World Vision International President Kevin Jenkins Visits Rwanda

Friday, June 24, 2016

World Vision international President Kevin Jenkins visited Rwanda June 2016, making his official maiden visit as the organisation's President to the East African nation. Mr. Jenkins, who was in company of the World Vision East Africa Region Leader Margaret Schuler, spent three days in Rwanda, visiting some of the organisation's Projects and interventions.  

During the visit, Kevin Met the President of Rwanda H.E Paul Kagame, interacted with children, community leaders, genocide survivors, health workers, religeous leaders, visited child nutrition centres, held discussions with provincial political leaders, and also took time to speak to the World Vision Rwanda Staff.  Here are the highlights of His visit.

  • Meeting H.E President Paul Kagame

Rwandan President Paul Kagame met Kevin Jenkins at state house in Kigali and the two held discussions around development and sustainable growth in Rwanda. President Kagame applauded the Work being done by World Vision across the country, saying a lot has been achieved as a result of the organisation's efforts. Kevin Jenkins was flanked by his information assistant Nigel Marsh, The World Vision Rwanda National Director George Gitau and the World Vision East Africa Region leader Margaret Schuler. The meeting was also attended by Rwanda's Foreign affairs minister Louise Mushikiwabo and the country's local government minister Francis Kaboneka. (Photo Credit, State House)

 

  • Meeting the World Vision Rwanda Staff

Kevin Jenkins met a section of World Vision Rwanda staff at the National Office in Kigali, where he was able to give an adress, transmitted live through webex to all field offices. Staff where also given a chance to ask him questions. 

  • The ''Tree of Peace Initiative''

One of the most innovative reconciliation techniques World Vision Rwanda is using to concretize forgiveness and healing between genocide perpetrators and survivors is ''The Tree of Peace'' initiative.  This initiative promotes peace building, healing, unity and reconciliation through various trainings and engagements. After the trainings, a former genocide perpetrator's family, plants a ''Tree of Peace'' in the back yard of a genocide survivor's home, and the same is done in return. This ''Tree of peace'' is a fruit tree which has to be watered daily.  Every day, both families interchangeably visit each other to water and nurture the tree until when it bears fruit. Children from the two families also have to take part in the watering. This way, the families have reason to meet and talk daily and also share the fruit from the tree. More than 1000 ''trees of peace'' have been planted across the Country and the result over time has been total restoration of love, social cohesion, unity and development. Most of the families that could previosuly not unite are now members of same village savings and loan association groups. Kevin was able to meet and interact with two families (in the photos), which prior to the initiative could neither meet nor talk. 

  • Village Savings and loan association groups (VSLA) 

World Vision has empowered communities across the country to start VSLA groups in order to promote saving, provide access to small loans and to enable communities obtain emergency insurance. These groups are self managed groups that do not receive any external capital from World Vision, apart from the trainings its members get. VSLA's are characterised by a focus on savings, asset building and the provision of credit, proportionate to the needs and repayment capacities of the borrowers. With loans from the group savings, Parents are now able to fend for their families, meet all their children's needs and also start up small bussinesses. Kevin was able to interact with some of the group members.  

  • Fun time with Children at Kanyangese Primary School

This school has greatly been impacted by the Cyampilita water pipeline, one of the many water projects constructed by World Vision to provide clean and safe drinking water. The school is now able to provide clean and safe drinking water for all its pupils plus the community around it. The Cyampilita water pipeline currently serves 7615 people and covers a length of 15kms. The pipeline has 24 water collection points and also serves two other schools. Kevin met the school hygiene club, which gave him several gifts and treated him to a series of traditional songs and dances

  • Village Based Child Nutritional Centres

This is a sustainable community initiative introduced by World Vision in 2012, to combat the high number of  malnutrition and child neglect in the Eastern region. Its a cross between a community kitchen and a day care centre, primarily for children under five. Children gather at communally agreed locations, from where they are looked after by a selected rotational group of mothers. Every parent contributes towards the food eaten by the children at these centres. Children dine, play, interact and learn basic practices such as hand washing, greeting, counting, singing, praying, and image identification. Some of the centres like this one in Munini, Gicumbi district offers early childhood development classes, thus preparing children for primary education enrollment. Kevin was able to meet the children and also took part in feeding some of them

  • Health Systems Strengthening

 

  • Meeting the Northern Province Governor: Mr. Bosenibamwe Aime

END

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