VENICE : Boys & Girls Club Raises Money for Relief in Rwanda

After learning about the hardships facing thousands of sick and orphaned Rwandan children living in refugee camps, the youngsters at the Venice Boys & Girls Club were determined to help.

The youths wanted to raise money to donate to Doctors Without Borders and Operation USA, relief organizations providing assistance in Rwanda and other areas affected by the country’s civil war.

Forty club members were able to raise $400 in donations, and the group last week presented a $300 check to Christa Thorne, a 10-year-old Rwandan and a representative from Operation USA. The remaining money will be donated to Doctors Without Borders.

At a meeting Wednesday, club members listened attentively as Christa, who now lives in Europe with her parents, spoke about Rwanda, where up to 500,000 have died since a civil war broke out in April.

Christa talked about how her mother fled Rwanda to neighboring Burundi and how her uncle was killed “fighting for freedom.”

Operation USA spokeswoman Roseanne Katon-Walden brought a detailed map of Rwanda to give club members a brief history lesson.

The donated money will go toward purchasing medical supplies, specifically the rehydration solutions to combat cholera and dysentery, Katon-Walden said.

“The most important thing we got across is that their money will help save lives,” Katon-Walden said. “We hope that some of the children think about careers in international relief.”