Creating a Perfect Rwanda Safari Itinerary
Thinking about perfect Africa holidays, Rwanda is a well-stocked full of only wonderful & amazing attractions from culture to wildlife. Scenic views can take your attention all through but the friendly beautiful people impact your stay more than what you can imagine. No wonder thousands visit the country often and feel delighted every time they talk or think about Africa and Rwanda in particular.
Gorilla trekking tours are one of Rwanda’s unforgettable travel experience and an outstanding adventure in the whole world. Before heading out for a Rwanda safari ensure that you buy a gorilla permit at the Rwanda tourism board which go for $ 750USD.But if your schedules are tight a Rwanda travel agent can book it for you provided you put in your request in time. Get to the park as early as 7.am to meet up with other day trackers for briefing an activity which unveil all the gorillas dos and don’ts. A traditional dance welcome you at the park head quarter and morning coffee becomes even tastier since it’s sipped in company of the Intore dance performers. Put on right clothes and remember to carry your valid passport plus the insect repellant.
Later the park headquarters assigns you a gorilla group and guide according to your level of fitness, followed by entering the forest with your guide to search for the exclusive Mountain Gorillas. Normally the park guides keep in touch with other park wardens who surely know where the apes are. During Rwanda Gorilla safaris, tourists have ample freedom of speech so they request for particular Gorilla families provided they are sure of their level of fitness. Make good research on different gorilla families before putting in your request at the park headquarters especially if your interest is to track a family with many baby gorillas and members.Before the trek it’s good to hire porters bit fit or not since they give you a solution to slippery grounds (walking sticks).The bottom line of this is to have an exceptional Gorilla tracking experience free from luggage but full of joy and relaxation. Besides viewing mountain gorillas in their natural beautiful home is Rwanda’s most wonderfully rewarding adventure which leave every gorilla tracker happy and full of amazing memories plus stories which last forever.
Interestingly the adventure is great for family holidays, group and sole travel because memories don’t discriminate the adults or youngsters.Even gorilla lodges cater for young and old offering exclusive comfort throughout every guest stay.
There is nothing better than exploring a beautiful country at your own pace at the same time making your dream come true. Africa is a large, beautiful and mysterious continent waiting to be discovered but Rwanda will make you have a million reasons to visit other Africa travel destinations. Take the strain off you and book a tailor made Rwanda gorilla trekking safari to volcanoes national park for three day duration or even more if time permits. A perfect 3 day Rwanda Gorilla safari itinerary will be designed by experienced tour consultants covering the entire main park activities including gorilla tracking, golden monkey trek, a visit to the twin lakes, diany fossey tombs and also mountain hikes to Bisoke and Karisimbi. Still the expert will advise you on the best lodges to use according to your budget hence making you get the most out of your African adventure.
Above all Rwanda itself is amazing, the people are wonderful with spectacular tour activities done under co-operative cool weather, and the tour guides are too tremendous that no guest fails to say thanks to you for taking us through at the end of every Rwanda tour. Kind words like that are what make Rwanda travel the most excellent travel destination in Africa. Check out some of the trendiest gorilla adventures online for a little further evidence of how fun it is to take on a Rwanda Gorilla trekking tour for family, group or sole travel. Everything can be great if you plan well and use right trip planners; however, fantasy feels all over the morning on the Gorilla tracking day in the ancient beautiful forest which comes to life every day.
Read MoreSisters of Rwanda
The Rwandan genocide of 1994 was a tragic period of history as most are aware, causing close to 1,000,000 deaths with over 99.9% of the population being witness to violence and death. Over 300,000 children were made orphans with over 85,000 under 18’s left with the responsibility of looking after their younger siblings. This has lead to many social problems with the younger generations today. Many girls were lead into prostitution due in large, to immense poverty and lack of knowledge of other alternatives.
This is a lonely life of abuse and neglect. Many are repetitively raped and it is believed that today in Rwanda around 25% of sex workers in Rwanda are HIV positive. Legally, Rwandan laws take a very strict criminalizing policy towards prostitution, with the sex seller rather than the sex buyer being prosecuted. When arrested the women are subjected to jail time with the children at most times being left at home to fend for themselves, and is too young left to die. Lots take to drug abuse as a way of coping with their circumstances leading to addiction and difficulty in taking proper care of their children.
Most are desperate to escape the industry but do not know how, feeling totally trapped. Sisters of Rwanda, is a new NGO attempting to break the cycle of prostitution in Rwanda, ending gender based violence and empowering women.
The start of Sisterhood
In the March of 2005 Pastor Joseph Ayienga began going out onto the streets, counseling women and giving them spiritual guidance, in an attempt to help them find a way off the streets. Although the women were unresponsive at first, lacking trust in men from years of abuse, in time they began to confide in Joseph, wanted to find out about the possibilities of leaving prostitution. Joseph did not like to call them ex-prostitutes so began to call them his sisters, leading to the name, ‘Sisters of Rwanda’. In May 2006 Jared Miller a long time humanitarian, met with Pastor Joseph and began to realise the possibilities to help these women escape from sexual abuse, aids and poverty. In December 2006 Sisters of Rwanda became a registered NGO and they haven’t looked back.
Programmes
Sisters of Rwanda now have a compound in the Gasbo District of Kigali where the women are able to come during the day with their children to take part in the programs offered. The NGO strongly believes in giving the women independence and are hoping to make the NGO financially self-sufficient by 2009.
(1) Income Generating Programme
Job opportunities are offered to the women, paying them a wage for pottery and embroidery. Through this, the sisters have a regular set income, hopefully decreasing the chance of them being forced back into prostitution. They are also in the midst of a deal with a big hotel chain, hoping to be given the rights to sell them regular supplies of soap and candles, enabling more sisters to enter the program.
(2) Education
The NGO has raised international sponsorship to enable some of the sisters children go to school. They are now paying the school fees for 34 children but are still in need for further sponsorship so as to be able to open this opportunity up for more. There are over 45 more children in need of education and it is also crucial that the funding continues to keep the current ones at school. They also offer after school English lessons to the children to aid them with their studies.
Future Development
There are also proposals in place to aid the women concerning their healthcare. Through research and interviews with the sisters, they realized the health problems countless face. In Rwanda most invest in a health policy. The Mutualle de Santé costs 1000 francs a year per person, which includes all health expenses. However many of the women, although having a policy, are not using it due to the consultation fee of around 200F, leading to illnesses.
Sisters of Rwanda wants ensure that all of the women and children are enrolled in Mutuelle, by creating a healthcare fund to subsidize the consultation fees and ensure that they are able to purchase medications, as at the moment many of the women are use traditional herbs when they are sick. They also want to put in place a comprehensive health education program to educate
women about reproductive health with a focus on preventative measures, and increase the women’s nutritional status through education and access to subsidized food. They would also like to offer the women education on their legal and human rights. Many are entitled to things such as child support but don’t know how to go about claiming it. When talking to the women they also discovered an interest in programs such as will writing, something of particular importance to the HIV suffers.
On a larger scale the NGO is also conducting advocacy to impact legal legislation for punishing prostitution in Rwanda. They would like to see the focus shift to criminalizing the buying rather than the selling of sex, placing the burden of punishment on the clients who perpetuate the sex trade, rather than the women who are trapped in the business. Moreover, they would like to see greater emphasis on programs to help sex workers leave the trade. A similar legislation was enacted in Sweden, with the government aiding programs similar to Sisters of Rwanda to give women other
options. As a result, the number of prostitutes dropped by two thirds and 80% of men discontinued buying sex. This truly highlights the enormous positive effect this change in law can make in decreasing the destructive pattern of sex selling.
How you can get involved: To find out more go to www.sistersofrwanda.org
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