A local herdsman on his way to a cow giving ceremony in Gikongoro
ABOUT RWANDA
Map of Rwanda
Facts on Rwanda…
  • Around 80% of the people are dependent on farming for food and income
  • 69% of the population are under 24 and only 2.6% are over 65
  • Life Expectancy is 46
  • Spending on health per person is £7 per year
  • 18% of deaths are caused by HIV/AIDS and 10% by diarrhoea
  • Under 5 mortality is 203 per 1000 born
  • Rwanda is ranked 159 out of 177 countries on the UN Human Development Index
  • Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa
  • Around 60% of Rwandans live on less than $1 per day (around 50p).

Globe showinglocation of Rwanda
Rwanda is a beautiful forward-looking, democratic country tucked between Uganda, Tanzania, Congo and Burundi. It is known as the heart of Africa and its beautiful hills are dotted with the mud brick dwellings of 9 million people in land space less than a third of the size of Scotland (slightly smaller than Maryland, USA). Round those dwellings grow bananas, cassava, sweet potatoes and beans.

The people smile with that big African grin, but in their eyes you can see the heartache of the terrible genocide.
In 90 days from 7th April 1994 around one million people were massacred in one of the worst genocides the world has seen. People were burned alive with their houses, children thrown down pit latrines and buried alive, and unspeakable atrocities carried out on the women. Although many women and children were killed hundreds of thousands of widows and orphans were left behind. For many of them, food is a daily struggle, education an unattainable necessity, and to break free from the poverty cycle an impossible dream.

But God dreams over those children and families and you can help another child, another family reach those dreams.