On a weekday afternoon in Kigali’s city centre, it is not unusual to encounter someone clutching a photograph of a sick child, weaving through pedestrians, markets, salons, and parking lots. The appeal is often urgent and emotional: a patient in need of treatment, a hospital bill that must be settled, a life hanging in the balance. These individuals are increasingly seen collecting money in public spaces while claiming the funds are meant to support vulnerable hospital patients. The collections often take place in markets, salons, parking areas and other busy locations, with collectors displaying photographs of patients and appealing to the public for assistance. While some charity efforts linked to hospitals are legitimate, authorities and health institutions say there is growing concern that many such collections are neither authorised nor verifiable. For Egide Nsanzuwera, the issue came to light while his child was admitted at the Kigali University Teaching Hospital (CHUK). During the admission period, the family had not asked anyone to solicit financial support on their behalf. However, one day, a friend contacted him after encountering an individual in the parking area of CHIC in Kigali city centre who was carrying a photograph of Nsanzuwera’s child and asking members of the public to contribute money towards treatment. ALSO READ: The new breed of Kigali beggars “That person knew me and called me, asking whether I had commissioned a fundraising drive for my son,” Nsanzuwera says. “I was shocked. I had not asked anyone to solicit funds on my behalf. What was even more concerning is that although this person was collecting money, we never received any funds from anyone during that period of admission.” Nsanzuwera says the incident left him questioning how such collections are organised and how easily members of the public can be misled into giving money without knowing whether it reaches the intended beneficiary. A similar experience was shared by Janviere Uzamukunda, whose child was born with a chronic condition and disability requiring regular medical treatment. Uzamukunda says several people approached her proposing to help fundraise for the child’s treatment. Trusting their intentions, she allowed them to take a photograph of her child. “I allowed them to take a photo, but they never returned,” Uzamukunda says. “One day, a woman we worked together with in Nyarugenge market told me someone had passed through the market with the photo of my child, soliciting for support. I never received a single coin from those people, and the telephone number they left behind was switched off.” Uzamukunda says the experience was distressing, particularly because her child’s image was used without her knowledge or consent for purposes she could not control. Hospitals distance themselves from street collections Health institutions say such practices do not reflect how support for vulnerable patients is supposed to be organised. At Muhima Hospital, Public Relations and Communication Officer Janvier Iradukunda says the hospital is not aware of any arrangements where individuals are sent to collect money for patients in public spaces. ALSO READ: Unpaid medical bills prompt rethink on needy patient support “We do have some people coming here to support vulnerable patients, helping them pay their bills or giving them other support, but they come by themselves without any approach from the hospital,” Iradukunda says. “When someone wants to help patients, they normally write a letter asking permission from hospital administration, and then they are linked to the social services team. This is the official procedure we use.” He emphasises that the hospital does not ask anyone to collect funds on its behalf and that claims made by individuals in public spaces cannot be verified. “If someone says they are helping patients from our hospital, you cannot be sure it is so,” he says. “It can be considered fraudulent.” Hospital social services teams are responsible for identifying vulnerable patients and coordinating support, including food, hygiene items, clothing, baby supplies and other necessities. According to health officials, this system ensures that any assistance reaches patients who genuinely need it. Begging, even when disguised, is not permitted From the City of Kigali’s perspective, such collections fall within the broader issue of begging, which the city continues to oppose in all its forms. ALSO READ: Concerns raised over ‘child for hire’ beggars on Kigali streets Emma Claudine Ntirenganya, Director General in charge of Communication &Community Education at the City of Kigali says individuals moving from place to place soliciting money, even when they claim it is for hospital patients, are engaging in an activity that is not allowed. “There is begging in its usual form, where people directly ask for money, but there is also begging done by presenting a cause that makes people give,” she says. “Someone may tell you they are going to help a patient in hospital, but you do not know whether that money will reach the patient, how much was collected, or what happens to it.” Ntirenganya explains that Kigali has legally recognised organisations authorised to support vulnerable people, including hospital patients, and that these organisations operate through lawful procedures. “Those organisations have permission and operate legally,” she says. “But individuals moving through streets, markets or neighbourhoods collecting money are doing it on their own. That is not permitted.” She adds that while the City of Kigali runs various programmes to support vulnerable residents, continued public giving in the streets sustains the practice. “When people continue giving money, it encourages the activity to continue,” she says. RIB urges vigilance The Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) says the public should remain vigilant, warning that criminals increasingly use deceptive tactics, including fake charities, to defraud people. “RIB urges the public to remain vigilant, as criminals use diverse tactics including fake charities,” says Dr. Thierry B. Murangira, Spokesperson of the Rwanda Investigation Bureau. “Early reporting of suspicious activity and verifying what is legitimate are key to prevention.” ALSO READ: City authorities in new effort to get beggars off streets Murangira notes that while some fundraising efforts are genuine, there are growing concerns about individuals who move around public places displaying photographs and claiming they depict patients in need of medical assistance. “In some cases, individuals move around public places, including salons, displaying photographs and claiming they depict patients in need of medical assistance,” he says. “There are concerns that some of the images may be outdated or unrelated, with the alleged patients having either passed away or living elsewhere.” A growing grey area Authorities say the persistence of such practices is partly driven by public compassion and the difficulty of verifying claims made in busy public spaces. In many cases, people give small amounts without knowing whether the money reaches any patient at all. Health institutions and authorities emphasise that helping vulnerable patients remains important, but that support should be channelled through recognised and accountable systems, including hospital administrations and social services departments. For families like Nsanzuwera’s and Uzamukunda’s, the experience has left lasting questions about trust, consent and accountability. As Nsanzuwera puts it, “You want people to help others. But you also don’t want people to be deceived using your child’s name.”
