Rwanda’s premier insurance company, UAP Insurance Rwanda, has donated foodstuff and a cow to Izere Nyamata, a centre for children with disabilities located in Nyamata, Bugesera district, Eastern Province. UAP Insurance Rwanda visited the centre, run by local women volunteers led by Cecile Munyana, on March 7, 2019. The donation was from UAP through Old Mutual Women’s Network (OWN), a Pan-African women’s network.
According to the Acting Managing Director at UAP, Annie Nibishaka, they chose to celebrate lives of women who have committed themselves to serve their communities as they celebrate OWN and Women’s day. "As a group we said we’ll not go partying but use the resources we would spend on a party to benefit the lives of women who have dedicated themselves to service in their communities,” Nibishaka said.
Munyana explaining her rationale to UAP staff
Munyana was a nurse at Nyamata Hospital in 2005 when she received a disabled child at the hospital. "As a health worker, I realised that the baby needed more support on top of medicine,” she said.
One of the UAP staff chats with disabled children at the centre. / Kelly Rwamapera
Annie Nibishaka and Cecile Munyana chatting after the donation of UAP Insurance Rwanda. / Kelly Rwamapera
Cecile Munyana the head of Izere Nyamata centre for disabled children thanking UAP for the donation. / Kelly Rwamapera
When she tried to advocate for support for the baby from local authorities, she realised that there were many other babies with disabilities that were in her community, most of them abandoned by their parents. "I myself was abandoned by my parents whom I never knew in my life. I was adopted by big-hearted people and I grew up with a mission of doing some charity work for abandoned children,” she recollected.
Since then Munyana commited herself to help disabled children. "Many of my friends approached me with strong reasons for me not to continue with the help, most of them mentioning financial constraints but I didn’t give up,” she said. Today the centre has 20 children. "I would care for more children who need my help but this is the number we can afford with the donations we get,” she explained.
During touching moments of sharing experience at Izere Nyamata, UAP Insurance Rwanda staff pledged to continue supporting the centre with their resources and advocacy. "We’re really overcome by the level of philanthropy the women at the centre have. We’ll continue helping them in what we can afford but also tell our friends about the centre so that they can render a helping hand,” said Ruth Mutoni, the Human Resource Manager at UAP Insurance Rwanda.
Annie Nibishaka the acting Managing Director at UAP Insurance Rwanda speaking during UAP's visit to Izere Nyamata. / Kelly Rwamapera
The Human Resource Manager Ruth Mutoni speaking during UAP Insurance Rwanda visit to Izere Centre. / Kelly Rwamapera
UAP Insurance Rwanda staff at Izere Nyamata. / Kelly Rwamapera
About UAP Insurance
UAP Insurance Rwanda is a subsidiary of UAP Old Mutual Group, an integrated financial services provider comprising Banking, Insurance and Investment businesses. The East African business is headquartered in Kenya with operations in Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan and Tanzania.
UAP Insurance Rwanda commenced operations in October 2012 to provide General and Health Insurance, with local approaches to co-craft solutions for customers and serve them with world-class systems and processes to satisfy them.
UAP Insurance Rwanda has a diverse portfolio of solutions for customer risks with a customer-centric focus. The insurer has a presence in Kigali, Musanze, Rubavu, Kayonza, Muhanga and Rusizi to ensure that they are accessible to their customers.