The heavy rain and floods that swept across Rwanda from early March to late May last year 2020 had a devastating effect on over countless people. Kamonyi was one of the most affected areas in the country where heavy rains in several parts of Kamonyi,a district in the central southern Rwanda ,destroyed many houses leaving more than numerous families homeless In this regard, an emergency intervention in Kamonyi district was devised and implemented in 6 different sectors including Gacurabwenge,Runda,Rugalika,Ngamba,Kayenzi and Karama. Beneficiaries of this project funded by Fondo Alaves de Emergencia(FAE) under Medicus Mundi , were those who were severely affected by the floods but also who didn’t have shelter and were in the 1st Ubudehe category. They were supplied with materials like sheet metals, mattresses, blankets, mats, solar filters and water tanks. These supplies were distributed on the 18th sept 2020.
Hakizimana Telesiphore and his wife Nyirankurunziza Donatha who live in karama sector are one of the people who were given the supplies, we visited them and they shared with us how they were desperate right after the rain storms destroyed their home and they showed us how with the support and aid they were given helped them to reinstall themselves.
‘we used all of the metal sheets and nails to repair this house that we live in right now which was heavily destroyed be rain storms, we also use solar filters a lot in our daily life because it helps us getting clean drinking water every day, and sometimes when we are back from the fields and we don’t have enough time to cook we just use boiled water from the filter to make cassava thick porridge (ubugali) and it just saves our time, you can even use that water to make some tea, sincerely speaking our life changed a lot after we got that filter.’added Donatha
Vestine Mukanyonga,a resident from Kayenzi sector is also a victim of heavy rain storms that destroyed her home but overcame and rebuilt herself after being given the support by Arde Kubaho/Ugama through medicus mundi, she now live in a beautiful house with her family and life is just getting better.
Besides being thankful for finding a home after being hopeless she is also thankful for the other supplies she was given including the water solar filter which she says changed her life completely.
‘Before I never drunk boiled clean water, but now when the sun rises I hurry up and put the filter facing the sun as they showed me and after a while I have clean water to drink, I don’t have diseases caused by drinking dirty water anymore like I used to, I used to have flu frequently and now It does not happen anymore’. said Vestine.
‘Kamonyi district officials heard us and they looked for help in NGOs like Arde kubaho and finally the victims of rainstorms were given metal sheets to complete their houses on top of that they were given other supplies which will help them in their everyday lives.’ added Zamuzamu
Zamuzamu said that among 8 families among 17 whose homes were destroyed now 8 of them have beautiful homes.
‘Not only that they were also given handful materials like solar filters which changed their lives completely, we are so thankful for all of that’. added Zamuzamu
Twelve families out of 50 families supported who we were able to visit from 6 sectors in Kamonyi District given the supplies surprisingly most of them we able to reestablish themselves as life is getting back to usual and for some even better.
