A foreign NGO operating in Rwanda, Rwanda Aid, is running a competition for practicing architects and students to come up with a cheap but sturdy house designs to build replacements for homes that were destroyed in the 2008 earthquake.

"The judging panel includes architects Ben Reed from Sheppard Robson and Tim Ryan from Bryden Wood & Associates. The deadline for entries is January 9,” reads the statement.

This came in the wake of a recent report released by the Senate that exposed massive abuse of funds allocated to the earthquake victims.

The Senate had appointed an ad hoc committee to investigate allegations that resources meant to assist earthquake victims in the districts of Rusizi and Nyamasheke were mismanaged.

The committee reported that Rwf 6.5bn that was provided to help the victims could have been misused.

Currently some of the people who lost their houses during the 2008 earthquake have not been compensated yet billions in foreign aid has been allocated to the shelter for the victims.

30 people lost their lives and more than 250 were wounded in Rusizi and Nyamasheke Districts.

According to the United States Geological Survey the quake measured 5.9 on the Richter scale and lasted for about 15 seconds.

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