Friday Updates
OCTOBER 3, 2025
Happy Friday everyone!
So excited to see you all very soon.
Today, I want to recognize Jane Goodall. On top of her expertise and passion for chimpanzees, I have always admired her for challenging others to be doers, for blowing through the idea of age/retirement, and for emphasizing learning from young people. Those are themes I try to live by and bring into Venture Travel. So may Jane travel with us in spirit…
And since partnership and friendship are key tenets, I invited a new friend David Mubita to join us for the day October 23. I met David as part of the PR team for Virunga Mountain Spirits last December. He’s a creative, a connector, smart and fun. Originally from Zambia, I was reminded he went to African Leadership University (ALU) when I saw this ALU video. I had invited him to join us for dinner, but when he asked if he could also join for ALU, I just invited him for the day. So meet/connect with David (LinkedIn & Instagram).
SEPTEMBER 26, 2025
Happy Friday everyone!
Your landing and take-off at the Kigali International Airport will likely be your last….
….because they are building another one. The Bugesera International Airport will be finished (phase 1) in 2027. It’s located about 30 miles south of Kigali, in a 60% partnership with Qatar Airways, with an eye towards sustainability—as Rwanda seeks to make itself a hub of transport in Africa. This short video provides a great little overview.
Since landing in an airport is the first thing you’ll do in Rwanda, and meeting with former Minister of Infrastructure Patricie Uwase is the first thing you’ll do as part of Venture Rwanda, it’s important to know.
SEPTEMBER 19, 2025
Happy Friday everyone!
One of the favorite things that has come out of my mouth these past two years: “Did I tell you I’m an investor in a vodka company in Rwanda?” It tends to invite a “tell me more.” And I love talking about why I invested in Virunga Mountain Spirits.
1. Potato based vodka is only 3% of the world production. Virunga has a lot of potatoes! But a lot of them are unusable. Some are used for potato chip, and the ones beyond that are still perfect for distilling vodka. It’s sustainably-produced—a premium product, produced using what would have otherwise been discarded.
2. Think of the alcohol industry…it’s mostly male, although alcohol production started centuries ago by women (read Girly Drinks if you want a fun and insightful global history tour). VMS is focused on flipping that gender imbalance and having women in the lead.
3. I believe we can and should have many facets to our lives and careers. I do cringe at the world “retirement”—preferring “rewirement.” Founders Karen Sherman and Bill Wasserman are Americans who have led esteemed careers and came together since fully launching the kids to do this together in their 60s. I love their example. Karen spent decades in Rwanda furthering women’s leadership in her earlier career which she details in Brick by Brick (a great pre-trip read).
And Bill now has a Substack and Greetings from Musanze blog.
SEPTEMBER 12, 2025
Happy Friday everyone!
It was great to see you all on Tuesday, and I am glad you got to meet Des.
After our time in Rwanda, I’m heading to Mauritius to attend the 10 year anniversary celebration for African Leadership University (ALU). It’s an incredibly impressive global/African organization. And that’s why we will spend a few hours there on Thursday October 23.
I’ve just been reviewing their latest ALU Impact Report. Amongst our group there is a collective passion for education, women’s leadership and innovative technology. ALU has a sister company based in Norrsken called Sand Technologies (AI solutions)—key for workforce development for Africa. ALU founder Fred Swaniker has Stanford ties, so there’s also a deep connection to the West Coast.
If there’s anything that intrigues you, let me know. I’m happy to connect pre/during/post trip!
SEPTEMBER 5, 2025
Happy Friday, everyone!
Today (September 5) is a very special day in Rwanda. It’s the 20th anniversary of Kwita Izina. Expect it to be a big (even celebrity-infused) celebration! I’ll be following my Musanze friends at Virunga Mountain Spirits (Instagram) for social media updates, if you wish to as well.
Kwita Izina is modelled off a centuries old tradition of Rwandans naming their children in the presence of family and friends. In 2005, Rwanda began officially naming mountain gorillas. It’s now an annual global celebration. When we visit the Ellen DeGeneres Campus, you’ll even get a chance to figure out which gorilla you are most like. And I am excited for those of you who are embarking on your own post-trip gorilla trekking adventure.
If you have not yet, this is a great time to:
1. Update any needed info on your participant page on WeTravel (or send to me)
2. Check that you are up to date on travel vaccines
3. Obtain travel insurance (not required, but I recommend–because life happens. I recommend B-Corp Wanderwell)
4. Obtain your Rwanda (V-1, Tourist) Visa (for U.S. it’s $50–make sure to use this government site Irembo; or you can just obtain upon landing in Kigali)
5. Do any pre-trip reading/viewing (there’s a bunch listed on the trip site)
More on all of these items can be found on our WeTravel trip site Venture Rwanda 2025.
A reminder that I will send you a full Venture Travel 2025 Trip Guide. That has everything you need in one handy place. If you wish to print, feel free. I’ll also be sharing it on WhatsApp so you will always be able to access it electronically.
AUGUST 29, 2025
Happy Friday everyone!
Tomorrow is the last Saturday of the month. It’s the day each month that every Rwandan citizen comes together with a common purpose.
Umuganda is Rwanda’s nationwide mandatory community work day, created to promote peace, unity, and prosperity across the country. On The Last Saturday of every month from 8-11:00 am, businesses close and traffic halts as citizens across the country take to their neighborhoods. Listen to Desiree Izere (whom you’ll meet) talk about the importance of Umuganda.
You will be the rare visitor to participate in this monthly Rwandan tradition.
We will be hosted by my friend Doreen Kalimba. Doreen is the mother of my former SHE-CAN mentee from Rwanda (Maureen). The community decides the plan for the day, so we will learn more that week.
AUGUST 22, 2024
Happy Friday everyone!
One of my partners in Africa is Renew Capital. I met founders (Americans Matt & Laura Davis) in 2015. I invest through Renew (both via my taxable account and my donor-advised fund DAF), have traveled with the team, and even consulted with them years ago to help grow the network of people (like me) passionate about not just giving to Africa, but investing in African companies.
I was on a Renew call today and Matt shared this: “Last year 2024 was the first year where mobile money accounts surpassed the number of savings accounts in Africa.”
This is one of those leap-frog things–79% of Africans don’t have a formal bank account. This makes savings challenging. But smart phones have now become bank accounts. This has so many applications–people can now use their phones for savings (ie, childrens’ school fees). There’s a need for smart phones (one Renew company takes the older iPhones you turn in for upgrades and sells in Africa). And there’s now a whole collection of data that will follow (ie, the industry of embedded finance).
We will meet some folks from Renew when we visit Norrsken Kigali House on Friday, October 24—and even meet a few Renew companies. Here’s a piece on Rwanda’s entrepreneurial ecosystem written by Renew.
I can’t wait to explore all of these new ideas with you.
AUGUST 15, 2024
Happy Friday everyone!
My decade-long artist friend Innocent Nkurunziza, founder of Inema Art Center (which we will visit) posted on social media about a new contemporary art space in Kigali opening next month. It’s called the Gihanga Institute of Contemporary Art (GICA) and houses a library, exhibition and performance spaces and works by local contemporary artists like Innocent. We will also visit GICA.
The social media post was around a visit by Omenaa Mensah, CEO of the OmenaArt Foundation (and is written in Polish).
Omenaa is Polish (of Polish/Ghanain parents) and passionate about highlighting African artists. What you might not know about me is that I am very deep in my (100%) Polish ancestry. I even have an application for citizenship on someone’s desk in Poland. So I’m keen to learn more about this cross-continent link.
In short, these are the weird personal connections that pop up in Rwanda. Trust me, you will find your own that will surprise and delight you!
AUGUST 8, 2025
Happy Friday everyone!
I’ve been a little obsessed with the big happenings in Kigali this week–so much so that I wrote a whole blog about it (Giants of Africa). It’s a must read!
I’ve been excited about the opening of Zaria Court since last year. In December, I hosted the investor group of Virunga Mountain Spirits (VMS) on a Venture around the grand opening of the distillery. We walked the grounds of Zaria Court in hard hats. We imagined the places VMS’ Kari Vodka might be enjoyed post-launch. It fit so perfectly into Rwanda’s goal of being a hub of sports and entertainment in Africa.
Last week, they celebrated Zaria Court’s opening.
You probably didn’t see this in the mainstream news.
I saw it all over my LinkedIn/Instagram/WhatsApp. This short video explains why it’s so exciting.
We will be hosted for a behind-the-scenes visit at Zaria Court–and have time to enjoy a local Kweza beer, local eats, and shopping at boutiques that celebrate #MadeInRwanda.
And apparently Kari Vodka is available across Zaria Court. We will visit the Virunga Mountain Spirits distillery on Sunday for lunch when in Musanze (more on trip site Venture Rwanda 2025).
AUGUST 2, 2024
Happy Friday everyone!
I want to continue on some of the unique connections going into our trip.
David Mote and I met in 2017 at a Room to Read gathering in India. Connected by careers in financial services and a passion for education, we stayed in touch but have not seen each other since.
Last year, he told me that a personal project of clearing out his 96 year old father-in-law’s huge tool shed led him to find Tools with a Mission, which collects and refurbishes usable tools from the UK and delivers them to Sub-Saharan Africa. Last year, they sent 22 containers of tools to four countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
David was so impressed with the UK-based non-profit that he joined them in a business development role. Here’s a link to a Financial Times article from him about it. David asked me if I knew anyone he might speak to in Rwanda. I wasn’t really sure.
But I had just returned from my 2024 Venture Rwanda where we were hosted for Umuganda (Rwanda’s monthly national day of service) by Doreen Kalimba. The community was digging a ditch for water drainage along a hillside dirt road. I can’t say we contributed much to the effort. But there were a lot of tools! Knowing Umuganda takes place across Rwanda, I took David’s question to Doreen.
Doreen is the mother of my SHE-CAN mentee Maureen. She’s one of those leader and doe-er types that knows everyone. She’s the Chairperson of Rwanda’s Kayonza District, even ran for Rwandan Parliament a few years ago.
My hunch wasn’t wrong. David and Doreen connected and now have a plan for Tools with a Mission tools to come to Rwanda. David and Doreen will fill us in on all the details when we all meet in October!
JULY 25, 2025
Happy Friday everyone!
Ventures are all about connection to people, ideas and place.
I love seeing the connections that our made during the trip, and how they continue and grow afterward.
What is unique about our special group is that there are already some connections going into our trip. Today, I want to connect you to each other and share one of those U.S./Rwanda people connections.
Prior to our Venture, you’ll receive a pdf with full info from the Venture Rwanda. 2025 site, but most importantly with profiles on each of you and the people we will meet. I highly encourage connecting and reading pre-trip. My job is to make that easy for you. The more you put in, the more you get out. Here a bit about each of you (and LinkedIn profiles):
1. Kristin Nicholson – private advisor at Rockefeller Global Family Office and supporter/mentor of girls education through SHE-CAN
2. David Mote – recently retired UK-based financial services exec volunteering for Tools with a Mission
3. Heidi Hopper – leads the Hopper-Dean family foundation focused on girls education & leadership and climate justice
4. Jane Reynolds – mostly retired professor, University of Washington Business School
5. Jodi Morris – Venture Guide serving as investor, success coach and global travel curator
On our first day, we will meet in the hotel lobby at 4:30pm to head to our opening night gathering. We will be joined by Patricie Uwase. From one of the highest rooftops in Kigali, Patricie will share some high-level insights about Rwanda. She has served at high levels of the Rwandan government for the past decade. Previously, she was among the first scholars supported by girls’ education non-profit SHE-CAN, where her mentor was Kristin Nicholson. Kristin was last in Rwanda when attending Patricie’s wedding. It is special for all of us to join in this special reunion.
For some background, skip to 1:01:00 of this video from the 2022 SHE-CAN gala for a conversation between Kristin and Patricie.
JULY 18, 2025
Happy Friday everyone!
I hope you are excited about our upcoming Venture Rwanda 2025.
Every Friday going forward I will share a brief Friday Update. The idea is to share some tidbits about who we will meet and things we will do. It’s one way to connect and prepare us for a Venture that will leave us all thinking differently about the world and our place in it.
Every time I visit Rwanda things are a little bit different. This visit will be no exception. Some special things on this trip will be new and never-to-be-repeated.
Today’s first Friday Update is logistical:
1. Venture Rwanda 2025. The WeTravel webpage is the central source of information pre, during and post-trip. I’ll be fine-tuning our agenda over upcoming weeks. Do check out the hyperlinks and resources. Closer to departure, there will be a Venture Guide PDF you can print/share.
2. Confirm Travel Details. This is a great time to finalize flights, make sure your vaccinations are up-to-date, and collect health & travel insurance info. Check out the link above for pre-travel recommendations and reading. You can login and update your WeTravel profile at any time. Or you can just send to me.
If you are arriving early and wish to stay at the Four Points Kigali, just make a reservation directly and send me your confirmation # and I’ll have them link to your room in the group reservation.
I do not require but highly recommend travel insurance (every 2-3 trips, someone needs to cancel last-minute–life happens; Wanderwell is a Certified B-Corp and great).
3. Final Payment. Final payment is due 60 days before the start (so around Aug 22).
4. Whats App. WhatsApp is the primary means of communication in Africa. The chat proves very helpful in idea/logistics sharing when in Rwanda, but also before and after the trip.
Questions on any of this? I’m here to help.