The Future for Kids founder recently returned from Rwanda. Tired but happy, with a huge suitcase full of impressions and experiences. Here, he tells us about his trip.
Otto, how often do you travel to Rwanda?
I try to visit twice a year. The only exception was during the pandemic. If I add up all my visits since Future for Kids was founded, I’ve spent a total of one and a half years in Rwanda.
How do you prepare for your trips?
It’s become a routine process for me. I book my flight, inform all my partners here in Austria and in Rwanda about my trip, and gather topics to discuss. Often, I also organize donations of goods and bring them with me. This is a very special issue because we don’t have any logistics support. This means we have to carry everything in our luggage and pay for excess baggage ourselves.
We always need clean clothes and shoes in good condition. However, due to the considerable effort involved, we now only collect clothing of specific sizes and types.
When you arrive…
… my foster child, Jophride, usually picks me up from the airport. The drive from Kigali to Musanze is breathtaking every time. That’s when I mentally transition from Europe to Africa.
The next day, it all begins. There are meetings with partners, visits to our locations, discussions with employees, and project meetings. I spend a lot of time having personal conversations with all of our team members on site. Team development was an important topic this time. They work with incredible dedication as volunteers. In their enthusiasm, they sometimes cross boundaries. I always say that as long as we can sit down together at a table, get up laughing at the end, and continue working, everything is fine.
I try to meet as many of our 50 orphans as possible in person to see how they’re doing. While most of them are in close contact with their sponsors, they are still incredibly happy to receive visitors from Austria. We discuss a wide range of topics, such as how things are going at school or with friends, their living situation, and their first professional successes and sometimes failures. Now that most of them are young adults, we also discuss marriage and starting a family.
Is there any news about the projects?
Of course (laughs)! It’s an ongoing process. We try to strengthen and expand what is going well. Overall, I am very satisfied with the projects. The positive development of our beneficiaries makes me happy.
If something does not work out, we analyze the error and take steps to improve. Although we are a small organization and our team is volunteer-based, we do our best to be as professional as possible. There are always new ideas and a great passion for developing our projects further. The limiting factors are time and, above all, donations.
Back in Austria…
… fortunately, everything is fine. Our team keeps things running smoothly, even when I’m not there. However, I’m looking forward to getting involved in person again.
I am extremely grateful that we are able to live here comfortably and safely. It goes without saying that I want to use my position of privilege to support those who are less fortunate.
