STOP THE PRESSES!
RYLA is This Saturday 8 March 2025
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Come Network, Connect, Learn and Grow with Us
Welcome to the Rotary Club Kigali Virunga
The Rotary Club Kigali Virunga was chartered in 2000 with the dedication, enthusiasm and commitment of many Rotarians including the past President Cally Alles, the father of our club; and Charter President Gerald Mpyisi. As the only English speaking club in Rwanda, RCKV boasts a diverse membership, twenty Paul Harris Fellows, strong committees and a growing membership. The Club has initiated and seen the birth and growth of many Rotaract and Interact Clubs around Kigali. These active clubs continue to grow in membership and we are proud to guide them along the Rotary path.
The Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga is responsible for 2 flagship projects as well as many others during the course of the Rotary year. Our club has also done numerous other projects during the course of the last 25 years.
Kigali Public Library
Rotarians of our club have thought of having a flagship project and the club has sown the seeds of creating a massive public library, which is now standing as Kigali Public Library testimonial to the efforts done by generations of our club members. The dream of KPL conceived by members of the Rotary Club of Kigali Virunga, first and foremost by Rotarian Beth Payne, who came up with the idea to construct a public library based in Kigali to encourage and promote reading culture among fellow Rwandans. Lack of access to accurate information and culture of reading tragically contributed to instigating and executing the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Even after the genocide, the lack of open access to information persisted in Rwanda. No public library had ever existed in the country. Libraries then were and are still institution based.
Our club established the KPL project committee in 2000 which was tasked to fundraise for the project. With the support of the Government of Rwanda, numerous institutional donors, and many individual philanthropists, the committee fundraised about 1.3 million US Dollars for the construction of Rwanda’s first-ever public library, to convert the tools of destruction into tools of construction and development. The KPL foundation stone was laid in 2000 by the Honorable Prime Minister Bernard Makuza. The overall project costed 6 million US Dollars and 12 long years to be completed. The rest of the funds for the KPL was contributed by the Government of Rwanda, under the leadership of His Excellency Paul Kagame, the mentor of the project who wholeheartedly extended his support for this project. KPL was officially opened in2012 by the First Lady Mrs. Jeannette Kagame.
In 2019, our club in partnership with Rwanda Military HospitaL (RMH), Palliative Care Association of Rwanda [PCAR] and Kibagabaga District Hospital, [KDH] have initiated a shared project with an aim to renovate and transform an utilized house as “Rotary House for Cancer Patients” to facilitate free accommodation to these less privileged patients who in their limited means face difficulties finding clean, hygenic, patient friendly environment in Kigali during the treatment period. As Rotarians committed to make this project a reality, our club members have done some fund- raising activities from corporates in Rwanda and other donors far and wide., With all these efforts, we have made significant progress and have completed the actual construction work for the renovation. The old house which was having small rooms has been completely transformed to create dedicated wards which can house about 25 Patients, with facilities including critical care unit, counselling rooms, nursing station, dining and recreation facilities.
Rotary House for Cancer Patients
Cancer is a growing menace in all parts of the world and Rwanda, the Land of Thousand hills is no exception. It is estimated that there are more than 10,000 new cases each year in the country and more than 7,000 cancer deaths reported every year. In a bid to tackle this, The Government of Rwanda has established a State-of-the-Art Cancer Treatment Centre in Rwanda Military Hospital. This facility is currently operational and treats patients who come from all corners of the country. The treatment is done as Outpatients basis, which typically lasts about 30 to 45 minutes per day. The patients are expected to stay in Kigali for about 4 to 5 weeks to successfully complete the cycle of radiotherapy treatment.
