Posters advertising the Rotary Run for Rwanda are pasted up in various locations on Bowen, and many newcomers are asking: Why Rotary? Why a run? And why Rwanda? The story dates back to August 2007, almost exactly 15 years ago, when young Margaret Butler who had grown up on Bowen arrived in a tiny village in rural Rwanda to start work at a state of the art hospital recently opened by Paul Farmer, an amazing Harvard professor of medicine.
Butler, a seasoned runner who had represented Canada several times throughout her career, a graduate of the French Immersion program at Sentinel Secondary in West Vancouver who had snapped up an athletics scholarship at the University of Washington in Seattle and after several years teaching at St. George’s in Vancouver, had gone on to Columbia University in New York to gain a Masters in International Education and Development, was rightly nervous at the prospect of this African adventure. However, she soon discovered that rural Rwanda was a tiny paradise, populated by friendly people who welcomed her with open arms and a lovely place to enjoy her love of running.
She was soon joined by lots of young boys as she did her morning run in the hills of Rwinkwavu, but no little girls ever appeared. She learned that the girls were busy doing chores like fetching water, preparing meals for the family or going out to work in the fields.
While their brothers were going on to secondary school, these rural girls were better employed at home, particularly as their families had no chance of paying school fees, uniforms and other expenses related to educating their daughters beyond primary school.
Encouraged by Paul Farmer and her friends at the local hospital, Margaret decided to organize a girls’ run in the village and raise funds to support 10 girls at secondary school. Her parents, Robin and Hilary, who had spent several weeks with her in Rwanda enjoying the local hospitality, back on Bowen wrote an article in the Undercurrent publicizing the event.
As a result, generous Bowen donors plus Margaret’s contacts around the world raised enough funds to supply T-shirts and water bottles for the participants and $5,000 for the scholarships for 10 young girls. The first run was a great success, attended by over 300 local girls.
This was the start of yet another adventure for Margaret. Back in the US after her 18 months in Rwanda, she realized that the young girls who had been picked out by their peers and teachers as being worthy candidates for scholarships, needed further help for continuing their education and what’s more, there were hundreds of young girls who were desperate for help.
Komera Center now open in Rwanda
Her friends and family helped her set up Komera, a non-profit to benefit these young women. Jump forward 15 years and find a thriving organization run entirely by a team of local women, that supports nearly 200 young women in high school and university in Rwanda, organizes a Parents’ Cooperative that provides opportunities to the families of these girls, runs a Teen Mothers program, organizes sports for boys and girls of the community, while providing leadership camps and vital health instruction seminars for young women.
Margaret, who has recently relocated to Bowen Island with her husband Jeb and two daughters, is presently in Rwanda for the opening of the beautiful Komera Center, constructed with local materials and built with local labour, which will be the hub of the local community. She has moved on from working for Komera (handing over her job to Dativah Bideri and a Rwandan team) and spearheads Amplify Girls, an umbrella organization of 25 small entities in East Africa. Like many young professionals, she and her husband can run their jobs in our local paradise, thanks to modern communication networks.
So why Rotary and why a run? In 2011, Piers Hayes and Bawn Campbell founded the Rotary Club of Bowen Island. At that moment in time, the very successful Run for the Ferry team was looking for someone to carry on the tradition. The Butlers, charter members of the Rotary club, fired up with the idea of helping their daughter with her efforts in Rwanda, accepted to take on the challenge, and the run became a Bowen tradition and morphed into a community run, with the kids’ 1.5 K run being a popular feature.
Soon Komera Canada was established as a charity and has been able to sponsor many young women in their efforts to complete their education in Rwanda. During several visits to Rwanda, the Butlers and their friends have been able to visit the girls at their schools, participate in the local run that still takes place annually in Rwinkwavu and help out at service projects in the village. And of course, take a side trip to visit the world-famous gorillas, stay at the Akagera National Park, and enjoy the beautiful country of a Thousand Hills, now recovering from the infamous genocide of 1994.
So there you have it! The Rotary Run for Rwanda takes place Saturday, August 27 this year. The Rotary encourages you to sign up for a morning of running or walking, lots of treats and prizes supplied by local businesses and all for a great cause! Check out the posters and register online at rotaryrunforrwanda.com
