Rwanda – Peace Corps Worldwide

Fifth Prize Peace Corps Fund Award: “The Stories We Tell” by GraceAnne Heater (Rwanda)

Jul 25 2017

GraceAnne Heater (Rwanda 2014-16) served in Peace Corps Rwanda as an ESL high school teacher. She has won many contests, including a pie eating contest at age 10, a cow milking contest at age 17, and a peeps diorama competition at age 28. She is an avid reader and a passionate but undisciplined writer. She currently resides in Philadelphia with her husband and their adopted Rwandan cat. • The Stories We Tell by GraceAnne Heater MURUNDA, MY VILLAGE, was in the only district in Rwanda without a paved road. It was remote, poor, and nearly inaccessible during the rainy season. It was an hour and a half away from the main road, a motorcycle ride that stopped my heart and took my breath, nothing but steep mountains, sharp curves, uneven roads, and views of Lake Kivu with the DRC looming in the distance. Murunda was home . . .

Rwanda PCV David Ripley Died of Aneurysm While on Vacation in Tanzania

Apr 06 2015

David Ripley, a PCV working in Rwanda, died Tuesday from an aneurysm, his father, Bruce Ripley, said Saturday. “It was a weak spot in his arteries,” he said. “It was out of clear blue.” The news came to a shock to the family, his father said. David had never demonstrated issues with his heart. The family and friends are now awaiting the arrival of David’s girlfriend, another PCV in Rwanda, and a representative from the Peace Corps from HQ in Washington, to make final memorial services. The service will be this coming Saturday. The family has been overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support from family, friends and the Peace Corps Community. “He’s touched so many lives,” Bruce Ripley said of his son. “What he accomplished in five to seven months….he made all his friends dream bigger.” The Peace Corps has set up the David Ripley Memorial Fund. Bruce . . .