Inner Peace, Outer Impact:
Meditation Without Borders Rwanda Women’s Retreat
A Once-in-a-Lifetime Women’s Journey of Healing, Service & Sacred Connection
Registration Opens Soon
Raising Up Women
Join women from around the world in a heart-centered space of healing, connection, and service alongside Rwandan women. Set on the shores of Lake Kivu, the retreat blends meditation, yoga, and breathwork to release long-held stress, a safari in Akagera National Park to connect with nature, and a service project supporting Berwa Kinunu, a school for teenage mothers.
This is an intimate, transformative experience — a chance to rejuvenate, give back, and carry the spirit of Rwanda with you forever.
The Program
This is not simply a retreat — it’s an intimate, soul-expanding journey into the beauty, resilience, and wisdom of Rwanda and the extraordinary women who call it home.
Why this journey is so unique
Exceptionally small group (only 5–6 visiting women + 5-6 Rwandan women who will join in at Lake Kivu) for depth and intimacy
Daily Vedic Meditation and yoga (rounding) practices in extraordinary natural settings
A guided safari through Akagera Park, one of Africa’s most breathtaking wildlife reserves
Meaningful cultural immersion with local communities: witness shepherds singing to the famous Inyambo cows, create a meal with the local island villagers, visit a coffee plantation
Direct service supporting girls’ education at Berwa Kinunu School for Teen Mothers
a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial invites reflection, compassion, and deep understanding
Rare, heart-opening experiences unavailable to typical travelers
By the end of this retreat, what you carry home won’t be souvenirs — it will be perspective, connection, and a renewed understanding of what it means to live with an open heart.
This is not tourism — it is transformation through presence, service, and shared humanity.This is the kind of experience people remember for the rest of their lives.
Schedule
June 22: Arrive Kigali
June 23: Welcome breakfast, tour Genocide Museum, travel to Vintage Cottage Resort on Lake Muhazi
June 24: Safari at Akagera Park
June 25: Travel to Rushel Resort Lake Kivu
June 25-29: Meditation, Yoga (rounding), daily excursions, swim, relax, enjoy
June 29: Head back to Kigali to continue exploring or head back home
What is Vedic Meditation
This retreat is open to experienced Vedic Meditators and to women who have never learned the practice.
Vedic Meditation is a practice that involves relaxing the mind to achieve mental clarity, calmness and a heightened state of awareness. One of the most effective forms of meditation is Vedic Meditation which which originated in India over 5,000 years ago. The practice is scientifically proven to release stress.
Vedic Meditation emphasizes effortlessness, allowing thoughts and accepting what is happening in your body as you meditate. It’s designed for busy people, and anyone from any background, religion, or stage of life can do it.
Specific benefits include:
• Improved mental clarity and focus.
• Stress reduction and emotional balance.
• Enhanced self-awareness and personal growth.
• Strengthened relationships through empathy and understanding.
• Renewed energy and resilience for tackling life’s challenges.
Sample Day at Lake Kivu
8:00-9:00am Breakfast
9:00-10:00am Yoga/Breath-work/Meditation
10:00-11:30am Intro to Meditation for beginners / Rounding
12:00-1:00pm Free time for hikes/swim/spa
1:00-2:00pm Lunch
2:00-4:00pm Daily excursion
4:00-6:00pm Yoga/Breath-work/Meditation (Rounding)
6:00-7:00pm Free time for hikes/swim/spa
7:00-8:00pm Dinner
Locations
Rushel Kivu Resort
The Rushel Kivu Resort is a full service beach resort located on the shores of Lake Kivu away from the city between the Kinunu hills. The property has extensive, beautiful grounds, a beach, and rooms with lake views. There is ample opportunity for swimming, canoeing, and trekking along the Congo Nile Trail.
Vintage Cottage
Tucked away in a serene setting, Vintage Cottage is located at Lake Muhazi not far from Kigali, It is made up of ecological cottages with an excellent restaurant right on the water.
Akagera National Park
Akagera National Park, situated in the northeastern corner of Rwanda, is a stunning expanse of diverse ecosystems, including savannahs, woodlands, wetlands, and shimmering lakes.
Established in 1934, the park is named after the Akagera River, which flows along its eastern boundary.
Once decimated by poaching and habitat loss, Akagera has undergone a remarkable revival thanks to conservation efforts led by African Parks and the Rwanda Development Board.
Today, it is celebrated as a haven for wildlife, boasting the iconic "Big Five" – lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and rhinos – alongside giraffes, zebras, and over 500 bird species.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Registration opens up shortly. Please click the “Register Interest” button at the top so you can be first to know when it does.
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The cost will be announced when we open registration. Right now we are working to get the cost as low as possible while ensuring a luxury experience.
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-casual, comfortable clothing suitable for relaxation and meditation
-a Safari outfit (layers in colors of khaki, browns and greens)
-sandals and shoes that are good for hiking
-a nice outfit for dinners out
-when in town, it is culturally inappropriate to wear shorts so long skirts or loose pants are preferable
bathing suit
a detailed packing list will be sent to those who sign up
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Although there is a spiritual aspect to it, the yoga and meditation is not religious. It is designed for busy people, and anyone from any background, religion, or stage of life can do it. There is a ceremony at the beginning, but it is not a religious ceremony, it is one of gratitude to the lineage of teachers who have passed this practice along so that we can enjoy it today.
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Meals will align with the principles of mindfulness and retreat practices:
• No meat or alcohol will be served.
• Meals will primarily consist of fresh fruits, vegetables, and fish.
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To ensure the success of the retreat, participants are expected to adhere to the following:
1. Respect the timetable agreed upon at the start of the retreat.
2. Maintain a spirit of openness, active participation, and mutual respect during all sessions.
3. Avoid external distractions, such as frequent use of mobile phones, to maximize focus and mindfulness.
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This retreat is for women who are playing a role in supporting their communities and who are in need of support themselves.
Women from all over the world will be coming as well as women from Rwanda.
It is for those who have learned Vedic meditation before and those new to meditation.
Those who need financial support to come, please contact Odette directly.
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There are no vaccines required for travel to Rwanda but we will send a list of vaccines that are recommended to those who sign up.
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We are hopeful the unexpected will not happen when you travel with us but if something does happen, we want you to be fully protected so we require travel insurance.
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You are responsible for booking your international flights to/from Kigali but we can help by making suggestions. Detailed information on this will be in the Welcome packet sent to all participants.
About the Gratitude Ceremony
On the day you arrive, we’ll begin with a short, five-minute ceremony called a puja ceremony. I want to share a little about it in advance so everyone feels comfortable and understands its meaning.
A puja is a traditional ceremony of gratitude honoring the long lineage of teachers who have carefully preserved and passed down this meditation practice over hundreds of years. During the ceremony, you’ll see me (Kristen) chant in Sanskrit and make symbolic offerings in front of a painting of these teachers. At the end, each person will be invited to place a flower as a simple gesture of respect and intention.
While the ceremony is traditional, it is not religious. People of all faiths and backgrounds are welcome. The image is not of gods, but of human teachers who devoted their lives to protecting and sharing this knowledge for future generations.
We include this ceremony for a few important reasons. For me, it’s a reminder that I am not the originator of this practice—I am simply passing on something sacred and time-tested. It’s a way of not appropriating the tradition and honoring the culture and tradition from which this technique comes.
For you as a student, the ceremony marks the beginning of a new chapter. It’s a moment to pause, set intention, and mentally and emotionally prepare to receive the practice.
If you have any questions at all about the ceremony or the meditation itself, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m happy to talk more about it with you.
About Kristen Vandivier + Meditation Without Borders
My name is Kristen Vandivier, and I’m a Vedic Meditation teacher and the mother of three children—ages 7, 11, and 13—living in Mill Valley, California.
Nine years ago, after a career in advertising, I made a sharp left turn and traveled to India for three months to train as a teacher of Vedic Meditation. The experience changed the course of my life.
About six years ago, as the world felt increasingly volatile and the daily news carried more and more stories of suffering, I realized I couldn’t stay on the sidelines, I felt called to act. That call became Meditation Without Borders—an organization dedicated to bringing the deeply life-supporting practice of Vedic Meditation to people around the world who are in urgent need of profound stress release and healing.
Since launching, MWB has offered programs in unhoused communities in California, cancer centers in Mexico, and in 2024 and 2025, we came to Rwanda to teach at Rwanda Women’s Network safe spaces and the Berwa Kinunu School for teen mothers.
About Odette Nyiramilimo and Berwa Kinunu
Odette Nyiramilimo is a physician who with her husband founded the first private maternity and pediatrics clinic in Rwanda as well as being a doctor for the Peace Corps, and she also served as a senator and as Minister of State for Social Affairs under the government of Paul Kagame. Her account of the genocide is featured heavily in book “We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families” by Philip Gourevitch and is also depicted as a character in the film Hotel Rwanda. She now believes that wellness is the path to helping continue the reconstruction, so she founded the Rushel Kivu Lodge on Lake Kivu, where we host our retreats.
She currently plays a major role in multiple local organizations that support women in the Lake Kivu region of Rwanda.
One of these organizations is Berwa Kinunu, an organization that provides teen mothers with life and technical skills in the form of tailoring training, childcare courses and pscychosocial counseling directly contributing to alleviating poverty among single mothers of Boneza, Mushonyi, Musasa, and Ruhango Sectors.
This retreat will offer a unique opportunity for women from all over to rejuvenate their minds and spirits while connecting with peers in a tranquil and supportive environment. Rushel Kivu Resort provides the ideal backdrop for self-reflection and personal growth, setting the stage for meaningful transformations.