Besides the affordability, DND Developers are committed to leaving a greener footprint with eco-friendly houses. The company’s headquarters are in Nyarutarama, in the City of Kigali.
The houses under construction are three bedrooms houses and four bedrooms villas. The houses are being built to have a compound, a garden, and parking spaces and the villas are offering a much bigger space.
DND Developers real estate development company that was established in 2015 with the goal of promoting the development of the country through affordable housing solutions.
In an interview with IGIHE, DND Developers Managing Director, Daniel Mehari, said that in the last three years, they have completed 23 housing units and that almost all the units have already been sold.
That is why they have embarked on the construction of 23 new houses of which completion will be February 2020. “In a bid to assist homebuyers, we are offering a 10% discount on all our units for bookings during the month of December 2019. Units that were being sold at $110,000 are being sold at $100,000 now while those that were being sold at $75,000 are offered at $67,500.
“The difference between DND Developers and other real estate and construction companies is that we use the available land efficiently and provide spacious houses. Since 2016, we have built up to 23 units in Nyarutarama spread on only 3000 square meters. Usually, homeowners have been constructing a house on 1000 – 2000 square meters but our expertise allowed us to build 23 units on only 3000 square meters.
Our aim is to make a difference in the real estate industry and efficiency in land use. Houses with 3 rooms will have parking yards for two cars and other amenities and will be sold at $110,000 while houses with 4 rooms will be sold at $160,000.”
Eng. Daniel Mehari says all homebuyers are welcome to visit their site and chose units of their liking and also recommend the houses to their friends and family. Homebuyers can either make upfront payments or pay in installments within 4 to 12 months.
For more information, visit DND headquarters in Nyarutarama, KG314st or dial +250789664020. You can also send an email on dndrwanda@gmail.com or visit their website www.dnddevelopers.com.
During the event, Niringiyimana and Abdallah Murenzi, the national coordinator for Rwanda Youth Volunteers in Community Policing (RYVCP) talked about the importance of developing a spirit of volunteerism.
“One of the reasons why I started building that road is mainly because sick people from my area had difficulties reaching the hospital because the road was bushy. Once, some of my neighbors were carrying one of their sick relatives to the hospital and dropped him down. That motivated me to start building the road so that my neighbors could easily access health services.”
23-year-old Niringiyimana explained that when he was building the road, he met a couple of obstacles where some of his neighbors called him mad because they could not understand why he was working for free.
“We should all focus on doing what is best for us and for our country without being discouraged.”
Some of the students who talked to IGIHE after listening to Niringiyimana’s testimony said they learned a lot of life lessons from him.
Bintunimana Christophe, one of the students says Niringiyimana motivated him to start contributing to the development of his country through volunteerism.
Uwishema Celine who attended the talks too said Niringiyimana Emmanuel taught her to be philanthropic and to contribute to the development of the country without expecting a return.
After Niringiyimana built the seven-kilometer road, he gained recognition and was invited to ‘Kwita Izina’, the annual gorilla naming ceremony that happened on the 6th of September, 2019 and was appointed as Airtel ambassador in November 2019.
He told the students that he has a long-term project of building a fish pond in Murambi sector and contribute to dietary diversity in his neighborhood.
Abdallah Murenzi, the national coordinator for Rwanda Youth Volunteers in Community Policing (RYVCP) told the students that contributing to the development of the country does not require being financially stable.
“Working for your country does not require you to have a lot of money. All you need is that charitable spirit Niringiyimana portrayed”
Niringiyimana told IGIHE he will soon start a training course in modern road construction.
She said this on Monday, 2nd December, 2019 during her address to the Organization of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) that took place in Kigali as part of the 20th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA).
The OAFLA meeting attracted First Ladies including; Antoinette Sassou Nguesso from Congo Brazaville, Hinda Deby Itno from Tchad, Aïssata Issoufo Mahamadou from Botswana where different topics were covered including the leadership of African First Ladies in fighting against the HIV epidemic.
Jeannette Kagame said that OAFLA was founded 17 years with the aim of supporting African citizens who were affected and infected by HIV/AIDS particularly women and children.
Since its creation, the focus has been implementing measures designed to support that cause and judging from the milestones that have been reached so far, the measures taken were commendable.
“We are all witnesses of the changes brought about by the activities and sensitization programs such as ‘Free to Shine’ in ending childhood AIDS and keeping mothers healthy.
She explained how Imbuto Foundation, the organization she founded, created programs and projects in line with the country’s vision of development, the ‘Agenda 2063’ and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
She noted that projects such as ‘Family Package’ that was started in a bid to help HIV positive mothers give birth to healthy children 18 years ago has provided many services to HIV positive families and teen mothers.
Also, through this project, HIV positive families are supported by local dispensaries and are offered antiretroviral therapy and medication.
“Through different measures Rwanda implemented, the number of HIV positive mothers giving birth to healthy babies reached 96%. Our programs encourage the youth to learn about reproduction, the available health support and other services and this contributed to the reduction of HIV prevalence among the youth, both in rural and urban areas of Rwanda.”
She said that the joint effort between government institutions and the private sector has contributed to reducing HIV prevalence in the country particularly in Rwanda where new HIV infections reduced by 83% in 2018 while the number of deaths cause by HIV reduced by 82% in the past 20 years.
“Rejoicing about the milestones achieved so far should provide a platform for an in-depth analysis of our journey and the obstacles we have faced including the gender gap which makes it that no matter how much effort we put in fighting HIV, our continent lags behind.”
She also mentioned that the meeting is a time for brainstorming about solutions to tackle the obstacles on the journey by comparing where measures implemented yielded results or not”
Her Excellency, Antoinette Sassou Nguesso, the president of OAFLAD said that the 90,90,90 UNAIDS goal which predicts that by 2020, 90% of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status, 90% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy and 90% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression will not be achieved unless countries join efforts.
{{New infections reducing despite obstacles}}
Winnie Byanyima, the executive director of UNAIDS said that in 2018, 38 million people around the world were HIV positive, among them 24.5 were on antiretroviral drugs. A number which she agreed was remarkable.
Currently, 4 in 5 people infected with HIV have been tested and know their status and 2/3 receive antiretroviral medication. In addition, ½ have viral suppression. She also added that even if these results are commendable, the number of new HIV infections and deaths increase as years go by and that the HIV virus becomes more resistive to drugs.
In 2018, more than ½ of HIV positive individuals were among the most HIV-susceptible group of people including sex workers, drug addicts, homosexuals, and transgenders.
“This particular group of people don’t place a lot of importance on testing for HIV, don’t take antiretroviral medication mainly due to the lack of rights supporting them in their countries. It is unacceptable that 6200 teenagers get infected with HIV per week. We have forsaken them and this should not be the case”
Apart from that, at least ½ of children born with HIV do not receive medication and that puts them at the risk of dying before they are even 2 years old.
Currently, the number of teenagers who are infected continues to increase mainly due to the abuse they are subjected to and the lack of knowledge about their reproductive rights.
{{Focusing equally on sexually transmitted diseases}}
Her Excellency, Aïssata Issoufo Mahamadou, the First Lady of Niger said that even if the major focus is the HIV epidemics, there needs to be an equal effort toward sexually transmitted diseases as well including Syphilis and Hepatitis B that are claiming the lives of many people in Africa.
“These diseases can be transmitted from mother to child and should be equally fought against.” She added that taking measures against HIV and sexually transmitted diseases as a whole is a better way of eradicating them definitively.
Donald Kaberuka, the chair of the board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria said that the fund has recently raised $14.2 billion in activities aimed at reducing HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to be used in the next three years starting in 2020.
The Government of Rwanda committed to contributing $2.5 million to support this cause.
He thanked the First Ladies of countries for their unprecedented contribution in fighting the HIV epidemics that was possible due to the sensitization programs given since 2000.
“Our efforts cannot go unnoticed and we should not slumber during this journey. We have to increase our efforts in this fight so that we won’t be defeated.”
He added that in the past 18 years, most countries in Africa have made remarkable achievements in this fight but that the money invested is not fair to the cause.
He urged the First Ladies of African countries to keep on with the sensitization especially after Niger agreed to allocate 15% of its national budget to the health sector.
Most countries in Africa don’t put forth the health sector despite having enough funds to allocate to it.
Dr. Kaberuka linked that problem to countries which are indebted and therefore allocate a big part of the national budget to paying back debts instead of the health or education sector. That economic situation endangers the lives of African citizens.
In her testimony, Rwandan citizen Muneza Sylvie who is 47 years old admitted that the measures that have been implemented by the Government of Rwanda so far, have yielded results. She said that she learned that she was HIV positive in 1998 after several days of uncurable cough. She went to the hospital and the doctor told her she had tuberculosis.
“I wanted to commit suicide and I wanted to throw myself in front of cars to end my misery but there is a reason to why I am still alive and I owe it all to God. My neighbors stigmatized and did not want to talk or be close to me because they thought I would infect them too”
Mrs. Muneza continued saying that she approached children whose parents were victims of HIV and she founded ‘Igihozo’ association.
They requested for funding to the government because antiretroviral drugs were expensive at the time and the government granted them support where they would get medication for free.
“Treatment for opportunistic infections was very expensive.” She said she was thankful for the support she received and thanked particularly Her Excellency Jeannette Kagame and Imbuto Foundation for providing with free medical insurance.
She also commended the measures that were taken so that infected mothers would give birth to healthy babies. She said it was an important step in the fight against HIV.
As a continent with abundant resources and land, this investment is unjustified and experts agree African countries should stop importing food and profit off the favorable climate and water streams to improve the agriculture sector.
In a one-on-one conversation with IGIHE, Agnes Kalibata, the president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) said that food export is an important problem to deal with since Africa can grow its own crops.
Africa imports food from other continents including soybeans, rice, wheat, maize and Irish potatoes that are imported as crisps.
“The food that is imported from abroad can actually be grown locally and that is why we should start thinking about a common African market where we can exchange goods without the need to import from other continents”
She continued saying that the commercial gap that exists in Africa is one of the reasons why African countries keep importing food from other continents.
The Continental Free Trade Area was established in the capital of Niger, Niamey and will start operating on July 1st, 2020. This trade bloc will improve Intra-African trade and definitely solve the problem of food import in Africa.
This African Common Market will contribute to an increase in Intra-African trade from 12% recorded in 2012 to 25% in 2022.
Dr. Kalibata says that much effort and a change in mentalities will be needed to bring the trade bloc to full force and that African countries will have to stop vouching for the easiest alternative and invest more in agriculture.
“All we need to do is focus on agriculture-related activities and give a chance to farm owners who cannot find a market for their crops because we choose to import from abroad.”
She gave as a typical example, the rice that is grown in African countries, that is not measured to its just value and the fact that most people prefer importing rice from Pakistan, Vietnam or Indonesia.
“If we keep thinking that the food imported from other continents has a higher quality than ours, nothing will ever change. We need to join efforts and create measures that will allow the growth of agriculture in Africa including better infrastructures and focus on modern, mechanized agriculture to improve our yield.”
“Africans struggle daily with seeds, detergents, water, transport and roads and that contributes to hiking prices on the market and hence the reason why the first choice is importing from countries like Vietnam. If a farmer from Vietnam yielded 10 tons per hectare and an African farmer yielded 2 to 3 tons on the same area, there is no way the two farmers will sell their crops at the same price”
Dr. Kalibata says that for Africa to save the $ 35 billion spent on food import, there is a need to improve the agricultural yield in Africa, learning crop rotation practice to counter climate change, appropriate detergents to use, improved knowledge in agriculture and investing more money in it.
“Those are the only solutions that will allow us to compete in the global market.”
The problem of food imports in Africa has been discussed by many institutions and it was agreed that African countries should be able to use the available land and resources to provide more crop yield.
The former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo once said he was surprised when he went to a hotel in Guinea and realized all the food that was being served was imported from Europe and that he could not understand why it was the case since all the food there could be grown locally.
He based on that tale saying that the only problem is mentalities given that Africa has all the necessary resources to be self-reliant.
The fact that 70% of Africans are in agriculture promises that if enough effort was put in promoting this sector, Africans would have food self-reliance and it would contribute to the well-being of African citizens particularly by reducing poverty and malnutrition diseases.
Whilst the overall Internet penetration in Rwanda transpires that a small percentage of people have access to 4G services; despite the biggest 4G network coverage.
Early January 2019, KT Rwanda networks, in consultations with its partners, leveraged the continuous initiative to promote digital inclusion in the country by launching Unlimited 4G services for smartphone users; which have been purposely, made affordable to benefit many, in line with the recent trends in smartphone penetration in the country, there has been varied packages and plans launched.
Recently, as customers’ demands grow, 4G users have been experiencing network challenges which necessitate a need for network upgrade as it continues to adapt and meet the increasing capacity and quality demands of 4G LTE customers in Rwanda.
KT Rwanda Networks Ltd has already started the process of upgrading LTE network as well as more coverage expansion countrywide for better speed and better internet experience, with no latency, going forward and this has been planned in 2 phases;
{{Phase 1:}} Involves network upgrade (software/optimization) which has already started and will span until the 15th of December 2019.
{{Phase 2: }} Advanced new LTE+ service in Kigali and other busy towns that are ongoing and planned to be concluded by March 2020.
KT Rwanda networks is investing more than USD 10 Million in the whole network upgrade and LTE+ network in Kigali. Customers will soon start to enjoy greatly enhanced 4G networks with faster, cheaper and reliable services, to make sure that broadband access penetration and usage flourishes.
According to Mr. Daeheak AN (Aaron), KTRN’s Chief Executive Officer, “We are striving to continuously improve the quality for all-time-access to advanced internet (4G LTE+) with an affordable price that would trigger another innovation and ICT development in our Rwandan people’s daily life and new business opportunities to many start-ups; that aligns well with our vision moving forward.” he said.
Broadband internet on any mobile device such as smartphones, routers has proven to be and taken the position of caterpillar of ICT innovation and new startups in Rwanda. Internet for the smartphone is another broadband internet to be promoted as cornerstone of ICT in Vision 2020.
For more Information, visit our website www.ktrn.rw or contact us on 07888384858 or info@ktrn.rw
The 12-year old boy was found at about 8 pm singing in the bar called One Love located in Nyamabuye Sector, Gahogo Cell in Kamugina Village.
Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Sylvester Twajamahoro, the Police spokesperson for the Southern region said that Mukeshimana is the owner of the bar, Iyakaremeye is the manager of the boy while Niyonizeye is the boy’s uncle.
“Niyonizeye took the boy from his home in Ruhango District, Kabagari Sector in Bihembe Cell, Nyagatovu Village as his father was away; Iyakaremeye was receiving money that was being given to the boy by the revelers,” CIP Twajamahoro said.
“They took the minor from home without the father’s knowledge and were selling him from bar to bar in Muhanga.”
CIP Twajamahoro warned against “putting children in danger, manipulating them for personal benefits, violating their rights and undermining their safety and security.”
“This is a form of child labour and violation of child rights punishable by law. We remind owners of bars and entertainment spots to take this into account, protect children against alcoholic drinks and other acts that violate their rights,” he warned.
“Children under 18 years of age are not allowed in entertainment premises. They are only allowed in the bar when they are accompanied by parents or guardian and under no circumstance should they be given alcoholic beverages.”
Article 6 of the law regulating labor in Rwanda, prohibits subjecting a child below the age of 18 to any form of works, which are physically harmful to the child; work underground, underwater, at dangerous heights or in confined space; work with dangerous machinery, equipment and tools or which involves manual handling or transport of heavy loads; work in an environment, which exposes the child to temperatures, noise levels or vibrations damaging his/her health; work for longer hours or during the night or performed in confined spaces.
The seminar, held in Seoul, South Korea, was devoted to the protection of the rights of religious minorities targeted by the majority groups, particularly in the context of anti-human rights situations such as the forced conversion that occurred in Korea.
Forced conversion, also known as “Deprogramming”, is a social issue that causes human rights violations by kidnapping and detaining members of religious groups labeled as “cults” by their opponents in order to compel them to abandon their faith.
More than 80 participants including legal experts, journalists, and civil society representatives reviewed the current situation of forced conversion and discussed solutions to defend the freedom of faith and human rights that have become the norm of the international community.
Massimo Introvigne, Managing Director of CESNUR as well as an Italian sociologist, stressed that forced conversion is conducted through the mainstream by saying, “Korean deprogrammers are specialized pastors from the mainline churches, most of them Presbyterian.”
“The protests that commemorate the victims from forced conversion were mentioned in the 2019 U.S. State Department Report on Religious Freedom, including violations of religious freedom in the year 2018. However, there were new cases of deprogramming even after their death,” he criticized.
Regarding the multi-dimensional strategy to solve such phenomenon, Willy Fautré, Founder and Director of HRWF stated several suggestions; pointing at the responsibility of the leadership of the Presbyterian Church which tolerates, endorses, and maybe encourages such a practice; developing advocacy at the UN and in organs defending freedom of religion or belief; prosecuting those who encourage people to perpetrate an act of abduction and confinement.
In an open letter, signed by 15 international NGOs including CAP-LC and HRWF, to the South Korean President Moon Jae In on July 24th, it said, “South Korea may well be the last democratic country in the world where deprogramming is still tolerated” and asked the President to “investigate in-depth accusations of forcible deprogramming, put a stop to this obnoxious practice, and hold those responsible fully accountable.”
Meanwhile, South Korea was elected to serve the 5th term on the United Nations Human Rights Council on October 17th.
South Korea’s mission to the UN said that it plans “to participate in the international efforts to respond to human rights crises around the world.”
Participants urged the Korean government to respond to the issue of forced conversion which is still threatening the human rights of its people.
In the beginning, the families of the abducted Rwandans were told that they were taken to Kabalagala prison but this was discovered to be fake news as they were told, later on, they were incarcerated at the CMI prison of Makindye.
Some of the students were born and raised in Uganda and the reason they were arrested is only that they have Rwandan origins.
Among the abducted students are Joram Rwamwojo, who is also the president of the student body at university, Living Kagaara, Emmanuel Namanya, and Andrew Mugisha.
They have not been charged with any particular offense.
They were incarcerated along other Rwandans including Joan Mutesi, John Kamugisha, and two others under the names of Kimenyi and Kakuru.
Colleagues of the abducted students say they were apprehended at the university hostels by the CMI but that the military never showed any arrest warrant.
The Kampala International University council says the arrests are worrying especially as they were taken during exams and with no arrest warrant.
One of the university’s administrators whose name will not be published told Virunga Post that “Our students missed exams due to this arrest. We are calling Kabalagala Police Chief for help and to give us details about the whereabouts of our students.”
For three years now, Rwandans in Uganda have been arbitrarily arrested, incarcerated by the CMI and are not taken to court for legal proceedings.
All the arrested Rwandans are accused of being spies and are tortured and subjected to forced labor including cultivating and molding bricks.
In March, 2019, these arrests prompted the Government of Rwanda to advise Rwandan citizens to stop travels to Uganda for security purposes after testimonies of more than 900 Rwandans who were incarcerated and tortured for months.
The arrests reached an unimaginable extent after Rwanda expressed its concern about the RNC terrorist group using Ugandan territory to conduct its activities helped by Uganda’s Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) with the aim of recruiting more members to destabilize Rwanda’s security.
“Congratulations to my brother and friend President Hage G. Geingob on your well-deserved re-election. We look forward to further strengthening the ties between our two nations and wish you and the people of Namibia continued success and prosperity.”
Geingob won the election on 56.3% on Wednesday 27th, 2019 against candidate Panduleni Itula who was voted for on 29.4%. Compared to his first term where he had 87% of the votes, Geingob’s votes during this re-election were lower.
His political party, Swapo has been ruling Namibia for the last 30 years since Namibia gained independence from South Africa on March 21st, 1990.
In August this year, President Paul Kagame and the First Lady of Rwanda, Jeannette Kagame paid a three-day visit to Namibia with the aim of strengthening the relationship between the two countries.
On the other hand, President Hage Geingob and the First Lady of Namibia, Monica Geingob were in Rwanda during Rwanda’s 25th liberation anniversary.
Congratulations to my brother & friend President @hagegeingob on your well deserved re-election. We look forward to further strengthening the ties between our two nations and wish you and the people of Namibia continued success and prosperity
The activity started at Remera Stade Amahoro and ended at Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA)on Sunday, 1st December, 2019
ICASA conference will take place at the Kigali Convention Center from the 2nd to the 7th December, 2019 and will attract more than 10,000 participants. It will focus on talks about the AIDS epidemic, non-communicable diseases (NCDs)and other sexually transmitted diseases in Africa.
This conference will also gather researchers, students, lecturers, doctors, pharmacists and heads of states from more than 150 countries around the world. It is a premier gathering for all working in the field of HIV, as well as leaders, people living with HIV and others committed to ending the epidemic.
This particular Car Free Day was dedicated on raising awareness about non-communicable diseases and HIV AIDS in line with World AIDS day that was celebrated on December, 1st, 2019.
Her Excellency Jeannette Kagame was accompanied by government officials including the Minister of Sports, Aurore Mimosa Munyangaju, the Minister of Health, Dr. Diane Gashumba, Mbabazi Rosemary, Kigali City Mayor and Rubingisa Prudence among others.
Among the guests who attended this sports event were Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization since 2017 and the deputy director of UNAIDS, Shannon Hader.
Her Excellency Jeannette Kagame last attended the Car Free Day on the 17th November, 2019 along Imbuto Foundation staff where the agenda of the day was raising awareness about diabetes.
Car Free Day was launched in May, 2016 with the aim of sensitizing Kigali residents to adopt the good culture of sports and exercising and also encouraging them to test for HIV AIDS and non-communicable diseases. It is done on every first and third Sunday of the month.
Research has shown that the number of people who are infected by HIV in Rwanda has remarkably reduced over the years from more than 10,000 new infections in 2014 to 5400 in 2019.
Rwanda continues to make strides in fighting against the HIV epidemic and has reached the UNAIDS goal of providing easy access to medication for HIV positive people by 2020. This goal also states that by 2020, 90% of people infected with HIV will be aware of their status and that there will a reduction in new HIV infections by 90%.
UNAIDS research shows that there are around 39 million HIV positive people around the world. 79% of HIV positive people know their status, 3 in 5 people use antiretroviral drugs to counter the disease while 53% of HIV positive people have not yet tested.
