Hi, I am Seong Hae-shin, the head of the the Rwanda Branch of HUMAN IN LOVE. The Rwanda Branch of HUMAN IN LOVE is working on education projects like a scholarship project, school uniform project and vacation program (English class, home repair program) at Rweru Sector in Bugesera District which is the eastern part of Rwanda.
[ (Left) The ceremony was held to deliver scholarship certificates to children from poor families (2014).(Right) HUMAN IN LOVE Rwanda scholarship computer room (2016) ]
Rweru Sector is one of the remotest areas in Rwanda, and it takes one hour by a car and another one hour on unpaved road from the capital Kigali to the center of Rweru Sector, and this is possible only by large vehicles like a bus or truck. Most of the residents here are returnees who had left this sector due to genocide in 1994 or refugees who left their home countries due to political and social turmoil. Since the sector has no financial ground and is remotely located, there is not enough support from the government or international organizations, and the residents are living in poverty.
There are two islands in Rweru River: Mazane Island and Sharita Island. We went to Mazane Island which takes around 40 minutes from the dock by a motor boat. In Rwanda, I often saw a place that doesn’t have adequate facilities, but Mazane Island had literally nothing like electricity or water facilities. The river was polluted from waste water flowing in from the inland, and the residents were drinking and using the polluted water in their daily lives and even using it as toilet water.
[ Mazane Island (2015) ]
The Rwandan government was shocked by such a poor living environment and decided to relocate the entire residents to the inland. After finalizing where to relocate them, the government started building houses for around 280 households. However, the parents were worried that their kids might not be able to go to school after relocation, because the school was too far from their new home. Furthermore, the construction is now on hold due to tight budget, so building a new school is a luxury although everyone knows it’s really necessary to build a school.
[ Children from Mazane Island are attending a school uniform delivery ceremony held by HUMAN IN LOVE. (2016) ]
Through the ODA project carried out in Gyeonggi Province, HUMAN IN LOVE delivered news about Mazane residents and asked for help to build a primary school. Finally on May 13 when the results of the ODA project were announced, we found that our project was chosen and delivered this good news to the residents of Mazane Island and the officials of Bugesera District.
There are many children who give up school because they don’t have school uniforms or school supplies or they have to help their family. HUMAN IN LOVE is aiming to run a program to raise parent’s awareness on education and enhance teachers’ learning skills through Gyeonggi Province’s ODA project.
[ Children were provided with new school uniform. (2016) ]
We’d like you to keep supporting the children in Mazane Island so that they can enjoy learning in a better educational environment. Thanks!
