Contact Person: Ilaria Buscaglia; Telephone Number: +39 3283116846; E-mail: tkonlus@gmail.com;
Website: www.tkonlus.org
Xlestrade met Ilaria Buscaglia, who is the “thinker” of TK ONLUS during her search period – February 2008 – in Rwanda for the degree thesis about marriage in post-genocide era.
After many loan requests from couples who wanted money for their children’s studies in Rwanda, she and her research assistant Jerome Rugoma, had the idea.
However, it was impossible to satisfy these requests directly.
Indeed, nowadays in Rwanda there is a tax called Minerval, which must be paid to enter the scholastic service, even the public school; unfortunately this tax cannot be paid by everyone.
Once Ilaria came back to Italy, she decided to give some contribution to three orphan girls’ instruction she knew. Some friends helped her economically to support their scholastic integration, organizing in an association.
TURI KUMWE means Siamo insieme in Kinyarwanda language. Kids use this word while playing soccer, to ask for the ball, or while they are on the phone to say goodbye. TURI KUMWE to mean team play and to collaborate in the distance.
She came back to Rwanda in 2008 summer and decided, together with Jerome, to start this “adventure”. A religious sisters congregation helped them in realizing this dream ; it seems they gave some sort of sureness, transparence and freakiness. They got in touch with Gatenga Inshuti z’Abakene sisters (poor’s friends), Kigali main center district. They liked each other and decided to help drop-outs kids in entering the scholastic system again.
These are their projects (all projects are about to be improved more and more):
TEACH AND REBUILD: this is an education project for kids. Jerome is presently the project’s responsible, receiving a salary giving some job opportunity to a young Rwanda guy.
Jerome and the sisters decide lists of deserving students, approved by the association in a second moment.
IRAMIRO PROJECT: Iramiro is a center placed at Kanombe area for HIV positive children and women. TK ONLUS finances this sister’s project, concerning agricultural, farm animals and healthcare sectors.
TUZAMURANE PROJECT: this is a project born in 2010, partly supported by sisters and partly by TURI KUMWE ONLUS. Tuzamurane is a local women’s association of Gatenga producing craft objects. Thanks to TURI KUMWE, a house rent, material purchasing and needle work/cut training could be financed.
Since 2012, AMANIPI and NGOMA KIDS projects have started. D’Artagnan Musketeer got off to Uganda in this way.
Both projects were born thanks to researches similar to those done by Ilaria, directed by two friends of her, ANNA and SARA.
AMANIPI, which is a north village, gives support to children’s education, through the financing of a women 
cooperative. Ngoma is a suburban area of KAMPALA, the capital city of UGANDA. They try to support music and dance post school (xlestrade hopes to better know these projects in the future ).
Presently, 4 people supervise the projects “in loco”, even during the year, voluntarily. There are also other fixed and occasional helpers. They organize dinners, happy hours, craft products selling and they do distance support and social studies classes at Novara’s school, where the association has got its headquarter. If you are interested in these projects, you can get in touch with them. They are looking for 3 kinds of collaborators:
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People who could have time and original ideas to do fundraising
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Boys and girls interested in summer voluntary experiences
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Bands or artists which could collaborate in charity events.
This is TURI KUMWE ONLUS message:
“Their soul, sometimes against the perception and the expectations of local partners, arises from the intent to give some image about their work, not as help, but rather as funny or sometimes even hostile relationship/exchange.”
Thanks so much to Ilaria and TURI KUMWE ONLUS for their availability. Turi Kumwe mu Rwanda e mu Bugande!
