KIREHE – Following the launch of the fundraising towards the Agaciro Development Fund, at least Rwf180m was on Wednesday raised in Kirehe District, Eastern Province.  The contributions which are made on voluntary basis will help the government finance projects that are in line with the country’s development agenda.At the provincial level, the drive was launched on Tuesday in Rwamagana district, where Rwf74m was collected and it is expected to continue in all districts in the province until September 4.The launch of the drive in Rwamagana was presided over by Dr Alvera Mukabaramba, the State Minister in Charge of Social Welfare, who thanked the residents for the devotion they showed to develop their country."It is astonishing to see how you are devoted to develop your country.The huge collections you made in just one day underscore this devotion,” she said.Odette Uwamariya, the provincial Governor, urged Rwandans to learn to live independent of aid. "The dependency syndrome has been our undoing…we should learn to live without foreign aid. We are moving in the right direction, the beginning predicts the end. The amount we got today was enough to tell what the province will offer,” she said.Samson Karaki, a retired teacher in Rwamagana, said the time was ripe for Africans to think about life without hand-outs from the developed world."This is just the tip of an iceberg. Just like we saved this country from genocide as the whole world stood by, we can keep it going against the will of this international community,” he said.At the same function Rwamagana leaders presented performance contracts for 2013, before the district’s general assembly. The contracts mainly highlight economic development, particularly agriculture.