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Major Paul Westlake will spend three months in Rwanda helping to build 70 homes for families who have returned from Tanzania to their Rwanda homeland after fleeing the genocide in 1994. They now have nowhere to live, so that's where Paul and his team come in.

He's well qualified for the job as he's previously helped manage emergency projects in Iraq in 2003 and Sri Lanka after the 2005 Tsunami.

Elly Fiorentini asked Paul how difficult it was for these families returning, especially after the genocide...

"I’ve seen films of the genocide, I’ve been to the genocide museum and it really is awful, some of the sights you see, young children being killed and hacked to death. So the way things are at the moment, it’s quite a miracle."

Paul and his colleagues are getting their hands, and feet, dirty as the building methods used in Rwanda are slightly different to the UK!

Paul arrives in Rwanda.

"The foundations are much the same as we find in the UK and Europe, but they make the bricks out of mud and straw. In fact Saturday just gone my team mate Damarias and I were involved in helping to make bricks. We had to make mud the consistency of porridge that I have in the mornings and then we had to stamp in the straw and then we form it into mud bricks with wooden frames.

"It was quite fun but we got filthy, but it’s good to help them and to motivate them getting these bricks made because each family has to make their own bricks before we can start building the houses."

What about your home comforts? Elly asked, was Paul missing those? Things we take for granted such as hot and cold running water...

"We don’t have any running water whatsoever, the toilets don’t flush, we have to pour water down them. I get a bucket of warm water at seven o’clock in the morning in order to wash myself down and then I don’t see any more warm water until seven o’clock the next morning.Ìý

"The food is very good and healthy and wholesome though, I must say that, but the living conditions are a bit spartan. I live in a stone floored room and we actually got flooded the other day. We had this terrific storm and the water started coming under the door and the next thing I knew I was up to my ankles in water, but we sorted it out, we got rid of it and it’s fine now."

The future is looking good for Rwanda. Paul told Elly they have a great President and recently visited the area in order to share the out the farm land fairly and equally between families.

Paul finds his accommodation and lunch!

"Some richer families have more land than they should have really, and there were poor families with no land whatsoever, so he came and he actually personally shared it out. There are buildings and great roads here so I’m happy for the future of Rwanda."

Elly finished by asking Paul how rewarding it was for him personally to be involved in a project of this kind...

"It is most fulfilling and we’re living in conditions that we’re not used to and I have to say I like cheerful comfortable surroundings so it’s a bit of a sacrifice in that sense, but it gives me great fulfilment to see these people actually taking ownership of a solid house.

At the moment they’re living in mud huts with thatched roofs and they’re not altogether good but it will be good to see these people go into a solid house which will last them for quite some time."