Thousands of children aged between 3 and 22 from poor families in Nyaruguru district receive regular educational assistance from Compassion International. Their respective families also receive substantial support to improve the socio-economic conditions of the family environment in which the child is growing up.
Emérite Ntigurirwa is the mother of Eric Mugisha, an 11-year-old pupil in the Groupe Scolaire de Ndago, Kibeho sector. This youngster has been receiving this assistance since the age of 3. The mother acknowledges the progress made by the family since Mugisha became a beneficiary of the RW173 project of the Free Methodist Church of Ndago.
“Before, we were a very poor family that ate almost only once a day. My son had only one school uniform which he wore throughout the week. This had a negative impact on his school performance and psycho-social development. (..). Today we received a dairy cow, pigs and poultry from Compassion. My son drinks milk in the morning and is doing very well at school. Thanks to the income generated by the livestock, our family is progressing,” said Mugisha’s mother.
Ms. Ntigurirwa also welcomes the health insurance that the NGO pays for her son every year.
On the other hand, Beate Niyonagira is a 19-year-old girl from a poor family in Mpanda cell, Kibeho sector. She has been lucky enough to benefit from Compassion International’s assistance since primary school via the RW 733 project of the Anglican Church of Rwanda (EAR), Mpanda parish. Today, she has just passed her secondary school exams at the Groupe Scolaire de Runyombyi. For her, this organization is her second family.
“Everyone knows that my family is poor. Yet, in the social categorization, it has been mistakenly classified in the third category, normally reserved for the rich. As a result, we do not receive any assistance from the state. (..). Honestly, without this help from Compassion International, I would not have even finished primary school. But now, with God’s help, I can manage in the future. At home we raise chickens and goats from Compassion. Our life is gradually improving,” said a smiling Niyonagira.
The same sentiments of gratitude are echoed by her father, Jean Sibongiriye, who wished that the school fees would also cover higher education.
Compassion International protects children from violence
Reverend Pastor Emmanuel Munyeshyaka runs the RW0173 project at the Free Methodist Church in Ndago, which cares for 256 children. The forms of assistance are many and varied.
“Our assistance programs go beyond paying school fees. In addition to that, we systematically cover 90% of the medical costs if the child falls ill. We also educate the beneficiary families about hygiene, nutrition and living together. In case of violence against one of our children, we take the case to court and we cover all the legal costs, including the search for a lawyer,” says Pastor Munyeshyaka.
The executive secretary of the Kibeho sector, Vedaste Habimana, praised the valuable role played by Compassion International in the development of the population. “Thank you very much for this NGO. It fits in well with our line. (..). It not only pays school fees for some children, but also participates effectively in our programmes to promote family welfare,” said Executive Secretary Habimana.
According to Victor Masengesho, Compassion International’s project coordinator in Nyaruguru district, a total of 5026 children are currently assisted by the NGO. These children are distributed in 20 projects based in parishes, mostly Protestant. The gross monetary value of the assistance for each child is US$21 per month.
Domice Gasarabwe & Gerard Rugambwa
