Our Journeys
Past Trips
Rwanda 2009
Metta Journeys took two different groups to Rwanda in May 2009, and we are all still buzzing from the experiences! We first went to Rwanda in 2008, and the trip participants who returned with us this year could see the how much the women we support through Women for Women International (WFWI) have thrived. New participants got to experience Rwanda for the first time and build connections with the people and country that will remain for years to come.
If you would like to read what one of our travellers had to say about the trip click here.
 I am very happy that Metta Journeys has helped me discover another side to life: travel that truly broadens the mind and can change one's perspective in a way that will last beyond just a few days after the trip. 
— Melissa Cook, Rwanda 2009 Trip Participant
I feel like I know so much more about Rwanda now, and I feel the people in my heart and soul.
— Kathy Kinley, Rwanda 2009 Trip Participant
The Cause
Metta Journeys partnered with WFWI, a nonprofit organization that reaches out to women survivors of war and gives them the tools and finances they need to start rebuilding their lives. Through WFWI, one can sponsor a woman (a "sister") for a year by sending her funds and letters of encouragement. Many of our trip participants made a commitment to sponsor one or more Rwandan women. We took the participants to meet their new sisters, learn about the important work WFWI is doing, and understand more about life in beautiful Rwanda.
Rwanda will no longer be a strange land where something terrible happened.It will be the place where I met wonderful, warm, loving people! I will pass that view along to everyone I can.
— Yvon M. Soares, Rwanda 2009 Trip Participant
What We Experienced
In Kigali, trip participants met their new sisters, sat in on WFWI classes, and spent time with the incredible women who administer the WFWI programs. Those who sponsored sisters on our 2008 trip were able to see their sisters graduate from the program, and we all saw first-hand the self-confidence and hope the Rwandan women had gained as a result of their year with WFWI.
One highlight of the trip was visiting an agricultural co-op, made up of 120 women, outside of Kigali. Here, WFWI program participants were growing ground nuts and cassava, and turning a significant harvest. We were amazed at how much these women had accomplished
considering the tremendously difficult situations they had faced.
I particularly appreciated that Metta Journeys organized a balanced itinerary which gave us a view into the beauty and nature of Rwanda, in addition to getting in to areas we would never have found on a typical tourist itinerary. — Melissa Cook, Rwanda 2009 Trip Participant
On our trip, we also:
• explored genocide memorials
• toured the countryside
• shopped at colorful markets
• hiked into the forests to visit with gorillas
• visited Lake Kivu
• took yoga classes (on the first trip)
Learning about the genocide really made me feel I understood Rwanda in a way I never would have otherwise. And trekking to see the mountain gorillas was a definite highlight.
— Lindsay Foley, Rwanda 2009 Trip Participant
We had excellent, responsible drivers and the whole atmosphere, including the hotels and the roads, felt safe and stable. My favorite part was meeting Rwandans and listening to their stories. I will always have them in my heart.
— Yvon M. Soares, Rwanda 2009 Trip Participant
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