During this period of recovery, back in 2007, Chris Coffin, Ecumenical Officer for the Archidiocese of Halifax, Nova Scotia, joined 14 members of the New Beginnings Baptist Church in nearby Dartmouth on a mission to help build a school in Rwanda.
Mission Group Sees First-Hand the Challenges Facing RwandaWith no local hotels to house their mission group near the school construction site in Musange, they stayed at a motel in Nyanza. Accommodations were basic. "It wasn't what you would call on the (rating) list of stars," says Coffin. Each room had a concrete floor with two porcelain holes for a toilet and cold water shower. Every morning, the group traveled to Musange along nearly unnavigable dirt roads. The bus ride was 2 1/2 hours each way.
During its two-week stay, the group helped install a roof on the school dormitory whose students included orphans. "There are many in Rwanda," Coffin says, "from babies to teenagers" Their parents were typically lost through the 1994 genocide or AIDS. Many are HIV positive or suffer from AIDS. "There are no orphanages as we know them," he explains. They usually live in small family groups within the community, cared for by older siblings. Living by their own resources, the children often do odd jobs to eke out a living.
There was a meagre supply of cement at the construction site, says Coffin. Mud bricks were "cemented" with more mud. Everything was sawed by hand as there was no electricity. "It's all held together," he observes, by the proverbial "spit and a prayer." More than about building a school, Coffin believes the mission helped forge relationships, Although fully capable of constructing the school themselves, locals showed the Canadians how to do it.
"The kids, the people would just embrace you," says another group member Kevin Brooks. He recalls some of the men working alongside him had no shoes. "They were more concerned about us being comfortable than about what they were going through," he adds. When departing the country, Brooks left nearly all his clothing behind for them.
One day, the Canadians visited a bare bones' hospital, considered the second best in the country. Its pride: An X-ray machine, a few incubators and dental office. As nurses were too busy to attend to patient needs such as bathing and food, "guardians" washed and cooked for their loved ones. "If that was the second best, I wouldn't have wanted to see the worst," says Coffin.
Another time, while visiting a missionary retreat, Coffin felt something in his hand while walking. A boy, about five, in a red sweater and huge smile was holding his hand. They walked about three miles, hand in hand, before arriving at the compound door. When leaving three hours later, "who's there," says Coffin, "but my little friend." The child ran down a hill towards him. grabbed his water bottle (a veritable treasure) and danced in circles around Coffin while waving the bottle. "He takes my hand and walks up the hill with me," Coffin recalls. "No words were exchanged; we couldn't speak each other's language. That was truly an unforgettable moment."
The Cataclysmic Events of 1994 and the Aftermath
Coffin had long been interested in Rwanda because of its Canadian connection. During the 1994 massacres, the United Nations had sent a small, poorly equipped peacekeeping force to Rwanda commanded by Canadian General Romeo Dellaire. The troops, virtually helpless while the genocide continued, were eventually forced to leave. Dellaire subsequently suffered a mental breakdown, later chronicling his experiences in the 2003 book Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda.
Says Coffin, "The conflict started like a lot of internal wars on the assumption of ethnic origin or religion, but it was a matter of economics and the social conditions of one group versus another. While the Hutus were trying to regain power, the aggression and mass killing soon took on a life of their own."
During his visit, Coffin learned that part of the healing has come from wiping out the tribal link, so that all people are Rwandan now. "You cannot ask people whether they are Tutsi, Hutu or from another tribe. You can't ask who did what. If you talk about it, other than your own experience, you can be arrested." Perpetrators, he explains, were typically not part of an organized group to wipe out a particular tribe. In the frenzy of the moment, they were caught up in their own anger and frustration, taking it out on their neighbors.
Coffin says that in March 2005, trials of suspects began in community Gacaca courts. Run by community elders and leaders, the courts rely on tribal tradition and judicial power. If the accused admits guilt, one-third of his sentence may be converted to community service. Offenders are not subject to capital punishment.
Mission Pronounced a Success
Once back in Canada, Coffin kept thinking about the boy in his dirty red sweater and big toothy smile. He thought about the people he met, lucky if they ate once a day. He thought about the children with bellies swollen from malnutrition, some literally starving to death. These were things he had never thought about before. "We would never bring someone with us to the hospital to take care of our needs. We would be screaming and hollering over the injustice of it all." But these people were so grateful, he says, to have a hospital to go to.
"The purpose of this mission was to let them know we cared. I believe we accomplished that."
Note: In December 2008, a Rwandan court handed down a life sentence to the ringleader of the 1994 genocide.
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