Pre-Travel Preparation

With less than a week before I depart, it is hard to concentrate on anything other than my upcoming trip. I was lucky enough to see most of my family last weekend to celebrate the New Year and catch up on how big & grown-up my nieces and nephews are getting. My wife and I enjoyed our short stay with them. I am thankful I could see everyone before I leave.

In talking with my family (who are generally very informed about politics, history, geography, and current events) I realized most Americans do not know much about Rwanda beyond what occurred there 15 years ago. I have already learned a lot about Rwanda that may help put my trip into context. Here is a short summary of answers to many of the same questions I get:

• Though Rwanda is primarily Roman Catholic (up to 2/3 of the population), there is a concerted effort by the government and health care institutions to increase the use of modern family planning techniques. The government recognizes Family Planning as an important tool to curb both maternal and infant mortality, reduce poverty and promote economic and social stability. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the total fertility rate (TFR) in Rwanda is estimated at 5.6 children per woman. The use of contraception is becoming more common, but is still significantly underutilized at 13.2% prevalence rate (meaning over 87% of women do not use contraception).
• Rwandan women have one of the highest maternal mortality rates (MMR) in the world at 1400/100,000 live-births. This is considerably higher than the average MMR of 910 in Africa.
  
• Rwanda is 10,169 sq miles (26,338 sq km) with a population of a little over 10 million. (That is an area similar in size to Connecticut, with the population of Michigan squeezed into a hilly, but verdant landscape.) This translates to the most densely populated country in Africa and 29th in the world. Nearly half the population is under the age of 15 which means Rwanda may be looking at a population boom in the very near future.
• As a former Belgian and French Colony, there are now 3 official languages: Kinyarwanda, French, English
• Rwanda is a small land-locked country in East Central Africa, bordered by Uganda (north), Tanzania (east), Burundi (south), and Democratic Republic of Congo (West).
  
• Though Rwanda is still reconciling the events of the 1994 Genocide, it has become a safe, stable and successful country with a very bright future.

Here is a Google Map with Rwanda marked:


View Larger Map


If you want to read more about Rwanda, here are some great books I have read:
1) A Thousand Hills: Rwanda's Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It by Steven Kinzer. This is an excellent read that covers most of the history of Rwanda and an in-depth view into the current President, Paul Kagame.
2) Shake Hands with The Devil by Romeo Dallaire. This is a much more in-depth look at the events that lead to and occurred during the Genocide in 1994. It is also a very revealing look at how the international community failed to intervene even though the UN was capable of doing so if their member nations had the will.
3) Rwanda Bradt Travel guide (2006) by Philip Briggs & Janice Booth. This was the only tourist/travel guide on Rwanda that I could find.