GASABO - Staff members of Population Services International (PSI), yesterday visited orphans of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis living in Jali Sector in Gasabo District and donated an assortment of items.

PSI is a non-governmental global health organisation with programs targeting malaria, child survival, HIV/AIDS and reproductive health .

The items worth Rwf 1.3million included food stuffs, blankets and sanitary utensils, which will be distributed to each family during school holidays.

"It was very difficult when many of us started heading our homes after the Genocide because we had nowhere to begin from in all aspects of life,” said Dieudonné Ntakirutimana, who spoke on behalf of the orphans.

"But now we thank the government and all other good Samaritans who have helped us to improve our daily lives and I am optimistic that we will have a brighter future since many of us are in university while others are almost completing their secondary education,” Ntakirutimana added.

Laétitia Umwaniwabo, an official at Jari Sector, said the sector works closely with various stakeholders to provide daily support to Genocide orphans in the area.

"Being the head of a family at a tender age is something beyond human imagination, and the sector’s management supports these orphans, especially those who did not get a chance to go to school, by enrolling them in vocational schools,” Umwaniwabo said.
 
"They smile when benefactors like PSI come to check on their wellbeing. This gives them hope that they still have people who care about them,” Umwaniwabo added.

The visit was part of PSI’s annual initiative to encourage orphans of the Genocide to lead better lives.

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