Shalom welcomes anyone wanting to follow an internship, wanting a learning encounter or wanting to volunteer for whatever length of time. 

A Volunteers Account

“Arriving in Rwanda you expect to see a country still torn apart by the war in 1994. At least, that’s what I expected to see. Instead on the clean streets of the capital, Kigali, I see a city that could be a nearly perfect fit to my home for the last four years—the Mississippi Delta. There’s definitely poverty and there’s definitely wealth, but this city is not at all what you expect when you de-board a plane in Rwanda.

The reconciliation process is in full swing here both through government and civil society action. Shalom is certainly providing a voice to this process here, as well. Though it’s a newer organization in Rwanda, it’s got quite an agenda planned for this country. One of the projects I’ve been able to assist with is the development of a conflict transformation module for Self Help Groups in rural areas, as well as a few grant applications.

It’s been an incredible experience so far, definitely one to repeat!”

Megan Colnar is from San Antonio, Texas. She recently graduated with a BA in International Relations and Latin American Studies. Additionally, she was the recipient of the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship for 2008-2009 to do a comparative study of global nonviolence and reconciliation movements in India, Rwanda, South Africa, Chile and Northern Ireland.

Here Megan is pictured with members of a Self-help cooperative that Shalom is working with.