Bank assists the poor build houses

Over twenty employees of Equity Bank joined residents of Ndera Sector, Gasabo District, during the monthly communal work (Umuganda), to clear land in preparation for the construction of houses for 51 poor families in the area.The land which is on 12 hectares was identified by Gasabo District authorities as the location where poor people formerly residing in thatched houses would be relocated.“We want to help in the construction of houses for poor people, as part of our corporate responsibility to contribute to the improvement of the lives of Rwandans,” Athanasie Niragira, the bank’s Business Relations Manager, said.“We talked to the leaders of Ndera Sector to find out areas where our help would be needed most, and we are now ready to provide either construction material or finances to build these houses”.The Executive Secretary of Ndera Sector, Alfred Uwayezu, welcomed the assistance, saying that poor residents had greatly benefited.“The government is always supporting us through its programmes to uplift our people out of poverty. We have been getting assistance from private businesses as well and we are on course to achieving our target of building all the houses this year,” Uwayezu said.“This land which was officially launched by the First Lady, is already home to a few families whose lives have greatly improved and we are grateful to Equity Bank and all other institutions that are helping us”.Jean Marie Nzayiturende, 25, is one of the beneficiaries on the land. He already owns a house which is enough to harbour his wife and three children.“I used to live in a grass thatched house which was always inhabitable during the wet seasons because the roof would leak and the house was always flooded,” Nzayiturende narrated to the Sunday Times.“Local leaders came to me and told me that they had built me a better house, which I immediately appreciated. I now live there with my family; I have cows and goats that were given to me by the government and with that, I’m capable of taking care of my family.Equity Bank Rwanda officially launched its operations in the country early this month and currently operates ten branches and 15 ATMs.