Last night I called my sister in Rwanda. She, her husband and five of their eight children live in a small village about 10 miles outside of Kigali. Normally, our conversations are about 35 minutes and we mostly talk about the children. As a mother she worries about their future, and hopes her two teenage boys can pass the national exam to go to secondary school. Last night something else was on her mind.

A few minutes into the conversation she asked me if President Bush is aware of the poverty and AIDS crisis and in the Rwanda’s small villages. One of her friends suffers from AIDS and travels to the capital to get her medication. My sister said she is only alive because of the medicine from the Americans. I asked her what she thinks about President Bush and Mrs. Bush’s visit to Rwanda. She paused for sometime and said “Our leaders should bring him so we can meet him and tell him about our struggles, they stay in Kigali but life there is very different from ours here in the village’’. I asked her if people in the village know about the presidential campaign in the U.S. She said that those who go to the capital more often say that there are many more Americans than before the genocide. She continued that even the radio talks about America, so everyone has heard at least a little. I asked what she would say to President Bush if she saw him. She said that she would thank him for the AIDS medication that has saved her friend, and ask him to provide more help for education so her two sons can go to a vocational school. I have shared ONE’s commitment to Africa and my work with the campaign with her. She said that since President Bush is about to leave office, that they cannot ask him much. “You who are able to talk to them, speak on our behalf and let them know that we still need their help”, She insisted. She is sure that the president’s visit is a proof that Americans care about Rwandans.

My sister, who is now 50-years old, is the oldest member of my family to survive the genocide. She has always been protective of me even now that I am grown and far away. In our usual conversation, she asks about my family, work and life in America, a place she calls “a different world.” Last night was different, I sensed that she had more questions than usual, some of them I was not able to answer. I have no doubt that my sister is not the only one who is looking at what the next American president will do to help not only Rwanda, but Africa as a whole. Africa’s stability depends upon what America does tomorrow and each day there after. ONE is leading the way to make sure that the Africa’s poorest are not forgotten. There is hope that if we continue to work with our policy makers and African leaders share equal responsibility, the greatest chapter on ending poverty is yet to be written.

After having gone for 19 years, I hope to return to Rwanda one of these days and see first hand ONE’s effort and the success stories I hear and read about in the news.

-Natalie Sugira

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 20th, 2008 at 11:35 am and is filed under Bush Africa Trip, Rwanda. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.