Andrew Rugege, the new president of Rotary Club of Kigali Seniors (RCKS), has outlined projects for 2023-2024 which include fighting stunting and malnutrition.

Rugege was appointed as the club’s new president, on August 18, 2023 at Kigali Serena Hotel.

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Recognising the urgent need to combat child malnutrition, Rugege noted that RCKS is dedicated to contributing to its eradication.

"A worrying statistic that I read recently shows that although 72 per cent of families in Rwanda grow food for a living, 33 per cent of young children are chronically malnourished.

"The fact that malnutrition has recently been in the news and that it is an elevated government programme has spurred Rotary to action,” he said.

He said the club shall be looking beyond "one egg and a packet of milk per day for 12 days to reverse malnutrition”.

"Asking why there is such a disconnect between agriculture and nourishment, we are looking for ways to equip vulnerable families with climate resilient hand-on agricultural techniques, improve access to vegetable seeds by creating communal nutrition-sensitive gardens, and provide households with seeds,” the new club’s president committed.

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The club has also embarked on a mission to provide health insurance for needy families within the community.

"It’s our belief that access to healthcare is a fundamental right, and through this project, we aim to alleviate the financial burden of medical expenses for those who need it most,” Rugege said.

"Don’t just give a man a fish, teach them how to fish”

As the adage goes, "don’t just give a man a fish, teach them how to fish”, Rugege pledged to support families to start small businesses for income generation.

"It is not enough to provide a family with the Mutuelle premium for this year so the club intends to work with needy families to create sustainable small businesses from which they can pay Mutuelle in a dignified and sustainable manner,” he said.

Just a year old, the club&039;s journey has been marked by exceptional achievements.

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Rugege added that the club is finalising collaboration with the Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley in California.

"Considering the enormity of the task, we shall be reaching out for more partners. This noble endeavour aligns perfectly with our commitment to ‘create hope in the world’. By addressing malnutrition, we not only enhance the physical well-being of children but also invest in their future potential, giving them the chance to thrive and become beacons of hope in their communities,” he said.

One of the cornerstones of creating lasting hope is fostering peace education, he said.

"In partnership with Aegis Trust, we will engage in comprehensive peace education initiatives. As in our other initiatives, RCKS’s approach to peace education is an afore-thought rather than an after-thought focusing on conflict avoidance rather than conflict resolution and indeed peace-keeping,” he added.

Mentoring young individuals

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He said the club members will passionately mentor young individuals, including interactors (at high school level) and rotaractors (at university level).

Rotaract is Rotary's programme for young leaders aged 18-30.

"Through mentorship, we have the unique opportunity to shape the leaders of tomorrow, instilling in them the values of service, integrity, and community engagement,” he said.

Rugege announced the formation of a group of exceptional young men and women from the Agahozo Shalom School into a Rotaract Club parented by the Rotary Club of Kigali Seniors.

Gerald Mpyisi, the outgoing first president of Rotary Club of Kigali Seniors (RCKS), which was chartered in February 2022, said that the club has 26 committed members.

"I have no doubt that under the leadership of President Andrew the membership will rise to 50 by the end of his term,” he said.

He said that in most cases this involves coming up and implementing projects that reflect the humanitarian work of Rotary in areas such as promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene, supporting education and growing local economies and more.

Last year, he said, members collected over Rwf3 million to support 1,000 individuals (243 families) who were not able to pay their own health insurance.

"Financially, our club is quite healthy. We ended the financial year with a reserve balance of Rwf4.8 million,” he noted.