Cooking Stoves Project

It’s exactly two weeks since we arrived in Rwanda. We are all keen to get started on some big projects. At the moment, we have just completed creating a survey for the cooking stoves project. RDIS is planning to replace the current stoves in Gatovu and Mundima villages for better, longer lasting and improved cooking stoves. The Rwandese government wants every household to be using these new stoves. Our timetable for this week is to finish creating the surveys in English and Kinyarwanda, distribute them in the villages, compile the data and analyse it. We will be presenting the data to the RDIS EP1VAT project manager at the end of the week.

So on Wednesday, we spent all day collecting the data. We had to do data collection in Gatovu village. Patrice went to help Sam with a training programme at Murangi Farm, so it was just the 4 of us and Michael. 

We divided ourselves into 2 groups, Michael was assisted by Faith or Roxane and Valentin was assisted by Faith or Roxane. I designated myself as the videographer/photographer so I could capture most of the action.

It was a long afternoon; it took 4 hours to complete the survey in Mundima. We got home about 1.30pm, to have lunch and take a short break. We set off for Mundima Village at 3pm, this time we had Patrice with us so it took less than half the time. Michael and Faith, Valentin and Roxane and myself and Patrice went in three different directions.

We managed to collect both sets of data in one day - Praise God! Next day, we started entering data onto an Excel worksheet, created tables, graphs, pie charts to illustrate the important data.

In the afternoon, Sam (RDIS Co-ordinator) had planned an excursion trip to Bugarama Hot Springs. The landscape was so beautiful, it is so strange to imagine the science behind it and apparently it has something to do with tectonic plates. It was great to see another part of Rwanda, everything about the day was lovely- even the journey! So we met Cristin an intern from Canada, she is working with RDIS for her semester abroad. She lives in Muhanga so tells us a lot about the ICS Muhanga team and what they have been up to. She is only in Cyangugu for 3 days though…L

On Friday, we had a meeting with Sam and Emmanuel (EP1VAT Project manager) to discuss the cooking stoves project, we got the chance to ask questions and find out more about it. It also gave us an opportunity to learn more about RDIS; Emmanuel gave us a brief overview, again. J

Our week so far has been productive. Still to come, we will have a presentation from Patrice (the agriculturist in the team, so clever he is!) for our weekly structured learning and tomorrow we will probably go to St Matthews to work with Compassion or help at the feeding centre run by the Mothers’ Union.  On Sunday after church we will be planning our timetable for the next week.

Okay so that’s it for the week, till next time…Murabeho(Good bye!) God bless

- Claudia