Disabled ex-combatants to get Rwf60m facility

Construction of a Rwf59m Integrated Rehabilitation and Production Workshop for severely disabled ex-combatants was last week commissioned at Kibaya Village, Nyarugunga Sector, Kicukiro District.Kibaya Village is a settlement for most of the disabled ex-combatants in Kigali City.“This is a reward for you, for having sacrificed your lives to liberate the country. We want you to enjoy all the benefits that will come with this facility,” Jean Sayinzonga, the Chairman of the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission (RDRC), told the ex-combatants after the foundation stone was laid.Sayinzonga said the building will enhance the participation of the severely disabled ex-combatants and other persons with disabilities in poverty reduction and economic development.He stated that the severely disabled ex-combatants will be treated from the facility which is more convenient than taking them to Kanombe Military Hospital in Kigali. The structure will house various social and economic activities. It will, among others, contain medical rehabilitation facilities like general consultation and treatment, physiotherapy, kynestherapy, health monitoring for the disabled, occupation and employment opportunities such as tailoring, screen printing, weaving, and assembling of leather products, photography and photograph processing. It will also house recreational facilities for the severely disabled ex-combatants that would include disability compatible gym, basketball, volley ball and tennis courts and communal digital satellite television, among others.Groceries, beauty saloons, internet cafes and secretarial services will also be part of the facility.Sayinzoga said that his commission is planning to construct similar facilities in other settlement villages for disabled ex-combatants.Jean Marie Rurangwa, one of the ex-combatants, was upbeat about the facility. “I know how to sew clothes and shoes. This is an opportunity for me to exploit my skills to generate income for my family,” he said.RDRC Coordinator, Francis Musoni, said the facility’s output is estimated at Rwf100 million annual turnover within the first five years once construction is complete.“The surrounding communities will also benefit from the structure, it’s not for the disabled only,” Musoni noted. Alvera Mukabaramba, the State Minister in charge of social affairs, hailed RDRC for the initiative that promotes social and economic development of disabled ex-combatants.“We shall support you in case you want more support towards the completion of the construction,” Mukabaramba told RDRC. She stated that the government can’t forget the heroism shown by the disabled ex-combatants during the liberation of the country.So far, the programme has constructed about 360 housing units for the disabled ex-combatants all over the country.

National

Disabled ex-combatants to get Rwf60m facility