Members of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi) women’s league from across the Northern Province have set up an initiative to construct houses for vulnerable households.
Through an initiative dubbed as ‘family month’ which ran through November, the members constructed five houses for disadvantaged families in the province. The housing units were handed over to beneficiaries in 5 districts in the province.
Besides houses, beneficiaries were also given Rwf100,000 each as start-up capital for small businesses. The initiative’s total investment stood at about Rwf28million, according to officials from RPF women’ league in the province.
The initiative, according to Blandine Uwimana the league secretary, was initiated to ensure an inclusive development among the residents as "RPF strives to never leave anyone behind in the country’s development journey,”
"After realising that there are some Rwandans from across our province who still live in poor conditions as they do not have good hosuing, the RPF women league agreed on a project to construct a housing unit in every district so as to contribute to existing efforts towards addressing the issue,” She added
Uwimana further said that the RPF women league will continue playing their part towards addressing issues that affect the wellbeing of vulnerable residents from the province stressing that they will not rest until the issues are completely eradicated.
"We will continue to ensure that those who are currently being supported will in the near future be able to earn their own living thanks to a startup capital that we gave them,” She noted
Each house unit that the members of RPF women’ league built was connected to electricity.
Beneficiaries upbeat
Elvania Nyirabukeye, 86, from Bwisige Sector in Gicumbi District was among those that received the newly-constructed house as hers had been demolished by landslides.
"After my house was destroyed I found myself without having where to stay; as I was financially disadvantaged I relocated to my neighbors and honestly speaking I was not comfortable while there,” noted Nyirabukeye while sitting in a living room from her new house
Adding, "I am aware that these women borrowed a leaf from the President [Paul Kagame] to come up with an idea to construct the house for me; that’s the mainly reason I am grateful to him, may he live forevermore,” she said.
The Northern Province Governor JMV Gatabazi hands over the house keys to Elvania Nyirabukeye. The house was constructed by members of RPF women’ league in Gicumbi District.
Northern Province Governor, Jean-Marie Vianney Gatabazi commended the initiative by the RPF Women League saying that the initiative is part of the government strategy to foster the residents’ wellbeing and their inclusive development.
He challenged the initiative beneficiaries to optimize the support they have given by striving to beat up poverty for them to not necessarily wait supports from the Government and partners to make living.
"Decent life is a way to go for every Rwandans; however, to make it a reality everyone has to work even harder and changing history is quite possible,” he said.