Houses for Widows
REHABILITATION OF TEN HOUSES FOR WIDOWS
Father Deogratias Biabandi is a current 4th degree Knight in the Bishop Crimont Assembly #1992 here in Juneau, Alaska. Recently, he began serving in the poor Rushaki parish of Rwanda. He was appointed as “director–chaplain” of both widowers and widows in the Rushaki parish, and is in charge of both their pastoral care and wellbeing. Rushaki parish is in old mission inaugurated in 1955. It is located just south of the Republic of Uganda border. Rushaki parish is comprised of three big stations and 149 small basic Christian communities, totaling approximately 26,000 people. Father Biabandi’s parish has a total of 183 widows, many of whose houses are in terrible shape; the walls are falling apart, and the iron sheets or grass thatched roofs severely leak during the rainy season. These poor housing conditions are only made worse by the widows’ ill health, nonexistent health insurance, and widespread malnutrition. The majority of the parish’s people practice the traditional agricultural system and are poor peasants.
The Rushaki parish widows and the parish community will be very grateful for your help. Your help will make a big difference in the parish!
To donate please contact:
Bill Columbus, Faithful Navigator of the Bishop Crimont Assembly 1992
bill.columbus@gmail.com
Rushaki parish is located in the Gicumbi District.
Rwanda, located in Central/Eastern Africa.
PROGRESS:
Volunteers lay out the corrugate metal to be used for roofs.
An old brick wall that will be repurposed for house walls; enough for 10 houses.
Sand pile (to be used for house repairs) on the outskirts of the village.
Volunteers haul the bricks back to the village.
Timber for roof trusses.
Hauling bricks on bicycles!
Volunteers haul bags of cement back to the village.
Father Biabandi mixing cement for the house walls.
Parish volunteers preparing materials.
Volunteer preparing house for new walls.
First 3 completed houses!
Father Biabandi with three of the parish widows.
Father Biabandi with the Rushaki Widows Committee.
4th completed house!
5th completed house!
Father Biabandi, along with volunteers, shovel sand.
Volunteers shovel sand & gravel.
Volunteers haul materials.
Volunteers haul materials.
Local youths hauling materials
Volunteers building
Completed restroom!
Repaired house!
6th completed house!
Volunteers sort through bricks.
Volunteers haul materials.
Volunteers haul materials.
7th and 8th house completed!
Father Biabandi with some of the parish widows
Local youths hauling bricks
Volunteers hauling materials
Father Biabandi mixing cement