SOS-Rwanda, a charity organisation, has appealed to local communities to assist orphans who now rely mostly on foreign donations. Alfred Munyentwari, the SOS country director made the call yesterday during a press conference held at its headquarters in Kacyiru. The charity has been depending on external donations for the past 30 years which Munyenwari said, would result into problems when the funding ceases. “The SOS benefactors are calling upon all countries where SOS operates to lay strategies on how they can raise funds locally to support themselves and this is what we are appealing to Rwandans to do,” he said. The government contributes only13 percent while the foreign donors provide the remaining 87 percent of SOS’s annual budget. Munyentwari said that every year, donors keep reducing their support and warned that if Rwandans don’t rise up to support the cause, the orphans will soon have no help. SOS, the world’s largest orphan charity working in 123 countries, started in Rwanda in 1979 with one school. The organisation now has three schools; in Nyamagabe, Gicumbi and in Kigali with 1,889 students in nursery, Primary, secondary and technical schools. It is also building another school in Kayonza district, Eastern Province, a school that is estimated to cost $3 million. SOS supports the orphans with all the necessities including shelter, food, clothes and medical care. Ends
