{Last weekend, December 5th, in Arlington, Virginia, the Rwandan Diaspora in the U.S held a Leadership Retreat that attracted participants from the embassy of the Republic of Rwanda, national and local leadership representatives and advisors during which they discussed ways of strengthening the Rwandan U.S. Diaspora operations and how best they can contribute to national development back home.
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About two years ago, a national committee was elected to organize the Rwandan community under the U.S. Rwandan Diaspora (USRD), which, since inception, has organized several successful events including the Rwandan Day, the Rwandan Youth Forum and the Rwandan Christian Convention.
The retreat was opened by Mr. Manzi Lawrence, First Counselor and Chargé d’affaires, who highlighted the need for the diaspora leadership to work with members in addressing challenges they do collectively face and strive towards employing relevant homegrown solutions that tap into skills of USRD members to meet the pressing needs.
Her Excellence the ambassador, Mathilde Mukantabana who was unable to attend the retreat, shared her message with members via a pre-recorded video. She provided her guidance and expressed her expectations after the retreat, urging those present to aim for actionable and practical resolutions. She commended the existing structures and called for better coordination throughout the U.S. Rwanda Diaspora and assured them of her solidarity in meeting their targets.
Brig. Gen. Innocent Kabandana, Defense Attaché at the Rwandan embassy in Washington, DC, said “Being an asset to your country requires for you to attend to your obligations. Doing this involves bringing added value in knowledge, character, and humanity.” He urged Rwandans, wherever they are in the U.S., to be a true representation of what Rwanda is today and embody Rwanda’s vision, calling on them to harness knowledge obtained in the U.S. to enhance Rwanda’s overall development.
Members discussed investment opportunities back home, encouraged on being informed and promoting Rwanda as a hub of profitable business opportunities, engage local US companies and financial institutions in order to build linkages that bring investment to Rwanda.
In order to maintain the Rwandan community in the U.S. connected, Mr. Frank Kayijuka, First Counselor at the Rwandan Embassy, highlighted the importance of adequate communication between national/local committees and the embassy. Mr. Gaetan Gatete, the Chairman of USRD urged members to share their experiences and create a complimentary set of knowledge that would enable all communities to build a stronger Rwandan Diaspora.
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