When it comes to getting things done, we all have our” “go to” places – from the mechanic down the street, to your favorite coffee shop, to a doctor that you trust – these people and places provide reliable services that never let us down.
The same is true for our teammates in Rwanda. Over the years, they’ve come to rely on incredible partners who are always there just when you need them. And unlike a favorite coffee shop, having reliable partners in the humanitarian context can literally mean the difference between life and death – it means someone getting the care they need in time, or not.
So we asked some of our very best partners and vendors to gather for a surprise reception, held in their honor, complete with tea, cookies, thank you gifts, and a whole lot of gratitude.
Some of the most important vendors in Rwanda are pharmacies.
“We trust that they have the medicine whenever we need it,” said Bernad, ARC Rwanda’s Country Director. “And a lot of these medicines relate to maternal and child health – if the medications don’t arrive in the refugee camps on time, it could mean that the mother and child are at risk. I can’t emphasize enough how important they are.”
We also thanked the owner of one of the car rental agencies in town. Car rental may seem insignificant, but in reality, doing meaningful work would be impossible without a reliable transportation partner. “We can call him at midnight when we need an ambulance-type vehicle to go to the camps the next day, and at 8am, he will have it.”
In many ways, these vendors are true humanitarians, right alongside the Rwanda team. They have our backs, whenever we might need them. And that means they’re there for refugees, too.
