At the end of this week, all victims of the torrential rain of 9th February 2014 will go back home. However, they complain that the return package is insufficient and call for assistance.-By Diane Uwimana
Victims living in the Buterere Sites receiving a return package ©Iwacu
All the victims of the torrential rain gathered in different sites such as Kinama I and II, Buterere and Gatunguru are going back home despite their conditions. This morning of Tuesday 24th June 2014, victims living in Gatunguru have received some return package which will help them to live for few days. “Today, 40 families return home because they have their own parcels of land. 128 families remaining will join their homes tomorrow; we are just waiting for the return package and money for renting the houses,” says Jérèmie Kubwimana, one of the victims.
He points that those who return home, receive 5Okg of maize to be shared between two families, 50 kg of green peas for three families’ two blankets, three sheets, one pair of “Kitenge” cloth, one tin of edible oil, two pots, ½ kg of salt and 75kg of porridge for ten families.
Fabiola Tuyisenge, a mother of five children living in the Gatunguru Site near the Church commonly known “Kwa Buyengero”, mentions that even though they have received some staple food, it is insufficient while they have lost everything during the catastrophe. “The Government gives to those who have to rent houses a certain amount of money, but it is hard to start afresh as we can’t even have a small capital to start a simple business. Some of them have received BIF 15OOO while others have received 80000, 70000, 120000. It depends on the chance of everyone and we ignore the criterion,” notes Ndikumana. For Annonciate Bucumi, a mother of three children, what is very important for them is to leave the site peacefully and go back home to organize their families. “Five months about living in that site in such conditions are too much and enough. Some of the victims started to behave badly”, she points out.
“It is hard to start afresh”
There are some victims who have already returned home since three weeks and their life is hard. “The return package received is sufficient. But due to the measure, we are dealing with our proper forces even if it is hard to live in such bad conditions,” shouts out Graciose Ndikumana, a mother of five children who has just spent three weeks in her former quarter Gatunguru, after the incident. She notes that her children have neither school kits nor school fees to pursue their studies. “I don’t know whether or not they will continue their studies if I do not receive any assistance”, she adds.
Antoinette Basekakariyo, a mother of three children living in the same area shares Ndikumana’s view.
“For three weeks, we have spent there, we have nothing in our stores, today, we beg because we must feed our children”, recalls Basekakariyo.
For Pauline Ruratotoye, Buterere Administrator, thanks the measure taken by the Government for sending back home these victims. “They are going to live and organize their families while they have begun to lack what to feed their children”, Ruratotoye says with regret. Melchior Simbaruhije, the Spokesperson of the Second Deputy Presidency, notes that the Government has taken this measure to help these victims go back and reorganize their lives again. “Each family receives a return package and an amount of money of BIF 150.000 for helping them during three months,” explains Simbaruhije.
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