First Lady calls for support to vulnerable elderly survivors

The First Lady, Jeannette Kagame, has urged Rwandans to be closer to vulnerable elderly Genocide survivors in order to lessen the acute loneliness they often face. The First Lady made the call yesterday while opening a senior citizens’ home for Incike in Rwabicuma Sector of Southern Province’s Nyanza District. Some of the vulnerable elderly Genocide survivors arrive for the ceremony. Besides getting housemates at their new home, they will receive daily care from professional caregivers. In Kinyarwanda, Incike is an elderly person without a single living relative alive. Incike literally means someone who is ‘endangered’. That is the situation that hundreds of elderly Genocide survivors have found themselves in as a result of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, where all their children, spouses and relatives were killed. Currently, living alone in their homes where they are often face acute loneliness and their plight has forced government officials and activists to find homes where they can live together and feel safe. An elderly survivor receives a helping hand from an usher en route to the ceremony. That is why Avega-Agahozo, the association of Genocide widows, has partnered with Unity Club, an association of current and former senior government officials and their spouses, the Government Assistance Fund for Genocide Survivors (FARG), and the Reserve Force of the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) to build homes for the elderly survivors. In Rwabicuma, five houses of four rooms each, which will host 20 occupants, were opened yesterday. The occupants will benefit from daily services of caregivers under the supervision of Avega-Agahozo. A lady supports an elderly survivor who lost all her close relatives during the 1994 Genocide. Mrs. Kagame lauded the initiative, saying that it means a lot for the elderly survivors and gives them a reason to live happily. “Such initiatives show them (elderly survivors) that they are not alone, they prevent them from wondering why they survived or wishing that they could have died with other Genocide victims,” she said. There are some 859 Rwandans who fall in the category of Incike according to recent statistics from Avega-Agahozo. State minister for Social Affairs Dr Alvera Mukabaramba speaks at the event. Of the 859 people who fall in the category of Incike, 391 urgently need the services of personal caregivers; services that cannot reach them all since they live in their own homes and there are no seniors’ homes nearby that they can go to. While the First Lady promised that she will keep up the advocacy to ensure that the remaining Incike in need of homes are supported, she urged Rwandans to care for them, showing them that they are not alone even if they were left lonely by the Genocide. “They do not demand much; all they need is to show them that they are not alone,” she said. A traditional dance troupe entertains guests at the handover ceremony yesterday. The seniors’ home for Incike built in Rwabicuma is one of the many such homes which are being constructed across the country, with others including one in Kayenzi (Southern Province), Rulindo (Northern Province), Kayonza and Fumbwe (Eastern Province), Butare (Southern Province), and Rusizi (Western Province). Living in the homes, and being cared for by caregivers, has given the elderly survivors tremendous joy since they started living together at the homes, officials say. “Those who were settled show that they are happy with their new homes. They interact with each other and they smile more,” said Valerie Mukabayire, president of Avega-Agahozo. Some of the newly constructed, fully-furnished houses donated to the incike survivors of the Genocide in Rwabicu, Nyanza District yesterday. Each of the five units has four rooms and will accommodate 20 beneficiaries. The elderly Genocide survivors who were gathered at the seniors’ home in Rwabicuma expressed their joy, with many of them describing themselves as having been homeless given how they were living alone in their dilapidated houses or living with friends to avoid being lonely. One of them, Anastasia Mukarushema, said that she would now be able to get enough rest at the new home, saying that she was finding it difficult to live alone when she suffers from ulcers and heart disease. “I am very happy. I will live peacefully with my colleagues,” she said. The newly inaugurated gated home of the 100 Incike elderly survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, who previously led lonely lives separately. Her housemate, Vestine Mukamusoni, thanked the government for the new home. “I feel very happy; I wish I were strong enough so I can dance,” she said. At their new home, each beneficiary gets a self-contained room with a bed and a washroom while they share a sitting room and a kitchen where a caregiver prepares meals for everyone. An elderly survivor arrives at the venue. She is one of the 859 survivors who fall in the category of Incike nationwide. Singer Dieudone Munyenshoza graced the event. Youth perform at the ceremony. Some of the partners stand up for recognition. The housing project is a joint a effort between Avega-Agahozo, the association of Genocide widows; Unity Club, the association of current and former cabinet members and their spouses; FARG; and RDFs Reserve Force. Some of the officials that attended the event in Nyanza District, Southern Province. Hundreds of residents from around Rwabicu attended the handover ceremony. Many residents turned up to join the vulnerable elderly Genocide survivors as they moved into a new home.

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First Lady calls for support to vulnerable elderly survivors