We are now using twitter.
search “truthlifedoc” to follow us!
truthlifedocumentaryfilms@gmail.com
A large pile of way to dirty clothes, a couple non-impressive mustache’s and 78 hours of footage means we have made it home!
It was a fast-paced intense trip from start to finish. We had a lot to do and see in not a large window of time but I think everyone would agree that we kept our days as full as possible. The nikon took over 1800 photos so im sure we will get some media up on the facebook site ASAP.
For the next few months a will sift through the footage and begin the process of putting together the film.
Thanks for caring those who cared.
We love you.
We have not had a ton of time to BLOG because we are only here for a month and so our schedule are more than full. It feels like we have covered this entire country already. We are back in Kigali, and actually went for a few beers last night at Des Mille Collines (Hotel Rwanda).
We spent several days in Musasa district in a town called Ruli, on top of a mountain. It was really awesome few days, we were giving some donations to the orphanage and interviewing some youth about their stories. We also went up north to Ruengeri but only a quick one night trip. We had supper with the mayor of that district and met some amazing people from project Rwanda who are changing the world with bikes, google them.
We also seen our 3rd memorial site yesterday and I think it rocked the entire group again. It is still hard to imagine something so catastrophic could happen in such a peaceful and relaxed country. We have another interview in a few hours, I thought I would throw a Blog up well everyone ran off to the bank.
The team is safe and sound in Nairobi Kenya. We have spend time together over goat and beers last night.
We have a down day getting over Jet Lag so we will spend the day exploring downtown. After this we are making our way to Jinja city in Ugnada ( I hear rumors of bungee jumping?).Tomorrow we will break out the cameras and begin film work. Sorry for brief update, still half out of it.
P.S.
These pics are from Amsterdam
We have been busy getting everything ready for Rwanda in a couple weeks. It was good to spend time with the team and get to know everyone a little better. We already have filmed several hours of pre-trip footage and are looking forward to see what this journey brings…
There is new film work updated!! A collaboration of photography, poetry and music from Sammy Golom, Kate Moignard and myself. Stream the video in projects.
We are proud to team up with a Non-Profit organization based out of Saskatoon called, “Room For Improvement Youth Development.” The mission of Room For Improvement is to foster social development for youth in disadvantaged communities, focusing especially on health and education.
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Here is some information about the documentary project this August…
Objective
Our mission is to carry out an experiential learning project through the perspective of 10-12 multidisciplinary students. We intend on using the Ruli community in Musasa, Rwanda as a model, compiling and sharing our experience with the public in the form of a documentary.
The goal of the project is to understand the opportunities and threats facing youth in Rwanda and how we (young Canadians) can help them improve their situation.
Time Line
The Rwanda project will take 25 days from the beginnig of August 2009 to the end of August 2009.
Bridges of Hope is now offering child sponsorship to Rwanda and the DR Congo. Our team was working on helping move this process forward and train the people in these countries how they will organize and do this. I was very blessed to actually get to meet my sponsor child David Bizimunigu.
It truly is a powerful thing to change the life of someone. I encourage anyone who has thought about sponsoring a child for $35 a month to do so. It a crutial time as Bridges of Hope begins to grow their reach into several countries. The start of these programs are very crutial and sponsoring a child will help in a large part to grow this hope.
http://www.bridgesofhope.ca/
The world lost a great man….
David Zopoula
David passed away in a car crash on March 7/ 2009 in Burkina Faso. He will be missed by all who knew him
Although we were only gone for only a few weeks we had a very busy schedule bouncing from cities, villages and countries trying to complete all the goals of our intended mission. In summery I belive we had a sucsesful journey without running into any sickness or major problems. This is a large blessing considering the proximity to danger we encountered in a few areas.
I often struggle coming home after experiencing such a powerful journey. After seeing so much desperation and so much need, and then coming home to this great country that has been blessed with every possible resource. I am beginning to see things in a different light after this trip. A light that does not speak to the conventional clichés of “Rich and Poor.” Instead I am coming home with the pain of the Genocide on my heart. With the distance cry of small children of a refugee camp which is home to hundreds of thousands of hungry people. I come home with the faces of children orphaned by war and widows losing their innocent husband to political hatred. Still I drive the streets of this beautiful Canadian country that I call home and that is where I find the most struggle.
I see generation of young people desperate for purpose and meaning. I see a lack of community and direction. I come back eager to share with my friends and family the hard ships of these wonderful people that are a world away from us. I can not relay this heart felt message because everyone here is in just as much need. This time I come back to the third world country. I come back to a unmotivated, unfocused, spiritually lost country that has access to every possible resource they would need. No one wants to hear about these things over seas because they have their own problems.
Well Africa does have its own share of political, physical and environmental problems. They deal with these issues on day to day basis, not as an individual. Not as a family. But as a community, as a body of people that are aware of their suffering and have come together in hopes of making a better life for not only themselves but their fellow man. One thing that sticks with me is the saying I was told “you are an Africans friend until proven otherwise.”
How long will we sit in our homes on top of countless amounts of opportunity in our potential, in our hopes and dreams in our children and in our venerability. In my opinion all it will take is people to understand and recognize that we are in need and we simply do need to come together. We can also all be friends until proven otherwise. And that our community of family and friends does not need to end within our cities, or within our country. It can carry across all corners of the world. And I can attest there is more then enough need in our dying world, the question is simply when will we wake ourselves up and come together as life has called us to do.
