Busanza residents in Kanombe sector are upbeat about the benefits of clean water facilities which were launched by Believers Eastern Church Rwanda on Friday October 7.
This was done alongside the donation of health insurance to 896 subscribers, school stationery for 250 students, nutritious porridge flour for 2561 children under Early Childhood Development in Kanombe sector.
The donation worth over Rwf 50 million is one of the community transformation projects that Believers Eastern Church is implementing in the country.
The church has inaugurated two ‘Jesus wells’ with water tanks at Radari and Bamporeze II villages, Busanza cell, Kanombe sector in Kicukiro district, to help residents have access to clean water. These facilities are expected to benefit 132 families.
Prinitive Uwineza, one of the beneficiaries, narrated how the lack of clean water in the area would cost them a lot and affect their children’s studies as they had to walk kilometers to get it.
“We are very happy today because our burden is now relieved. Lack of clean water would cost us a lot of money between Rwf 100 and 200 per jerry can, but we will pay only a coin of Rwf 20 at the new wells. We thank Believers Eastern Church for the relief,” Uwineza said.
The church has proposed various projects in Rwanda including setting up a multi-specialty hospital and medical college. The first phase of the hospital project is expected to start by early 2023.
Broadly, Believers Eastern Church has major projects such as poverty alleviation, to help families break the cycle of poverty, healthcare to ensure people have basic healthcare, educating children to create a hope for a brighter future, disaster relief to help people affected by natural disasters, empowering women, and sanitation and clean water to tackle water and sanitation crisis by installing water tanks and cleaning wells.
Speaking during the event, His Grace Isac Mor Sthephanose Episcopa, Diocesan Bishop thanked the government of Rwanda for enabling the church to begin their operation and establish their headquarters in Kigali for the African continent.
He explained that the Holy Synod of the Believers Eastern church had chosen Rwanda as the new operational headquarters of the church on the continent because of high transparency in governance, high security index, being technology savvy, visionary leaders and boosting a favorable work climate.
Episcopa added that clean water is important to the community and the facilities will help them get clean water nearby.
“The church has other community transformation projects including a hospital to be launched in 2023,” he noted.
Donatien Murenzi, Division Manager and Corporates services in Kicukiro District, applauded the church for prioritising community transformation projects, adding that the district is committed to working closely with them in the future projects.
“Believers Eastern church is under Joint Action Development Forum (JADF). These are very important activities. We used to think that faith-based organisations only focus on recruiting followers, but we thank Believers Eastern Church that they are implementing community transformation projects. We recognise their contribution, and we call upon the beneficiaries to not take the donation for granted,” Murenzi said.
Believers Eastern church is established with a historical episcopal governance and structure embodied in Scripture and followed by the Orthodox Fathers. Currently, the church has 87 dioceses across different nations with more than 12,000 parishes and nearly 2.5 million faithful, 7 archbishops, 22 bishops and nearly 4000 priests.
