EASTERN PROVINCE

KAYONZA — A delegation of district officials last week donated an assortment of items to genocide survivors living in Bwiza village (Umudugudu) in Kayonza.

The items included maize flour, rice, beans and clothes. This gesture was meant to comfort survivors while commemorating the 14th anniversary of the 1994 Genocide. The commemoration week ended yesterday.

Anita Umutesi, the district Vice Mayor in charge of Social Affairs said that there are 19 child survivors in the settlement whose family members and relatives all perished during the Genocide. She led the delegation that gave the donations.

"We resettled them here, but quite often they feel lonely. Most families here are headed by children and yet they have no help," Umutesi said.

Addressing the children, Umutesi, said that the visit aimed at consoling them especially during the ongoing commemoration period.

"You should not feel lonely, he told them. "We are with you. We are your parents, brothers and sisters."

The survivors narrated their living conditions and the difficulties they encountered in their daily lives.

"We thank you for the visit and for the food and clothes. We also appreciate the houses you gave us, but our living conditions are bad. We often lack food and sleep on empty stomachs," a survivor only identified as Bugingo told the visiting team.

"Some times we do not sleep. Unidentified people throw stones on roofs of our houses. They lock our houses from outside with metals," one of the survivors said.

Another one said, "We do not have mattresses to sleep on and we have no kitchen utensils."

In response, Umutesi urged the children to be innovative and creative in order to overcome their problems and also tasked the Nyamirama sector authorities to ensure security of the survivors.

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