, imagination, friendship and it will provide an opportunity for the students here to just be children.

Along side this we had the wonderful opportunity to work in a local village we are building ties with. Team member Kyler Miles wrote these words:

It was my second time going ( to the village) and about 40 people went with us to help three different families. One group made bricks for a family’s home, another team built the walls for a house extension, and my group built a bathroom for a mother and her daughter. It was incredible how their bathroom was just a hole in the ground covered with leaves and sticks. Seeing that really made me think about how very lucky I am just to have a washroom, and not have to dig a new hole every week just to go to the bathroom. The look on her face when we arrived at her house was filled with joy, overwhelming, humbling and grateful; even before we began working. It was such a great experience to work with all of the Rwandans. Being able to help someone, even just a little bit, fills my heart with joy.

Team member Sarah Harrington wrote

We spent our morning stomping in mud pits, making mud for bricks. I swear I have never been that filthy in my life, yet I have probably never felt as much joy as I did then either. The sense of community in that village is astounding. As we worked, passing the mud from the pits down an assembly line so it could be packed into moulds for bricks, it seemed like most of the village came down to watch and help out. Perhaps they were only there to watch as the mzungus (white people) became so dirty that they didn’t even look like mzungus anymore. Yet it didn’t feel like that at all; it felt like they were all there because they truly cared about the outcome of the members of their community. It felt almost like we were outsiders looking in on a tightly knit family. Standing behind the house which we were building bricks for, discovering that it was little more that a shack made of mud, was a powerful moment in itself. Then we learnt that this small hut was home to a widow and six orphans. Such knowledge felt almost like a punch in the stomach. How can I go back to my own room in a house that could fit many more than four people back in Canada knowing that people live in these conditions?

One of the greatest joys of the tip was the fact that our Rwanda and Canadian teams became one. Team member Marissa Ismay wrote :

The entire way to and from the village, a one hour journey each way, the van that I sat in, loaded with teachers and team members shared in song. “Imana Ninziza, Imana Ninziza, Imana Ninziza, Ninziza Cyane. God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He’s so good to me.” It was the most beautiful thing, sharing one song in two languages. In that moment, we were not separated by our histories, socioeconomic statuses, or countries of residence. We were all one in our worship. Yes, we have different needs and desires, but one purpose - and we shared it in that moment. Joy was abundant. As we drove through the village, men, women and children joined in from the road - laughing, singing and dancing.

For more of what our team experienced, click on the trip blog and see for yourselves how transformation is happening to both Canadian and Rwandan young people.