A home away from home in Musanze, Rwanda

Infos

• 

  Description

  Welcome to our home and community in Musanze near Volcanoes National Park!
  
  We are a warm Rwandan family of four (plus extended family), with two energetic boys aged 7 and 9, living in a loving, lively home filled with laughter, love, creativity, and cultural exchange. We love welcoming volunteers as family, sharing daily life, stories, traditions, and dreams together.
  If you love meaningful travel, human connection, and purpose-driven projects, you’ll feel right at home here.
  
  Who We Are
  
  We are a woman-led, community-driven social enterprise based in Musanze, Rwanda.
  Through our homestay and tour company, we are building opportunities that empower women, youth, families, and local communities through:
  
  • Community based tourism
  • Education & learning spaces
  • Eco-living initiatives
  • Culture & creativity
  • Meaningful exchange
  
  You won’t just “stay” with us. You will belong, contribute to something real, and become part of our journey.
  
  Cultural Exchange & Daily Life
  
  With us, you can:
  
  • Experience authentic Rwandan daily life
  • Play traditional games like Igisoro
  • Learn African drumming & traditional dance
  • Cook Rwandan dishes together
  • Enjoy family games and storytelling evenings
  • Build lifelong friendships
  
  We are a family who loves playing different games and collecting them. If you come to stay with us, please bring one of your favorite games so we can share and enjoy playing together.
  
  We love learning from our volunteers too! Bring your culture, hobbies, music, recipes, jokes, games, and creativity.

• 

  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Bénévolat

  Projets artistiques

  Pratique d’une langue

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Enseignement

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  Baby-sitting et jeux créatifs

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Accueil / tourisme

  Entretien général
• 

  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Vidéographie

  

  Dev. durable

  

  Écriture

  

  Dessin et peinture

  

  Arts du spectacle

  

  Photographie

  

  Bricolage / artisanat

  

  Art et design

  

  Yoga / bien-être

  

  Fitness

  

  Dev. personnel

  

  Films et télé

  

  Ferme

  

  Événements/vie sociale

  

  Culture

  

  Bénévolat

  

  Soin des plantes

  

  Musique

  

  Langues

  

  Jardinage

  

  Cuisine et alimentation

  

  Livres

  

  Sports d'équipe

  

  Activités en plein air

  

  Nature

  

  Randonnée

  

  Danse

  

  Camping
• 

  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  1. Getting insights into the daily lives of local communities.
  2. Engaging with us and creates friendships connections that last long after the trip.
  3. Learning to prepare authentic Rwandan dishes such as Isombe, Ubugari or Imvange.
  4. Experiencing the joy of playing traditional Rwandan drums or participating in cultural dances like Intore

• 

  Projets impliquant des enfants

  Ce projet peut impliquer des enfants. Pour en savoir plus, consultez nos directives et conseils ici.

• 

  Aide

  There are many meaningful ways to contribute depending on your interests and skills:
  
  1.Community Library & Learning Hub (Kibeho)
  
  I grew up in a rural village with a rich cultural heritage but limited access to educational resources. As a child, we had no public library, cultural center, or safe space to learn, exchange ideas, or explore our talents. Books were scarce, and most learning happened only within schools, leaving little room for self-discovery, creativity, or exposure to diverse knowledge. Even today, children in rural areas lack access to books and safe learning spaces.
  Through Bonnie's Tours & Adventures, we seek to establish a community library and cultural learning hub integrated with homestays, traditional dance and drumming programs, and health education, creating a safe, inclusive, and resource-rich space for the entire community.
  
  Your support can open doors of opportunity, inspire young minds, and strengthen our community.
  
  There are many ways you can get involved:
  
  * Are your favorite books all shelved and unused? Give them a second life! A single book can spark a lifetime love of reading!
  * Heading to Rwanda soon? Why can’t you make your journey even more meaningful! Collect gently used books from school libraries, public libraries, bookstores, or even friends, family and neighbors. Pack them in your luggage and personally deliver them to us or reach out to us, and we can arrange to pick up the books directly from the airport.Your suitcase could be the start of a brighter future for a young reader.
  * Join us in setting up the library, organizing books, or leading reading sessions.
  * Share your talents, storytelling, arts, drama, music, or digital skills to inspire children and youth.
  * Help us to find partners either organization, school, or cultural center to provide resources, mentorship, or training.
  * Share our story with friends, schools, or book clubs.
  * Raise awareness in your community about the need for access to books and safe learning spaces.
  
  2. Homestay Network Development
  
  We are building a sustainable homestay network that empowers families and supports women and youth.
  Help with:
  
  • Researching partnerships
  • Writing proposals or funding ideas
  • Training hospitality skills
  • Interior design or creativity
  • Homestays development ideas
  • Photography & videography
  
  3. Environmental & Eco-Initiatives
  
  We are transforming our home into a green home.
  
  We are starting a family project to turn our home into a beautiful green home, a space that is eco-friendly and sustainable.
  This is a family initiative and I hope it will grow into a larger community project in the future because in Rwanda, many families include also ours do not have access to affordable fresh vegetables and fruits. We rely on markets where prices are often high and unstable. As a result, we struggle to afford a balanced diet, leading to nutrition challenges and food insecurity.
  
  Our vision is to create a home that embraces natural living, with spaces that inspire creativity, sustainability, and connection to nature and can become a model eco-home and learning garden for our community.
  
  Ways you can help:
  
  *Design and plan gardens and compost systems
  *Plant vegetables, flowers, and fruit trees
  *Build sack gardens or container gardens
  *Help organize and beautify outdoor areas
  * Nutrition Education
  *Take photos and videos to document and share our progress
  
  4. Family & Kids Creative Support
  
  Help our children learn and grow through:
  
  • Arts & crafts
  •Music (especially guitar because we have it at home)
  • French practice
  • Creative and educational games
  • Outdoor nature discovery
  
  5. Grants, Funding and Fundraising Support
  
  If you have experience or interest in:
  
  • Writing grant applications
  • Rsearching funding opportunities
  • Building donor partnerships
  • Crowdfunding strategy
  • Proposal writing
  • Storytelling for impact
  
  Your support can directly help:
  
  • Rural community library & learning hub
  • Women & youth empowerment programs
  • Eco-home & sustainability initiatives
  • Homestay network development
  • Cultural education & tourism equity
  
  6. Content Creation & Storytelling
  
  If you’re creative, you can help us tell our story through:
  
  • Photography
  • Videography
  • Editing
  • Managing social media
  • Creating meaningful travel stories
  
  MEALS and CONTRIBUTION
  
  Sharing meals is one of our favorite parts of hosting Workawayers. Sitting together, cooking traditional food, learning from each other, and feeling like one family, this is a beautiful part of Rwandan culture, and We truly love welcoming you into our home and sharing this daily life with you.
  We always do our best to prepare healthy, home-cooked meals, and make sure everyone feels comfortable, nourished, and cared for during their stay.
  Because we’re still in the early stages of building our sustainable tourism projects and facing some financial challenges, we kindly ask Workawayers to contribute USD 7 per day each toward meals.
  This small contribution truly makes a difference.
  
  If you are kind, open-minded, creative, community-hearted, respectful, love kids, willing to share and learn, then you already belong here.
  
  Send:
  
  •Short intro about you
  •Skills or passions
  •Dates available
  •What you would love to contribute or learn
  
  We look forward to welcoming you into our family.

• 

  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Anglais: Courant
  Français: Courant
  Kinyarwanda (Rwanda): Courant

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  Japanese, Dutch
• 

  Hébergement

  We provide a comfortable home where you’ll feel at home and part of the family.
  
  1. 4 Bedrooms: Three of the bedrooms share one bathroom.
  2. Kitchen: Perfect for preparing meals.
  3. Dining Room: A space to share meals together as a family.
  4. Parking: Space for one vehicle.
  5. Warm Family Atmosphere: Live with our family of 4.

• 

  Autres infos...

  Things to Do in Your Free Time
  
  Explore Local Attractions:
  1. Visit Volcanoes National Park
  2. Hike at Twin Lakes (Ruhondo and Burera)
  3. Musanze Caves
  4. Visit Waterfalls
  
  Engage with the Community:
  1. Attend traditional dance performances or music events.
  2. Visit local markets to shop for handmade crafts and fresh produce.
  3. Attend community work every Saturday end of the month
  
  Available Transport Options
  
  Taxis: Affordable and reliable taxi services are available, and we’re happy to help you arrange one at a fair price.
  Motorcycle Taxis (Moto): A common and adventurous way to get around town quickly.
  Public Buses: Budget friendly buses connect Musanze to Kigali and other towns.
  Walking: Our neighborhood is safe and walkable, allowing you to explore local sights on foot.
  
  How Helpers Can Spend Time Off
  1. Relax and read a book on our veranda .
  2. Learn how to play traditional drums.
  3. Enjoy family game nights with us or introduce us to your favourite games!
  4. Plan a weekend trip to Lake Kivu for breathtaking views and water activities.
  5. Engage in discussions about Rwandan history and culture.
  6. Learn a few words of Kinyarwanda.
  7. Playing basketball, volleyball or other sport at Musanze youth center
  
  Our Commitment to You
  
  We want all our helpers to feel at home, and we value cultural exchange. Whether you’re learning from us or teaching us something new, we believe in creating a memorable and impactful experience.

• 

  Informations complémentaires

  • 

    Accès Internet

  • 

    Accès Internet limité

  • 

    Nous avons des animaux

  • 

    Nous sommes fumeurs

  • 

    Familles bienvenues

• 

  Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

  Room office or at the veranda with reliable internet for video calls, online work, and communications.

• 

  Espace pour garer des vans

  Safe and peaceful parking space.

• 

  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

• 

  Mes animaux

Sécurité du site

Discutez avec des workawayers qui ont séjourné chez cet hôte

+2

Feedback (8)