Rwandan students or those with Rwandan heritage living abroad are immersed into another world where keeping in touch with the general progress the country has made become so difficult due to the distance and the availability of news which may not represent the actual situation on the ground; this was my case.

I sent a request letter to the Ministry; in a few days I received favorable reply from the Directorate General of the Diaspora that facilitated my placement in the Ministry.

I did this internship on my own initiative. My aim was to discover my mother’s country and, as a student in International Relations, to get acquainted with relations of Rwanda with other countries. My second objective was to carry out some research on Rwanda’s Foreign Policy in order to find a topic for my master’s thesis and to discover which documentary resources were available for my research. 

As far as my personal impression is concerned, I would like firstly to say that I have been very well welcomed and that everyone in the Ministry really helped and encouraged me. I had the opportunity to discuss with people of great knowledge on the matter of Rwanda’s Foreign Policy.

I feel privileged to have been allowed to see how the system works and educating myself about the system. During my internship period, some administrative tasks have also been given to me, such as writing of diplomatic correspondences like Notes Verbales and Official transmission letters, and I have been able to assist in some meetings.

During my stay in Rwanda, I discovered the opportunities of research on Rwanda’s Foreign Policy were way bigger than what I had thought at first. The topics are very interesting and varied, from the regional integration to Rwanda’s many commitments on the multilateral level.

As for me, I decided to focus on the handling of the genocidal experience in Rwanda’s international relations.

So, in conclusion, I would recommend the internship to any student interested in the country to utilize the opportunity of internship, research or volunteering available, the system is still growing and while the information may not be at hand, there is a lot to discover and learn. In any case the experience will be worse the trip. Rwanda is a country on move, so come and share the journey.

I will miss Rwanda, I can’t wait to come back!!!

TRAN NGOC Laetitia

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