Southern Province GISAGARA — The Rwanda Red Cross last Friday donated assorted items worth Rwf.9m to orphans’ cooperatives and Red Cross volunteers in Gisagara District. The donations were handed over to the beneficiaries by Robert Muyenzi, the Red Cross coordinator in the district. Muyenzi told The New Times that the Red Cross works through the Orphan and Vulnerable Children project (OVC), which is a five-year programme to improve the well being of orphans and other needy children in the district since 2004. The project supports 2,652 children in the whole district with plans to add 603 more beneficiaries from Ndora and Mugombwa sectors. Receiving the donation, the Vice Mayor in charge of Social Affaires, Donatiie Uwingabiye commended the Red Cross for their role which she said has helped to reduce poverty among orphans and other needy children in the district. Emmanuel Bavugamenshi, one of the beneficiaries noted that the Red Cross has assisted their farmers’ cooperative “Tumarane Irungu” to buy land where they grow pineapples for commercial purposes. “Orphans lived in despair before the Rwanda Red Cross came to Gisagara. But now we are grouped under cooperatives. We get various forms of support from them. As such we are very happy to receive today’s donation,” he said. Apart from interventions in agriculture, the Red Cross also established various tailoring training centers where orphans who did not continue to high schools acquire technical skills. Joseph Kasiru, who has graduated from the centre, says they have formed an association of tailors and the Red Cross gave them equipment to start a tailoring shop. “I could not even buy myself a pair of trousers before I learnt this trade, but now I am self sufficient and due to my new income, I can also cater for my siblings. Besides, I am as smart as other guys of my age,” Kasiru said. Ends
