Salina Dharamsi of Vancouver was selected as a World Vision Youth Ambassador along with 5 other Canadian youth, travelling to Rwanda at the end of July for two weeks. The Youth Ambassadors participated in a Youth Forum with African youth leaders and visited World Vision development programs. We caught up with Salina a few days after she returned to capture her impressions.

Connect: What is the one thing that you will remember most from your time in Rwanda?
Salina: The International Youth Forum in Gashora, Rwanda contributed greatly to my view of Africa as an entity with a future filled with much promise. The calibre of leadership emulated by our fellow Tanzanian, Rwandan and Congolese delegates, built within me a deeply rooted sense of faith in the youth of these countries and their ability to make positive, sustainable differences for their communities and our global village at large.

C: What surprised you most upon arrival or during your stay?
S: I imagined Rwanda to be much warmer, a lot drier and more topographically consistent than it is in actuality. From rolling hills of lush vegetation to flat, arid savannahs, the diversity of the land and the flexibility of the Rwandans who cultivate it truly amazed me.

C: How has your perspective changed?
S: Even before my adventure in Rwanda, I recognized how each gift catalogue item can make a difference; I didn’t however fully grasp how life changing this difference often is. Whilst in Rwanda, I met a man who had been blessed with a cow. He explained to me how his cow provided nourishment through its milk, a source of income when milk in excess of what his family consumed was sold, fertilization for his crops, and future income when his cow conceives calves. The gift of a cow, in short, can ultimately sustain and provide life.

C: What’s the biggest lifestyle change you plan on making?
S: Inspired by the resourcefulness of the Rwandese, I have returned home with a renewed understanding of the importance of living more parsimoniously.  Closing the widening gap between the financial well-being of the developed and developing world is ultimately a responsibility we, as global citizens, all share.

C: What’s one thing you want everyone to know about Rwanda?
S: With the help of World Vision, a progressive government and citizens committed to the future of their nation, Rwanda has progressed greatly since the genocide of 1994. Rich with ambition and compassion, we as a global community can expect great feats from the Rwandese.

Continue the conversation with Salina and ask her questions about the trip on our Facebook Fan Page—she’ll be the guest moderator for the month of September!

Online: http://worldvisionmedia.ca/connect/?p=96

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A Vancouver teen has returned from Africa with a heart for helping the dire situation in Rwanda.

Salina Dharamsi was one of the six World Vision Youth Ambassadors to travel there with World Vision Canada. She says it was a trip that not only changed the lives of others, but also her own.

Dharamsi, 19, has always been a huge supporter of the gift catalogue, which lets you sponsor a goat or a cow for a village in a struggling country. But she never imagined it can make such a difference. “I was able to meet a man who has received a cow, and he was just so moved by it, just so grateful and I could not really understand, because it’s a really small amount of money for us, but it was just such a life-changing difference for him.”

They got to see a nutrition program for malnourished children and Salina says the results were astounding. “Over 12 days, because of the program, we actually were able to see a huge difference in how much the children weigh and how the children are acting, because of the food that they are now being provided with.”

Their team also visited a group of women who lost their husbands in the genocide of 1994. Salina says the most amazing part is their hope. “These women have come together and learned a skill, which was basket weaving. And they are able to really perfect the skill, and make marketable products for not only the people who are living in Rwanda, but also those abroad.”

She says some of those baskets were brought home as gifts for friends and family.

Online: http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article/97735–local-teen-helps-genocide-survivors-in-rwanda

Salina enjoys her afternoon with women from a Rwandan, widows' cooperative.