WESTERN PROVINCE

RUBAVU — The Rwanda Red Cross will carryout a series of health interventions in addition to their traditional disaster management work in the province this year, the area coordinator, Jean Bosco Musana said.

The society  also intends to promote good governance while championing love among families. It also set out to support the disabled while attempting to get genocide survivors out of poverty.

Musana was recently speaking at a meeting meant to set this year’s performance targets for the society in Gisenyi town. It was attended by Rubavu district Red Cross officials and their volunteers.

He thanked the volunteers for the work they do which he said resulted in the achievement of most of the 2008 performance targets by 80%. 

"We achieved 80% of our goals mostly due to your efforts and cooperation. You should continue with the same spirit this year to ensure our existence in Rubavu and within the province is meaningful venture,” he said.

According to another official, Emanuel Mazimpaka, other activities the Red Cross will tackle this year include conducting community work once in two months while undertaking tree planting activities as well as  developing a project to construct houses for the disabled and genocide survivors.

The society will also strive to enrol orphans who dropped out of school into various technical training schools.

Mazimpaka, said that at least one Red Cross volunteer will be dispatched to five households within its working sites to keep continuous sensitisation of people alive about the dangers of malaria and HIV/Aids.

"We also intend to support and supervise the issuing process of free health insurance cards to associations of people living with HIV. Hence we expect all our goals to  be achieved through working together with local leaders at all levels,” he said.

The Rwanda Red Cross has 3,600 volunteers in the Western Province who have been instrumental in times of calamities and disasters such as the September 2007 floods in Bigogwe where 17 people lost lives and many properties got destroyed.

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