RSVP in Africa
RSVP has been working in Africa since 1995 when Don Egan first visited the continent. Don has preached at crusades to thousands of people in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Nigeria. He continues to lead many Africans to receive Christ through preaching, teaching. literature and the internet.
Out of a growing partnership with African Christians, RSVP has funded and established a series of helpful ministries to the poor , particularly in Rwanda.
The effects of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda are still in evidence today. In 2007, during Don's visit to the region, a local Pastor was preparing for 13 funerals - of bodies recently recovered, who were murdered in the 1994 genocide. To this day, bodies of the 1,000,000 victims of the genocide are still being discovered.
[Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre]
Education is empowerment and RSVP is committed to helping the poor receive education.
We do this primarily through Child Sponsorship. We have connected over 250 UK sponsors with needy children in a short space of time and our sponsorship programme continues to grow.
We have also helped our Rwandan partners to build a successful primary school.
Both the genocide and the current AIDS pandemic in Rwanda, has generated thousands of orphans many of whom live on the street. They have no one to care for them and are often subjected to physical and sexual abuse. UNICEF estimates the figure to be around 6,000 orphans living on the streets.
RSVP has a feeding and rescue project in Kigali where we feed about 200 street children twice a week and establish relationships with them through sports, medical care and teaching about life. The project aims to introduce the children to Jesus. As trust is built up, some of the children are offered places in a home for street children and begin to change the course of their life.
We are just completing the building of a House of Mercy which will house abandoned children. The house is situated in the village of Kayonza, about one hours drive from Kigali. We are now recruiting sponsors for the 16 orphans who will live in the home, through our orphan sponsorship programme.
Our Gifts of Hope fund has provided urgent help for those in extreme poverty. Most of our work is development. But some people can't wait for development projects - they are dying now, they are starving now. Gifts of Hope meets urgent needs of people in extreme poverty through the kindness of our partners and supporters. Most recently, we were able to take 3 tons of food to 8,000 refugees explelled from Tanzania back to Rwanda.
We also visit prisoners accused of genocide crimes in Rwanda's jails and sponsor evangelists and chaplains through Prison Fellowship Rwanda.
Alison Fenning has established a powerful ministry with women involved in prostitution. Several women have been helped out of the sex trade through this ministry.
More recently, we have been helping refugees returning to neighbouring Burundi after decades of civil war.
For more information on any of these projects, click the blue links above or the menu on the right.
