Turning an Extraordinary Dream into an Extraordinary Reality

It's been three and a half years since my first trip to Rwanda. I've been back four times since then and am in the process of planning another trip in March 2012. Along the way I've met some interesting people and made some wonderful friends. What started as a desire to make a difference has transformed into an actual plan for doing just that. I'm happy to say I haven't had any more malarial drug induced hallucinations since that first trip--in part because I don't take antimalarials anymore. I just pack the treatment for malaria and figure I'll take it if I get bit by a mosquito! It's been an exciting three and a half years.....Here are a few of the pictures from my first trip:

This is Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills. See why I am so drawn to this beautiful place?!?



A little over a year later, in May 2009, I returned to Rwanda with my husband and daughter. In the time between that first trip until now, I had been busy starting a 501(c)(3) corporation--a non-profit organization called One Good Deed. Check out our website: http://www.onegooddeedkc.org/.

On this second trip I was learning about the people, their environment, their history, and their needs. Basically I was doing my homework for furture projects in this country I had fallen in love with. Here are some pictures from that trip:

That fall, in October, I returned to Rwanda again. This time I went as teacher/trainer. After meeting with doctors and nurses from some of the hospitals and clinics on my last visit, I decided what I had to offer the Rwandan people was my experience in nursing. I returned to teach the S.T.A.B.L.E. program, a neonatal pre-transport stabilization program that has valuable, basic neonatal principles that can be applied anywhere--with a little modification, of course. Thanks to Kris Karlsen who wrote the program, I received permission to teach "the STA and leave out the BLE (pronounced bull by Kris!). Below are photos from that solo trip:

After my solo trip, my dream was taking shape. In July 2010 I returned again to teach the S.T.A.B.L.E. class, this time with two of my colleagues. We had the opportunity to gather more information as well which continued to shape this dream of mine.

 On the July 2010 trip I continued to gather information as we visited hospitals and continued to teach S.T.A.B.L.E. I felt like I was getting closer to what I needed to be doing in this country, but there was still a sense of something missing.  Throughout all of this time I had been in contact with Michael Grosspietsch. I met Michael on my first trip to Rwanda in 2008. He was in Rwanda working on his doctoral dissertation about how tourism can reduce poverty in developing countries. Michael started an educational travel company in Rwanda called Eos Visions. He arranges educational travel experiences in Rwanda and some of the other countries surrounding Rwanda that are aimed at bringing professionals from various disciplines to Rwanda to meet with Rwandans with the goal of creating sustainable, replicable projects. Michael has trained Rwandans to run the company, creating his own sustainable project.

Anyway, Michael has become my mentor, my supporter, my sounding board, and my friend, and together we are formulating my purpose. He never directs me, but has let me find my way because I think he knows that the discovery is an important part of the process. I think we learn best when we realize things on our own by getting down to the business of hard work and exploration. At least that's my philosophy.

After the trip in 2011 with Sara and Ali, I decided my role was to be that of an educator in this country. There was still a missing piece to this puzzle, though, that left me unsatisfied. I am happy to return to teach, but that is still not creating something sustainable for the Rwandans--it still leaves them dependent on me. My goal is basically to work myself out of a job here! So....I continue to search and Michael continues to listen and brainstorm with me.

Along the way I find that many well meaning people offer all kinds of advice. I'm not complaining--not at all because occasionally from that advice comes pure genius and incredible opportunity. You just have to take the time to sift through it all. That's something Michael is really good at and I'm afraid I probably take up way too much of his time running all of these ideas and suggestions by him, but as I said, occasionally.....genius!

Two of my nurse practioner friends gave me the same information within days of each other. When I hear the same thing more than once, I've learned to take notice because Someone might be trying to tell me something! Yes, that Someone is my version of God. I say my version because I don't consider myself a traditional religious person. I look at the concept of "God" as more of a presence or that small voice that keeps whispering until you finally listen. So, Someone was telling me to pay attention. Karen and Sara both gave me information on an advance practice forum that was taking place in Washington, D.C. in June 2011--right before my next planned trip to Rwanda......