April 23, 2008

I suspect few claim that Theoneste Mutsindashyaka (Minister of State, Education Ministry) does not speak his mind.

When I entered his spacious (but very warm) office, I was welcomed by the Minister as well as one of his senior staff. As a common business practice, Joy Rucyahana (the Bishop's daughter who facilitated the meeting) was there to physically make the introduction. She was invited to join the conversation. Over the next ten minutes, about five other leaders entered the meeting. Progressively, it occurred to me how serious the Rwandan Ministry of Education was taking The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

A prior Mayor of Kigali and Governor of the Eastern Region, Theoneste is a respected and results-driven leader. Despite his powerful presence, he listened quietly to me speak while he leaned back in his chair and nodded thoughtfully.

I extended deep thanks and appreciation for the warmth our group received while visiting Rwanda and shared my impressions about the educational needs of the country.

The lack of formal training for mental health professionals is glaring. As I mentioned in another post, the National University of Rwanda only recently launched a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology, but, as a rather traditional degree program, its capacity to meet the mental health needs of the country is tremendously lacking. To my knowledge, there are only three psychiatrists in Rwanda, and I'm not aware of any doctoral level psychologists.

The need is more pressing and extensive than what the Rwandan educational system is currently able to provide, I explained. I shared my confusion throughout the week as I heard public and private leaders struggle with the "lack of resources" they see in Rwanda. "There are tremendous resources here," I stated, "and they are the Rwandan people. The best way to build the capacity of your resources is through education."

I suggested that the country consider collaborating with a specialized institution of higher learning in the development of an online counseling certificate program. From a solid base of basic counseling knowledge, skills, and attitudes, focused training opportunities in trauma, HIV/AIDS, reconciliation, domestic violence, and substance abuse could meet specific population needs.

Theoneste offered periodic words of support such as, "Everyone should have a counselor" and "Every teacher should go through counseling training."

I went on to suggest that the emerging technological infrastructure of the country could support wide dissemination of the program. I emphasized the need for local constituents, including existing counselors, teachers, clergy, community leaders, and higher education professionals, to work with content experts to identify the specific counseling competencies desired and, from there, design a culturally relevant, politically acceptable, and evidenced-based curriculum.

The Minister paused, leaned forward, and proclaimed in no uncertain terms, "We want it."

He went on to enthusiastically state that he wants for The Chicago School to build a school in Rwanda, and I explained to him that the complexities of doing so right now would probably distract from our ability to quickly address the more immediate need of increasing the competency and effectiveness of those already serving as counselors in the community.

I also encouraged him to consider what the Ministries of Education and Health could tangibly provide to incent the private education sector to partner on such an initiative, and several ideas were discussed.

Over the coming weeks and months, I will be consulting with one of Theoneste's senior staff to map out a plan to hopefully bring a training program like this to Rwanda. Clearly, I'll be looking for ways in which The Chicago School can directly lend its expertise, expand its reach, create new opportunities for faculty and students, and make a meaningful contribution to a recovering country that very much welcomes our assistance.