I cannot begin to thank every single person I know for all the well wishes, kind words and support. You really have no idea how much it means to me and I will remember it all for the next 27 months! I'm so lucky to have such amazing people in my life! Thank you!
All the best,
Annie
January 2010
Dear Families:
Greetings from the Rwanda Desk in Washington, D.C. It is with great pleasure that we welcome your family member to Peace Corps. During the past year we have received many requests from Volunteers and family members alike regarding travel plans, sending money, relaying messages and mail, etc. As we are unable to involve ourselves in the personal arrangements of Volunteers, we would like to offer you advice and assistance in advance by providing specific examples of situations and how we suggest they be handled.
Irregular Communication
The mail service in Rwanda is not as efficient as the U.S. Postal Service. Thus, it is important to be patient. It can take three to four weeks for mail coming from Rwanda to arrive in the States via the Rwanda postal system. From a Volunteer’s post, mail might take 1-2 months to reach the States. Sometimes mail is hand carried to the States by a traveler and then mailed through the US postal system. This leg of the trip can take another several weeks, as it is also dependent on the frequency of travelers to the U.S.
We suggest that in your first letters, you ask your Volunteer family member to give an estimate of how long it takes for him/her to receive your letters and then try to establish a predictable pattern of how often you will write to each other. Volunteers have had good success in receiving their mail in this form. Also, try numbering your letters so that the Volunteer knows if they has missed one. Postcards should be sent in envelopes--otherwise they may be found on the wall of the local post office!
Volunteers often enjoy telling their “war” stories when they write home. Letters might describe recent illnesses, lack of good food, isolation, etc. While the subject matter is good reading material, it is often misinterpreted on the home front. Please do not assume that if your family member has been ill that he or she has been unattended. Peace Corps has two medical officers on staff in Kigali. Through regular contact, the medical office monitors the health of the Volunteers. In the event of a serious illness, the Volunteer comes to Kigali and is cared for by our medical staff. If the Volunteer requires medical care that is not available in Rwanda, they will be medically evacuated to South Africa or the United States, depending on the medical care required. Fortunately, these are rare circumstances.
If, for some reason, your communication pattern is broken and you do not hear from your family member for three months, you should contact the Office of Special Services (OSS) at Peace Corps Washington at 1-800-424-8580, extension 1470. OSS will then contact the Peace Corps Director and ask her/him to check up on the Volunteer. Also, in the case of an emergency at home (death in the family, sudden illness, etc.), please do not hesitate to call OSS immediately so that the Volunteer will be informed as soon as possible.
Telephone Calls
The telephone system in Rwanda is relatively good. Service to the United States is somewhat reliable, phones exist in most larger towns and Volunteers can often plan to be at a phone on a certain date to receive calls from home. This usually works, but there are also innumerable factors that can make the best-laid plans fall apart. Phone service can be expensive.
The Rwanda Desk communicates with the Peace Corps office in Kigali daily. However, these calls are reserved for business only and we cannot relay personal messages over the phone. All communication between family members and the Volunteer must be done via international mail.
Sending mail during Pre Service Training (PST)
Your name, Peace Corps Trainee
P.O. Box 5657
Kigali, Rwanda
Sending packages
Both parents and Volunteers like to send and receive care packages through the mail. Unfortunately, sending packages can be a frustrating experience for all involved due to the possible theft and heavy customs taxes. You may want to try to send inexpensive items through the mail, but there is no guarantee that these items will arrive. We do not recommend, however, that costly items be sent through the mail. Even though Volunteers choose to get local post office boxes, you may use the following address to send letters to your family member at any time during his or her service:
John Doe, PCV
U.S. Peace Corps
P.O. Box 5657
Kigali, Rwanda
We recommend that packages be sent in padded envelopes if possible, as boxes tend to be taxed more frequently. Custom fees can be quite expensive. For lightweight but important items (e.g. airline tickets), several services, such as DHL, FedEx, TNT, and UPS operate in Rwanda. These services however, are very expensive, and can cost as much as $70 for a letter. If you choose to send items through these, you must address the package to the Country Director, c/o Peace Corps, Kigali, Rwanda. However if you send the item to the Country Director, no liability can be assumed.
Sending airplane tickets and/or cash is not recommended. Certain airlines will allow you to buy a pre-paid ticket in the States; they will telex their Kigali office to have the ticket ready. There is more availability of on-line tickets in and out of Kigali and that is currently the preferred method of sending tickets to Volunteers. Several carriers fly to Rwanda. Please call the airline or use their web site for more information. You could also send tickets via mail services as mentioned previously. However, Peace Corps will assume no liability in the event of a lost/stolen airline ticket.
Trying to send cash or checks is very risky and is discouraged. If your Volunteer family member requests money from you, it is his/her responsibility to arrange for its receipt. There is Western Union service available in Kigali, although there are many charges involved in the sending and exchange of money. Bear in mind that Volunteers will be aware of people visiting the States and can request that they call the Volunteers’ families when they arrive in the States should airline tickets or cash need to be sent back to Rwanda.
We hope this information is helpful to you during the time your family member is serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Rwanda. We understand how frustrating communication difficulties can be when your family member is overseas and we appreciate your using this information as a guide. Please feel free to contact us at the Rwanda Desk in Washington, D.C. if you have any further questions. Our phone number is 1-800-424-8580, ext. 2323 or locally, 202-692-2323.
Sincerely,
Patrick Koster
Rwanda Country Desk
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