A Hospital Association
In one district of Rwanda the Bible Society carried out Good Samaritan training. After this training an association was formed to help people in the hospital, by offering various materials such as food and hygiene products, but primarily by sharing the Word of God with them. The association does not have much money, but each member offers their time to help those infected with HIV.
Mr Mbanda, a committed Christian works at the hospital:
“The training I had from the Bible Society of Rwanda on Good Samaritan Programme talking about HIV and AIDS opened my mind… every day I saw people infected by HIV coming into the Hospital, others were in Hospital for several months without any assistance, with discrimination, stigma – they put them in their own room… After getting training on Good Samaritan Program in 2017 by Bible Society of Rwanda, I got knowledge about HIV and how people infected can live positively with the virus and how the Bible asks us to help each other. I took the decision to start with people living in the Hospital on my own financial capacity: I brought food, soap and we prayed together… Those people were suffering a lot but nowadays they have been integrated in the community. We visit them regularly and have started to testify that people living with HIV are able to work and be with others in different activities.”
Small groups of people within the association have started to come together, sewing and doing other activities to raise money. So far, they have been able to:
- Construct a house and provide materials for a person coming from a refugee camp in Tanzania,
- Help a woman to integrate into society; helping her to accept herself after she was raped and infected by HIV during the genocide,
- Start a programme to fight against gender-based violence,
- Feed people in the hospital once a month,
- Conduct regular home visits.
