Rwandans in Ethiopia, over the weekend, celebrated an early World Family Day normally celebrated on May 15 across the globe.

They visited Rwandan students in the Defence Engineering College, Debre-Zeit located 50 kilometers from Addis Ababa.

The Rwandan envoy Joseph Nsengimana, in a media statement said this year’s family day was special as it allowed all categories of people – students, children and parents, to congregate as a family.

Usually, Rwandans in Ethiopia officially meet on July 4 to celebrate Liberation Day, on April 7 to commemorate the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and on New Year’s Day.
Nsengimana urged them to continue working hard and participate in Rwanda’s development efforts.

Dr. Jean Bosco Butera, the Chairman of the Association of the Rwandan Community in Ethiopia, urged the over 90 participants to uphold strong family values as a cornerstone for national development.

Butera noted that recently, Rwandans in Ethiopia contributed over US$5,000 towards the anti-thatched house campaign dubbed ‘Bye Bye Nyakatsi’.

Activities of the day included games under the theme: "Rwanda Highland Games 2011.” The best team received a trophy and the best players in the categories, best child, best woman and best man were also rewarded.

The Rwandan Community in Ethiopia totals about 150 including 56 students in different universities.
The International Day of the Family was proclaimed by the United Nations in 1993.

This year’s event was celebrated under the theme: "Confronting family poverty.”

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