Help Rwandan Schoolchildren

In a country where sex education is virtually non-existent and discussions of sex are considered taboo, Jean Marie Edmund has deftly succeeded at getting Rwandans to open up.

Edmund is the co-host of the Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Program’s (CHAMP) groundbreaking radio show Zibukura, which targeted youth aged 15-24 and their parents with comprehensive information about HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care; reproductive health; and issues concerning sexual education and gender.

Roughly meaning ‘to dodge’ (as in avoiding HIV) in the local language of Kinyarwanda, Zibukura consisted of 30 hour-long programs that reached 90 percent of Rwanda’s population and even some listeners in neighboring Burundi. Along with co-host Rubens Mukunzi, a well known radio personality from the Kigali station Radio 10, the pair taped topical discussions with community members in advance of each show. Then, once back in the studio, they would continue discussing each topic with a panel of health specialists, youth and parents, while people across the country would pepper them with questions by phone, text message and email.

“With Zibukura, we were able to cross boundaries and broach issues no one had ever talked about before,” Edmund explained. He also claims to be the first Rwandan radio presenter to talk publically about HIV/AIDS, back in 1995. He recalled, “It was just one year after the genocide, but I knew that thousands of women had been sexually violated and infected with AIDS. They needed to find out about their status and a safe space in which to talk. The radio program helped make that happen.”

Zibukura was born out of awareness surveys conducted at the beginning of CHAMP, which evidenced how many Rwandans—particularly youth—failed to have accurate information about even the most basic aspects of HIV/AIDS and reproductive health. “We first developed a design document that showed the risky behavior youth were engaging in, along with the behavior we wanted to promote. We were then able to develop key messages and elaborate on the subjects to be discussed in each radio program,” explained Edmund.

Many callers noted that the program taught them all the things their parents never told them, and they appreciated that nothing was off-limits. “I think the program was especially important for girls, many of whom didn’t even understand something as fundamental as menstruation,” recalled Mukunzi. But it wasn’t just youth who learned from the program, added Edmund. “Some parents told us that as a result of listening to Zibukura, they felt comfortable to open to their children and begin talking about sex.”

Not everyone appreciated the show’s frankness. Mukunzi relates, “One day we had a caller who said we should stop talking about rubbish like sex, and be more Christian. But we did our best to explain that he misunderstood what we were doing. We are not teaching people about sex, but educating them about their health.”

But overall, their efforts met with great success. One day, they received a live call mid-show from the Minister of Education, who said she appreciated their efforts. Another caller really touched Edmund when he called to say, “Don’t even think of stopping the show. You are truly brave and special.”

On February 23rd, 2009, CHF International welcomed US congressional visitors Michele Sumilas, Professional Staff Member of the US House of Representatives’ House Appropriations Committee for Foreign Operations (HACFO) and Shannon Smith, Professional Staff Member of the US Senate’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee. US Ambassador, Stuart Symington, and staff from African Evangelistic Enterprise (AEE) and Association des Eglises de Pentecotes au Rwanda (ADEPR) also participated in the visit.

The group met first with 17 child heads of household supported by ADEPR for vocational training in tailoring and welding. Ambassador Symington presented the visitors and Pastor Antoine Rutayisire, Executive Secretary of AEE, gathered testimonies from the students. During this visit, Pastor Antoine also thanked the visitors from the US, saying that “Sometimes at the end of the day, you go home tired, not because of the work you’ve done but because of the problems that you were unable to solve. We want to thank you for allowing us to solve (at least) these problems.” CHF/CHAMP currently supports more than 43,000 orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) with a variety of services, such as, job skills training and the payment of school fees.

After saying goodbye to the students, the group proceeded to visit the cooperative “Humura Witinya,” located on the main road just outside of Gisenyi. The group became an association for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) which, in 2007, transformed into a business-oriented cooperative. Humura Witinya now includes 166 members and engages in several income-generating activities, including sewing, embroidery, and manufacturing crafts, while continuing to cultivate various crops. The group welcomed the visitors with a lively dance performance and the president explained the history of the cooperative to the guests. Afterwards, visitors had a chance to do some shopping among the many beautiful items on display in Humura Witinya’s shop.

CHF International would like to thank the guests for taking time to visit with these groups and would also like to thank all of the hosts for their warm reception. It is with the continued support from the Government of the United States and other donors that these excellent activities are made possible.