CLA Rwanda has adapted the curriculum of CLA in Uganda to fit the Rwandan context. As in Uganda, CLA Rwanda selects applicants from across the country to receive free advanced secondary-level education. Rwanda has six years of primary school (P1 through P6) followed by six years of secondary school (S1 through S6). Secondary education consists of the ordinary followed by the advanced level. In Uganda the advanced level is two years, S5 through S6, but in Rwanda the advanced level is three years, S4 through S6. CLA Rwanda thus has more time to invest in each student. But CLA Rwanda accepts fewer students each year: 20 boys and 20 girls, whereas CLA in Uganda accepts 25 boys and 25 girls each year.
Another difference is that in Rwanda the boys and girls have classes together. In Uganda, the boys and girls study at different sites, and special get-togethers provide for interaction between the boys and girls. In Rwanda, the boys' quarters are on one side of the campus, and the girls' quarters are on the other side, with the classroom and administration in the middle.
A core role that William serves is to coordinate the Cornerstone Old Student Assocation (COSA) in Rwanda, which consists of the alumni of CLA Rwanda. One could say that CLA exists to create COSA. COSA defines the core of the self-propagating social network of leaders that Cornerstone is building; COSA in Uganda played a critical role in starting CLA Rwanda and providing teaching staff. COSA Rwanda meets 3-6pm on the last Sunday of every month. Cornerstone provides for transport to ensure that transportation expense is not a barrier to participation.
William also coordinates the Rwandan division of two other programs initiated by Cornerstone: the African Youth Leadership Forum (AYLF) and the Junior Prayer Breakfast. AYLF targets university leaders. The Junior Prayer Breakfast focuses on secondary schools. Cornerstone hosts an annual Vision Conference, in which they host 1000-1500 students for four days and teach them discipleship and leadership. They follow up after the conference by developing mission chapters in high schools formed on the attendees of the Vision Conference. COSA also sends its old students to these schools to teach discipleship and leadership.
William is a graduate of CLA in Uganda. His parents came from Rwanda to Uganda as refugees in 1970. He was born in Uganda in 1985. Rwanda considers people born of Rwandan parents as Rwandan; therefore he has dual Ugandan and Rwandan citizenship.
As we drove out of Miles and Katie's neighborhood, William began to tell me about the post-genocide rebuilding of Rwanda. Before the genocide, half of all Rwandans lived outside of Rwanda as refugees, many of them in Uganda. There were also significant numbers of Rwandan refugees living in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Belgium. When Paul Kagame's forces took control, many Rwandan exiles returned. Much of Kigale was built by these returning exiles.
On the way out of Kigale we stopped at the new Cornerstone Rwanda headquarters. There I met a recent CLA graduate named "Bright". He told me that he was participating in a program called "Bridge to Rwanda". This program is helping him to apply for scholarships to study in the United States. He said that it is a gap year program. Students in the program take a year after finishing secondary school to study English and develop skills needed to be successful in university. Bright told me that he wants to study International Relations.
As we left, we passed through Kisemeti, a commercial center. It was founded after the war by Rwandans returning from the Kampala area, where there is also a Kisemeti.
As we continued on our way, William asked me what I think of Rwanda. Well, I am simply amazed. Everything is so clean and well cared-for. Property lines are almost always delineated by sculptured bushes or nice-looking fences of brick or concrete blocks. Much of the land consists of small, intensively cultivated garden plots. The hillsides are carefully terraced to avoid erosion and increase water retention. In the valleys, the water has been carefully channeled and distributed. Water trenches grid the small farming plots, allowing for convenient irrigation. I see rice paddies and fish farms. I see people everywhere with hoes in their hands tending their plots. Almost everywhere I look I see realizations often exceeding my dreams of what the land could look like if people lived a better and simpler way of life.
As we pass people transporting enormous loads on bicycles, I comment on how strong the bicycles must have to be. William tells me that Indian bicycles are very strong.
We pass a racing bicyclist going nearly as fast as we are. It's the first (black) African in full racing gear that I have ever seen. Then we pass two monkeys going at it with each other. I am struck with the richness of wildlife here. I hear and see birds everywhere, including in Kigale.
I cannot help contrasting Rwanda with Uganda and Kigale with Kampala. In Uganda, fences around plots are generally ugly, built only for security. Extremes of wealth and poverty are greater. The Kampala area is sprawling, congested, and dirty. Street children and beggars are very common. In Kigale I see none. Housing developments are neatly circumscribed, bordered by pristine, forested hills. Evidently no one has been able to pay under the table to build a mansion on those hills. In Kampala, birds and wildlife seem rarer (except for vultures).
We pass some factories. William tells me that the Nyange factory produces juice. It is a business run by the ruling party. The proceeds are used to support party programs. The programs sensitize the people about the benefits that the party provides.
William tells me that Rwanda is moving toward privatization. It is selling shares in government business. Currenty the government sells half the shares and retains the other half (allowing it to retain control, I suppose). The shares are bought mostly by Kenyans, Indians, and Nigerians. I imagine that the large Rwandan diaspora is targeted as potential investors.
I ask about the Chinese. William says that the Chinese are in the construction industry. The Chinese bring their own workers; the Chinese offer very cheap labor, cheaper than African labor. He says that Rwandan government has found it easier to do business with the Chinese than with European firms. When Rwanda sought funding to build a new international airport, the terms specified by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund were very expensive. The Chinese said that they would simply build it and negotiate ownership later.
As we pass a valley full of people with hoes working small plots, I ask how land access works. He tells me that most of the land is owned by the government. People approach local leaders, who measure out garden plots for them. Before the war, land was locked up by big owners: army generals and big business owners. Twenty percent of the people owned eighty percent of the land. When the RPF came to power, they said, "No." They just took the land and redistributed it.
William tells me about the socialist and authoritarian policies of the current Rwandan government. "Every family sleeps in a treated mosquito net. Here government controls almost everything."
William contrasted Uganda with Rwanda. Uganda is a free market economy. Rwanda is trying to evolve from a command economy to a free market economy.
As we approach the school grounds, William slows down and talks about the follow-up after the genocide. He drives past mass grave sites where thousands of people were buried by the killers. These graves were subsequently turned into a memorial. We pass a vacant church. William says that many people were massacred there. After the genocide, people felt that they could not use that church any more. They built a new church.
William says that every year in April the whole nation observes a mourning week. People refrain from excitements. Genocide survivors tell their stories. They visit the graves where their relatives are buried. Some people collapse from grief and end up in the hospital. William tells me that he went with a friend at the university to the grave of his family. His friend was the only one out of a family of ten who survived.
William says that he has a problem with the way the international community perceives Rwanda. "[When the genocide was happening] they gave no attention. Now they are disturbing our peace. It confuses me." He talks about how the Interwahamwe are still free in Congo...
William contrasts the ineffective bureaucracy of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha with the effectiveness of the traditional Gachacha courts. In the Gachacha courts, the local community gathers. Those with grievances give their accounts. Then the person who committed wrong stands up, confesses, and seeks forgiveness. The community then gives its verdict. Typically, the community will reduce the time in prison for the person who confesses e.g. from 20 to 5 years. Through this process, there has been much healing. In contrast, since 1994 the ICTR has not even tried 100 cases. The Gachacha courts have tried well over 2 million cases.
When we arrive at CLA, William gives us a tour of the grounds. He tells me, "Cornerstone's culture is unique." It takes time and concerted effort for new students to assimilate. He introduces me to Agnes. She is a recent graduate of CLA who is here as a mentor. She helps the new girls with social and academic integration, sharing experiences, helping them learn what to expect, and helping them understand how Cornerstone works. I ask how they deal with students who are difficult. They reply: "We go for difficult people. We want to show them love."
We first visit the boys' side of the campus. In the dining hall I see students sitting together at their care group tables. I am introduced briefly to the "Emma" care group.
We then walk to the girls' side. William explains that the girls have their own kitchen and dormatory and have separate meals, but share classes with the boys. This provides for interaction, but gives some privacy and freedom. They want to train girls as well as boys to have confidence and to be sharp.
William says that they have church at the main hall. He calls it a multi-denominational church, for all denominations and religions, with Jesus at the center. He says that among the students are Catholics, Pentecostals, Seventh-day adventists, and Muslims. For each of these affiliations they organize a monthly outing for the students to spend time with their respective faiths.
William expresses Cornerstone's vision: looking at Jesus irrespective of one's religious community. Jesus is universally respected by essentially all major religions, including not only Christians and Muslims but also Hindus and Buddhists. He says, "We look at ourselves as brothers and sisters who submit to Jesus as universal master." Within Rwanda, Jesus provides common ground for Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa to reconcile and look to a better country.
William teaches me a few Rwandan phrases: "Mwaramutse" (good morning), "Bite" (hi), and "Muraho" (hello, which Katie had told me means "You're alive!").
We walk past land under cultivation. William explains to me that the school is cost-free to the students, but they are asked to work two hours per week in the school farm. The Uganda CLA is on a ranch with more land, so students there work on the farm 4 hours per week.
Interview with four CLA Rwanda students.
Back at the administrative office, Hannington and I met with four students: Jean, Frank, Jackie, and Patience. No one else was in the room.
Jackie is the former "chairperson" of the student body, and Patience is the current chairperson. The chairperson is always in her middle year, senior-five (S5), and is mentored by the former chairperson, who is in her third and last year (S6). Similarly, for the boys, Jean is in S6 and is the former chairman, and Frank is in S5 and is the current chairman.
The chairperson is responsible for linking the student body with staff and coordinating student activities. She presents ideas and needs to the staff and administration and organizes action. She is mentored by the former chairperson and by the staff.
I asked them to tell me more about how the school is organized and structured.
They explained the process through which the 40 incoming CLA Rwanda students are selected each year. The first phase is a written interview, which draws more than 1000 applicants. Students are pre-selected from these applicants for oral interviews, from which the 40 are selected.
Jackie explained that each five-member
caregroup elects one of their number to serve
as the caregroup "mother".
The four caregroup mothers then select one
of their number to serve as the
"grandmother" of all the caregroups.
They describe Cornerstone's unique culture and how students are brought into it. Cornerstone conceives of itself as a family of friends. When S4 students arrive, they find an already-established system. They absorb the principles of the school, and learn to strive for excellence. The staff is very near to the students academically and spiritually. In addition to the care groups, there are many clubs and activities.
They describe qualities that the students exhibit and strive for. Frank says that students are conscious, driven, and pursuing, and take initiative without waiting to be told. Jackie says that teamwork is encouraged in the student body and that if students have an idea for how to improve the school, they can organize a meeting and share their idea. If their fellow students accept the idea, then the chair of the committee will address it with the headmaster.
I ask them to describe their daily routine. They tell me that they awake at 5am for breakfast and fellowship, then have lessons, break, lessons again, lunch and lessons. At 3:30 they have club activities or sports. After supper they have prep time for individual studies until they retire at 9:30 or 10:00, although some study even past midnight, especially when preparing for examinations. I remark to them that the adolescent brain needs enough sleep to develop and learn well.
I ask them about the Rwandan national curriculum on which CLA's curriculum is based.
They first explain to me the system of national examinations. Students sit for national examinations at the end of each phase of schooling: at the end of primary school (P6), ordinary secondary school (S3), and advanced secondary school (S6). The examinations at the end of P6 determine the kind of school students can go to. They tell me that the parents usually choose the school for the child, since the children would be likely to make the decision based on things like where their friends will go rather than with consideration of the implications for their lives.
I ask them how the curriculum has been defined. They explain that the national curriculum has been set up by the Rwandan Education Board (REB) and the Ministry of Education. Teachers are selected based on their performance in national exams. These teachers formulate curriculum and present it to the REB.
I ask them what problems the Rwandan education system faces. After mentioning the standard problems — students being mistreated at home or missing school — they tell me that Rwanda has recently changed from a francophone to an anglophone curriculum. Teachers have to be trained in this new curriculum. Rwanda has built a system of universal basic education, alleviating the problem of paying school fees. They remark that at the secondary level the government schools are free, but the private schools charge money; boarding students have to pay much more. I infer that this is a burden for gifted and ambitious students from rural areas.
They say that a major issue at the university level is the financial struggle for the students. Some students work at night or are able to take advantage of cost-sharing arrangements. I wonder how universities could be designed to make education more feasible for poor students. I would aim for a simple common life for the students and faculty, run a university farm, provide a framework for small business, and reduce the need for high teacher salaries by providing good, shared benefits.
I ask about the content of the curriculum. Before coming to CLA, students study ordinary level (S1-S3), where students do not specialize. When students take their S3 national examinations, they are assessed in areas in which they might want to specialize (e.g. PCB: physics, chemistry, and biology; or HEG: history, economics, and geography).
In Rwanda, secondary students write a "general paper" in which they develop critical thinking and analysis and take a course in entrepreneurship. To this, Cornerstone adds a course in discipleship.
I ask how Rwanda has dealt with the lack of knowledge of English among native (Francophone) Rwandan faculty. They tell me that the government has employed Ugandan teachers. In fact, 90% of teachers at Cornerstone Rwanda are Ugandan. The Rwandan government has hired Ugandan teachers to teach Rwandan teachers.
They tell me that in Rwanda English is used as the language of instruction right from the start. I am surprized.
When I visited Uganda in 2010, I learned that they had recently switched from exclusive use of English as the mode of instruction to use of the mother tongue for the first three years before switching to English. This has been challenging to implement in Uganda, which is ranked as the most ethnically diverse country in the world and has a great variety of languages. In addition, Uganda has received large numbers of immigrants, which means that in some areas, such as in the Luwero triangle, where Cornerstone has a ranch and primary and secondary schools, several native languages are spoken and the children do not actually share a common mother tongue.
In contrast with Uganda, all Rwandans speak the same mother tongue: Kinyarwanda. So it would be much more feasible for Rwanda to teach in the mother tongue in the first three years. Instead, students study Kinyarwanda each year as its own subject, and all other classes are taught in English.
Burundi has followed the same trends as Rwanda with regard to language. The mother tongue in Burundi is essentially the same as in Rwanda (with small dialectical varations). Burundi has also switched from French to English as the official second language and the language of instruction.
I ask them what they value in Cornerstone. Their response is overflowing:
Cornerstone is a life-transforming school. In other schools, students to not know why they are there. Here we know what we want. They have shaped us well. Our students can present their views with much confidence. They treat us like mature people and teach us a sense of responsibility. In other schools, students do things because they must or they will be punished. Here we can be friends with the teachers. There is a culture of informality and a bond between teachers and students. At sports time, the teachers will come and we play together. We respect our teachers rather than fear them. They don't tell us to "tuck in". We feel a sense of belonging. It's ours, not something for teachers. We enjoy living here. Our big brothers [CLA alumni] come around.
I ask them how they handle it when students have problems with behavior and assimilating. They tell me that when new students arrive, "they orient you." When a student is having problems, they talk with the student to know why the problem is happening. They ask, "are you willing to change?" The core setting in which this process happens is the 5-member care groups. If the leader ("parent") of the care group is not able to resolve the problem, then they take it to the student leader ("grandparent"), who can take things to the administration if necessary.
They describe in greater extent how this system "flows". The grandparent coordinates all care groups and must be mature. Even at the care group level, the retired mom is regarded as a kind of grandparent.
They also tell me about the interaction they have with Cornerstone beyond Rwanda. Students are chosen each year to visit Uganda and represent Rwanda CLA.
They ask me if I know Tim [Kreutter], the primary founder of CLA in Uganda. They tell me that Tim regularly visits the school, sometimes staying for two or three days. "He is so friendly, and likes it when you go and talk with him. He is a good man: loving, providing, protecting, and encouraging. He is a man, and leads by example." My observation of Tim is that he works hard yet is interruptable and approachable.
I ask them to tell me their vision for Rwanda. They respond with their stories and vision of life. Frank says: We will make it a better land to live in. Those who are not scared of getting hurt willl join the battle. His vision is to see Rwanda prosper so that the next generation will see the foundation laid.
Patience says that she loves Rwanda. She wants to be a psychologist.
Jackie wants to ensure that there is promotion of justice. She wants people to become job-makers rather than job-seekers. People have the mindset that one needs big resources to become a successful business person. They need to see how to build a business little by little, starting small. Rwanda has a high population, and jobs are scarce. She mentions that the current leader, Paul Kagame, has implemented "Transparency Rwanda" to deal with corruption. Rwanda has recently been ranked as the third least corrupt country in Africa after South Africa and Mauritius. It is my observation that eliminating corruption is critical in creating a just environment in which trustworthy small businesses can flourish.
Jean is from Burundi. He wants to use his life to create opportunities for people. Many people are dependent, opportunities are rare, and nepotism is a problem. He says that Rwanda is getting better because of good institutions. People often exalt might above right, but with the right concepts people can move forward. You have to train people.
Jean talks about spiritual life. People are losing depth. Cornerstone helps one to get spiritually strong. Many people are hopeless, and cannot afford even one meal a day. Some are on drugs. He wants to eradicate injustice and moral corruption.
My final question to them is, "Do you see hope for East Congo?" They reply: Congo needs serious leaders. There are guys in Eastern Congo who are connected to Cornerstone. There is little gain in war. It takes time for people to see it. If more people can have this understanding, peace is inevitable. Congo is plagued by ignorance and underdevelopment. But they feel that the true causes of Congo's problems are being addressed. People are becoming more conscious of what is making them fight. When people are driven away as refugees and see other countries, they get a new perspective. When they get the opportunity to return, they bring this new perspective back to the country.
In essence, the students are hopeful that Congo will experience something similar to what Rwanda experienced at the end of the war. Refugees returned with new perspectives and played a critical role in nation-building.
Lunch.
We ate lunch with the teachers. I noted what was written on the chalkboard:
"All the world is full of suffering. We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world."The last equation shows the final value of 200 (Franks) lent at 20 percent interest (e.g. per month) for 30 (monthly) interest periods. It comes to about 2.7 times 1071, a truly astronomical number. A relevant calculation: I recall my Ugandan friend Anywarach Joshua telling me that he started establishing women groups in his district in the West Nile region because banks were making "microfinance" loans at 20 percent interest per month to village women and that marriages were breaking up when debt collectors came to confiscate property and husbands objected that they had had no part in the loan."Keep doing good without expecting anything in return, and God will take care of your needs."
"The best reward to someone who helped you a lot is nothing else valuable but developing a heart of helping others."
A = 200(1+.2)30
It is understandable that businesses will not find it profitable to make petty loans at small interest rates, but loan terms that continue to compound the interest at a rate that was justified by the initially small amount of the loan are unjust and prey on peoples' desperation.
Driving home.
As we leave, I ask William how Cornerstone got the land for the school. He says that in Rwanda, if you are building something for public benefit such as a school, the government will simply take land and relocate people if necessary and give you the land.
As we drive home, William talks about Rwandan and Congolese politics. A rebel group named M23 has been fighting for 2.5 years now and has terrorized and displaced many people. The UN high commission for refugees has sought to address the problem. There is a refugee camp in nothern Rwanda for Congolese refugees. You can't force refugees to go back when there is no peace. Some have married Rwandans, which gives them Rwandan citizenship. The Eastern Congolese speak Swahili and Lingala, making assimilation more difficult. But there are also Rwandans living in Congo (as well as Western Uganda), due to waves of refugees that began 50 to 70 years ago.
William criticizes the French colonial legacy. He says that the French want you to be like them, and don't give you time to grow and think. Even today, the countries colonized by the French do not take their own decisions without consulting the French.
He tells me that France supported the previous regime. Pangas used to arm genocidairs were imported and brought from France, and France knew the purpose of the pangas. Most of the people who orchestrated the genocide are now hiding in France. He says that after the RPF came to power, France continued to meddle and impose, and in 2006, Rwanda expelled the French and gave them 21 hours to leave.
William says, "Some of my relatives died in that war."
William says that now people are challenging the Rwandan government, contending that it is a dictatorship and does not have freedom of press and speech. He says, "These policies are good for us. We are still in the healing process. Freedom and hate speech were used in the genocide to divide the society. We would rather control that kind of speech. The international community has no idea what has happened here. This works for us."
"During the genocide, the US secretary of state said that this was a local conflict. Kagame waited for them to intervene. They all kept quiet. He came. Now everyone is interested."