A group of twelve teenagers (six from USA and six from Rwanda) have donated a wall painted art piece worth Frw13,625,000 million (US $25000) to Nyacyonga health center in Gasabo District. The mural art piece on the front wall of the health center is made of glasses and tiles in different colours and was made by the teenagers under a program called Girls Exchange supported by Women’s Equality in Access to Care and Treatment (WE-ACT). “This mural art has been made by these teenagers themselves, they are art students back in Chicago so they came to offer lots of their skills, efforts and time too, this is estimated at US $25,000,” Dr Marge Cohen the leader of WE-ACT that hosted the teenagers said. The art piece portraying Chicago sky scrapers and Rwanda’s beauty was also a dedication in loving memory of their friend Claudine Kwizera who was in the girls exchange program but died in a car accident on her way Gisenyi a few days before the US team arrived. That accident reportedly killed three passengers on the spot and several others got major injuries and were rushed to the hospital immediately. Charlotte Rwema, 19, a member of the team told The New Times that Girls Exchange has been very instrumental in their lives. Rwema said the program helped them learn more about HIV/AIDS prevention among youth. The teenager added that making that mural art piece reminded her that youth needs to be more innovative.Rwema said she wished the Girls Exchange visit could be extended for at least two month so as to learn more. Rwandan girls have also gone to USA on an exchange program to participate in a one week study tour and have come back with vows to fight HIV/AIDS among teens, she said. Ends
