On March 21, 2020, the country of Rwanda in central Africa installed a national lock down due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus forbidding people from leaving their homes. Non-essential work is not permitted, and the government does not have the resources to meet all the needs of the people. In contrast to the standards in western countries, Rwandans typically “work today to be fed tonight”, so this has created a serious food crisis, and people are in the process of starving. The Zinzendorf Mission, in conjunction with the Rwanda based Dufatanye Organization (Rwanda national registration N0.451/RGB/NGO/LP/03/201), is raising money to feed approximately 600 families each week (approximately 3,000 people at an average of 6 members per family) in the Nyanza District of Rwanda, until the quarantine is totally lifted and people can get back to work.
As of May 4, 2020 the President of Rwanda has allowed some people to return to work, but they are not being given full rights of travel, and it will probably take a few weeks before the restrictions are further alleviated, and for people to be able to find a job if they have lost one. So we are continuing to provide food for people for probably another three to four weeks.
Reports on May 11 are that many people are still not allowed to return to work. Open markets are being limited to 25% capacity, and construction jobs are not considered essential work. So many people are still facing no work for an unspecified period of time.
Godfrey Karema, director and founder of the Dufatanye Organization, says we need to still provide food for the full 600 families for two more weeks, and then probably for about 300 families for another two weeks after that. Therefore, having met the requirements for the initial six weeks, we have increased our target amount for an additional four weeks, raising our fundraising goal from $57,600 to $86,000.
The Dufatanye Organization is distributing basic food staples (maize flour, beans) to each family in addition to soap to help with sanitation necessary for Coronavirus. This should be enough to support these families through this difficult time, and will help them abide by the quarantine instead of resorting to stealing out of desperation which can also lead to violence, injury and possible death.
Our initial goal was to serve 320 families. When the local government saw the effectiveness of our distribution, and recognized that we are the only Non-Government Organization working anywhere in the area (as far as we know), and since the government does not have the resources to provide for all the people's needs, they have asked us to dramatically increase the number of people we serve. Last week we served 600 families, probably representing almost 4,000 people. The additional people they have assigned to us and asked us to feed include approximately: 50 widows (heads of households with children), 100 prostitutes (heads of households with children), market porters (people whose job is to carry goods in the markets and on construction sites), and others.
Initially many more came to our distribution than we were prepared to serve, and some people were receiving no food at all, and were begging for only 1 kg (2.2 pounds of flour) so that they could feed their children. At one of our first distributions, approximately 200 people were asking for help that were not on our list, and we had to tell them we didn't have enough to help them. The staff on the ground have decided to reduce the distribution amount each family by half, which allows us to give something to the many who have no help at all, including the additional people the local government has asked us to help.
According to our staff on the ground, they also think this is good because it decreases the chance that the families who were receiving 66 pounds of food are less likely to be robbed by those who have been receiving nothing. And they think 33 pounds of food is enough for the families to survive, and allows us to help twice as many people.
For $18, the Dufatanye Organization can provide one weeks' survival food supply to a family of six people as follows:
10 kilograms (22 lbs) of Corn Flour
5 kilograms (11 lbs) of Beans
One (1) 12" bar of soap for hygiene
$18 will provide food for 1 week for 1 family
$180 will provide food for 1 week for 10 families
$4,500 will provide food for 1 week for 250 families
We need your help to feed these families. To donate, just choose from several methods of giving below. Thank you!
As of May 4, 2020 the President of Rwanda has allowed some people to return to work, but they are not being given full rights of travel, and it will probably take a few weeks before the restrictions are further alleviated, and for people to be able to find a job if they have lost one. So we are continuing to provide food for people for probably another three to four weeks.
Reports on May 11 are that many people are still not allowed to return to work. Open markets are being limited to 25% capacity, and construction jobs are not considered essential work. So many people are still facing no work for an unspecified period of time.
Godfrey Karema, director and founder of the Dufatanye Organization, says we need to still provide food for the full 600 families for two more weeks, and then probably for about 300 families for another two weeks after that. Therefore, having met the requirements for the initial six weeks, we have increased our target amount for an additional four weeks, raising our fundraising goal from $57,600 to $86,000.
The Dufatanye Organization is distributing basic food staples (maize flour, beans) to each family in addition to soap to help with sanitation necessary for Coronavirus. This should be enough to support these families through this difficult time, and will help them abide by the quarantine instead of resorting to stealing out of desperation which can also lead to violence, injury and possible death.
Our initial goal was to serve 320 families. When the local government saw the effectiveness of our distribution, and recognized that we are the only Non-Government Organization working anywhere in the area (as far as we know), and since the government does not have the resources to provide for all the people's needs, they have asked us to dramatically increase the number of people we serve. Last week we served 600 families, probably representing almost 4,000 people. The additional people they have assigned to us and asked us to feed include approximately: 50 widows (heads of households with children), 100 prostitutes (heads of households with children), market porters (people whose job is to carry goods in the markets and on construction sites), and others.
Initially many more came to our distribution than we were prepared to serve, and some people were receiving no food at all, and were begging for only 1 kg (2.2 pounds of flour) so that they could feed their children. At one of our first distributions, approximately 200 people were asking for help that were not on our list, and we had to tell them we didn't have enough to help them. The staff on the ground have decided to reduce the distribution amount each family by half, which allows us to give something to the many who have no help at all, including the additional people the local government has asked us to help.
According to our staff on the ground, they also think this is good because it decreases the chance that the families who were receiving 66 pounds of food are less likely to be robbed by those who have been receiving nothing. And they think 33 pounds of food is enough for the families to survive, and allows us to help twice as many people.
For $18, the Dufatanye Organization can provide one weeks' survival food supply to a family of six people as follows:
10 kilograms (22 lbs) of Corn Flour
5 kilograms (11 lbs) of Beans
One (1) 12" bar of soap for hygiene
$18 will provide food for 1 week for 1 family
$180 will provide food for 1 week for 10 families
$4,500 will provide food for 1 week for 250 families
We need your help to feed these families. To donate, just choose from several methods of giving below. Thank you!
If you would like to send a paper check, please send to:
Zmission
PO Box 329
Boone NC 28607
Memo: Covid-19 Rwanda
If you prefer to donate with PayPal, click the following button:
For fresh updates for what's happening now with Covid-19 in Rwanda, go to our Blog page for videos, photos and stories.
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The Zinzendorf Mission (known as “ZMission” a US based 501(c)3) is a family of ministries committed to bringing good news especially to those who have the least chance of hearing it. We work among orphans, widows, those with AIDS, the poor, and those from various faith backgrounds, with a special focus on cultures where Christ is not well known. We seek to be disciples and make disciples for the glory of God and the healing of nations.
In the early 1990's, a young businessman from Atlanta was working in India as a consultant to the government to help establish a software company. During his time in India, he would meet with business people and missionaries, learning about their work, and their passion to bring the good news of Jesus to the huge and wonderful nation of India. In the year 2000, he decided to create a not-for-profit organization that would help reach India with the Gospel, both through business and various forms of ministry, and The Zinzendorf Mission was born.
Since that time, ZMission, has expanded its work into multiple nations, and is a growing group of people and teams who have a passion and vision for ministry. Most ZMission members have been in ministry for years, taking the good news of Jesus Christ to places where it is greatly needed, with a hope to take it to places where it is needed most. Missionaries with ZMission have traveled to all six inhabited continents, seeking to tell others how they can experience the joy and peace of knowing God personally through faith in Jesus Christ.
The Dufatanye Organization (Rwanda national registration N0.451/RGB/NGO/LP/03/201) was founded in 2003 in Rwanda as an outreach to those who are HIV+ or have AIDS, in an attempt to move them out of a life of despair and hopelessness into a life of faith in God and fruitfulness. The name Dufatanye means “join together”, and the message of the founder, Godfrey, was that God told him to do this, and to help people find strength in working together with God and with one another in the name of Christ. A cooperative farm was started to help people provide food to support themselves and their families, and sell the surplus to support themselves and even have savings, for which a small community-based savings scheme was started. Savings may be as small as twenty-five cents a week for a family, but it gives a sense of dignity and hope to people who have been short on both.
A children’s program hosts 250 children every week for Bible Stories, singing, and feeding. Special attention is given to highly malnourished children to make sure they get extra food each week, to bring them out of malnutrition. An adult Bible Study meets weekly, with a number of people coming to faith in Christ, some turning away from prostitution, and learning to live hope-filled productive lives. Crisis medical needs are also often met. The local and national government in Rwanda has been so impressed with the work of the Dufatanye Organization that they were awarded first place two years in a row for best Non-Government Organization for their geographic region of the country, and the national government produced a 1 hour television special with interviews of those whose lives have been radically changed and saved through their programs, and it has been shown three times on national television.
ZMission has partnered with the Dufatanye for many years on various projects in Rwanda, and is privileged to work with them.
In the early 1990's, a young businessman from Atlanta was working in India as a consultant to the government to help establish a software company. During his time in India, he would meet with business people and missionaries, learning about their work, and their passion to bring the good news of Jesus to the huge and wonderful nation of India. In the year 2000, he decided to create a not-for-profit organization that would help reach India with the Gospel, both through business and various forms of ministry, and The Zinzendorf Mission was born.
Since that time, ZMission, has expanded its work into multiple nations, and is a growing group of people and teams who have a passion and vision for ministry. Most ZMission members have been in ministry for years, taking the good news of Jesus Christ to places where it is greatly needed, with a hope to take it to places where it is needed most. Missionaries with ZMission have traveled to all six inhabited continents, seeking to tell others how they can experience the joy and peace of knowing God personally through faith in Jesus Christ.
The Dufatanye Organization (Rwanda national registration N0.451/RGB/NGO/LP/03/201) was founded in 2003 in Rwanda as an outreach to those who are HIV+ or have AIDS, in an attempt to move them out of a life of despair and hopelessness into a life of faith in God and fruitfulness. The name Dufatanye means “join together”, and the message of the founder, Godfrey, was that God told him to do this, and to help people find strength in working together with God and with one another in the name of Christ. A cooperative farm was started to help people provide food to support themselves and their families, and sell the surplus to support themselves and even have savings, for which a small community-based savings scheme was started. Savings may be as small as twenty-five cents a week for a family, but it gives a sense of dignity and hope to people who have been short on both.
A children’s program hosts 250 children every week for Bible Stories, singing, and feeding. Special attention is given to highly malnourished children to make sure they get extra food each week, to bring them out of malnutrition. An adult Bible Study meets weekly, with a number of people coming to faith in Christ, some turning away from prostitution, and learning to live hope-filled productive lives. Crisis medical needs are also often met. The local and national government in Rwanda has been so impressed with the work of the Dufatanye Organization that they were awarded first place two years in a row for best Non-Government Organization for their geographic region of the country, and the national government produced a 1 hour television special with interviews of those whose lives have been radically changed and saved through their programs, and it has been shown three times on national television.
ZMission has partnered with the Dufatanye for many years on various projects in Rwanda, and is privileged to work with them.