Volunteer in RWANDA
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Kinyarwanda, Swahili, English
POPULATION: 9.5 million (2007)
GDP per CAPITA (PPP US$): Rwanda $819 Canada $36,687 (2008)
% of Population BELOW POVERTY LINE: 56.9% (2008)
United Nations Human Development Index (HDI)
The HDI measures the average progress of a country in human development. It provides a ranking of 179 countries based on three dimensions of human developemnt: living a long and healthy life, being educated and having a decent standard of living.
RWANDA Country Ranking #165
WHY VOLUNTEER IN RWANDA?
Rwanda is a land locked, resource poor country. Years of civil war culminating in the genocide of 1994 had a devastating social and economic impact on the country. Over 1 million lives were lost and another 1 million Rwandans became refugees. Volunteers who choose Rwanda make an important gesture of international solidarity. By visiting the people and witnessing the legacy of violence, volunteers honour the country's efforts to rebuild for a peaceful and sustainable future. Participants support villages in the rural areas of Rwanda with our Host Partner, Building Bridges With Rwanda. They work with the communities building infrastructure such as schools and community centres. Our long term commitment is to help improve the community members' life options and to increase their self-sufficiency.
WHAT CAN I DO?
Volunteer! Work with locals to build community and important community infrastructure projects. No special skills are required. Currently, participants are supporting the village of Gashora in the District of Bugesera. We invite people who cannot give the gift of time to donate to the Gashora project and programs through Developing World Connections. Visit the Donate page or contact us for more ways to be of service.
WHAT WILL I SEE?
Upon completion of the volunteer experience, we recommend you visit the Genocide Museum in Kigali. Visit the incredibly lush and beautiful scenery in Rwanda and take an excursion in the Parc National des Volcans, the last sanctuary of the endangered mountain gorilla.
Get close to some of Rwanda’s fantastic wildlife at the A’Kagera National Park which covers over 2,500 sq km of savannah and is a habitat for over 500 species of birds.
WHEN CAN I GO?
2012 - Volunteer Experience Schedule |
| MAY 5 TO JUNE 2 (Student) |
| JUNE 9 TO JULY 7 (Student) |
| JULY 13 TO JULY 28* (Short Term) |
AUGUST 11 TO AUGUST 25 (Short Term) |
OCTOBER 13 TO OCTOBER 27 (Short Term) |
* This trip is for 1 week in Rwanda and 1 week in Uganda. Only the first week will be tax deductible. Please contact
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for more information.
Note: The Volunteer Experiences Schedule will be updated every two weeks. It is subject to change depending on flight arrangements and suitability for host communities.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
For one week, the Program Cost is $1,600 and for two weeks it’s $2,000. This includes the in-country food, in-country ground transportation, in-country accommodation, project costs and a substantial direct donation to the host partner. It’s 100% tax deductible.
