Kibungo—Rwanda Red Cross will start constructing houses for the returnees in Rurenge and Rukira sector camps soon, the vice mayor of social affairs in Ngoma district has said. Josephine Mutesayire says that though the Red Cross has not yet set a date for when it will commence construction, mechanism should be put in motion within two weeks. Site manager Rugese Gatare Appollinaire says the returnees will be a source of construction of their own houses. The returnees will make bricks for themselves and they will dig foundation for the houses. The Rwanda Red Cross will build 100 houses only. It has been set that, before the end of September, the houses will be complete to the roofing level and that the government would provide iron sheets. The returnees in both camps of Rugese and Rukira were repatriated from Tanzania in January, losing almost all their possessions, mostly cattle, in the process. Over 400 people live in the two camps, with 101 and 48 families in Rugese and Rukira respectively. The returnees are congested, which has resulted into many diseases passing through the area, including cough, worms and influenza. Another problem for the returnees is Malaria. The camp is close to wetland and there are no decent hospitals nearby. The closest hospital is Kigali Central Hospital.But the biggest problem facing the returnees, like elsewhere in Rwanda, is water shortage. There is only one watering hole where residents meet.Ends
