Zion Lutheran Church
Faith in Action - Rwanda
Community Development in Rwanda through CRCR/PICO
Several years ago Pastor John Rutsindintwarane came to Zion and shared with us the work of reconciliation that he is doing in Rwanda between people who have survived the genocide that took place there in the 1990s. The group that Pastor John is working with, Congregations Rebuilding Community in Rwanda (CRCR) affiliated with PICO National Network, bringing people together, teaching citizens to make decisions, hold themselves accountable for their actions, and build relationships between Hutus and Tutsis.
Some notes from a PICO newsletter explains some of their accomplishments:
- In rural Nyange, women – the poorest of the poor - alone as a result of the genocide are building homes and baking roofing tiles. Dorosela, an HIV/AIDs widow, was trained to make roofing tiles. She in turn is training others. The community showed their gratitude to Dorosela, by building the first new home in the village for her. Their co-op plans on building more houses and will start marketing roofing tiles in 2015.
- In the Capitol City of Kigali, women have moved from sexual exploitation to form a cooperative with several small business enterprises. A second group of women joined the Cooperative Abanyagumisha (the Blessed Ones) in 2013. Now more than 100 women are self-employed, marketing produce, operating two hair salons, and selling arts and crafts. Their goal in 2015 is to learn English and grow their income to better support their children.
- In rural Matimba, organized by Lutheran Pastor George Twesige, local people have built an elementary school building from the ground up with their own labor and funds collected from the community. Their goal in 2015 is to open the school so 300 young people will not have to walk three miles to another village for their education.
- In rural Mumeya, after six years of organizing and construction, their 38 room clinic is fully operational. No mother or child has been lost in childbirth since the clinic was built. All Mumeyan children are now deemed well nourished. After years of negotiation, 2015 will be the year when leaders will finally see water and electricity flow to the clinic and the surrounding villages of 30,000 people.
“Over 10 years, Faith in Action Rwanda leaders have leveraged $2 million in public improvements and services for 120,000 people. Projects include health clinics, water, electricity, three schools, a welding school, community center, new homes, a roofing tile business, reforestation and road construction.”