Homes & Famine Relief
85% of Rwandans are dependent on the seasonal rains producing a harvest to provide food and perhaps allow some extra crops to be sold for an income. If the rains fail, starvation results. In such cases Comfort Rwanda has worked alongside Solace to provide food and seeds for the next sowing time. Thousands of people have received this help, especially in one of the worst hit areas in the genocide, Bugesera. Recently in January – February 2006 over a thousand people hit by drought and food shortages were given food provided by Comfort Rwanda.
Home Re-building
One of the tools of the genocide was the destruction of homes. Many survivors had to stay with relatives or in broken down homes. Kabatesi was deeply traumatised during the genocide at the age of 9. Her mother and father and seven brothers and sisters were killed. She looks after her sick brother who is dying with AIDS, as well as her younger surviving sister. The younger sister was on her mother’s back when the mother was killed and was badly beaten and injured. Kabatesi sacrificed her school education to care for her brother and sister as well as her niece, feeding them and paying for the rent. The home was a broken down mud shack and they were nicknamed “the children of the broken down home”.
In 2003 they were thrown out of that shelter. Kabatesi sat on the dusty street crying, “Does God really know me? Does He think I am just a stone to be ignored?” In her extreme need she came to Solace who purchased a small house for her in Kigali with funds from Comfort Rwanda. She could not believe it: “it is really a miracle” she said. Kabatesi now ministers to others with God’s love and power.
For the last five years Philomene has been staying with six others in a house 12 feet by 15 feet. There is not enough room for them to all lie down at night. Three of them have to sleep in a church situated in a red light district. The picture below shows Philomene and her family with their house bought by Comfort Rwanda.
Make an online donation to this project.
85% of Rwandans are dependent on the seasonal rains producing a harvest to provide food and perhaps allow some extra crops to be sold for an income. If the rains fail, starvation results. In such cases Comfort Rwanda has worked alongside Solace to provide food and seeds for the next sowing time. Thousands of people have received this help, especially in one of the worst hit areas in the genocide, Bugesera. Recently in January – February 2006 over a thousand people hit by drought and food shortages were given food provided by Comfort Rwanda.
Home Re-building
One of the tools of the genocide was the destruction of homes. Many survivors had to stay with relatives or in broken down homes. Kabatesi was deeply traumatised during the genocide at the age of 9. Her mother and father and seven brothers and sisters were killed. She looks after her sick brother who is dying with AIDS, as well as her younger surviving sister. The younger sister was on her mother’s back when the mother was killed and was badly beaten and injured. Kabatesi sacrificed her school education to care for her brother and sister as well as her niece, feeding them and paying for the rent. The home was a broken down mud shack and they were nicknamed “the children of the broken down home”.
In 2003 they were thrown out of that shelter. Kabatesi sat on the dusty street crying, “Does God really know me? Does He think I am just a stone to be ignored?” In her extreme need she came to Solace who purchased a small house for her in Kigali with funds from Comfort Rwanda. She could not believe it: “it is really a miracle” she said. Kabatesi now ministers to others with God’s love and power.
For the last five years Philomene has been staying with six others in a house 12 feet by 15 feet. There is not enough room for them to all lie down at night. Three of them have to sleep in a church situated in a red light district. The picture below shows Philomene and her family with their house bought by Comfort Rwanda.
Make an online donation to this project.
Chantal with a group from Carnoustie at start
of house building.
(hover your mouse over to see the completed
project).
