Karongi Church Empowerment Zone

Damien Mushinzimana is a Methodist pastor in Rwankuba, our project area, and a member of the Church Network Committee. He began training with CEDAR’s partner World Relief Rwanda in 2018 and has seen how the project has had many positive impacts on the ministry of his church and the church network as a whole. He says, ‘Before the training, my focus as a church leader was solely on the redemption of souls through evangelism and baptism. But now, through the establishment of savings groups and the development of community service in the church, I have seen a greater spirit of unity and collaboration among church members, which has helped not only the spiritual growth of the members but also the economy and development of the community.

In setting up savings groups, the local churches have encouraged the community to form groups where members learn to save money together and take out loans responsibly to use the funds for different productive activities to improve the living conditions of their families. Local churches have used outreach to visit the most disadvantaged and poor families in the community, building relationships and helping to improve the lives of these families. The Church Network Committee has also mobilised the community on many occasions to pay for health insurance and other basic needs for vulnerable groups. Gratefully, we have seen these poor families improve their health, their financial situation, and their childcare, and become more involved in their communities and church services. We are also glad to see that since the project began, more church members have responded to the call to serve the community, understanding that the preaching of the Gospel must be accompanied by a witness to Christ in their lives and the community.