February 4, 2025

Study Abroad in Rwanda – Available for ad hoc Honors!

JSIS/UWB Rwanda: Leadership and Nation Building in Rwanda – Sports Development, Global Health, Ecotourism and Human Rights

The program directors have offered to work with Interdisciplinary Honors students to develop an ad hoc Honors project and to have it count towards Honors Experiential Learning. 
*Please note Interdisciplinary Honors students will need to apply for the ad hoc Honors project for this program, and apply for Experiential Learning, it is not automatic.

Link for more information and to apply.

Application Deadline: February 15, 2025

Dates of Program: August 28-September 19, 2025

Credits: 5 credits

Cost:  The program fee is $4,500 BUT REMEMBER:

• A very high percentage of UW students receive substantial financial aid to study abroad;
• The fee includes tuition – you don’t pay tuition on top of the program fee;
• The fee includes all lodging and many meals, as well as all travel within Rwanda;
• The fee unfortunately does not include airfare – that is your own responsibility. 

Description:  

This program will explore the themes of leadership and nation building as they take shape through efforts in the areas of sports development, global health, ecotourism and human rights. Thirty years after the genocide, how has the government used these areas to rebuild the nation and establish Rwanda as a significant player on the world stage?

Rwanda provides a fascinating site to explore these topics, with a thriving economy, an expanding global economic and cultural footprint, and one of the safest places to live on the continent. Yet all of this has been achieved through the forceful hand of an autocratic government. What are the losses and what are the gains of this approach to leadership, nation building, and development? How has Rwanda established itself as a model of good governance, anti-corruption and economic development?

UW students will partner with students from the African Leadership University (ALU) throughout the program, providing a unique opportunity to work closely with students based at ALU’s main campus in the capital city of Rwanda: Kigali. ALU draws its student body from across the continent, with approximately half coming from more than 30 African nations, while the other half come from Rwanda. UW students will take classes and workshops, and work on research projects focused in one of the four topical areas of the program – sports development, global health, ecotourism, and human rights – in teams with ALU students. The program will include site visits and guest speakers relevant to all four sub-themes – along with workshops from expert instructors from both UW and ALU.

Site visits and guest speakers will include the newly redeveloped Amohoro (“Peace”) Sports and Cultural District, the Kigali Genocide Memorial (and others), Volcanoes National Park, The Dian Fossey Gorrila Museuma and Visitors Center, the University of Global Health Equity (founded by Dr. Paul Farmer), Solid Africa (a sustainable agriculture and food security NGO), Live Well Rwanda (a Yoga and Wellness organization) and others.