Sister Patricia and the Bridge to Rwanda

Sister Patricia Mukanyonga spoke at Holy Trinity Church to tell area residents about her work helping two hundred orphan children left without parents or family as a result of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, Africa.  Rwanda is a poor country and many people earn thirty five cents a day, as a result children are abandoned because their families cannot feed them.  Sister Patricia also helps the sick inflicted with AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The Bridge to Rwanda charitable organization is less than three years old and has supported Sister Patricia with providing money for food, cows that can provide some milk to help with their diet; money to send children to school and various building projects and improvements such as electricity. Holy Trinity parishioner, Elizabeth Block brought Sister Patricia here to Gainesville because she wanted people to know about her work and that many people in the area could help her. For more information see:  www.bridgetorwanda.com

 

Elizabeth recalled learning about the “Bridge to Rwanda” charitable organization through a friend and how they sent vegetable seeds to Sister Patricia because of the drought conditions in Rwanda.  Sister Patricia is a Franciscan of the Community of the Eucharist and she wanted to be a sister since she was five years old, when she received her First Holy Communion.  She is from a Catholic family of eleven children and has a degree in management.  Prior to becoming a sister, she worked for the Rwanda Ministry of Finance and was always active in the church.  She left her position in government to become a sister and to help the orphaned children. Sister currently manages three facilities for the orphaned children.

Sister Patricia lives with the handicapped children and two sisters stay with them at all times because of their need for constant care.  One of the Bridge to Rwanda’s first projects was to help build a handicap facility.  The board determined that the structure they were using to live in was unfit for humans and a two story structure with 4200 square feet was built. There is devastating poverty in Rwanda and the building projects are a gift to the local villagers because they provide jobs for them.

The children in the remote facility near Mohororo walk two hours to go to Sunday mass each week and then buy food at the local market, in addition to the food grown in their garden.  The older children carry the large bags of food on their heads and travel two hours back to the facility, which is located in the mountains.  The children pray every day for the people that help provide them with food and the means to survive.  Since Rwanda is a land locked country and is situated between two countries at war for various reasons, the cost of food has doubled for the people trying to survive there.  The cost of providing food for the orphans has jumped from sixty to one hundred and twenty-five thousand per year as of 2007.

The Bridge to Rwanda provides Sister Patricia with money for the various projects, including medical supplies and food for the children.  All of the money goes into a bank account and they money is given to Sister Patricia as she needs it.  The focus of Sister Patricia’s work is at the facility in the village of Muhororo, where the living conditions are harsh; but the children have shelter, food and medical care.  In 2006 the cost of educating the children was thirteen thousand dollars. Less than one percent of the money goes to administrative expenses.  Whenever Sister Patricia travels, somebody pays for these expenses out of their pocket.  Sister Patricia will be in Virginia until April 5^th, and then she will travel to North Carolina. For information about Sister Patricia go to www.sisterpat.com

 Other Interesting Facts:

Rwanda (Coordinate 1° 57′ 0″ S, 30° 4′ 0″) is located in a small landlocked country located in East-Central Africa bordered by Uganda, Burundi, Congo, and Tanzania.  In 1993, a Civil war broke in the country of Burundi which eventually spilled over Rwanda. It is estimated at least 1 million people perished between the Tutsi and Hutu population. Today, Rwanda is emerging from the ruins and ashes of war; its infrastructure in disrepair, its economy struggling, and is in dire need of financial support from neighboring African Countries and the West. There are currently two local FM radio stations and 3 three International FM stations such as BBC, Voice of America, and Deutchewelle. The country is about the size of the State of Maryland.

Rwanda is best described as an “Agricultural” country. The civil war has left the country impoverished and according to statistics about 60% of the labor force is women. The men have either been imprisoned or been killed during the 1993-1994 civil war. The average per capital is about $180/year and the lowest in the world. And the average person eats about 5-8 months in a year and about 2 to 4 months on a very meager subsistence.

Although Rwanda has metropolitan city, the city itself is mostly populated by foreigners from neighboring countries such as Congo, Uganda, Burundi, and Tanzania. The government is an oppressive state and forbids foreign aid such as food and medicines to the locals.

 

To make a donation visit the web site or mail your tax deductable donation to:

Bridge to Rwanda, Inc.

4709 Briar Knoll Drive

Kettering, Ohio  45429

 

Date Published: 2008-04-02 05:10:09

Section: Local News,