The following roundup of news from the Anglican Church in Rwanda was prepared and submitted by Grace Mugabe, Communications Officer of the Province who office is in Kigali.

Emmanuel Gatera Assumes Office
By Grace Mugabe

In his first address to the press, the Rev. Emmanuel Gatera, new Provincial Secretary for the Anglican Church in Rwanda, vowed to work around the clock in a bid to help the Church adapt World Millennium
Development Goals in order to  attain holistic development.
He noted that the educational gates would be opened to fight illiteracy in the society, and stressed that evangelization would also be strengthened so as to help heal the society from the wounds sustained during
the 1994 Genocide. 
Rev. Gatera further stated out that poverty reduction strategies would be introduced
across the Dioceses for the sake of fighting poverty within the communities as the Church leads the way in development and healing following the country's genocide in 1994, in which over one million people lost their lives.  He appealed to the Rwandans to love one another for the sake of building
peace in the region.


Rice Program Underway
Local government officials and religious leaders on 7th January launched a
Rice project in Rwakazuzi Village in the province of Kibungo. The function,
which marked the installation of a rice machine worth 6000,000 Rwandan Frw,
was put in place by the Diocese of the Anglican Church of Kibungo in an
attempt to fight poverty in the area.

In his message the leader of the Anglican Church in Kibungo
region, the Rt. Rev. Bishop Josias Sendegeya, told over 500 who came
for the function that the project is in their hands and that they should
strive hard to make the rice paddy a model in the region.

"We as a Christian organisation decided to install a rice machine here
after we learned that the inhabitants have the potential to grow various
cash crops aimed at raising their standard of living.

And our dream of installing the Rice machine in the area has become true;
therefore, we hope and believe that the people of God would attain holistic
development", Bishop Josias said, adding that the church is set to stick to the
government’s developmental programmes aimed at fighting poverty within the
region.

For his part the Director of Cooperatives, Live Stock and Agriculture in
Kibungo, Supriano Habimana, lauded the church for its role in fighting poverty
and noted that church and government should work hand in hand in a bid to
develop the welfare of the population.

He further urged the local population to improve their hygiene to avoid contracting diseases like cholera, which has hit some parts of the country.


Warren Commends President Kagame

The leader of Saddleback church in California, Pastor Rick Warren, on hailed President Paul Kagame for his uniqueness, describing him as a statesman, the likes of which he has rarely seen since he started meeting other global leaders.

"To tell you the truth, I consider Paul Kagame an uncommon leader. I have
met many leaders but this is a man of unique calibre", Warren said, adding
that there are many men who have vision but without Kagame's character.

Warren made the statement this month at Kigali's Intercontinental Hotel in the company of 60 American visitors made up of health experts, business leaders, peace scientists and politicians that Warren brought to the country as part of his PEACE plan. The function was attended by, among others, senior government officials.

"He is a man who does what is right; therefore he is a great leader who will
save Rwanda. I do not know any other leader who has done what Kagame has
done. He stopped Genocide and thereafter he installed reconciliation so, he
is a servant leader", Warren affirmed. "There are leaders who are
egocentric but Kagame is not-- he is a man of God and Grace", Rick noted. 


For his part President Paul Kagame lauded Pastor Warren for his special
visit. "We thank you Rick for being a friend of Rwanda and we thank you for using
your resources and time, and above all we thank you for wanting to use
Rwanda as the first  purpose driven country in the world. We thank also Kay Warren
for being a force behind all this", Kagame said, and went on to thank the
team that accompanied Rick from US.

President Paul Kagame is widely regarded as a leading global peace advocate and he
has won several peace medals on the African continent.

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