AVEGA pledges more support to the elderly

Avega Agahozo, an association for Genocide widows, has pledged to continue supporting the elderly. The pledge was made during the recently concluded 100 days of mourning for victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Members of the association visited over 200 elderly people in different parts of the country as a way of reaching out to the community during the mourning period. They have vowed to continue with advocacy and support for the elderly, especially the most vulnerable with no one to fend for them. Chantal Kabasinga, the president of the association, said that during the 100 days, they identified old people in the community who were very poor and vulnerable or isolated and gave them mattresses, beddings and soap among other things. Kabasinga noted that they won’t just stop at providing them with material stuff but they will also continue visiting and being a family to them, especially those with no families. “We are going to continue doing advocacy and helping the vulnerable elderly people in different parts of Rwanda until the end of their lives. We are an association that works towards restoring hope and life to Genocide widows but this we shall also do for the elderly,” she said. Oda Gasinzigwa, the minister of gender and family promotion, commended the efforts of the association in reaching out to the elderly people. “We should make it a culture to always visit the elderly and support them in one way or another. We want to see this being done even through the ‘Umugoroba wa Babyeyi’ (an evening with parents), which is organised at community level. Let everyone own this and know that it’s our responsibility to help the elderly,” she said. The minister also called upon Rwandans to reach out to children in orphanages and take them up in families and raise them as their own. Regina Iyamuremye, the executive secretary of the Unity Club, said that some of the elderly people in society face real challenges and have no one to help them. She said that some are mentally disturbed or even disabled as a result of the Genocide. She called upon local authorities to always identify those old vulnerable people and ensure that they are supported.