BPR staff and Special Olympics Rwanda officials pose for for a group photo.
BPR Atlas Mara on Friday donated New Coronavirus preventive kits to the Special Olympics Rwanda, a non-governmental organization affiliated to Special Olympics International with a mission to support people with intellectual disabilities through sports.
Banque Populaire du Rwanda Plc (BPR Plc.) handed over the COVID-19 preventive kits worth Rwf5million including washing stations, face masks and soaps to Deus Sangwa, the board chairperson of the Special Olympics Rwanda organization.
The Covid-19 preventive kits to benefit over 500 children with disabilities during athletics were handed over to Special Olympics Rwanda organization at BPR headquarter in Kigali city on Friday, October 9, 2020.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, the Managing Director of BPR Atlas Mara Maurice Toroitich, said the support was part of the banks initiative to support different communities in the country to deal with New Coronavirus risks.
“Supporting society is part of our social responsibility, most especially people who have special needs in our society. We are certain that the support we are giving Special Olympics will go along with their needs and we expect this is the beginning of the long-term relationship,”
Toroitich added that “As BPR we identified the needs for Special Olympics athletes and that is why we decided to support them.”
The official handover of the equipment
Special Olympics Rwanda was registered with Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) and accredited by Special Olympics International (SOI) since 2003, with the mission of providing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participates in the sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community to children and adults with intellectual disability.
“This support comes at the right time, it has come at the time students will be resuming studies and need sports too,”
“ We have about 18000 registered people with intellectual disability, but this support will benefit about over 500, this means that we shall need more support to make sure that they stay fit and served,” Sangwa said.
“The children we support were ignored by families before joining special Olympic Rwanda, so we register them and help them in studies and sports to keep them fit. We compete globally in Special Olympics and these athletes win medals, they are talented,”
Sangwa added that “They can go to school and do other works like other children; the challenge is that they are not given time and opportunity to show their talents, some are locked in houses and considered weak. At the time of Covid-19, we also aim at protecting people in the organization and this donation will help us much.”
