BK’s sponsored project to shelter families from high-risk zones

Bank of Kigali has injected Rwf150 million into an urban housing project that is set to be constructed in Gitega sector of Nyarugenge district. Pioneered by the City of Kigali, the project will entail an 11 in one apartment block of cost-effective and para-seismic building solutions suitable for the difficult terrains of the hilly Gitega neighbourhood. The project was initiated to upgrade Gitega’s informal settlement using a rehousing scheme which is an approach in which a developer temporarily houses a community off-site and builds a new apartment in their existing settlement. According to experts, the approach saves more space while providing optimisation of land without compromising the space and well-being of dwellers. During the launch of the project on Tuesday, March 15, the Mayor of the City of Kigali, Pudence Rubingisa, observed that the project will build the climate-effect resistant structure. “As the world faces the consequences of climate change and global warming, as weather patterns turn unpredictable and we face more and more natural disasters, the only way forward is to be innovative and build the resilience of our City and its citizens,” Rubingisa said in a press release. High-risk zones like the one to be upgraded pose a bigger threat to the lives of residents, especially during the rainy seasons. The apartment will also be a multi-storied building — highly recommended by the city masterplan, according to Jean Marie Vianney Gatabazi, the Minister of Local Government. Gatabazi commended Bank of Kigali’s efforts to support the initiative, specifically a multi-storied building that will improve land optimization. “The land area is getting smaller because of the rising population, but the sky is available for occupation,” he expressed. In order to optimize the country’s land for the current and the future generations, Gatabazi recommended the move be embraced by more people. Dr Diane Karusisi (Left) and Pudence Rubingisa singning an agrement to construct an urban housing unit for families in high risk zone in Gitega sector. The Managing Director of Bank of Kigali, Diane Karusisi, said that supporting such initiatives is in line with the Bank’s interests. “We are delighted to partner with the City of Kigali to provide decent housing for residents living in the high-risk zones. Bank of Kigali, as a good corporate citizen, always looks out for these kinds of partnerships to lift the livelihoods of the people they serve. This rehousing project comes at the right time, during an unusual rainy season. We are all striving to recover from the pandemic, and we must support the most vulnerable in our communities. “We do this because when people’s lives are exacerbated by poverty, we do not earn more profit as a financial institution and when there is not enough infrastructures, the working environment becomes tough,” she explained, adding that it is their duty to empower communities. One of the residents in the area, Marie Rose Mukansanga, hailed Bank of Kigali and the City of Kigali for thinking about them and providing this affordable housing settlement scheme. “We lived a terrible life, waking up and finding water in our houses during the rainy season which scared us. Our toilets were also destroyed because of a steep neighbourhood,” she said. In addition to this housing scheme, Bank of Kigali has other activities under its Corporate Social Responsibility. They are involved in supporting education, health, gender empowerment and poverty alleviation initiatives among others. At least 1 per cent of the Bank’s profit is allocated to CSR activities.

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BK’s sponsored project to shelter families from high-risk zones