Welcome to the best website for information about Peace Corps Rwanda! If you’re thinking about volunteering in Rwanda, you found the right place. We’ll tell you about the history of Peace Corps in Rwanda. We’ll also explore Rwanda as a country. You can learn the languages spoken there. You can also read about other volunteers’ experiences. Here you can find info on safety and health too. We’ll also share how to contact former Peace Corps volunteers who were in Rwanda. Get ready to learn more to help decide if volunteering in Rwanda is good for you.
Volunteers in Rwanda work on projects in Health and Education sectors (leave in June).
What is the History of Peace Corps Rwanda?
Peace Corps Rwanda has been active in the country since way back in 1975. Since then, many volunteers have gone to Rwanda to help out. They’ve worked in different areas like education, health, farming, and community development. These programs have brought together Volunteers and people from Rwanda to learn from each other. While the number of volunteers and what they do may have changed over time, Peace Corps has stayed committed to helping Rwanda grow and develop.
What about Rwanda as a nation?
Rwanda is a small country in East Africa with beautiful landscapes of hills and valleys. It has different groups of people, like the Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa. Rwanda has been working on getting stronger after a very sad event called the genocide in 1994.
The capital city is Kigali, and people speak Kinyarwanda, French, and English. The government in Rwanda is trying to bring everyone together and make peace after the genocide.
Rwanda’s economy is getting better, thanks to farming, tourism, and other businesses. It’s famous for its hilly terrain and national parks, like Volcanoes National Park, where you can see mountain gorillas.
Rwanda is also known for doing good things like helping women and taking care of the environment. It’s a country that has changed a lot and is worth knowing about in Africa.
What languages do they speak in Rwanda?
In Rwanda, people speak mainly three languages: Kinyarwanda, French, and English. Kinyarwanda is the most common language and is like the national language of Rwanda. In the past, French was used for government and school, but now English is also an official language. Lots of people in Rwanda can speak more than one of these languages.
During their service in Peace Corps Rwanda, volunteers learn to speak Kinyarwanda
How safe is it serve as a volunteer in Rwanda?
In general, 100% of volunteers felt safe or very safe where they lived in Rwanda. And 100% felt safe or very safe where they worked. 12% of volunteers early terminated. But more detailed information about safety compared to other Peace Corps countries can be found in the Rwanda Country Crime Profile.
Most of the medical problems seen in Rwanda are also found in the United States, such as colds, diarrhea, skin infections, headaches, minor injuries, sexually transmitted infections, adjustment disorders, and emotional problems. For Volunteers, these problems may be more frequent or compounded by life in Rwanda because local factors raise the risk of or exacerbate the severity of certain illnesses.
The medical problems specific to Rwanda are schistosomiasis, typhoid, Hepatitis A and B, diarrhea, skin infections, dental problems, headaches, respiratory infections, minor injuries, rabies, HIV/AIDS, and STIs. Health problems also can result from local environmental factors, such as dust, humidity, insects, and disease-producing microorganisms. Because malaria is endemic in Rwanda, Volunteers are required to take anti-malarial medication.
But more detailed information about health related issues at Peace Corps Rwanda can be found in the Rwanda Health and Medical Care Summary.
What do volunteers think of serving in Rwanda?
Since 1975, the Annual Volunteer Survey has been a source of information on the state of the Peace Corps (PC) program for the agency, Congress, researchers, the media, and the general public. In 2019, 90% of volunteers found their overall Peace Corps service rewarding or very rewarding. 86% of volunteers would still make the same decision to serve with the Peace Corps today. 86% of volunteers would recommend Peace Corps service to others. More information can be found in the Rwanda Annual Volunteer Survey Satisfaction Results.
Where can I learn more about PC Rwanda volunteer experiences?
PCV blogs and YouTube channels offer a unique look into the daily life of volunteers serving in Rwanda. These blogs and channels can help you understand the challenges and triumphs that come with being a volunteer. Explore these links for inspiring stories and practical advice from current and past volunteers.
Blog and YouTube Channel Links:
- Julia (Education) 2016-18
- Megan (Health) – 2016-18
- Maureen (Education) – 2015-17
- Carrie (Education) – 2015-17
- Melissa (Health) 2014-16
If you’re interested in learning more about serving in Rwanda, I’ve got you covered! Click here to see all of my posts about Peace Corps Rwanda with details on the experience, culture, food, packing tips, and more.
And where can I find official information about Peace Corps Rwanda?
- PeaceCorps.gov/Rwanda
- Projects in Rwanda
- Stories from Rwanda
- Preparing to Volunteer
- Living Conditions
- Training
- Health
- Safety and Security
- Diversity and Inclusion
- Packing Guidance
This is an old PC publication called “The Peace Corps Welcomes You to Rwanda“, published in 2013. In the past, before the internet, this is how volunteers learned more about Rwanda. Even though it is many years old, there is still a lot of good information there. You can download it here but remember it is just for informational purposes. For up-to-date information, always check with you Peace Corps contacts and staff.
Conclusion:
This blog post gave you information to help decide if volunteering in Rwanda is a good fit. You learned about the culture, languages, and development of Rwanda. We also discussed safety issues and health info important for volunteers. And, we shared how to contact former Peace Corps volunteers. For more on Peace Corps Rwanda, you can check the Peace Corps website or the resources here. We hope this post was useful for finding information on Peace Corps Rwanda.
Map by TUBS is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Photos from the US Peace Corps Rwanda Facebook page and PC Media Library
