By: Hao Feng

Babson Park, Massachusetts- After years of wars and genocide, the Rwandan government has made a strong effort to rebuild its economy. This change has lead Dennis Hanno, Dean of the Undergraduate School at Babson College, to organize two projects intended to support the effort. Four students, broken up onto two different teams, are taking part in the Management Consulting Field Experience (MCFE) curriculum and have been assigned the important tasks of developing a business plan to start a women’s health center and an entrepreneurship center.

 
The women’s health center hopes to improve the quality of life of Rwandan women by providing a center that promotes healthy living. The entrepreneurship center will offer advice and will create business plans that aid local businesses. This team also hopes to set up an annual business plan competition similar to what is offered at Babson College.

 
Babson Senior, Samantha Chipman, who is a part of the health center initiative, described how this project came about, all starting from one email: “Dean Hanno did a MCFE project last year and that was a great experience, he looked more into the wellness and entrepreneurship center to see if there was more potential. He decided to make both into MCFE projects, and it was publicized to the student body.” The outcome from the first project was positive, Dean Hanno commented, “The project was so successful that two students from last year’s project are currently working in Rwanda.”

 
Several students became involved in this project through a Babson sponsored trip to Ghana. Senior Lindsey Ford, a part of the entrepreneur center initiative, became profoundly impacted by the people she met: “It was a humbling experience to see the environment these people lived in. I was moved by how they welcomed me and how friendly they were. I have come to learn that these people were very smart. This experience is one of the reasons why I’m passionate about the Rwanda project.”

 
Rwanda is a post-conflict society with a long history of wars and the people have endured tremendous hardship as a result. Rwanda’s oppressive background arose from European colonialism and has been plagued by wars ever since. The worst atrocity has been the infamous genocide in 1994, between the Hutu and Tutsi. An estimated 800,000 people or more were killed in 100 days.  The years of genocide has left the Rwandan economy in tatters. Growth decreased by fifty percent and inflation reached sixty four percent (what year was this), leaving many people living below the poverty line.

 
Currently, Rwanda is recovering from the aftermath and the government is taking great steps towards improving the country. There are positive signs that the economy is rebounding. Dennis Hanno comments, “The government has put together a coalition that has made the country into one of the most economically progressive countries in Africa. The business climate is outstanding and they still need help in the recovery process.” Vast improvements have been achieved, but there are still challenges ahead as the country continues to rebuild.
When asked how other people can aid this cause, Dennis Hanno laughed and said, “Money always helps, because we aren’t funded.” He further explained, “The gift that we have in America, that other people covet is knowledge. The most valuable thing we can give is knowledge and the connections we have with other people. We can help many developing countries in Africa with what we know. The people who worked with me in the past are truly amazed at how much they can accomplish in a short period of time.”

 
Dennis Hanno encourages other people passionate about helping developing countries to become involved with his future projects. Lindsey Ford further stated, “Anyone that is passionate about helping Africa now should donate resources, or anything related to charities. The most important thing is to get involved.”