‘One Love’ project gives new hope to Rwanda’s limbless

Now that peace has returned to Rwanda, Mr Rudasingwa does not wish to think along the divisive tribal lines that many people still try to place upon Rwanda.

“I don’t like to say what tribe I am, because I’m simply a Rwandan. I don’t look at Hutu or Tutsi, I only see one Rwanda,” he said.

From its beginning at the RPF base in Mulindi, the project eventually grew large enough to be moved to Kigali where it is currently headquartered.

The complex features an orthopaedic workshop, guesthouses and bungalows that can accommodate upto 100 people, two restaurants, a nightclub, a campsite and a conference centre.

Everything operates as a revenue-generator for the workshop, which continues to offer free prosthetic limbs and other equipment to anyone who can’t afford to go to a private clinic, a number Mr Rudasingwa estimates at 99 per cent.

Donations from Europe

“We get a lot of donations from Europe, America, Canada, Japan and other wealthier nations, but we can’t just rely on that,” he says. “Today there are donations, but tomorrow there may not be. Our goal is to be able to fund ourselves.”

By spending a night at the guesthouse or having drinks at the bar, anyone can contribute directly to the project as 100 per cent of all profits get funnelled into the workshop’s expansion.

The effort, named the Mulindi Japan One Love Project, is not limited to victims of the Rwandan civil war and genocide.

In fact, it’s not limited to Rwanda any more. Last year, the couple opened a One Love site in Bujumbura, Burundi, with the same mission of offering free orthopedics to anyone who needed them.

Their workshop is currently the only one offering such services for free in the entire country. International expansion plans are continuing and Kenya is next, said Mr Rudasingwa.