KAYONZA – Banque Populaire du Rwanda (BPR), yesterday, donated 10 Friesian cows worth Rwf5 million to residents of Nkamba Village in Rurama Sector, Kayonza District.

According to Aimable Umumararungu, the BPR Chief Network Officer, who represented the General Manager at the function, similar donations would take place countrywide.

He said that BPR, like other institutions, supports Girinka project which was initiated by President Paul Kagame a couple of years ago.

The official urged the rural population to develop a savings culture and acquire loans from the bank.

"We have given the neediest (people) 10 exotic cows worth Rwf5 million. Ours is a people’s bank, which is why our concern for the rural poor cannot be overemphasised,” he said.

One of the beneficiaries, Rosarie Mukankubito, 65, thanked the government for its continued support to the needy.

She said the cow would improve her living standards through milk sales and get enough manure for cultivation.

"With manure, my yields are certainly going to increase...I never thought I would own a grade cow, never in my life. I thank the President for initiating the Girinka project,” she said.

Dr Clarisse Ingabire, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture, said that the cows needed a lot of attention because they are heavy.

She said that the ministry was giving the beneficiaries veterinary medicines against any possible cattle diseases.

"These are very expensive but highly productive cows. They must be washed twice a week and fed properly. We gave you medicine to prevent Theileriosi, a common disease in the country,” she told the cheerful residents.

Nkamba village has a historical significance to BPR having been the bank’s first location since its establishment in 1975.

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