GASABO - World Vision Rwanda last week donated 168 sacks of rice, 168 three-litre cans of cooking oil and 168 boxes of washing soap all worth over Rwf 4m to genocide survivors and members of AVEGA from Imena Estate in Kimironko Sector.

The estate mainly comprises of widows of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

The gesture was part of the faith-based NGO’s efforts to reach out to survivors as Rwandans mark the week long 15th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Presiding over the handing over ceremony, World Vision Rwanda Country Director Jean Baptiste Kamate said that the donation was just a symbolic act and a demonstration of love World Vision has for the survivors.

"The donation is not the main reason we are here, we are here to give you moral support in this difficult time when our minds are refreshed on the horrors we faced during the 1994 Genocide, when we lost our loved ones, we are here to give you a message of hope and encouragement that will help you face the challenges in life,” he explained.

Kamate urged the survivors to never to give up and always avoid being discouraged to move on but instead to work hard for a better future.

"Although it’s very vital to remember the past, we should also focus on the future because regardless of all you have gone through in the past, life has to go on. We cannot rewind the past but have the capacity to shape the future for the betterment of you as survivors and the country at large,” advised Kamate.

He said that World Vision demonstrates love for human beings and focuses on the welfare of the vulnerable children and orphans stressing that children are the future of every country.

"My massage to Rwandans is that we, regardless of the effects of the past, should concentrate on development and shaping a better future of our country,” he said

On Behalf of the survivors, Gasabo district AVEGA chairperson Maria Bahizi thanked the organisation for the continued support which she said boosts their morale and gave them a direction towards a bright future.

"They have in the past sponsored our seminars and trainings on unity and reconciliation which has planted into us the seed of forgiveness which was almost impossible, we have learnt that forgiveness heals hearts and it has worked out in our lives,” she explained

She said that World Vision had played a big role in the healing of many survivors’ hearts through organizing training and seminars with encouragement and hopeful messages.

According to Astrid Kagaju, one of the survivors, living conditions were difficult in the past.

"This estate comprises of survivors mainly widows, elderly people with no children to help, disabled persons and women infected with HIV during the genocide through rape which makes survival difficult,” she said.

Kagaju however said that the survivors later on formed small cooperatives and started up small scale income generating activities which has improved their living conditions.

She called upon the government and other NGOs to provide more support especially by strengthening the newly formed cooperatives.

The estate is located in Kimoronko Cell and was constructed by the Fund for Support of Genocide Survivors (FARG) in 1998 for the widows and orphans and it is home to 126 families.

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