Children with Diabetes type 1, known as Diabetes Mellitus, cancer and those with vision problems are expected to benefit from a $300 million funding. The funds targeted to be mobilised by June this year, by LIONS Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), could serve 200 million people every year, over three years and the years to come worldwide. The LIONS Club International Foundation (LCIF), conceived by Melvin Jones-a Chicago business man, is the financial wing of Lions Clubs International with about 1.5 million members currently. The LIONS acronym also stands for Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nations Safety. In Rwanda, LIONS Club Kigali Doyen received its Chart in 1959. The Club now has 27 members with nine females and 18 males. His Highness King Mutara III of Rwanda was a member of the club between 1911 and 1959. Serge Ndayitabi, the first vice-district governor of District 409 of LIONS Clubs International covering Burundi, DRC and Rwanda, said that LIONS Club Kigali Doyen is set to implement $100,000 project, financed by the foundation, to support children with Diabetes type 1. Speaking to the media during 61st convention of the District 409 in Kigali on May 6, 2022, he also disclosed that at least $250,000 will also finance a project to cater for children with cancer and $150,000 for children with vision problems. “We are going to build accommodation facilities for children with cancer as well as their parents. Next fiscal year, we will submit the project for funding,” he said. Among the activities already funded by the volunteers include construction of an ophthalmologic ward at University Teaching Hospital of Butare (CHUB) and University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK), medical equipment for eye examination and surgery, learning materials in Braille for blind students among others. “We also support people affected by disasters, we have supported people who were affected by Covid-19 among others. Globally the foundation is mobilising $300 million. We have different projects to be funded by these mobilised funds namely,” he noted. Hastings Eli Chiti, the Past International Director of LIONS Club International from 2017 to 2019, said that there are so many areas of need which must be focused on. “Where there is a need, there must be a volunteer to help. We are in a campaign to raise finances. In June we will be closing the fundraising activity to get $300 million. This means for the next five years, we will be financially sound to attend to the needs of the world, those with diabetes, the environment, ending hunger and childhood cancer,” he said. He said the members of District 409 of LIONS Clubs International association in Rwanda, Burundi and DRC will identify the needed areas where big projects need funding.
