Thank you for visiting my fundraising page for IBS Rwanda.
IBS Rwanda is a three-year, highly effective program designed to help children and families affected by HIV/AIDS and poverty. The 80 families enrolled in the program are receiving medical, nutritional, educational and psychosocial help, while at the same time participating in income-generating activities that will enable them to be self-sufficient within three years.
My company, Interactive Business Systems (IBS), is sponsoring the program and matching all donations. We have partnered with FXB USA, Inc., the organization that has developed this "village model" program through years of work with children around the world that have been orphaned by AIDS. Our village program is staffed by three aid workers trained by FXB to provide counseling, training and the support needed by these families.
Our beneficiaries, composed of 221 adults and 300 children under the age of 18, suffer from extreme poverty. Most rely on small plots of land to grow food for their families and have no money for additional food, medical care or to send the children to school. The boy in the picture, Paul, is seven years old. He was suffering from severe malnutrition when the IBS Rwanda staff met him, and was immediately put on a special diet to improve his nutritional status. His health has improved considerably, and he is now enrolled in school with his peers.
During the first year, heads of household were given a choice of income-generating activities and training. Most of our families chose to raise pigs, and have already sold their first piglets. Some of the families have started a second activity, and all of the families have been helped with garden plots to feed themselves. Additionally, the families are organized into ten groups, each of which contribute to a savings account for emergencies. Group income-generating activities help fund the savings. In year one, most all of the families' needs were met by the village program. In this second year, families are contributing 25% of their own expenses.
The onsite FXB staff are continually providing HIV prevention counseling and education, and are encouraging beneficiaries to undergo HIV testing. Through education and counseling, we hope to see affected individuals get appropriate medical treatment and to lessen the stigmatization that has hampered testing in the past.
It is incredibly wonderful to see the progress that has been made during the past year, and I am looking forward to seeing all the families become self-sufficient, living healthier lives, and having some pride restored.
If you'd like to contribute to IBS Rwanda, donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. 100% of your donation will go directly to support IBS Rwanda. I will add you to our mailing list for periodic updates on the progress of our village so you can share in the great accomplishments of these families. If you'd like to learn more about the program, visit www.ibs-rwanda.org.
Please share this page with family, friends or others you think would like to learn about this project. Thank you.
Joanne