JRYC 18th Conference, Rwanda the Country of Thousands Hills!
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| Kigali - Rwanda |
This September 4th – September 14th, 2019, a delegation from JRYC Japan side will attend The Japan Rwanda Youth
Cooperation 18th Conference, a conference that will be held in
Kigali, Rwanda.
The conference is part of the cooperation’s mission to
enhance a mutual understanding between Japanese and Rwandan university students
through cultural exchange, study tours and collaborative social initiatives on
both sides.
This year’s conference follows the footsteps of last year's
conference, Japan Rwanda Youth Cooperation 17th Conference, held in
Tokyo - Japan in August 2018, which was a huge success to the cooperation. This
10-day trip to Rwanda will cover daily meetings with JRYC members, study tours
(details below) and exploring Rwandan rich culture and history.
Among others, we shall have a pleasure to visit the following
places:
1. The Japan Embassy in Rwanda
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| Office of the Japan Embassy in Rwanda |
In July 2012, Rwanda and Japan celebrated the
50th Anniversary of Establishment of Diplomatic Relations. Rwanda opened
an Embassy in Tokyo, Japan in 1979 but was later forced to close it 1999 due to
the financial difficulties consecutive to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis.
Japan opened for the first time a full-fledged Embassy in Rwanda in
January 2010. Prior to 2010 Japanese Embassy in Nairobi was also the
Embassy of Japan in Rwanda.
The bilateral relation between the two countries was boosted
in January 2019 when the President of Rwanda, His Excellency Paul Kagame paid
an official visit to Japan to meet with His Majesty Emperor Akihito and Empress
Michiko. President Kagame also met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and
First Lady Akie Abe.
During the conference, we will visit the Japan Embassy in Rwanda with the aim of grasping the actual context of the perspective of Rwanda from the Ambassador's point of view. It will also be a great opportunity for us to share our objectives, what we envisage in the future and our recorded success in the framework of bringing together Japanese and Rwandan students who are passionate to serve a common goal, as well as promoting the image of Japan among Rwandan students and Rwandan community in general.
For more details about the Embassy, please visit:
2. K-Lab and Fab Lab
K-Lab
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| Entrepreneurial Boot Camps at K-Lab |
As Rwanda strives towards establishing a knowledge-based
economy and achieving its Vision 2020 goals, fostering innovative ICT based
SMEs becomes critically important. K-Lab (knowledge Lab) is a unique open
technology hub in Kigali where students, fresh graduates, entrepreneurs, and
innovators come to work on their ideas/projects to turn them into viable
business models. The growing K-Lab community is also made of experienced
mentors who provide both technical and business assistance to needy members.
K-Lab also hosts events, workshops, boot camps, hackathons
and networking sessions to promote collaboration/partnerships, investment and
financing.
Fab Lab
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| Exhibitions at FabLab |
Similarly to K-Lab, FabLab Rwanda is a space for members to
turn innovative ideas into products specifically in the hardware and
electronics domain. The space provides a platform for capacity building and integration
of hardware skills with software knowledge and quickly bringing Rwandan innovators
closer to the Internet of Things era.
3. Mulindi Japan One Love Project
Mulindi Japan One Love Project is a non-profit organization
situated in Kigali – Rwanda, dedicated to bringing mobility and independence to
people with disabilities.
Due to the 1994 Genocide against Tutsis in Rwanda, more than
1,000,000 innocent people were killed, and many people became disabled because
of landmines, cuts on their bodies by machetes, knives, etc., as well as
medical malpractice and accidents. There are an estimated 800,000 people in
Rwanda today who are disabled.
Mulindi Japan One Love Project was established in 1996 in
order to help these people.
Do not forget also to check out these video links:
(covered in French)
or
(covered in Kinyarwanda)
4. Kigali Genocide Memorial
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| Kigali Genocide Memorial |
They say: “If you do not know where you came from, then you
do not know where you are headed.”
The Kigali Genocide Memorial is a memorial center located in
Kigali city that was established to be a resting place for more than 250,000
remains of people killed in the 1994 Genocide against Tutsis. The memorial has
also a visitor center for students and all others who wish to understand the
events leading up to the Genocide and its aftermath.
For more about the memorial, please visit: https://www.kgm.rw/
4. Karisoke Research Center
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| Karisoke Research Center, Musanze city |
The Karisoke Research Center, also called Dian Fossey
Gorilla Fund Center, is a research institute in Rwanda's Volcanoes
National Park. It was founded by Dian Fossey on 24 September 1967 to
study endangered mountain gorillas. Fossey located the camp in
Rwanda's Virunga volcanic mountain range, between Mount Karisimbi and Mount
Bisoke, and named it by combining the names of the two mountains.
After Fossey's murder in December 1985, the camp continued to
function under the auspices of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.
In 2012, Karisoke moved its headquarters to a more modern facility in Musanze.
At the time Fossey founded Karisoke, she feared that the
mountain gorilla might become extinct by the end of the 20th century, as her
mentor, Dr. Louis Leakey, had warned. A census published in 1981 found
that the population had fallen to 242 individuals, from a 1960 estimate of
400–500. As of 2010, 45 years later, some 480 mountain gorillas are known
to inhabit the Virunga mountains (according to a census), a significant
increase. Karisoke survived Fossey's murder in 1985 as well as the 1994
Genocide against Tutsis and also expanded tremendously over the past few
decades.
For more information about the center, please visit: https://gorillafund.org/karisoke-research-center/
5. Radio Salus Rwanda
Radio Salus (derived from the Latin word
"Salus", meaning salvation) was established in 2005 at the, formerly,
National University of Rwanda (currently University of Rwanda, Huye Campus) as
a result of a project implemented by the United Nations Educational, Scientific,
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to create a new, independent media
outlet.
The primary objectives of the station are to build media capacity, enhance democracy, encourage community debate, and improve the university's journalism school by providing a hands-on learning experience for students.
The primary objectives of the station are to build media capacity, enhance democracy, encourage community debate, and improve the university's journalism school by providing a hands-on learning experience for students.
Radio Salus is one of the first private radio stations to start broadcasting since the 1994 genocide.
Today, Radio Salus is recognized as a radio station that has
contributed hugely to the growing success of the journalism sector in Rwanda. Records
show that over 30% of Rwandan journalists passed through the radio station when
they entered the profession.
The radio station has programs in Kinyarwanda, English,
Fench, and Swahili.
Or listen live via Tunein by https://tunein.com/radio/Radio-Salus-s268642/
6. ZIPLINE Project
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| Blood delivering Drones ready for take-off, Muhanga Zipline Center |
Zipline is an American medical product delivery company
headquartered in Half Moon Bay, California, that designs, builds, and
operates small drone aircraft for delivery of medical products, with
a focus on providing services in Africa. The company operates two distribution
centers in Rwanda and four in Ghana.
In Rwanda, the company began drone deliveries in late 2016,
and primarily delivers blood to urgent medical situations. In addition
to whole blood, the drones deliver platelets, fresh frozen plasma,
and cryoprecipitate. As of May 2019, more than 65% of blood
deliveries in Rwanda outside of the capital city Kigali use Zipline
drones.
In Ghana, the company began using drones in April 2019 to
deliver vaccines, blood, and drugs.
Also, do not forget to watch these videos:
7. National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC)
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| Reconciliation is a two-way process |
The National Unity and Reconciliation Commission was created
in March 1999 by a parliamentary law to promote Unity and
Reconciliation among Rwandans in the aftermath of the devastating 1994 genocide
against Tutsis to mark a major milestone in changing, fundamentally,
effects of bad governance based on discrimination and exclusion.
NURC has been a pivotal institution in the process of unity
and reconciliation policy implementation, social trust, and social cohesion
towards the main goal achievement of building a united country.
You can also read more on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Unity_and_Reconciliation_Commission_(Rwanda)
Alternatively, you can watch this video:
JRYC COMMUNITY EXCHANGE
During the conference, there will be a special event entitled
JRYC Community Exchange, in which all JRYC members, JRYC stakeholders, the
local community, and the Japanese community residing in Rwanda, will meet to
discuss the common areas of interest. The event will also serve as a networking
opportunity. The event is scheduled in the afternoon of Saturday, September 7th
2019. The exact venue is yet to be confirmed.
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| A group picture at the end of JRYC 16th Conference Community Exchange |
Important notice!
1. We shall keep you updated on a daily basis during the
conference! Follow us on Twitter (@JRYCRwanda) and Facebook (@JRYCRwanda) for
more information!
2. If you will be in Rwanda by the time of the conference and
you want to join us, kindly contact the JRYC – Rwanda side for assistance.
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