SIT Rwanda: Post-Genocide Restoration and Peacebuilding

Studying abroad in Rwanda with SIT was truly a unique and extraordinary experience. It gave me the chance to learn about Rwanda's history and post-conflict reconstruction from a variety of perspectives and really learn about peacebuilding from one of the world's greatest success stories. Living with a host family was also a very valuable aspect of my experience. I would not have learned so much about Rwandan culture or been able to practice my language skills to the same extent in any other space: they made me feel at home in Rwanda, and have truly become a second family for me for life.

I would recommend this program to anyone keen for a challenge and fascinating encounter with Rwanda's unique culture.

SIT's experiential learning is exceptional....in order to teach us about the different neighborhoods in Kigali, practice the basic greetings, and the local bus system that we would be using everyday, our academic director assigned us in pairs to go out into the city, take the bus, and go anywhere just to learn about a specific subject (education, internet access, social life, market, etc) so that we could report back to the group what we found and the main words we need to know. SIT challenged me to go outside outside of my comfort zone on many occasions. I am so grateful to the staff and my friends from the program for their support. The independent study was a great opportunity to delve into a subject of interest and practice basic research methods. While not too academically rigorous, I learned so much everyday just by nature of who I was meeting and the kinds of conversations I was having about Rwanda's history and development. Be prepared for an intense, eye-opening experience. Kigali also has everything you need for an abroad--great going-out scene, lots of cafes and restaurants, and awesome people to hang out with.

This program is a definite must for those would are interested in conflict restoration and peace building. We stayed with local families, increasing our cultural exposure. The program staff is also extremely helpful and attentive. There are lots of opportunities to explore the cities and meet people. Life-changing, great experience.