MTN Rwanda has donated Rwf8 million to the Association of Genocide Widows (AVEGA) to support the group’s activities. While handing over the money to AVEGA leaders MTN chief executive officer, Ebenezer Asante, said the telecom supports efforts geared at empowering communities, including supporting survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

"We do not want to simply visit memorial sites once a year; make a contribution and leave. We always follow up to ensure that the communities we help become self-reliant,” Asante said during a visit by MTN Rwanda staff to Nyarubuye Genocide Memorial Site in Kirehe to pay their respects to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi on Friday. He added that Rwf2 million of the money will be used to maintain the memorial site.

The MTN staff toured the former church, school and buildings of the Benebikira Sisters, which are a reminder of the violence that took place in April 1994. They also listened to testimonies from some of the Genocide Survivors present. "The accounts (by survivors) prove that you are a true example of a self-reliant and determined people. We pray that the survivors of this horrific incident continue to find strength, especially during this period of commemoration,” Asante noted.