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Working together to bring sunshine and smiles back in the lives of the women from Bwira and their families

The Ubuntu Centre  is a non for profit charity that was set up in France in 2009, with current members also based in the UK and in Belgium. We work with the group of women ABIHUJE – meaning together – based in Bwira, in the West of Rwanda. You can find a map on the Rwanda page.

Vision

Ubuntu means the essence of humanity, sometimes referred to as generosity. Ubuntu is also about getting involved on a personal level, a way of taking the responsibility of our own humanity.

We believe that everyone has an intrinsic value and has gifts to share. In post-genocide Rwanda, more than ever, it is vital to go beyond differences, to be and to do together. The Ubuntu Centre fosters mutually supportive relationships through collective projects, in order to facilitate communication between members and to help them meet their basic needs. We support the community mainly through our contacts with the women from Abihuje.

A community centre

One of the aspects of the charity is the building of a community space for educative activities for both adults and children. Work is well underway and the space is already in use.

Images of the centre can be found on this page.

Imagine…
… if it were you, near your house, in your town. Over there, they don’t talk of towns, they talk of hills. The country of the thousand hills.

Imagine…
… A house that is different from any other, a symbolic place where your humanity meets the humanity of others.

You are always welcome.
Freedom and respect are one, you are at home.
A sharing space, the house where you are allowed to receive and to give.

One day your children will show this house to your grand-children and say: « We were brought up in dignity! »

Children sponsorship programme

We have a programme to support children who need help to continue their education, by providing for their basic needs and any school costs that their families cannot cover. Sponsoring a child means giving them the chance to learn without being hungry, to envisage a future, to make attending school, rather than helping in the fields, a priority. Our programme has already supported more than 30 children.

Sponsors contribute 20€ per month and are invited to establish a personal relationship with the child they support, with help from the Ubuntu Centre (translation etc.). We are always on the lookout for new sponsors so please do get in touch and send us a message at: association.ubuntu@gmail.com

Craft work

Women from Rwanda are very skilled at basket-making. This is a collaborative activity that provides an income and the products are as beautiful as they are useful. Baskets and mats are made of sisal and banana tree fibres as well as other grasses. They are sold locally but we also often have a supply, especially after a trip to Bwira, that we can sell either at craft markets or directly. Please email association.ubuntu@gmail.com for further information.

Our charter

1. Giving what is possible, so that giving brings joy and fulfilment
2. Giving, knowing that intermediaries are minimal
3. Giving and receiving = getting to know each other, expanding our own perspective, exchanging skills and experiences
4. Giving with respect, without wanting to change the other, and allowing him/her to give in return
5. Raising awareness about everyone’s potential, helping each other to thrive and develop confidence

To know more, please send an email to: association.ubuntu@gmail.com

Our supporters in the UK

Like A Journey, Needle work with a conscience by Alexandra

ravenswood murakoze, November 2013, CRAFT GROUP in England

support-horizons-craft-group-murakoze, October 2013, CRAFT GROUP in the UK