Child caretakers rewarded

NORTHERN PROVINCE MUSANZE— the Imbuto Foundation has awarded a cow to two people selected from each district in the Northern Province in recognition of the exceptional work bordering on compassion and selflessness, through adopting and caring for vulnerable children. Golioza Kamire, one of the beneficiaries caring for four adopted children, adopted a fourth child after its step mother, who is currently in prison, dumped him. “I spent seven months in the hospital with this child, he almost died but God blessed him to make it to this day,’’ Kamire recalled. According to officials from the Imbuto Foundation, a total of 54 cows will be given out to 54 people locally referred to as Malayika Murinzi the ‘Guardian Angels’ – located across 27 districts in the country. Started in 2007, Malayika Murinzi developed as a community mobilisation strategy to promote the Imbuto Foundation’s campaign of ‘Treat Every Child as Your Own’ aimed at advising adults to provide parental care to the vulnerable and desperate orphans. District authorities selected the beneficiaries of the awards. They were first awarded with certificates of recognition for their exceptional work before receiving the prizes. According to Immaculate Umunazire, from the Imbuto Foundation, the awards symbolises friendship, honour and prestige in the Rwandan culture, but most significantly serves as a form of economic empowerment. Ends