After a series of fundraising activities, students of School of Finance and Banking (SFB) yesterday handed 22 goats to Genocide survivors and widows of Nyamata in Bugesera, as part of their contribution to improving survivors’ livelihoods.

In an interview with Mucyo Murinzi, the Guild President of SFB, he said this intervention has been in the pipeline for some time that they were just waiting for the commemoration period to deliver it.

"These are families we have been following up and supporting through provision of basic materials within our means. At this point we looked at a way of doing something sustainable for them,” Murinzi said.

"The students’ community organized a beauty pageant where we mobilized Rwf1.2 million. We asked the survivors and widows what we can do for them and they said a goat rearing project equipped with a kraal would be good, and that’s what we are launching today.”

Among other activities that marked the day included students planting vegetable gardens for these families and rehabilitation of houses and water channels.

The beneficiaries expressed gratitude upon receiving this project, saying that such things make them gain strength and hope that life will only get better.

In a phone interview with Reid Whitlock, the SFB Rector, he commended the students for this humanitarian initiative, adding that this has marked a start of a relationship between SFB and Nyamata town.

"Nyamata is made up of a big number of people who were made vulnerable by the Genocide. The collective participation of SFB students in this cause is a good signal of a community reaching out to support vulnerable groups of people,” he noted.

He added that there were many SFB student Genocide survivors from the area, saying it was a wise decision by the students’ community to support their fellow students’ families.

SFB has an annual Genocide commemoration activity known as ‘Service of Remembrance’ which will be conducted next week.

The students’ community and administration will engage in activities of supporting survivors and remembering the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

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