KCB Bank Rwanda on Thursday donated iron sheets to 50 households in Ruhango District, whose houses were destroyed in rain-induced disasters earlier this year.

The donation, worth Rwf11 million, was handed over to beneficiaries in the presence of Minister Jeanne d’Arc de Bonheur of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR).

While handing over the donation in Mbuye Sector, the minister warned residents of Ruhango to be vigilant ahead of the rainy season that has already started and is projected to intensify in the coming weeks.

She revealed that since the beginning of this month, disasters have already claimed 11 lives, nine of whom were killed by lightning strikes, while over 600 houses have been destroyed.

The Managing Director of KCB Rwanda, George Odhiambo, said the gesture was not a donation but a way of giving back to communities that are the food basket of the urban centres and cities of the country.

"We’re cognisant of the fact that the food we get in towns and cities is the product of the labour by people in villages such as this,” he said, adding that KCB Bank gets seriously concerned whenever lives of farmers are disrupted by disasters.

Odhiambo said they also "appreciate the wisdom of the Government for helping communities get back on their feet through providing shelter, which is a basic universal right”.

He promised the bank’s continued effort to give back to communities as a way of playing their role in nation-building and called upon other institutions to get involved.

"We call upon other institutions including financial institutions, collectively or individually, to join hands with the Government to support our future clients, suppliers and staff.”

Faustin Nizeyimana, one of the victims of disasters from Gisanga Cell, said the rains destroyed his house that accommodated eight family members.

Ruhango District Mayor Valens Habarurema said that, in the district, 741 houses were destroyed by the rains earlier this year but most of the affected families have already acquired new shelter.

"The response to the disasters was so swift, especially from Rwanda Defence Force, who worked with residents during community work (Umuganda) to rebuild houses for the affected households,” he said.

He added that some of the houses had been constructed but 50 of them lacked roofing, thanking KCB Bank for the gesture.

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