Keep a Child Alive

Empowering Women in Rwanda

In February, the Keep a Child Alive Programs Team visited the Centreville Clinic that we support in Rwanda.  It was thrilling to see the impact of KCA’s support there, which continues to fulfill the dreams of women and children in need of medical care, most of whom are survivors of the 1994 genocide. Over the course of 100 days from April 6 to July 16 1994, one million Tutsis and Hutus were slaughtered in the Rwandan genocide, and as many as 500,000 women and girls were raped.  An astounding 70% of women who were raped were infected with HIV.

The scars of the genocide are still present in Rwanda, including the devastation of widespread HIV/AIDS and an orphan population growing into adulthood.  But through Keep a Child Alive’s partnership with WE-ACTx (Women’s Equity in Access to Care and Treatment) at the Centreville Clinic in Kigali, more than 3,300 people have access to comprehensive HIV care that includes medicine, food, mental health services and skills training.

KCA’s commitment to the patients at Centreville goes beyond the medical care they need to survive.  We are dedicated to life beyond the pill - to helping our patients attain self-sufficiency and the ability to care for their families that they all desire.  During our recent visit, we met the women of the Ineza Women’s Cooperative, a group started by patients as a source of personal empowerment and economic development.  We were proud to see how they have now organized themselves into an empowered business, and to hear their personal stories of transformation.

Many of Ineza’s members are survivors of the genocide, and the cooperative serves as a space for continued emotional healing from the trauma of mass murder and rape, physical injuries, loss of family members and domestic violence.  These women, once among the most sick and impoverished in our care, can now earn a living wage and support themselves and their families.  Through education programs in design, sewing, management, computer skills and marketing, the Ineza women are always increasing their productive capacity and business savvy. These women, who were once struggling for basic necessities, are now at the helm of an expanding business that is an innovator in Rwanda’s cooperative industry.

Keep a Child Alive proudly support our patients in the Ineza Women’s Cooperative, who create the beautiful Ineza Tote Bags that are sold here on our website.  Each bag is one-of-a-kind and represents the strength and renewal of female survivors of the 1994 genocide.  The women of Ineza are building the future of Rwanda, and with your support for Keep a Child Alive, we can help expand the initiative to benefit many more women in need.