Oak Bay Rotary event: huge turnout for Rwanda Forum

District 5020 Governor, David Stocks, with speakers Phillip Lancaster, John Nsabimana, and John Jordan at the October 14 Rwanda Forum.

    The Monterey Centre in Oak Bay was filled to standing-room-only capacity for the speakers' forum, Rwanda Today: Hope after Tragedy on October 14. Organized by Oak Bay Rotarians, in particular speaker, John Jordan, to discuss the challenge of creating sustainable improvement in lands impacted by war, disasters, and poverty, the focus of the evening was on the positive accomplishments of peace and development in Rwanda today.

      Presenter Major (Ret.) Philip Lancaster, Military Assistant to General Romeo Dallaire during the period of the genocide in Rwanda spoke from his years of field experience as Special Advisor on Conflict and Social Development for fragile states in Africa. John Nsabimana, a Rwandan genocide survivor, told of how he came from the killing fields to become a University of Victoria graduate and a UNICEF World Ambassador for the Protection of Children. And John Jordan described how the partnership he formed with Rwandans has created sustainable living for hundreds of widows and orphans. 

     The evening began with the large crowd enjoying African drumming and percussion (above), thanks to Jordan Hanson of Drum Victoria, and, as well, there was a delicious sampling of Rwandan food for all to taste. 

     For more information on Sustainable Households Rwanda, contact John Jordan at 250 598-9739 or visit this his blog at www.rwandanvillage.blogspot.com