Ndi umunyamerika

05/10/2018

Good morning to you all and happy Friday! In last week's Turi Kumwe news letter our Pamela Watkins wrote this wonderful piece on the use of "special English". Please take a moment to have a quick read.

WHY IS SPECIAL RWANDAN ENGLISH TAUGHT?

By Pamela Watkins
September, 2018

"I stepped into a room with a bunch of Peace Corps Volunteers and some Host Country Nationals. As I walked through the throng, I heard a volunteer speaking to the HCN, and I wondered what language he was speaking. Surely, it couldn’t be English because it sounded like the pidgin English my great grandmother spoke, which is what she learned. I dismissed this.

But soon afterward, I heard this type of pronunciation again. This time as I was sitting with a volunteer in a restaurant in Musanze, and she started speaking to the waiter with this same type of language. I asked her, “what language are you speaking?” She said, “we speak special English to Rwandans; I call it Rwandan English.” I told her that it was demeaning, and if that Rwandan ever went to America, they would not be able to communicate. You ask, “why is speaking English in this special way demeaning.” It is demeaning I argue because it assumes that Rwandans cannot learn English the way other English as a Foreign language learners acquire the language. It calls into question the intelligence of Rwandans.

Additionally, while teaching at the University level, I have trouble with students understanding me even though I speak slowly because they are used to Americans using Rwandan English. Are we volunteers here to enhance English language acquisition or to thwart it? It seems the latter to me.

Right now, I am a response volunteer in Rwanda, but I was a two-year volunteer in Armenia, and the PC volunteers did not demean their students in this way. It seems to me that there doesn’t have to be a “special English” for Rwandans. It seems if volunteers just slow down their speech, they will be understood. And while teaching English, the Primary and Secondary school volunteers must embark up teaching Rwandan students English contractions because that’s the way English speakers speak. This might be hard, but it will boost English acquisition listening skills.

I am in the process of learning Kinyarwanda, and my tutor is NOT teaching me a special Kinyarwanda. He is firm, and he is teaching me how and why some words are contracted. We should do the same with Rwandan students.

So my question to my fellow volunteers is: Why do you think you have to demean the intelligence of Rwandans trying to learn your language—the English Language?"

24/09/2018

Good morning Ndi members and friends, happy Monday. Quick update on last weekend's meeting. But first, we would like to take this time and welcome new members from Health 10!! We are happy and excited to have you all.
Last weekend new leadership positions were filled!

◾Vice chair: is now Maya Saint Germain (Health 10)
◾Secretary: Kerong Kelly ( Health 10)
◾ Peer Support Network Rep: ( PSN) is now Moses Wamalwa ( Education 9)

Congratulation to these three wonderful people and we're excited to have them leading and representing Ndi.

20/09/2018

Check out our girl Niesha Ford from health 9th!! Keep up the great work!!

"Rwaniro's first GLOBE club! The mission?
••••••
√To encourage boys/girls to study and learn.
√To help girls/boys to learn to take care of their personal health.
√To create leaders in our community, in Rwanda, and the world 🌏

Our first couple of days have been a success. I look forward to what these next months have in store for them and I! @ Southern Province, Rwanda".

18/05/2018

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=958098274353120&id=428560233973596

04/05/2018

Returned Peace Corps Volunteer shares her experiences while travelling abroad as a PCV and beyond.

Ashley Butterfield has been around the world - but a visit to India brought home the challenges of being a lone black female tourist.

29/03/2018

Today we are featuring Catherine!

During training, we were told time and time again by training staff, VATs and even the Ambassador that the measure for the success of our service was not in the number of grants we wrote, clubs we started or things we build. Rather it was in the willingness to create relationships and in the way that we acted as ambassadors to and for our Rwandan counterparts, our colleagues and the people back home.

Catherine is a great example of this both on a professional and a personal level. Professionally, she served as the VAC chairperson and was an advocate and support for all the volunteers and trainees. Personally, she was a person who was willing to connect with others. “Along with being VAC chair, my relationship with amazing neighbors and beloved host family is one of the defining moments of my service. They are now my lifelong friends and family and I am forever grateful for the connection we made.” This is just one of the many examples of Catherine’s ability to build relationships with those around her.

“I am heartbroken to leave the country early but I have felt a huge sense of accomplishment for all the activities I was able to complete while in country.” Even though she faced health challenges during her service; she was able to teach students, build relationships with the Rwandans counterparts, become a role model for PCVs of Color and most importantly have fun while making the world a better place.

Her greatest hope is that the time she spent here in Rwanda will be remembered fondly by those with whom she crossed paths. Based on the outpouring of love and concern when she announced that she would be leaving soon it can be concluded that her hope is fulfilled. Her students and co-teachers have nothing but great things to say about her both as a person and as a professional.

The Ndi family misses our Sister and wish nothing but success in her future endeavors. We know that she has left us with big shoes to fill and the next generation is excited to take on the challenge. As a person, a volunteer and a PCV of color she is a role model and inspiration to us all. She exemplified her favorite Theodore Roosevelt quote “They don’t care how much you know until you show them how much you care”. Anyone who met Catherine knows that she cared.

21/03/2018

This week's feature is our very own Peace Corps chef Tai Trinh!!!

As stated in a previous update, our goal is to showcase not just the work for PCVs/Ndi members, but also to show case their talents and hobbies as well!

Everyone who knows Tai, also knows that he loves to cook. He is able to make delicious meals, and the best part about it is, he's able to do so right at site! Today, Tai will be sharing with us one of his favorite recipes. Enjoy!

"My name is Tai Trinh and I am a secondary education 8 volunteer, teaching English at G.S Nyina wa Jambo in Gahengeri Sector, Rwamagana district.
One of the most important factors that plays a role of a volunteer’s happiness is the market and what it has to offer. I’m very happy to be placed at where I am because it is near to one of the largest markets in the district, called Ntunga, 30 minutes walk or 10 minutes bike one way from my house. Ntunga has a lot of vegetable essentials such as red, white, and green onions, garlic, carrots, tomatoes, eggplants, limes, etc. For those of you who know me,
I love to cook. It is also the time when I am myself the most and I can put all of my passion and thoughts into the dish that I’m cooking.
I cook meat for most of my meals. Ntunga also has all types of meat that I can purchase including beef, poultry, pork and goat. I would like to share one of my favorite recipes that I would not mind having it everyday for a week.

**Braised pork belly
Ingredients - 1kg of skin on pork belly, cut into 2 inches each piece. - 10 soft boiled eggs, peeled. - 3 cups of coconut juice or water - 1 small sliced ginger. - 1 glove of minced garlic
- 1 medium sized of minced red/white onions - ½ cup of fish sauce - ¼ cup of light soy sauce - 1 tbs of ground black pepper.
Method: - marinate the pork, ginger, half of minced garlic, half of onions, fish sauce, light soy
sauce, black pepper all together for an hour. - In a (give or take) 10 inch deep and 20 inch wide pot, 3 tbs of vegetable oil on a
medium high heat, brown the rest of the garlic, onions, and ginger. - Add the pork mixture into a pot, stir fry, and cook for 10 minutes. - Add coconut juice or water. - Bring it to boil. - Lower the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 1.5 hours. - Add the eggs, cover the pot and cook for another 10 minutes. - Garnish it with chopped cilantro or scallions.
This recipe is perfectly served with steam rice."

19/03/2018

Meet Nigel Richardson. Ndi Umunyamerika's newly elected Chair!
"NDI CHIEF"

My name is Nigel Richardson. I'm from Richmond, VA. I did my undergraduate studies at the University of Miami where I double-majored in film and Africana Studies. I'm currently an Education-9 volunteer in Musanze District, Northern Province. (I LOVE THE NORTH!!! 🙌🏾)

My vision for Ndi Umunyamerika is first and foremost to be a safe space for PCVs of color, and our allies, to commune and support one another through the unique challenges that we face here in Rwanda. Secondly, I see Ndi being a vibrant group that holds events that promote cross-cultural learning and dialogue. So in a nutshell, we make sure everyone in Ndi feels safe and supported and then we share with Rwanda all the beautiful diversity of American culture that we exhibit.

12/03/2018

" My name is Josie and I am a health volunteer currently serving at a health center in the Southern Province of Rwanda. The project that I have found most rewarding during my service, is a community financial literacy project that I am co-implementing with one of my colleagues. The project aims to: increase financial skills and knowledge among heads of households, and teach them how to create and sustain a community savings and loans group. In total, 30 members of my community participate in the program, most of these participants being women. It’s been pretty incredible witnessing the growth in confidence among participants as their financial knowledge and savings increase from week-to-week. This project has really taught me the importance of incorporating poverty alleviation measures in any project targeting low-income communities, because lack of financial stability can really undermine desired outcomes in health and education projects".

Joséphine Kabambi
Child and Maternal Health Volunteer
Peace Corps Rwanda 2016-2018

12/03/2018

" My name is Josie and I am a health volunteer currently serving at a health center in the Southern Province of Rwanda. The project that I have found most rewarding during my service, is a community financial literacy project that I am co-implementing with one of my colleagues. The project aims to: increase financial skills and knowledge among heads of households, and teach them how to create and sustain a community savings and loans group. In total, 30 members of my community participate in the program, most of these participants being women. It’s been pretty incredible witnessing the growth in confidence among participants as their financial knowledge and savings increase from week-to-week. This project has really taught me the importance of incorporating poverty alleviation measures in any project targeting low-income communities, because lack of financial stability can really undermine desired outcomes in health and education projects".

Joséphine Kabambi
Child and Maternal Health Volunteer
Peace Corps Rwanda 2016-2018

12/03/2018

Good morning Ndi members, friends and family far and near. Media team is excited to announce new content for this page!! We are looking to increase activity on this page to engage both members and the general public. Our goal is to recognize the works and talent of our very diverse group! We hope to have feature stories of different Ndi volunteers highlighting their work at site (in health or education), some in country recipes, creative pieces ete.

To kick off this series, we will be highlighting the work Josie Kabambi is doing at her site.

24/03/2017

Ponder & Party was a place to discuss our pain and progress. This unique event did just that. We danced, we sang, we listened to poetry. We are so grateful to Inema Art Center for allowing us to convene in this space and honored by all the support of the nearly 100 PCVs, expats, and Rwandans that joined us. By the end of the event, we hope everyone who attended realized what makes each and every one of us great -- our differences. So celebrate and live unapologetically. xo Shewa

Photo Credit: John Lovejoy and Curtrelle Rawls