Editor,

The Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion would like to clarify the confusion caused by some articles published in The New Times regarding the issue of women beggars wanting to join other former women sex workers and beggars who are actually in a Solidarity camp at Red Cross (CRR).

The solidarity camp started on September 8, 2009 and will continue until September 17, 2009 in collaboration with MIGEPROF  Partners.

These 250 women were at Gikondo Transit Center where the National Police had brought them to avoid the disorder they cause in Kigali City.

This action aims at empowering these women because it has been proven that they beg and indulge in prostition to survive since they don’t have any other skills.

That is why the government has devoted a lot of energy into transferring these people from the transit center into Solidarity Camps for them to be trained and educated in order to create sustainable projects to support them and their families.

This solidarity camp is a continuing program to support the poor throughout the districts and sectors.

There has been a solidarity camp for children, now the needs of women are being addressed. 

A solidarity camp for men will be established in the future. MIGEPROF will support this action in helping those women to start small businesses of their choice.

They will receive this support through their cooperatives so as to help to reintegrate these women into normal society.

Nobody will receive money directly as it was stipulated in New Times’ article. All will be done through women cooperatives.

Joie-Grace RUZIBIZA
Information & Communication Officer.
MIGEPROF.