Over 100 volunteers will travel to Rwanda on Saturday July 26th and return on August 10th 2008. The volunteers will work on a range of social action projects, such as teaching English, private sector development, teaching business, creating a health project and a legal project. The projects are all designed to leave a lasting impact on the country, which is the 20th poorest country in the world.
Harriett Baldwin will be working on a private sector project, helping the fledgling Rwandan stock market attract overseas investment. She will also visit a sustainable Rwandan microfinance bank started by a charity called Opportunity International, using money raised by Harriett and other donors from JPMorgan, her previous employer.
Harriett Baldwin said, "I am really excited about this opportunity to make a difference, however small, to a developing country that is working so hard to help itself recover from the terrible genocide of 1994. The projects I will be working on use some of my private sector business and investment experience and contacts. If poor countries are to succeed in their development goals, building a sustainable private sector through a range of activities like microfinance and business education must be part of the answer".