UNITE FOR CHILDREN UNITE AGAINST AIDS

About me

Hello, my name is Theopista Kanzayire. I am a 44 year old dedicated, committed woman. I was born in a village called Igihango, located in the West Province of Rwanda. I was born in a modest family. My father was a driver, traveling all the time around the country and my mother farmed the land and supported our family. My mother is a very good hearted woman and my father a very warm person. He was known and respected in our region due to his generosity and caring of children. He gave them his food, because watching them eat made him happy. He even saved places for children on the bus when they traveled to school. The affection and caring of my parents was a strong weapon and it has inspired me a lot.

In 1994 and 1995, after the war and Genocide, I used to take a part of my salary and support orphans and widows that were destitute because of the war and genocide. I would also visit the children in the street, spend some time with them, listen to them and give them advice. When I joined UNICEF it was a great opportunity for me to contribute to the well being of children and women, for I know that if I do my job well and correctly it can save a lot of lives of children. When I do my job it is not because I have to do it but because I like it and enjoy it very much.

I have been working for UNICEF since 1995. In my early days I did child participation and protection work. Since 2001 I have been working with the community and young people on HIV/AIDS. I am a trained sociologist. I provide support to the implementation of paediatric care. I also work on the prevention of transmission of HIV from mother to child programme.

Since I was a little girl I have always loved playing with children. I have not changed a lot since then. All I want is to help them. We appreciate your continuing and regular support. With your help I can help infected and affected children and I can make sure that mothers know that they can stop the transmission of HIV on to their babies. In my blog I will tell you some stories about what I have been doing. I will also tell you about the situation in Rwanda.