Solid Fridays return with a bang

On Friday, Solid African re-introduced their monthly theme night, ‘Solid Friday’ at Papyrus Restaurant in Kimihurura. Solid Africa is a local non-profit organisation that helps vulnerable patients in public hospitals around the country. 

Sunday, February 10, 2013

On Friday, Solid African re-introduced their monthly theme night, ‘Solid Friday’ at Papyrus Restaurant in Kimihurura.Solid Africa is a local non-profit organisation that helps vulnerable patients in public hospitals around the country.  The night, which is meant to raise funds to support programmes run by Solid Africa, didn’t disappoint as revellers turned out in large numbers.With the entrance fee at Rwf500 only, party goers flocked the place even before 7pm. The Solid Africa team that had set up at the entrance also had a stand that sold Solid Africa T-shirts. Each T-shirt went for Rwf 10,000 and most people who attended seemed happy to buy them.‘We are very pleased with the turn up and appreciate all the support that we got today. Some people who didn’t know our activities promised to give us help in the different programmes that we run and this is a good sign that the organisation is getting bigger, said Isabelle Kamariza, the founder and president, told The New Times on the night.Solid Africa runs five programmes at the University Central Hospital of Kigali (CHUK). They are; Gemura (food for all), Kiza (Medical expenses), Sukura (Hygiene), Gombora (paying hospital bills and giving transport to patients) and Menya (advocacy and awareness)Everyday, Solid Africa provides breakfast to over 300 patients at CHUK. This breakfast comprises of 60 loaves of bread, 100 litres of porridge and 40 litres of milk. MINIMEX, a local milling factory located in Masaka, helps by donating 100kgs of maize flour every week, and Rwanda Chick offers eggs. Well wishers give out 40 litres of milk.Apart from breakfast, Kamariza also said that, Solid Africa is looking for a partner who will help them get safe tapped water to the patients and also provide clothes to patients that are easy to wear and wash.At the end of the night, 38 T-shirts had been bought and the Solid Africa team collected a total of Rwf883,000.