Spotlights
Meghan Augsburger, Rwanda
My name is Meghan Augsburger and I am a Senior majoring in International Relations and minoring in German. This summer I studied abroad in Rwanda for 3 weeks with Global Youth Connect and their partner, The New School of Eugene Lang College in NYC. Our main goal was to study the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 and the progression of human rights in the country. Nine international students (including myself) worked with ten Rwandans throughout the three weeks, discussing different views of human rights, the implications of genocide, and the healing process throughout the country.
On our trip, we visited Kiziba Refugee Camp where we are
currently trying to advocate for their rights and open-up a dialogue
with UNHCR. Two of our participants were actually refugees at Kiziba
and Gihembe refugee camps. Throughout the trip, we visited genocide
memorials, volunteered at a variety of organizations, helped with
community service (Umuganda), and visited a reconciliation village
(where killers and survivors of the Rwandan Genocide live side-by-side).
My experiences in Rwanda were life-changing and incredibly
eye-opening! In April I will be graduating and because of this trip,
I'm very interested in humanitarian aid and refugee protection.
Alongside the other members of GYC, I've been helping with a letter
campaign to UNHCR to change the living conditions of these refugee
camps in Rwanda. I hope to use the knowledge I gained on this trip to
get a job in the United Nations or become involved in aiding refugees
throughout the world. I highly recommend the GYC program in Rwanda as
well as in Bosnia-Herzegovina!
-Meghan Augsburger, Rwanda - Global Youth Connect 2015
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