Uwantege’s selfless service has transformed Kinigi sector

AT a tender age of 23, Faith Uwantege quit her job as a front office manager at Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge where she earned Rwf 200,000 a month. Her reason for quitting was a calling to help orphans, widows and the most vulnerable families in Kinigi Sector, Musaze District. She established Faith Foundation to fulfil this calling. Uwantege had always harboured the inspiration of taking care of helpless children. “I would meet children tending to sheep during school time. Whenever I asked why they were not at school, they would say their parents could not afford scholastic materials and uniforms. It was from these conversations with these children that I got the dedication to start charity work to help the vulnerable,” 25-year-old Uwantage explains. In a related experience Uwantege was involved in a verification exercise with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It was more about doing resettlement interviews for refugees. But their stories especially those of children were so touching. They needed urgent help. Using her meagre savings, Uwantege started her charity work in a rented house in Kinigi in 2012. It marked the birth of Faith Foundation to address the plight of the vulnerable children and families in Kinigi. “One day I went with a 7-year-old girl to her home. On reaching there, I was moved after seeing the kind of life the family lived. They were very poor. I talked to her parents and asked them to let their child go to school because I was going to give her all she needed for school. After seeing their excitement, I realised that my charity work had just started. I usually say it was a ‘calling’,” Uwantege says. With Rwf 2m from savings, Uwantege started by facilitating 25 primary school going children from disadvantaged families in Kinigi Sector with scholastic materials and uniform. The number of beneficiaries has since increased to 100 today. She also started a Kindergarten where children between the ages of five and six are provided a solid foundation before enrolling for primary school. One would wonder why a 23-year- old quit her job to start a charity without a donor to fund her activities. “Of course it was a big risk; in fact it was a gamble. I had no salary and my savings were running out as the expenses on different activities of the foundation got higher. I first talked to some of my friends and family on what I was planning to do and they were supportive. They were the first people to give me donations and they still do. God has been so good and I even had a Canadian family, Bryan and Sherry Worunuk who provide me with both financial and moral support,” Uwantege says. Bryan and Sherry Worunuk had come to Rwanda for gorilla trekking and a tour guide told them about a young lady who set up a foundation for the less fortunate. The couple decided to visit the foundation on their way to Kigali. “The couple was so touched after seeing the children that they vowed to help in whatever way possible. They have been committed and I’m so grateful. I know it’s not going to be an easy journey, but each time I see the smile on the children’s faces when in class, I’m challenged and motivated to work harder,” Uwantege notes. Uwantege has five assistants including a teacher, a care taker, a security guard and an administrator for the kindergarten. Uwantege says that one of her biggest challenges has been renting space. She hopes to collect enough funds to give the children more liberty. Beneficiaries speak out Bibiyana Kamayogi, a resident of Kanyampereri village, Kinigi Sector was trained in weaving baskets from Faith Foundation. “I am a farmer and whatever I cultivate, I sell and use the surplus made to feed my family. When I’m not in the garden, I weave baskets and later sell them to get more money to help with the home upkeep since I’m a widow,” Kamayogi, a mother of seven says. Kamayogi adds that one of her grandchildren also benefits from the foundation. Kamayogi says that although Uwantege doesn’t have adequate resources to take care of every child, she has empowered parents through skills development. “She also introduced us to cooperatives so that we can take it upon ourselves to fully provide for our families. With that she has become a source of inspiration to many in our village,” Kamayogi says. When I visited the foundation, I was welcomed by cheerful children. They speak English and wear white shirts and blue shorts or skirts. They sing and all you can see in their eyes is hope for a great future. Besides providing scholastic materials for the children, Uwantege hired an expert in crafts making to teach their parents, mostly widows, how to make baskets and other items to sell to tourists that visit the volcanoes. So far, 48 women have learnt how to weave baskets and other items. According to Isaac Twahirwa, the leader of Nyagisenyi Village, Nyonirima Cell, Kinigi sector in Musaze district, the livelihood of the children has changed a lot. “It’s hard to see children wandering around the village ever since Faith Foundation was established. Uwantege is a Godsend. She is young but to everyone in the village, she is an advisor. I can compare her to an ambulance (Imbangukiragutabara). She is always available when someone is in trouble. She is just selfless,” Twahirwa says. Twahirwa also lauds Uwantege for introducing them to saving schemes. Twahirwa is a member of Abishize Hamwe cooperative where each member saves Rwf200 per week. This is advice that they got from Uwantege. The savings help the members in case they have a problem. “Besides promoting unity, the cooperative gives hope to the members who are planning to start small income generating projects,” Twahirwa adds. 30-year-old Farasia Nyiramizerero, a beneficiary says she has immensely benefited from the foundation. “It’s not just my daughter that benefits from the foundation. Uwantege paid Mutuelle de santé (medical insurance) for me and my other children. She has been by my side since the day she met me. As a widow with four children, Uwantege is a miracle in my life,” Nyiramizerero explains. She adds that although she stays far away, close to the volcanoes, Uwantege often visits her to check on the wellbeing of her children. “My five-year-old daughter never misses school because she loves the way Uwantege treats them. She gives them porridge and bread during break time and this keeps children in school. It’s hard for a hungry child to concentrate in class,” says Nyiraminezero. Nyiraminezero says when a child misses school, Uwantege follows up the issue. “Even when we send a child to school in a dirty uniform, she will come home with soap and talk to us about the importance of cleanliness. Uwantege is not a parent but she acts and advises us like an experienced parent would. We pray that she will be blessed with a family of her own one day. We will support her the day she decides to start one.” Who is Uwantege? Born in Uganda, Mukono district, in 1989, Uwantege is the daughter of the late Paul Ntararuka and Joyce Uwimbabazi. She is the third born in a family of four. She attended Kigali Parents School before joining Nyagatare Secondary school for her O’level. She completed her A’ level education at Umutara Polytechnic before joining Rwanda Tourism University College (RTUC) to pursue a course in Tours and Travel.

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Uwantege’s selfless service has transformed Kinigi sector