Local Kiama resident and former plumber Bryan Malone has just returned from his latest humanitarian trip to Rwanda. His journey was not only a mission of goodwill but also an educational venture, where he mentored students from the University of Wollongong (UOW) on various building and plumbing projects. These projects, initiated by David Walker, a former engineering lecturer at UOW, aim to uplift and empower Rwandan communities through practical education and support.

Rwanda, one of East Africa's smallest countries, shares borders with Uganda, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi. Despite its small size, with a population of around 26 million, Rwanda's history is marked by the devastating 1994 genocide, in which 800,000 to one million Tutsi people were brutally murdered by Hutu extremists. This horrific event left deep scars, but the country has been resilient in its efforts to rebuild and heal.

Bryan Malone works with David Walker, who has visited Rwanda 50 times, and is dedicated to helping the nation recover from its tragic past. With a background at BlueScope, Walker focuses on providing education and mentoring to foster self-sufficiency within Rwandan communities. Their goal is to enhance the students' understanding of global disparities and the importance of social responsibility.

Malone, with nine visits to Rwanda under his belt, took the students to the Kigali Genocide Memorial. He said, “The first place we took the students was to the memorial museum where there are 250,000 people buried in a mass grave”. There, they met Frida Umuhoza, a remarkable genocide survivor. Now living in Melbourne, Frida authored "The School of Resilience: Chosen to Die, Destined to Live," recounting her harrowing experiences and her journey towards forgiveness and hope. Her story of survival and resilience serves as a powerful testament to the human spirit's capacity for transformation.

Communicating through an interpreter during his visits, Malone and his team have completed various impactful projects. They built an office for the teachers out of a shipping container, complete with fencing, and a water tank installed at a school in Babati, Tanzania. In a primary school in Kigali, they also installed a water tank in line with two other tanks feeding a toilet block. They revisited two Youth Centres where they painted walls, and repaired water tanks. These youth centres have been established for the now orphaned students to learn valuable life skills.

In one notable act of kindness, Malone's team renewed a tap they had installed in 2022 for Maria, a genocide survivor who had been bedridden for 30 years. Malone said, “She is the only one to have a tap inside her tiny home. Maria remembered us and beamed with delight when she saw us again.” Her joy upon seeing the team highlighted the significant improvement they had brought to her quality of life.



Malone's humanitarian efforts extend beyond Rwanda, into Kenya. Stay tuned for Part 2 of his inspiring story in the next edition of The Bugle.