Rebero Orphan Center foundation

Saturday, 30 June 2007

What is Rebero Orphan Center association?

Rebero Orphans Center (ROC) association started in 2003 with the sole aim of bringing together orphans of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. In the meantime beneficiaries also include orphans as a result of HIV/AIDS, children heading families as a result of their parents’ role in the genocide and other categories of vulnerable children. Whereas ROC’s principal aim is centered on children groups mentioned above, we recognized that many children are vulnerable because their mothers who are their single caretakers are vulnerable. Thus Rebero Orphans Center is now assisting the vulnerable families of widow victims of the genocide and women diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, mostly because they have been raped during the period of war.

It is important to note that, although the genocide and war have eased, the above groups of people still face a challenge of injustice among the population as they live in eminent poverty, and are still exposed to all sorts of abuse in their quest to find a daily bread. The circumstances here mentioned and others that develop with time were and are still the driving force behind the ROC association.

Friday, 29 June 2007

Who lead ROC?

The driving forces behind Rebero Orphan Center association are Emmanuel Ngabire (lower picture) and Leonce Mupenzi (upper picture), who are both genocide survivors and orphans themselves. From their own experiences they decided to invest their time, energy and hearts to help other orphans, vulnerable children and vulnerable women.

What is ROC's vision?

We think it is important to mobilize people in our local environment to give love and hope to the vulnerable children around them. It is not ROC's aim to create an orphanage; instead we work through a system of foster families whom we assist to support the children, with e.g. schooling and healthcare costs.
Similarly, we believe that immediate needs of vulnerable women and children who are heading households may involve assistance in kind, but that their longer term needs are best served by teaching them skills and providing them micro-loans to help them generate an income.

What are ROC's activities?

- Nutrition support
- Payment of schooling costs
- Counselling on prevention of HIV/AIDS, unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases
- Skills building workshops aimed at generating own income for beneficiaries (weaving, arts, in the future also carpentry and couture)
- Providing a safe meeting place for children
- Providing microcredits

ROC runs a bakery to cover overhead costs like house rent, electricity, water and salaries, including those of the bakers.

How can I contact ROC?

Leonce and Emmanuel can be contacted via email (orphans_rw@yahoo.fr) or telephone (+250 08 863763 or +250 08 686 194). Please note that they are both primarily francophone (and of course Kinyarwanda-phone), but communicating in English is not a problem.
Internet or telephone contact with Rwanda may be erratic at times.

How can I help?

The ROC association could benefit from your own, your organisation's or your school's financial support or your help in bringing them in touch with other donors.
If you want to assist financially to ROC there are two ways:

1. Transfer the amount directly into their account:
Rebero Orphans Center
Account no 5004375-01-77 (Rwandese Francs account) or

Account no 5004375-03-71 (USD account)
BCR (Banque Commerciale du Rwanda) in Kigali, Rwanda. SWIFT code BCRWRWRW.

2. Transfer into Eveline and Jeroen's account under reference to 'Rwanda project':
ELPE Geubbels and/or JJC van 't Pad Bosch
Account no 5791231
Postbank in Helmond, the Netherlands.
IBAN code NK91PSTB0005791231.

PS: if you want to assist the Rwanda and / or Malawi projects but have no preference for one of the two, please write 'Africa projects'.

Posted by Jeroen and Eveline at 22