Author: IGIHE

Seraphina, a Rwandan clothing brand for ladies

{Seraphina is Feminine form of the Late Latin name Seraphinus, derived from the biblical word seraphim which was Hebrew in origin and meant “fiery ones”. The seraphim were an order of angels, described by Isaiah in the Bible as having six wings each and that is according to Wikipedia …but to the young Ines Claudia Hirwa she decided to name her clothing brand “Seraphina” to honour her Grandmother.}

Ines Claudia Hirwa shared her journey as a designer and her clothing line goals with IGIHE

“I started Seraphina with my partner Diane Umugwaneza, a friend who lives in Belgium. At the beginning it was really hard to choose a name for our clothing line but we decided to call it Seraphina in honour of my late Grandmother who was also a designer and tailor,” says Hirwa who lived in Belgium since 1995 when she was almost 4 years old.

After returning to Rwanda in September 2014, suggested by her friends who pushed her to create her own clothing brand and also realizing that the fashion industry was growing ,she noticed that the market was lacking some creations. Coupled with her failure to find particular fashions that she wanted, she ventured in designing and after 2 years in September 2016, Seraphina was launched.

“We want our clothes to be Made in Rwanda, support the economy of Rwanda and provide employment for local tailors and everyone who is involved in the industry. Most importantly, it is our pride to wear what has been made in our country,” she says.

The designer who makes pieces such as Crop-tops, Jumpsuits and others said that the market is very big and everyone can sell their designs. She urges all designers and tailors to invest in their skills and professionalism to be able to provide quality to their clients.

Seraphina started with a budget of Rwf3,000,000 with a team composed of two designers and one tailor. Today, given the many local clients and many orders from European countries, they are planning to grow accordingly by widening their team and opening more stores. As for now their clothes can be found at Bold Kigali on the 1st floor of Kigali Heights.

By Ivan Nyagatare

May 16, 2017
Nyaruguru: 147 children suffer from Kwashiorkor

{A total of 147 under-five children in Nyaruguru district, Southern Province are reported to suffer from Kwashiorkor, a number said to have been reduced from 2632 in 2012. The number of children with stunted is also said to have reduced from 45.4% of 2015 to 41.6%. }

This was unveiled yesterday as Rwanda Biomedical Center staff visited some of the districts having outstanding progress in reducing health risks.

The president of community health workers in Nyaruguru district, Karemera Athanse said such achievements emanate from established programs and working with policy facilitators visiting families.

“Community health workers follow up various programs including birth control, hygiene, health insurance subscription and nutrition. They have forms to fill when they visit a household indicating whether it has problems or not. If a household is found with one or more problems, it has to agree with community health workers how to solve them. Each village has 15 policy facilitators visiting each household depending on the nature of its problem to seek together a solution,” he said.

He explained that the filled form helps village and other leadership to understand each household’s situation and make a follow up.

Mushimiyimana Colette, representing one of associations of parents with children having malnutrition problems working under the auspice of Kibeho health center said the groups contributed a lot to addressing malnutrition.

“We have a kitchen at Kibeho health center where we get trainings on preparing balanced diet once per week. We plant fruits to be used when we meet to cook. We have offered pigs and rabbits to some of our members to combat malnutrition. We also have programs of visiting parents in villages to seek whether they respect recommendations of preparing balanced diet,” she said.

May 16, 2017
Nzayisenga features on American musician

{Jeremy Danneman, the American Jazz Musician, has unveiled an album that features Sophie Nzayisenga, a Rwandan woman who earned fame for playing Inanga (trough-zither), a local music instrument. Jeremy is mainly a Jazz musician but plays many other different styles.}

Speaking to IGIHE, Jeremy said he met with Nzayisenga back in 2009 when the American was visiting Rwanda, the same time they started a joint music project.

“I marked my anniversary in 2009 by playing music on the streets of New York where I performed for 11 hours that very day. That is my best performance ever because I entertained people of all kinds,” said Jeremy.

He decided to come to Rwanda in March, 2009 to learn about Genocide against the Tutsi and to perform from Rwanda’s streets.

“I decided to visit Rwanda after reviewing its history especially about the genocide because my grandmother also survived the genocide against Jews (Holocaust). That similar history made me wish to perform from Rwanda’s streets during the 15th commemoration period. During my stay, I performed at schools and on streets. That’s the time I met Sophie and we performed together at Goethe Institute in Kigali,” said Jeremy.

Jeremy said he wanted to take Nzayisenga to USA to play her Inanga but visa issues delayed her until 2015 when she finally landed in the United States.

“We finally realized our target in 2015 to perform together from the USA, then embarked on an album project ‘Honey Wine’ which we unveiled on March 10th, 2017. Yes, there is some Kinyarwanda on the album, both a song called Ibeseke and the title track Honey Wine, which includes Kinyarwanda lyrics,” he said.

During her stay in the USA, the duo performed at different venues as Nzayisenga played Inanga while Jeremy played saxophone.

“When Sophie was in New York, we played at venues called Silvana and the Why Not Jazz Room. We also performed in outdoor markets and a few schools. The experience working with Sophie has been fantastic. We have never really needed to speak the same language, because we have a similar understanding of musical language. She also fit right in with my band,” Jeremy added.

By Munyengabe Murungi Sabin, Jean d’Amour Mugabo

May 16, 2017
A full tray awaits presidents at EAC summit

{A tight agenda awaits the East Africa Community Heads of State Summit when it meets in Dar es Salaam this week, for a meeting that has been postponed three times.}

This is amid speculation of a falling out between some of the leaders on the direction the bloc should take.

That the Summit will not be postponed this time is assured. The EAC Secretariat has sent out an invitation to all the delegates to attend the meeting on May 20. It will be preceded by meetings of technocrats responsible for various sectors over three days before the Council of Ministers meets a day before the Summit to prepare resolutions for the heads of state to consider.

Top on the agenda is giving direction to the Community after what has been a year of sluggish implementation of projects. The presidents are expected to track the progress of integrating South Sudan and decide whether it will be fully integrated into the EAC as from July. Already South Sudan has nominated its members for the East African Legislative Assembly and the East Africa Court of Justice as required under the process.

The presidents should give direction on whether South Sudan should appoint various commissioners to the various commissions of the EAC and on nomination of a representative for an executive position at the EAC Secretariat.

Another key issue is agreeing on a new funding model for the bloc’s budget. EAC ministers except Burundi have agreed to maintain the existing equal contributions with sanctions for default. The alternative is a hybrid financing mechanism, with a certain percentage of equal contributions and a separate proportion based on equity, solidarity and equality.

Also on the table is the phasing out of importation of used textiles and footwear, which was to be undertaken over three years starting in 2016.

The presidents are also expected to pass into law Bills passed by EALA, which include the EAC Customs Management (Amendment) Bill 2016, the EAC Appropriation Bill 2016 and the EAC Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2016.

The heads of state are also expected to discuss the report on the Status of Implementation of the EAC Common Market where one of the pending matters is mutual recognition of business certificates from each other and elimination of double taxation for companies operating across borders.

At the recent EAC Council of ministers meeting, the EAC ministers requested Tanzania to expedite the process of reviewing its legal framework and finalise internal consultations on harmonisation of work permit fees by September.

The request followed a recent move by the Tanzanian government to reduce residence permit fees to $500 from $2,000 for EAC citizens seeking to stay and work in Tanzania. Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda have waived work permit fees but Tanzania and Burundi are yet to ratify the deal.

The other key issue to be discussed is the report of the Joint Security Assessment Mission to the Republic of Burundi.

The Economic Partnership Agreement with Europe, which has split EAC members down the middle, is not expected to feature prominently on the agenda, with Tanzania insisting the impact of the agreement be fully assessed.

Source:The East African

May 16, 2017
National Security Symposium kicks off at RDF Command and Staff College

{The National Security Symposium 2017 has kicked off at Rwanda Defence Force Command and Staff College (CSC) in Musanze District, under the theme:”Contemporary Security Challenges: The African Perspective”. The three day conference was officially opened yesterday by Hon Minister of Defence, Gen James Kabarebe.}

In his opening remarks, Minister Kabarebe underlined the relevance of the symposium to College Students. “The Symposium on security is an opportunity for College students to engage in academic and yet practical real life security issues that affect our military profession. By the end of the symposium you will have not only gained the requisite knowledge and skills, but you will have also sharpened your awareness and readiness in your quest for performing your duties on field, with clarity and understanding of the geo-political nature of contemporary security challenges on our continent”, he said.

Gen Kabarebe further said that many African countries have persistently experienced security challenges such as armed conflicts, terrorism, bad governance, transborder crimes, to name just a few. “These and other human security-related problems in our region and other parts of Africa require appropriate response mechanisms from within Africa itself”, Hon Minister of Defence noted.

On his side, the RDF CSC Commandant, Maj Gen JB Kazura pointed out that the Symposium on security is a critical component of the security studies package taught at the College.

During the Symposium, Senior Command and Staff Course (SCSC) 5 students will have the opportunity of interacting with high level policy makers, security practitioners at strategic and operational levels, subject-matter experts and scholars in security studies.

On Day 1, the first session discussed “Contemporary approaches to fighting terrorism challenges and prospects”; with Lt Gen Robert Kariuki Kibochi, KDF Army Commander, Lt Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai, Nigeria Chief of Army Staff and Brig Gen Joseph Nzabamwita, DG National Intelligence and Security Services as panellists. The moderator of the session was Brig Gen Innocent Kabandana, Commander Special Operation Forces.

The SCSC 05 is composed of 47 Senior Officers (Major to Colonel) students of the, drawn from Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

Source:Minadef

Source:Minadef

May 16, 2017
Richard Kabonero bids farewell as Uganda’s ambassador to Rwanda

{Uganda’s outgoing ambassador to Rwanda, Richard Kabonero says the country must build on the existing good relations with Rwanda to foster regional integration and cooperation. }

He was speaking at his farewell dinner in Kigali, Rwanda on Saturday evening. Kabonero is now Uganda’s ambassador designate to Tanzania.

Kabonero had served as Uganda’s ambassador in Washington from 1994 to 2005 before the appointment to Rwanda in 2006.

Kabonero will be replaced by Wonekha Oliver, 66, appointed to represent Uganda to Rwanda in January 2017. The latter has been serving as Uganda’s ambassador to the United States.

Source:NTV

May 15, 2017
Voluntary medical male circumcision kicks off in Kabuga

{The University of Rwanda Surgical Students Society (UR-SSS) has organized a HIV prevention week-long program through which medical male circumcision (VMMC) will be carried out in partnership with Rwanda biomedical center (RBC), Rwanda Military Hospital (RMH), AIDS HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION (AHF), JHPIEGO, PIH and Masaka district hospital. }

The program started on 13th May 2017 with the aim of preventing HIV/AIDS through voluntary circumcision in Gasabo district of Kigali city, Rusororo sector, Kabuga I cell.

Hakizimana Etienne in charge of HIV/AIDS prevention in AHF said; “Community awareness on HIV /AIDS prevention and voluntary testing and counseling are our primary responsibility. This awareness campaign will win circumcision volunteers and break myths concerning the procedures. Volunteers will choose to undergo either non surgical circumcision (PREPEX) or surgical circumcision “.

Sister Catherine Titulaire of Kabuga health center said that “Prevention is better than cure, surprisingly HIV is not treatable has no vaccine, so the event will maximize control measures. ”

Berabose Charles, the director of outreach, events and mentorship in UR-SSS and the coordinator of this event said that “mobilization week started on 13th May to 21st May 2017 with 1st anti tetanus vaccine administration, and the second vaccine is scheduled on 21st, 22nd June 2017.

The circumcision will take place on 2nd, 3rd, 8th and 10th of July 2017 at Kabuga health center. In addition to HIV/AIDS prevention of 60% in case of negative male to positive female, circumcision reduces penile cancer, for male and cervical cancer to females as the foreskin of the penis which serves as the medium for human papilloma virus (HPV), responsible for both penile and cervical cancer is removed “.

May 15, 2017
RDF Army week medical outreach provides healthcare to more than 20,000 people in one week

{In the medical sector alone for instance, the RDF medical personnel and partners have provided free health care to more than 20,000 people in Ophthalmology, Orthopedics, Gynecology, Dental, ENT (Ear Nose Throat), internal medicine, urology and men circumcision. }

The above services have been so far provided at Hospitals and Health Centers of Ngarama, Kiziguro, Musanze, Rubavu, Masaka, Nemba, Murunda, Kibirizi, Bweyeye, Nkombo and Nyabihu.

The local population who have benefited from the medical services are deeply grateful to the RDF Army Week Initiative. “This is like a miracle, we used to run away from the military, but look now, they are the first to offer to us free medical care. I hardly used to go out because of this disease, now I wish I could recover promptly from the medical intervention, so that I can join my family and friends”, a joyful lady treated from fistula testified.

The free Army Week medical outreach will continue from 15-20 May 2017 at Nyamasheke, Bushenge, Kibogora, Ngororero, Muhororo, Kabaya, Gahini, Rwinkwavu and Nemba Hospitals. HIV Voluntary Counselling and Testing will continue in Musanze, Nyabihu and Rubavu.

Other army week planned activities in infrastructure development, agricultural and environment protection are also on good progress countrywide.

Source:Minadef

May 15, 2017
Tomato extract fights stomach cancer, ripe for further study

{A new study shows that whole tomato extracts from two different Southern Italy cultivars inhibit gastric cancer cell growth and malignant features, paving the way for future studies aimed at implementing lifestyle habits not only for prevention, but potentially as a support to conventional therapies.}

“Their antitumoral effect seem not related to specific components, such as lycopene, but rather suggest that tomatoes should be considered in their entirety,” says Daniela Barone, researcher at the Oncology Research Center of Mercogliano (CROM), and one of the authors of the study.

Experiments analyzed whole tomato lipophilic extracts for their ability to tackle various neoplastic features of gastric cancer cell lines. Extracts of both the San Marzano and Corbarino tomato varieties were able to inhibit the growth and cloning behavior of malignant cells. Treatment with the whole tomato extracts affected key processes within the cells hindering their migration ability, arresting cell cycle through the modulation of retinoblastoma family proteins and specific cell cycle inhibitors, and ultimately inducing cancer cell death through apoptosis.

The study, published in the Journal of Cellular Physiology, details findings by Daniela Barone and Letizia Cito, from the research group directed by Prof. Antonio Giordano at the National Cancer Institute of Naples, Pascale Foundation, CROM.

“Our results prompt further assessment of the potential use of specific nutrients not only in the cancer prevention setting but also as a supportive strategy along with conventional therapies,” says Prof. Antonio Giordano, Director of the Sbarro Institute for Molecular Medicine, Temple University and Professor of Pathology and Oncology at the University of Siena, Italy.

“Distinct species may exert different effects, in different stages of a certain neoplasm,” adds Barone.

Gastric cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer worldwide and has been associated with genetic causes, Helicobacter pylori infection, and eating habits, such as consumption of smoked and salted food.

Tomatoes are consumed worldwide and are a staple of the Mediterranean diet, which is popularly thought to lower cancer risk. Various tomato components have also been analyzed for their ability to counteract tumor growth in experimental systems, although few studies have analyzed the effects of tomatoes in their entirety.

The study authors worked in collaboration with researchers from Prof. Barbara Nicolaus’ group and Dr Rocco De Prisco at the National Research Council of Pozzuoli, Italy.

“This work stems from the SHRO research programme performed through a longstanding collaboration with the Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, University of Siena, and the Pascale Institute, CROM of Mercogliano. On the wake of these results Dr Attilio Bianchi, General Director of the Pascale Institute and CROM, and I teamed up to renew the collaboration with SHRO implementing the nutrigenomics studies for the benefit of cancer patients,” concludes Giordano.

Source:Science Daily

May 15, 2017
Regional police officers honor genocide victims

{Police officers currently undergoing the second United Nations Police Officers Course (UNPOC) at the Peacekeeping Training Centre in Gishari, Rwamagana District, on March 13, visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial to pay respects to victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.}

The 45 participants from seven African countries laid wreaths and held a minute of silence in honor of remains of victims laid to rest at the centre.

Participants in the two-week peacekeeping course are from Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Comoros, Sudan, Somali and Ethiopia.

During a guided tour, the officers were given an overview of the pre-colonial history, colonial and post-colonial era, and the historic bad leadership that culminated into the 100 days of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

Speaking after the visit Lt Ali Mohammed from Sudan one of the trainees said that the visit was “an eye opener to understand what exactly transpired before, during and after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

“I have read about the genocide but never before did I understand the way it’s been explained to me today. This documents how worst bad leadership could be, and a lesson to other countries to work towards unity and development of the people,” Ali said.

“This challenges us to ensure that such doesn’t happen anywhere again.”

He further said that the memorial centre gives them the impression of working harder and put efforts together to ensure sustainable peace and security.

Source:Police

May 15, 2017