Images from my bus ride through Rwanda:

Our schedule has been rather full so I haven't made it to the internet cafe – if not at the cafe when it opens (anytime between 8:30/9) it's difficult to get a computer it gets so busy.

Below, a photo of the road to my temporary home across the airport, from here it's about 10 minutes to our front gate.

Since my arrival last week and those first rainy days (this is actually a day after the rains, when it rains the street is a sea of puddles to navigate - My teammate R, in the blue hat)I've been to several meetings with different local activists and NGOs and this past weekend we visited a small village southwest of Goma, about a two hour drive by local bus “matatu”, spending the night at a local Catholic parish, who host multiple internally displaced people (IDPs) from nearby Massissi.

Above, at a military checkpoint the man with the stick pokes into bags of grain checking for weapons, we were told. To the right, IDPs at the Parish where we stayed in the town of Minova.

Below, on the road to Minova - looking at the first mountain ridge - about a kilometer away - is a CNDP (rebels led by Laurent Nkunda) controlled area.

Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning were spent with villagers discussing the insecurity and particular risks they face – from nearby militias as well as military forces, who are no less responsible for the human rights abuses committed here. We learned of two young girls, 12 and 13 years old, taken by force just last week by military soldiers as “wives” and there was much discussion about how to respond and how to protect the women and girls in particular. The stories we hear are very tragic and I won't go into details today, but the pain the fear is great. It isn't safe for a woman to go to gather firewood or water without risk, the alternative, staying in their home, is not feasible as then they will go hungry and they are still at risk of soldiers and militia coming for them in their homes. There is widespread impunity here. In 2006 rape was criminalized with a penalty of 20 years in jail. We learned that occasionally someone is identified and caught as a perpetrator but if he has any money, he spends little time in jail.

Above: A footpath to the village we visited

Middle: one of many bridges crossing small streams

Bottom: children help hull beans by thrashing them with sticks

It's difficult to know how to respond. The request we are getting most frequently is to go to our governments, who they see as complicit in the war. Canada has over 40 mining companies in DRC who, we're told, are benefiting directly from the war as they are able to obtain minerals cheaply and that peace would cut into their profits. My colleagues have been researching these links, as well as with US companies. But there are so many actors, many armed militias, a corrupt military, a UN force MONUC, that is not trusted by the local population as being there in their interest. We have not met with MONUC so have no idea what they are and are not doing.

This is just a bit to give you an idea of what I hear every day. My thoughts, I'm sure, will be more articulate as I learn more and can process the information, that at the moment is overwhelming.

On a positive note, yesterday, after a meeting with a local Quaker group that is very active in peacebuilding, we were hosted to a luncheon by elders in the church and enjoyed an incredibly warm welcome and a feast! Our team cooks for itself, we share a kitchen with 5 priests, and having a vegetarian on team limits our food (that and not knowing what's what at the market), so I particularly enjoyed the roast goat! The Quakers here are very active, conducting Alternative to Violence Programs in the IDP camps and to local community leaders, working hard to educate people about the use of nonviolence.

A side note to my avocado loving friends - the priests we live with have a large avocado tree and the fruit is in abundance! Mango's are also in season, so the food here is not an issue. The water we drink is boiled and then filtered, but other than avocado's, mangos and other thick skinned fruit, everything is cooked into a stew to ensure it is healthy, and as we are at a higher altitude everything takes at least twice as long to cook. We also enjoy a delicious cheese from Massissi, which I will attempt to bring home with me in March!