Human Rights in Action, an Unexpected Visit, and My Tennis Journey
Though Monday began the same way as it had twice before, it ended with a beautiful surprise and a magical amount of sugar. My boyfriend arrived Monday evening, where I met him after taking the most treacherous mototaxi ride I hope to experience in my seven more weeks in Rwanda. Weaving through the streets filled with post-work traffic, we arrived back at the tennis club, a place he’s very well acquainted with, having stayed here two years before. It was a much-appreciated surprise after the first two weeks.
The rest of the week was filled with ensuring that the eHuza project, which provides video calling capabilities to correctional facility residents, is up and running smoothly in the Nyarugenge Correctional Facility. This included running more computer tests with the tech team as well as visiting the correctional facility. Though the program is not entirely free, it costs around 1 USD to make a call, which is much more affordable than an in-person visitation. Each inmate will receive five free days to trial the program before having to pay for the program. Things are going rather well on this front, so hopefully other facilities will receive the computers and software relatively soon.
In addition to the eHuza project, RBJ is putting together several other programs, one of which is set to occur at the beginning of July. I’ll give more information on this when the program happens, but it’s set to train over 120 different civil society organizations using a combination of UN, EU, RBJ, and Rwandan National Commission for Human Rights legal experts. The office is working diligently to ensure these trainings will go off without a hitch, and it will be very exciting and fulfilling to see them happen in the near future.
The office is abuzz with human rights workshops, legal cases, and field visits, and it’s been wonderful getting to assist in all of these aspects. But that’s not all that I talk about during work. Each day, we enjoy lunch with lawyers from the corporate firm that works on the floor above us. I appreciate that our conversations aren’t just stuck in a constant state of small talk and surface-level inquiries. One of this week’s conversations was a heated discussion on US immigration, and it was interesting to get outside perspectives on the matter. I really enjoy the lunch chats, and I’m sure we’ll dive into even more topics as the weeks go on.
This week, I’ve really amped up the amount of tennis being played because I now have a constant partner. This has been quite fun, but also humbling, as I’m still what many would call a beginner. Personally, I think I’m well on my way to being the next US Olympic champion. Only time will tell, and I will keep you all updated over the next seven weeks.