The idea behind Greta Strand … … came to mind after an inspiring vacation trip to Kigali, Rwanda, in January 2013. This visit made me realize how fortunate we all are to have been raised in peaceful countries with access to all the basic needs of life and where the right to study and develop as individuals is taken for granted. I came to visit my sister for two weeks, two weeks that would change my mindset on things that I have always taken for granted. On my trip I encountered different people, who shared traumatic stories about the genocide, about split families and poverty. They showed me the places where people hid and where others were killed during the 100 days of genocide in 1994 … and still I was amazed over the happiness, enthusiasm and faith these people still have. Leaving Rwanda I felt very strongly about being able to contribute to their lives in some way. On one of the days in Kigali I ran into Aaron. It was under unfortunate circumstances, I had thought that I had encountered my first dead man. On the sidewalk in front of me a man was lying, faced-down, motionless with his two flip-flops in the street. My first thought was that he had been hit by a car and was lying dead on the sidewalk. After what seemed to be an eternity, while I was trying to get hold of the police, the man suddenly woke up and stumbled to the side and sat down in the grass. Aaron was passing by and helped the man with some water and asked him how he is doing and translated to me. The man was poor and had no money for his medicines and when he’s off medication he suddenly passes out, which had happened to him several times before. After giving him the money I had, which was not much, I felt there wasn’t more that I could do. A couple of people gathered around the man and their gratefulness when I was leaving was both warming and sad, I hadn’t really done anything – but still it was more than they could afford to do. A couple of days later I meet Aaron again. A young, energetic man, who always has a smile on his face and he shared with me his story and his dreams. He was born in 1989, the fifth of six children. He and his family lived in the countryside where they grew up in poverty. His father, in an effort to support the family, worked in construction in Kigali. In 1994, when Aaron was only 5 years old, his father, because he was a Tutsi was killed in the genocide. The family was abandoned and in uncertainty. To this day, they do not know how and when it happened and have never recovered his body. Aaron’s mum was left alone with no land and with six children to support. His strongest memories from his childhood is how his mum was always stressed out and working hard every day, cultivating their neighbor’s land to grow food for her family. When she was home she was always stressed and was often speaking to them very angrily due to her exhaustion and the stress to earn enough money to support her large family. His second oldest sister suffered from nervous and mental problems caused by the reoccurring quarrels in the family. At the time three of the children, including Aaron, needed money for their secondary school studies. Even if the elementary and secondary schools in Rwanda were free, they needed funds for school supplies and uniforms. For a family with almost no money for food, education was unfortunately a low priority. His mum could never spend quality time with her family as she was always working thus they were brought up with no parental love or caring. Aaron remembered how he was always tired and sad, and felt he had been a sorrow since his birth. At times he lost his hopes and dreams and he remembers the nights he cried himself to sleep. He has always wondered how it would be to grow up in a happy family? Today he’s determined and focused on saving his mum and little sister from poverty. He wants to study medicine, become a doctor, and support his family. His biggest wish in life is to, after all these years of struggle and poverty, to have a happy family. Please help me help Aaron and his family. We can’t change the world, but we can with relatively small contributions help individuals to fulfill their dreams and improve their way of life. Aaron wants to study medicine at the National University of Rwanda (NUR). The semester starts in September and costs a fortune for someone who has nothing. Together we can make it happen. The tuition is about 15 000 SEK (2 250 USD) per year. Contribute something, monthly, or a lump sum or help by simply spreading the word. Financing Aaron’s medical studies will be Pay it forward by Greta Strand’s first fund raising project. With your help, support and encouragement there may be many more to follow … Greta Strand
Posted on: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 20:37:18 +0000