from a report by Good News International (GNI)
New memorial, new homes, house repairs, preparation for planting and good communication though local leaders.
It has been a challenge for us to conduct regular visits to our communities during the pandemic. Restrictions in Rwanda don’t allow groups of people to meet together so we were not able to meet the people of the communities. We were, however, able to keep in touch with the communities through their leaders and were able to receive regular updates and give encouragement for the people to keep working together.
Earlier this month we were able to visit the communities in the area of Kibuye/Karongi. In general the people are doing well and are still united in their respective communities. We met the community leaders and the local sector leaders who are looking after the people. At the time of our visit there were so many cases of Covid-19 in the areas that some of these sectors were put in lockdown again just days after we left.
We also shared greetings from Comfort International with each community – they appreciated them and also send back greetings and thanks to everyone. Bishopbriggs Community Church (BCC) had recently sent specific greetings and encouragements to each of the communities and they were very grateful for these.
Nyange Community
The people of the GNI Nyange community are doing well. Their plans to start a pineapple project had to be put on hold because of Covid -19 but they still plan to work together to take this forward when they can. The executive secretary of Nyange sector is a very active lady and she looks after them on daily basis. We asked her to share the greetings from Comfort International, including those sent by Bishopbriggs Community Church and few days later we received the appreciative feedback.
Mubuga Community
The GNI community at Mubuga is also doing well. Through the executive secretary of Mubuga Sector we were able to get all their news. We have now met the president of the community and we were informed that as it is the start of the dry season, the community are preparing to plant vegetables that they will be watering during the dry season. They have already prepared the nursery and they will plant in June.
The Mubuga memorial site was nearing completion (it is now finished). When we visited recently they were painting inside and doing other final finishes. We appreciated the work they have done. The Karongi district officials send their thanks to Comfort International for the contribution to the memorial site. They said that they would like Comfort International to be represented at the inauguration.
We also shared greetings from their friends at Comfort International and they thank you for all that you have done for them and send return greetings.
Gishyita Community
The GNI community at Gishyita are also doing well. They also appreciated the greetings from their friends and send back the greetings to all at Comfort International. During the period after lockdown the community were able to work hard together to plant maize from which received a very good harvest. They were able to get enough food for their families and also some to sell at the market.
The housing project at Gishyita is also progressing well. The houses are built of mud bricks with a high quality cement finish and are very strong because the building process is being closely monitored by the District Officials including the Mayor herself. They are following the plans given by Rwanda Housing Authority which are particular for the area of supporting the vulnerable families whose houses were washed away by the rains and storms in 2019. We were appreciative of the work the community is doing and we gave some recommendations about the proper site plans and the final finishing.
There will be 10 duplexes built which will accommodate 20 families. Every family will have a private toilet, wash room and kitchen. It is in the plan to equip the houses with water tanks which will retain the rain water which can be used by the families to keep the village smart. We also want the homes to have solar power as there is no electricity to the area.
Bisesero Community
The people at the Bisesero Community are also doing very well. They thank their friends at Comfort International for their greetings. They also send greetings back.
Some of the community now have jobs in the tea project which has started there and they are happy to be receiving an income.
When we visited we saw that the house repairs on the homes of two families, whose houses were very old, were almost complete. We appreciate the work that Narcisse has done on them. The roofs, foundations and walls were properly repaired.
Karengera Community
At Karengera the community are doing very well and they thank Comfort International and BCC for their greetings – they also send greetings back. The community is still working on the pineapple project and they are looking forward to another harvest season from June.
Conclusion
All the communities are doing well despite some challenges caused by Covid-19. We thank you, Comfort International and to your partner churches at Sandyhills and Bishopbriggs, very much on their behalf for the continuous support to them through prayers and financial means. The Karongi District is very excited to be able to work with us and they appreciate the support especially on the Gishyita housing project and Mubuga memorial site. Please send our greetings to all our friends at Comfort International.