Someone please tell me, where do Mr. Rusesabagina’s dollars go?

I guess that it is already in the public forum that the ‘hero’ of Hotel Rwanda is suspected of sending money to FDLR elements, so I won’t really go into all that. That is strictly for the courts and I am of the school that believes that one ‘is innocent until proven guilty’. Well, let’s wait for the Prosecutor General’s next move. Although I must say, for an innocent man he does sound mighty rattled. He is talking about death threats and burglaries. What’s next? Shall he say that he is being poisoned slowly, as some in Victoire Ingabire’s camp are busy alleging? By the way, I’ve been seeing some of the ‘press releases’ that her organization is putting out and honestly, they crack me up. It seems that Ms Ingabire’s minions are completely detached from reality. I suggest that readers of The New Times look at some of these releases; while they are farcical, I must admit that they are funny. Although I’m sure that that was what the press release drafters were looking for. I wander. I found out awhile back that Mr. Paul Rusesabagina was wanted by the Prosecutor General for supporting the FDLR. Well, I really won’t get myself involved with that hot potato because its a matter for the courts, but I do have one issue with what he has been saying. He’s been calling himself a humanitarian and philanthropist. Well, I guess he can call himself whatever he wants; my problem is that he is taking advantage of the plight of the widows and orphans of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. His NGO, the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation (HRRF), operates a website that informs the gullible Western audience that has been hoodwinked by the movie that “HRRF provides support, care and assistance to children orphaned and women abused during the genocide in Rwanda”. Well, I asked myself about this claim and I did some research. I went through document and document, talked to various officials and found out that his foundation doesn’t even exist in Rwanda. This fellow is just a charlatan milking people’s good intentions for profit. Then I found out the composition of the Foundation’s Board of Governors. The Board comprised of himself, his wife and in-laws. That is not really an issue I guess but one must admit that it’s rather fishy. Honestly, I don’t really care if his Foundation works in Rwanda. That isn’t important. What is important is that the money he gets is spent on orphans and widows because, at the end of the day, they don’t care where the money came from or how they got it. So, if the money is going into the coffers of IBUKA and Avega-Agahozo then I rest my case. Thing is, I don’t think they receive a red cent. Actually, if one visits his foundation’s website you are immediately assailed with posts about his political views, interviews along with Peter Erlinder while there is nary a mention about orphans and widows. I guess he’s moved beyond philanthropy and into politics which; is his right. So, if the Foundation isn’t spending the money here in Rwanda, then where in the world is the money going? I don’t want to speculate… but…maybe the Prosecutor General has a point. I think that Mr. Rusesabagina should come out and unequivocally prove that some orphans are going to school due to the largess of donors. I doubt that will happen though, I’m not holding my breath. Actually I have to lay some blame on these donors. I mean, who gives money without doing a bit of research about the organization you’re giving your hard earned dollars, pounds and Euros to? That’s the height of naivety. It’s just sad that a ‘great man’ (albeit ‘An Ordinary Man’, as he titled his ‘autobiography) would stoop so low to exploit this ignorance. sunnyntayombya@newtimes.co.rw