It’s 5am in Bukavu and the sun is just starting to rise over Lake Kivu. There it is again, that body of water stretching far into the distance, sitting quietly. Today is our last day in Bukavu and tomorrow we take the fast boat back to Goma where we will cross the border back into Rwanda to spend a few more days. I woke up this morning with lots of thoughts spinning around. There has been a lot to process over the past week and a half, but it will take time. It has been an emotional experience. It is so hard to describe the situation here. It is so huge. There are millions of pieces making up a much larger picture. Words don’t exactly capture it. Photographs don’t either. But you have to try. Yesterday we saw more signs of hope as we met with Woman for Woman and got to see some of their amazing projects on the ground and in action. We drove to a remote village outside of Bukavu, weaving through the hillsides on torn up roads, engulfed in a swirl of red dust. We were greeted by a large group in the village who were singing to mark our arrival. We were updated on the Animal Husbandry project by people in the village. This project is teaching woman how to raise animals which they can sell or use to provide food. We heard wonderful stories of how the animals were making such a difference in their lives. In one case, an initial dozen animals had been bred to yield upwards of thirty five which then provided food for the family, or were sold, and in this case had actually funded the construction of a small house. Woman in the community were learning to cook, having conversations about leadership and building ceramic tiles to sell. We heard stories of how these skills were chaining lives. There is a very long way to go, but these are the first steps. They are critical ones. These woman are taking control of their lives. They were proud of what they had accomplished. It is a pivotal moment. Change is in the air. I got the sense that the woman we met felt as though they were waking from a long dream. The sun was starting to rise after a long stormy night. Well, the sun has now risen over Lake Kivu. Birds are out frantically calling to one another. A rooster crows. A new day begins.