Help Rwandan Schoolchildren

CHF International, a non-profit humanitarian aid organisation, has donated school materials to at least 34,000 orphans and vulnerable children ahead of the beginning of the academic year.

The handover of the materials took place at Stella Matutina Secondary School in Rulindo District, Northern Province and was presided over by the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Dr Jeanne D’Arc Mujawamariya.

The handover was coupled with the awarding of certificates to 250 youths who had completed a ten-month vocational training in different fields under the sponsorship of USAID/PEPFAR.

PEPFAR is the President’s Emergency Plan for Aid Relief and is championed by US President, George W. Bush.

Those who received certificates are part of the 1,217 youths who underwent the training under the same programme countrywide.

The materials supplied to the youth both in primary and secondary schools will enable them start their studies with sufficient equipment.

Those in primary school were each given at least fourteen exercise books, pens, pencils, a mathematical set, a pair of shoes and school uniforms while those in secondary school were given all school requirements including calculators, books, washing and bathing soap, body lotion, pens and pencils, school uniforms and school fees.

Speaking at the function, Mujawamariya told the beneficiaries that they should work hard in school to acquire sufficient knowledge and skills that will enable them to be self reliant.

“From the vocational training, you have got required knowledge to create jobs for yourselves without relying on aid,” Mujawamariya said.

“You should use skills acquired from here to develop yourselves and help the government to achieve its goals towards economic growth,” added Mujawamariya.

The CHF/Champ assistant Coordinator, Pierre Munyura, listed the achievements of his organisation saying that the NGO through Champ project supported 39,000 orphans and vulnerable children and their target in 2009 is to increase their support to 43,000.

Supported by CHF International and CHAMP through the Society of Women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA), Asovenya is one of thousands of grassroots organizations in Rwanda comprised of community members who are infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. Asovenya was originally established as an association of 82 people in 2005, and its members earned money by weaving traditional baskets. Although they took substantial time and effort to produce, members only earned about $5.50 a month for their beautiful baskets. But later, through a $2,800 grant and technical assistance provided by CHF and SWAA, Asovenya transformed into a cooperative, and switched their members from basket weaving to rearing goats and cultivating mushrooms, which were more lucrative sources of income. As a result, the monthly earnings for the cooperative’s members have tripled to about $15 a month.

Their goats have grown in number from 25 to 76, and the cooperative already has over $1,800 in assets, which continues to grow. These funds are being used to pay school fees and insurance for the children of Asovenya’s members, they have distributed insecticide-treated bed nets to all members to prevent malaria, and even organized mobile HIV voluntary counseling and testing services to come directly into their community. Asovenya’s members have found that their new efforts are not only improving their economic conditions, but some anecdotally report that eating the mushrooms has prevented some of the sight deterioration common among people living with HIV, while decreasing the incidence of them contracting opportunistic infections. Looking towards the future, Asovenya’s members are now researching avenues to obtain microfinance loans so that they can purchase additional land, with room for large-scale cultivation, and even purchase some labor-saving machinery.