Bahoneza – Kinyarwanda, Rwanda Welfare, Social Welfare, Rwanda People, Nutrition and Diet, Rwanda Habitat, Living in Kigali

Members of the forum for the blind (Rwanda Union of The Blind) have received cattle from Ngoma District Vice Mayor for social affairs following testimonies that not being understood spoils their opportunities to participate in government programs.

The assistance should be delivered through local authorities, according to the meeting of 24^th.July.2012 in Ngoma district when the forum for the blind met district leaders including sectors’ executive secretaries and the workers of Ngoma district.

As the representatives of this forum explained, they never participated in popular programs like Girinka Munyarwanda because local leaders never considered them saying that they cannot care of cows because they are blind and some who were given cows were taken away again saying they are not capable of rearing cows.

It was shown that blind people can do everything like studying, farming, and work and this was confirmed by the testimonies that were given by blind people who have university education and many people were surprised including Providence Kirenga the vice mayor for social affairs in Ngoma district who said that he never thought a blind person can rear and take care of cattle.

As a sign that he understood that the blind people can do everything including animal husbandry, Providence Kirenga accepted to give goats to each member of the blind association that is newly started in Zaza and Karembo sectors before the end of 2012.

Jacques Mugisha, who is doing his dissertation in the National University of Rwanda in journalism, is blind and gave a discussion about the step the association of the blind Ubumwe and the blind have taken like studying and doing other kind of works. He said that the only thing they are not capable of seeing but they can do everything else.

“We go to school and perform well and some of us studied animal husbandry and we spend 6 months in Masaka center being trained about doing different chores like ironing, making beds and rearing cattle.” Jacques Mugisha explained.

Another blind fellow called William gave a discussion about how the blind participate in competitions like football, other sports and other forms of entertainment. He said that in the limitations they usually meet with is lack of understanding in people which makes them be abused in many things and their rights not being fulfilled like other Rwandans.

The blind people in Rwanda has a forum called Rwanda Union of The Blind (RUB) and they have already achieved many things including advocating for people living with disabilities and caring about the blind by visiting their associations and those in schools.

The first blind person in Rwanda went to the university in 2008.

 Student volunteers from Umutara Polytechnic University have donated clothes, money and livestock worth Rwf405.000 to Vulnerable residents of Nyagatare sector in Nyagatare district.

Materials donated were handed over to the beneficiaries by Bernard Nzigiye, The president of Rwanda Red Cross.

Fidèle Rugangura, receiving the goat from Bernard Nzigiye with much love and praise expressed: “Red cross cares for us. These children built me a house some time back and now they have given me a goat. Long live Croix-Rouge.”

Olivier Nsabimana, Leader of Red Cross volunteers of Umutara Polytechnic University thanked all residents who contributed for the vulnerable residents of Nyagatare district.

Bernard Nzigiye, President of Rwanda Red Cross thanked student volunteers for their charitable act to their neighbours since Umutara Polytechnic University is located in Nyagatare.

“This act is hilarious, keep it up and become an example for others in developing Rwandese society,” adds Bernard Nzigiye

Nzigiye promised students enough training to improve their skills and knowledge to train Red Cross associations in schools and villages of Eastern Province.

Egide Nzigiye, a civil servant who represented Nyagatare district mayor, thanked Croix-Rouge (Red Cross) Rwanda for its continued help to the residents of Nyagatare especially building houses for the vulnerable, giving them livestock and taming soil erosion.

Student volunteers collected clothes and three goats all worth Rwf405.000 in addition to Rwf30.000 in cash.

Red Cross volunteers added that some of the clothes given to the vulnerable people were collected from residents in Nyagatare town and from volunteers who contributed Rwf500 each.

Most Rwandans take papaya fruits for digestion purposes, but the humble fruit is gaining credibility in Western medicine for anticancer powers that folk cultures have recognized for generations.

Photo: papaya fruit

Dr Nam Dang and other researchers from the University of Florida have documented papaya’s dramatic anticancer effect against a broad range of lab-grown tumors, including cancers of the cervix, breast, liver, lung and pancreas. The researchers used an extract made from dried papaya leaves, and the anticancer effects were stronger when cells received larger doses of the tea.

Dang and his colleagues also documented that papaya leaf extract boosts the production of key signaling molecules called Th1-type cytokines. This regulation of the immune system, in addition to papaya’s direct antitumor effect on various cancers, suggests possible therapeutic strategies that use the immune system to fight cancers.

Kigali University Central Hospital nutritionist Uwiragiye Joseph demonstrated that papaya fruit posses a lot of calcium for strong bones, it contributes to healthy skin pores and supports in blood circulation.

Papaya is therefore one of the most recommended fruits for a sound health and must be eaten fresh at least after meals.