Steve Townsend (author of the Crazy Boy series) lived and worked in Rwanda for 10 years, rarely returning to the UK for leave during that time. He travelled throughout the region to Tanzania, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) overland. He worked for various Development Aid Agencies mainly in the area of Microfinance setting up, running and auditing a number of projects to bring micro-enterprise solutions to poverty in rural areas of Rwanda. His final two years were spent as Refugee Camp Manager living in Kibuye on the shores of Lake Kivu. Whilst living in Rwanda he was fascinated with the country's language, Kinyarwanda, and attained a degree of fluency that enabled him to court and marry Rose, who could not speak English until 5 years into their marriage. He now lives in the UK with his wife and 2 boys, but his heart has never left Rwanda. Disturbed by the focus of the Western world's attention having moved away from Africa to the far East, Steve produces literature which he hopes will bring some of that focus back to Africa once again. The Crazy Boy (Agasazi) series of children's books is just one of these efforts. He hopes to link children in the West to children in Africa, believing that they are the same at heart - full of life; lovers of adventure; innocent and very mischievous.
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Steve Townsend on Peace Island (Amahoro Island)
Steve Townsend made full use of Lake Kivu, often swimming and rowing around the inlets and islands of Kibuye. He even made a small boat while he was there.
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