OHFI in Rwanda

OHFI partnered with PHARP-Rwanda (Peacebuilding, Healing and Reconciliation Programme) in 2009 to care for, and protect, vulnerable children.

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The 1994 genocide in Rwanda and the prevalence of AIDs and malnutrition have led to overwhelming loss of life and physical, mental, and emotional hardship.

Over 45% of Rwanda’s population is under 18 and children are disproportionality impacted by poverty and experience multiple deprivations.

The work of PHARP in Rwanda is led by Anastase Rugirangoga and Protais Nshogoza. The projects are intended to support the empowerment of local communities, encouraging people to work together towards development, peace, and reconciliation.

OHFI, alongside PHARP, supports:

  • Training of community workers and  leaders in community development care and for children.
  • Community empowerment and sustainability programmes.
  • Assistance with the purchase of land, pigs, sheep, goats, and chickens together with training in farming practices.
  • Educational opportunities for children.
  • Adult education in life and work skills, particularly tailoring, carpentry and agriculture.
  • Protection of children from exploitation, child labour, trafficking, and child marriages.
  • Covid-19 relief (food and hygiene packs)

To find out more about PHARP-Rwanda, please visit: www.pharp-rwanda.org

Current Projects:

Piggery and Agriculture

OHFI originally funded the purchase of a piglet each for ten families in the Gicumbi area. Offspring were passed on to other families and then a collective of 47 families decided to combine resources to create a shared community piggery, including a bio-digester that processes piggery waste into cooking gas and fertiliser. This was to generate greater income and share benefits with even more community members. OHFI financially aided the purchase and development of some land.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 and its dreadful impact on the economy meant the community had no choice but to ‘eat their product’ during the last three years. This has meant children have left school, health care insurance can no longer be paid, nutrition levels have dropped, and the community is no longer self-supporting.
We know that this project worked and can work again, so we are committed to restocking the piggery and expanding the animal programme to include more families in the area.

Vestine's Story

Vestine Uwiragiye is living with HIV in Gicumbi. When she joined the group, her life situation was critical. She felt helpless and hopeless…

Poultry Project - Pilgrim Nursery School

Children from the Pilgrim Nursery (primary) School in Rugerero are mostly from pygmy families. The pygmy population was a target of the Rwandan genocides, and of the 30,000 Pygmies in Rwanda, an estimated 10,000 were killed and another 10,000 were displaced. They have been described as “forgotten victims” of the genocide.

Ohfi is entering into an agreement with the parents’ committee in June 2022 to help them develop a poultry project. The aim of the project is to raise enough money to support the children’s education and school attendance, and provide them with a meal each day.

The women then utilised agricultural training, and cultivated vegetables on the land around the piggery. This has provided nutrition for the wider community, and the surplus has been sold to generate income. This project has been highly successful in empowering families, and providing care to some of the world’s most vulnerable children. As a result, the school fees, medical care and nutrition of 400 children and their extended families were met.

Helene's Story

Helene is one of seven siblings. Her widowed mother struggled to feed the children…

Vocational Training

Many young people must leave school to work, so they help their families. They have few if any qualifications or skills to earn enough to live. Our current projects include providing sewing/tailoring and carpentry courses. These are 6 to 12 months long. We help support the students while they are training, and upon graduation we gift them with tools so they can utilise their new skills.

Stephanie's Story

I live with my two children. For me and my children to eat at least once a day, I worked very hard, but we remained poor, with nothing…

Give to OHFI in Rwanda

Your donation to OHFI’s work in Rwanda is deeply appreciated. Our work spans: the Gicumbi Piggery Project, in which all donations can help re-stock the piggery and expand this successful programme to other families in the area; the Pilgrim Poultry Project, in which your donation can support the children’s education and school attendance, and provide them with a meal each day, and Rwandan Vocational Training, in which your donation can help in teaching new skills to young students to enable them to find work.