SCOOPER Knight, the U.S based Rwandan artiste, on Tuesday offered items worth Rwf800, 000 to Mpore PEFA, an orphanage in Gikondo – Kigali City.

"When I returned recently, I noticed a lot of development in Rwanda and, I decided to contribute to the development of our great country,” Scooper told The New Times.

"The first thing that came into my mind was to create a foundation – Scooper Knight Foundation, which will not only support the orphans but also the needy,” he added.

Meanwhile, last Friday, Scooper organised a concert at Petit Stade, which recorded a poor turn-up. 

"The idea of the concert was not to get money but to create awareness about having a good heart to support the needy. I wanted to inspire Rwandans to help orphans,” Scooper explained.

He added:  "Of course if the turn-up was good, I would have got some money to put in the Foundation to boost my charity work.”

The donations included five sacks of rice, a sack of sugar, five basins, three jerry cans of cooking oil, and two boxes of washing soap. Scooper also paid for the electrification of the orphanage and also cleared water bills amounting to Rwf100.000.

Mpore PEFA was founded in 1995 by Annonciata Bamurange and her late husband, Jean-Marie Vienne Ngondo. Some of the kids at Mpore PEFA are orphaned by the HIV/AIDS, while many were found dumped.

Bamurange said: "I am so grateful for Scooper Knight’s support. He has provided for us electricity and also cleared the water bills, in addition to other donations,” she said.

Speaking at the event, Bamurange urged Rwandans to develop a humanitarian heart and help the needy, especially the children.

"Scooper has done this alone and I am so thankful. Other people should also do the same,” she said.

The government initiated a campaign, where orphanages are encouraged to look for their families or foster families, to avoid them from growing up in orphanages.

"I am looking for the families of these children. However, even if they go, I will continue to visit them,” Bamurange noted.

She added: "I will use the buildings to create projects that will generate money to support those children while in their families, to avoid anything that would tempt them to go back on the streets.”

The 52-year-old Bamurange recounted her disputes with two PEFA pastors, Emmanuel Safari and Emmanuel Kabarisa, whom she accuses to have led to the freezing of the orphanage’s bank account in BCR, which has a total of  US$12,000 (approximately to Rwf7.2) meant to support the orphans. 

"The account was closed in February 2009 until today, because these two men wanted me to close the orphanage. The account belongs to the children not to the church,” Bamurange explained.

"My husband opened it before he died and opened another one for the church in Banque Populaire, Gikondo main branch. I request the government to intervene and provide us with justice,” she added.

Ends