Monthly Archives: March 2025

On 24th and 25th March 2025, at the Centre Saint Vincent Pallotti Gikondo, Caritas Rwanda held its 28th General Assembly to assess the implementation of its 27th General Assembly recommendations (2024), to present the 2024 activity report and the 2025-2030 strategic plan, and to formulate the recommendations for 2025.

In his opening remarks, Bishop Anaclet Mwumvaneza, President of Caritas Rwanda and Bishop of the Nyundo Diocese, emphasised the need for combined efforts, especially in these times when humanitarian interventions are declining daily due to cuts and reductions in external funding. “We must therefore combine our efforts more than ever to increase our capacity to support the poor, showing them more of our charity,” he said. Bishop Anaclet added that charity without prayer risks becoming a philanthropy that quickly runs out of steam, as Pope Francis recalled during the celebration of the 8th World Day of the Poor on November 17, 2024.

The President of Caritas Rwanda took this opportunity to thank all Caritas across the country for celebrating this day (World Day of the Poor) in an impressive way and in communion and sharing with the poor in hospitals, Approved Catholic Health Facilities (FOSA), parishes, and all grassroots ecclesial communities.

Addressing the participants, Father Thomasz Gdula, the Secretary of the Nunciature, emphasized that throughout its history, Caritas has responded to major global crises while supporting structural changes to address the root causes of poverty. He thanked the national and international organisations, as well as the individuals of goodwill, who join forces with Caritas to help those most in need.

At the 28th General Assembly of Caritas Rwanda, the 2024 activity report, presented through four Caritas Rwanda’s departments (the Administration and Finance Department, the Social Welfare Department, Health Department and the Development Department), showed that all the activities had been successfully implemented.

During this General Assembly, it was announced that the total fundraising for the 2024 Charity Month is Rwf 164,534,676. The Diocesan Caritas of Ruhengeri came in first place with Rwf 35,197,623 of contributions, followed by the Diocesan Caritas of Cyangugu, which raised Rwf 21,313,555.

Recommendations for 2025

Among the recommendations of the 28th General Assembly of Caritas Rwanda are strengthening synergy between the various commissions of the C.E.R., collaboration and synergy between Caritas Rwanda and all Episcopal Commissions and services working in Integral Human Development, as well as strengthening resource mobilization strategies and exploring new innovative actions to increase equity towards the organization’s sustainability.

There is also the operationalization of prison chaplaincy at all levels, the inculcation of an audit culture at Caritas levels and Approved Health Facilities (FOSA), the diversification of strategies to increase the Month of Charity Month fundraisings, the ensuring that each FOSA has a chapel to facilitate the spiritual care of the sick and their families, as well as the strengthening of the awareness of Caritas spirit in its areas of intervention (Social Welfare, Health, and Development).

The 28^th General Assembly of Caritas Rwanda was also an opportunity to welcome the President of Missio Invest, Father Andrew Small, who gave a brief presentation on the various funding opportunities offered by this organization for entrepreneurial development initiatives led by the Catholic Church with a view to financial autonomy.

During a community awareness event on positive parenting focusing on the role of fathers in caring for their children’s growth and development organized on 21^st March 2025 by the ECD Project in Bugesera District, the Kamabuye Sector Father Role Models won the match with a score of four penalties against three of the Ngeruka Sector team.

After the game, local authorities delivered speeches on the crucial role fathers play in their children’s development. Kadafi Aimable, the Executive Secretary of Ngeruka Sector, thanked the parents who placed their children in home-based ECDs, and called on those who have not yet done so to bring their children so that they can benefit from the many benefits of the home-based ECDs. This leader also thanked Caritas Rwanda and Plan International Rwanda for their support of Bugesera District home-based ECDs.

Following the game, local leaders discussed the importance of dads in their kids’ growth. The Executive Secretary of Ngeruka Sector, Kadafi Aimable, expressed gratitude to the parents who enrolled their kids in home-based ECDs and encouraged others who haven’t done so to bring their children so they can benefit from various advantages offered by the ECDs. Additionally, this leader appreciated Plan International Rwanda and Caritas Rwanda for their assistance with home-based ECDs in Bugesera District.

The gender and family promotion officer in Bugesera District, Bamurange Appollinarie, urged all parents to raise their kids properly by not punishing them with anger, encouraging them and boosting their self-confidence, creating and maintaining friendship with their children, listening to them, communicating their expectations to their children, giving them praise when they succeed or do well, and being a role model for their children.

Following the remarks by the local leaders, there was an early childhood development-focused Questions-and-Answers session, and the winners received jerseys. Trophies were given to both teams.

From March 10-21, 2025, Caritas Rwanda, in partnership with the RBC Malaria Division and Nyamasheke District Task Force Team, carried out an intensive 2-week Malaria investigation in the hotspot sectors of Macuba, Kirimbi, and Kagano.

This activity aimed to identify areas with the highest malaria burden and implement targeted actions to reduce malaria incidence. During this period, Caritas Rwanda conducted door-to-door household visits in communities most affected by malaria, providing valuable education on prevention and control measures.

In addition, community mobilization meetings known as Inteko z’abaturage were organized to engage local leaders and citizens, increasing awareness and strengthening the community’s role in combating malaria. The collaboration focused on ensuring sustainable and effective malaria prevention practices within the affected villages.

As part of its ECD project, funded by Plan Rwanda International, Caritas Rwanda organized a friendly football match between Rusenge Father Role Models and Gikunzi Father Role Models in Nyaruguru District. The Rusenge team scored 5 penalties against the Gikunzi team’s 4. This match was organized on March 18, 2025, to raise awareness among the parents on positive parenting focusing on the importance of fathers’ crucial role in the growth and development of their children.

After the game, local leaders and project staff delivered messages and posed questions to underscore the crucial role fathers play in the growth and development of their children. The winning participants received t-shirts as a token of appreciation.

During this match, both teams scored the same one to one, which led to a penalty shootout. After the match, Nsabumuremyi Janvier, the Early Childhood Development (ECD) coordinator in Nyaruguru District, recalled the six pillars of ECD, namely: (i) adequate nutrition, (ii) health, (iii) water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), (iv)child protection and inclusiveness, (v) readiness/ opportunities for early learning, and (vi) parenting education.

Mr. Nsanzumuremyi took this opportunity to call on fathers to play a role as well as mothers in ensuring the implementation of these six pillars. He thanked Caritas Rwanda and Plan International Rwanda as donors involved in ECD activities in Nyaruguru District, including maintaining ECD centers and homes, providing various necessary equipment, training caregivers, and assisting parents in providing food for their children in HBECD and centers.

After the match, there was also a question-and-answer session on the crucial role fathers play in the growth and development of their children, and the winners received t-shirts as a token of appreciation. In addition, trophies were awarded to both teams, since the primary objective was to raise awareness about positive parenting, not to compete.

A similar event was also held in Gatsibo District on 14^th March 2025, and is scheduled to take place in Bugesera District on 21^st March 2025, the two districts where the ECD project is being implemented in addition to Nyaruguru District.

As a creative way to engage the community and spread awareness on Positive Parenting, Caritas Rwanda in partnership with Gatsibo District, through the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Project funded by Plan International Rwanda, organized a football match between Murambi and Kiziguro Father Role Models. This event was held at Groupe Scholaire Rwimitereri, Murambi Sector in Gatsibo District on March 14, 2025.

The specific goals of this awareness campaign were to:

– Promote parental involvement, with a particular emphasis on fathers, in nurturing care tasks, gender transformative emphasizing the significance of shared responsibilities within the family unit;

– Use football as a means of fostering positive interactions between parents and their children;

– Establish a forum for fathers to gain experiences from father role models, enhancing parenting skills;

– Educate communities on the transformative impact of positive parenting practices in cultivating responsible children and how such practices can mitigate issues such as school dropouts, domestic violence and behaviour problems in the future.

In this community awareness promoting Positive Parenting, the Murambi Father Role Models team emerged victorious with a score of 5 against 0 of the Kiziguro team. The two teams received trophy cups each.

During the half-time, local leaders and project staff delivered messages highlighting the crucial role fathers play in the growth and development of their children. Following the messages, a question-and-answer session took place, and t-shirts were awarded to the winning participants.

Addressing participants, Naomy Mukagasana, the Gatsibo District employee in charge of Gender and Family Promotion, urged parents (both fathers and mothers) to take care of their children by giving them love, raising them in a proper manner and setting boundaries for what is and is not allowed, building their self-confidence, protecting them from the harm of technology and being loving parents to be a role model for them.

This awareness campaign will also be carried out in Nyaruguru on 18^th March 2025 and in Bugesera on 21^st March 2025.