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SEE
ALSO
Rwandan
United Methodists aim at reconciliation
Global
Connections: Rwanda
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The
Rev. Kaberuka Jupa of the United Methodist East
Africa Conference in Rwanda, at a briefing in
New York June 14 |
"Hunger,
homelessness, and extreme poverty are factors that
lead to the manipulation of the minds of young people
and subsequently their involvement in warfare in
Rwanda," says The Rev. Kaberuka Jupa, District
Superintendent of Rwanda District in the East Africa
Conference of The United Methodist Church.
Speaking
before staff of the General Board of Global Ministries
on his first trip to the United States, Rev. Jupa
shared that young adults are used by those who wish
to see conflict continue, but stressed that this
is not the prevalent picture throughout the countryside.
"Tutsis, and Hutus are peacefully coexisting
and the government is working with the churches
to see that this continues," he said.
In mission
with Rwandan partners, the United Methodist Church
has helped establish secondary schools to educate
young people in preparation for better futures.
Highly respected for its spiritual and social outreach,
the church is being assisted by the government in
its effort to establish and operate programs to
improve the quality of life in Rwanda. Some students
receive school uniforms and fees from the state.
The government has also offered land and buildings
to be used to establish schools, clinics and other
centers of rehabilitation and reconciliation.
"The
difficulty, however," Rev. Jupa observes, "is
that in many instances, the local church is without
financial resources to occupy government-provided
land and buildings according to established timelines.
"In
one region we were offered three acres of land on
the condition that we set up a center for so-called
street children. "If we do not make the deadline,
others will request the site," he explained.
Rev.
Jupa said thousands of orphan children were roaming
the street alone, some as young as seven or eight,
attempting to care for their younger siblings. "It
is on behalf of such children that I have traveled
here, and for all Rwandans I request your continuous
prayers and support," he said.
June
18, 2001
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