Update on the Travel Study Program to Rwanda
- October 11, 2024
- Shannon Wisdom
- 1.5 Minute Read
Dear HUUSD Community:
As you know, the Harwood trip to Rwanda is scheduled for February of this year, just a few short months away. The trip requires an extensive amount of preparation, fundraising, and planning on the part of students and staff in order to safely travel overseas for three weeks.
The school has been closely following the reported outbreak of the Marburg virus in Africa which is now impacting Rwanda. On Monday the U.S. Department of State and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) raised the , which indicates that all nonessential travel is strongly discouraged.
After careful review of the travel advisory and the current outlook in Rwanda, we regret to inform you that we have decided to cancel the travel study trip to Rwanda this year due to the safety and health concerns related to the Marburg virus. We will reopen applications for this trip next fall, and we understand that this decision is particularly hard for members of the class of 2025. Some factors that contributed to this decision are:
- with up to an 88% fatality rate.
- , with 56 cases and 12 deaths so far.
- returning from Rwanda to three major airports for screening. This would present major logistical challenges for our group.
Let's hold the people of Rwanda in our hearts during this time.