Posted by Andrew Mitchell MP, Shadow International Development Secretary, from Rwanda, where he is leading Project Umubano. Andrew also posted here last week, whilst we have also featured contributions from Alistair Burt and Nick Hurd in Rwanda.
We jump into our minibus and head to the President’s residence for a meeting with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda. We all take our seats in the circular-shaped Cabinet table, and wait for the President to arrive. This is an important opportunity to present our project formally to the Government of Rwanda, and to discuss wider issues affecting Rwanda and the Great Lakes region.
After the introductions and formalities, some of our volunteers say a few words each about the different development projects they are working on. Alistair Burt MP outlines his work with the Rwandan Football Association, which involves developing the skills of local coaches and bringing practice matches, footballs and kit to children around the country. Damian Hinds, our Parliamentary candidate for East Hampshire, describes the work our lawyers are doing with the Institute of Legal Practice and development and the Rwandan Ministry of Justice.
Another volunteer describes the work of our four doctors and two nurses, who are working in a number of remote rural healthcare centres to treat patients and train Rwandan health workers. He explains that some of the main health challenges they face include muscoskeletal problems, malaria and malnutrition. A vibrant private sector is vital for development, and Anthony Coombs, a former Conservative MP, Chairman of a FTSE company, and one of our business gurus, sets out the work that our private sector volunteers are doing to help train the next generation of Rwandan entrepreneurs and business people.
We also briefly discuss our English language project. Many Rwandan teachers have some knowledge of technical English grammar, but very little contact with speakers of English as a first language. So 42 of the volunteers have been running an intensive English language training project for around 1500 Rwandan primary school teachers.
President Kagame is very generous about our work, and then we move on to wider discussions. We’re proud of the ongoing partnership and cooperation between our two countries. True partnership means a willingness to talk openly and directly, and we have robust and frank discussion about issues like press freedom and the political and humanitarian situation in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
One remark from the President particularly sticks in my mind. He says that too many Westerners come to Africa talking the language of partnership, but at the end of the day they still act like they are the boss. This is clearly something we have to remain sensitive to in all our dealings, both political and development-related, on the continent.
We then head outside for a photocall on the steps. The President’s advisers, who are used to ‘VIPs’ turning up in a smart car or 4-by-4, are rather amused as we all clamber inside our slightly worse-for-wear minibus and drive off to rejoin our projects.
