Saturday, 14 August: Arrival in Kigali after an 8-hour flight. We gather our luggage and boxes filled with computers, display monitors, tools, pens, etc. Sister Régine and Sister Catherine welcome us at the airport. We’re off to the “Oblates of the Assumption” Mission in Kigali.

Sunday, 15 August: Breakfast, followed by mass, an opportunity to discover an aspect of Rwandan culture. At 12:30, we have loaded the van, but there are only 10 seats left and there are 14 of us! So 4 of the volunteers ride on taxi-bikes, while the 10 others hang on to the boxes and bags. And now, it's time for the big adventure! We are travelling to Burehe, where the Mission is located, 2 hours north of Kigali.

Along the way, we discover magnificent landscapes, the ochre of the road contrasting with the green and yellow terraced crops on the side of the hills. The Rwandese call out to us shouting "Muzungu", which means "the Whites".

Late in the afternoon, we arrive at Burehe, where the Sisters warmly welcome us. Visit of the outbuildings and the construction site, then dinner together.

Monday morning, 16 August, 8 o'clock: everyone is at their posts on the construction site.

Our goal? To renovate the buildings that will become a youth professional training centre. We meet the villagers who work on the construction site. They are all extremely friendly and welcome us with simplicity and generosity. Work starts: replacing corrugated tin roof panels, strengthening the roof structure, knocking down walls, sanding and painting doors and windows, excavating and paving the courtyard, building latrines, etc.

Every day, we have lunch and dinner with the Sisters who teach us the local ways and customs: how to shower with just one pail of water, how to filter drinking water, to manage power cuts, to cook and to dance traditional Rwandan dances.

During our free time, we play with the children after school, visit the health clinic, go for walks in the hills and admire the cultivated terraces in the setting sun… All these moments, full of exchanges and sharing, will be engraved in our memories.

Saturday, 21 August: It's the week-end! We are leaving for the Buera Lake, in the North-West of the country for an afternoon of leisure, picnic, swimming and boat rides… we really deserve it!

Sunday, 22 August: We stop at a banana beer brewery, a typically Rwandan beverage and then visit an orphanage. We sing, dance and play football with the children.

Monday, 23 August: We meet up again with the construction workers. We must finish the latrines, the terrace and the paintwork. We won't be short of work during this second week!

Friday, 27 August: Our mission is accomplished and it’s time for us to go home. But before we do, we throw a little party on the construction site to show our friendship to all the people we have worked with during these two weeks.

Saturday, 28 August: We leave Burehe, our hearts filled with emotion, our heads filled with plans, dreams and… thoughts of our next mission!