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

The vice mayor for social affairs in Burera district has urged parents to take good care of their children and give special attention to those with disabilities and love them love them.

This was said by Florence Uwambajemariya On the Monday the 11^th.June.2012 in Burera district during the opening of African child week.

“Parents should help and support all children especially those with disabilities and take them as normal children because they have same rights as others like education, medical and others.” she said.

In this function that was held in Kinoni sector in Burera district, it was found out that some parents hide their disabled children and abuse their rights.

Uwambajemariya explained that people were created in the image of God and they are the most knowledgeable of all creatures and that’s why they should use their knowledge in helping others who need help and support each other.

She asked children to be well disciplined and have dignity and Rwandan values in their families and pay attention at school so as to pass. They should help each other and especially those with disabilities.

People with disabilities on any part of their body are capable of using other body parts and develop themselves and the worst disability is mental.

The African child week was started on the 11^th.June.2012 and will end on the 16^th.June.2012 during the actual celebrations of African child’s day. The day’s theme will be “let’s protect, respect and promote disabled children’s rights and stop children labour.”

African child day was put there by the African Union in 1990 in a way of protecting children’s rights that were being abu8sed everywhere in Africa.

Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Rose Mukantabana

The issue of orphanages has yet again come up after discovering that children in orphanages undergo difficult lives.

The problem was once again highlighted this week during a brainstorming session by Chamber of Deputies.

The standing committee on social affairs had earlier this year presented to the House its findings on a previous study that highlighted the problems affecting orphanages and homes of citizens with special needs countrywide.

The MPs want these children to be adopted by families so that they can get the chance to grow in a family environment and orphanages phased out.

Speaker Rose Mukantabana expressed confusion over why children or the elderly should be left to care about themselves independently.

“The problem of these children was linked with that of the elderly. Why are the country’s children taking care of themselves while we are here? What about those with parents yet they are out on the streets? And, what about these parents who continue to produce children that they cannot ably care for?” the Speaker posed, as she addressed the Assembly.

“The problems include orphanages which take in a higher number of children than they can support. Children in these orphanages have poor standards of living, unqualified staff in orphanages, and orphanages that accept children who actually have parents,” said MP Esperance Mwiza, the Chairperson of the committee.

Zaina Nyiramatama, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Children (NCC), noted that their research indicates that there are 33 recognised orphanages in the country with 3, 153 orphans, 55 percent boys. Nine of the orphanages are in Kigali.

According to reasons for the mounting numbers of homeless children,include the deaths of both parents, death of a mothers, poverty and mental disorders.

She stressed that orphanages are not the ideal place to bring up children as they are deprived of a normal upbringing due to issues that include lack of proper parental care, poor feeding, and normal family love and happiness.

About 7 houses and other property including crops have been destroyed following heavy rain that fell in Kabare sector in Kayonza district on 10^th May2012, according to Alfred Dusingizumukiza the executive secretary of the sector.

He said that some houses were destroyed partly because they were built by Rukarara bricks and it has been raining heavy every day for a week which weakened these houses.

“The way our houses are built, when it rains heavily, something is damaged due to the fact that they are built with weak bricks made of clay, and now you can imagine it has been raining heavily every day and for more than a week.”

A part from the houses which were damaged, some crops was also destroyed and they counting to see how much were destroyed.

Dusingizumukiza is advocating for the residents and he has already given a report to the upper administration levels so as to get help for the people who lost much because of this rain.

This is the third time that rain has destroyed houses in Kayonza district in only 2 months, in the month of April, residents of Ruramira and Mukarange also lost their houses to heavy rain and storm and this same storm destroyed the roof of the offices of the eastern province.

During this period when Rwandans are in the mourning period for the 1994 genocide against Tutsis, support is being solicited for the poor survivors.

In this way, the residents of Rustiro district in the Western province are being thanked by the administrators for the amount that they have brought together about 7.5m that will be used to support the poor genocide survivors.

According to the mayor of Rustiro district Gaspard Byukusenge, Rwf7.5m were collected in all 13 sectors in this district during the memorial week.

As he went on to say, he thanked all the people for showing the loving heart and the way they participated in the programs of memorial week and especially for giving all they can to support the poor genocide survivors.

He said that they are yet to sit and think of what to do with this money to have a developmental impact on these survivors.

Last year, in this district Kivumu sector was the first in giving support to genocide survivors.

Following the Genocide Mourning week that commenced on 7^th April, Students of the School of Finance and Banking (SFB) organized a charity action to support Survivors of the 1994 Genocide in Bugesera district, Nyamata Sector.

The team of energetic youth from SFB cemented and repaired roofs and doors of 8 houses that belong to both widows and orphans left helpless by the mayhem that occurred in Rwanda during the deadly  hundred days of 1994.

An elderly lady named Vestine Nyiramana is one of the Survivors whose house was repaired; she expressed gratitude to the students for their support.

“My house was almost falling one me due to my inability to repair it. I thus highly thank these students for their support, may God help them with more.” Nyiramana thanked.

Norbert Iraguha an SFB student who was part of this volunteering team said that “Rwandan Youth should be the ones to change the bad history that represented our country. This is the reason we are doing activities like these.”

“Most of us were young during the time of Genocide but as we grew up we learnt how terrible the history was, thus we are to do everything possible that such never happens again,” added Iraguha.

The SFB students also contributed Rwf250,000 to support these Genocide survivors.

In abid to solve the problem of malnutrition, a special program of giving children milk once in a week has been introduced in Rusizi district.

In this program, homes with cows will be giving milk to the children from homes that have no cows.

Some of the participants in the campaign

Francoise Nirere, Vice mayor in charge of social affairs in the district says that this program aims at eradicating malnutrition that brings diseases

“There is a plan to give children milk every week in every cell. Homes with cows will be giving milk to children from poor homes This will stop diseases like malnutrition,” adds Nirere.

On February 27^th 2012 during the meeting that gathered health centre directors, leaders in charge of social affairs in cells, community health workers representatives and a nutritionist, a decision was reached to add more effort in malnutrition classes.

The malnutrition lessons takes place in every cell with an aim of teaching parents how to prepare balanced diet in order to fight malnutrition in children.

Pelouse Niyigarura, a health worker in Bweyeye sector in Rusizi confirms this saying that some children are still suffering from malnutrition in different parts of Rwanda.

“Out of two thousand four hundred and eighty one children we have tested in the beginning of this year, fifty six are malnourished,” adds Niyigarura

Among the reasons that cause malnutrition in children are parents who are poor and do not have variety of foods and others have food but do not know how to prepare balanced diets.

Gicumbi survivors receiving cows

 Over 60 cows of were donated to the families of survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Gicumbi district, last week. The donation is part of the one cow per family programme locally know as ‘Girinka.’  

Deogaratias Mwanafunze the coordinator of one cow per family program in the northern district of Gicumbi said that the cows were donated to poor families through the fund for genocide survivors (FARG).

“We have given cows to selected survivor families who seem to be under privileged than others in a bid to boost their economic and social wellbeing,” said Mwanafunze adding that those who benefited were selected from the Sectors of  Mutete, Muko, Rutare, Ruvune, Bukure, Giti, Kajyeyo, Nyamiyaga and Rwamiko.

Mukandamutsa Daphrose who benefited from the program said that the cow given to her will help her and her neighbors to get milk and manure adding that her social wellbeing will improve as a result.

Those who were given cows were urged to take good care of them so that they can fully benefit from them.

Girinka program (One cow per poor Family) was inspired by the Rwandan culture and initiated by His Excellency the President of the Republic in 2006.