HELPING out in Rwanda is drawing attention to the country's problems, a Dorset MP has said.

Tobias Ellwood, MP for Bournemouth East, said that a programme of projects currently under way will also mean the MPs will be more able to understand the issues when they are discussed in Parliament.

He is among dozens of volunteers from the Conservative Party, including Shadow Ministers, MPs and professionals, who are in Rwanda on a two-week programme of 20 projects called Project Umubano.

Mr Ellwood said his group, assisted by 50 local people, were two-thirds of the way through a project to improve an orphanage and pre-school.

The orphanage has 82 children in it, following the country's turbulent history including the 1994 massacre of 800,000 Tutsies.

Mr Ellwood said the water for the building previously had to be collected every single day. Now the water was linked to the mains and toilet facilities had been upgraded, and the building had been rewired for safety.

"We have managed to upgrade four classrooms, we have built a new classroom from scratch and built all sorts of furniture such as bookshelves, tables, chairs and climbing frames.

"We have worked with the children and teachers to find out what they want.

"It has been extremely hard work. We start work at 6.30 in the morning and finish around 6pm. We go home exhausted but very pleased with the project."

Mr Ellwood said Britain provided the country with £50m a year, and was its biggest donor, providing a quarter of all the money it had and therefore there was a genuine interest to make sure the money was spent as wisely as possible.

Conservative leader David Cameron visited the scheme after meeting with Rwandan president Paul Kagame.

Billy Kelly, director of North Dorset development agency Msaada, said he supported any scheme that drew attention to the real need of the country, so long as it was of benefit to the people there.

"We support the people doing the work themselves. Africans have a different way of doing things to us, each nationality has its own way of doing things.

"Whatever projects are instigated they have to be ones that benefit the ordinary people in Rwanda."

Mr Kelly said Msaada was working hard to fundraise to help people at grass roots level through self-sustainable development projects.

They have so far managed to raise 200,000 dollars but more money was needed.

"Every single penny we get goes to projects run by people on the ground in Rwanda. Nothing is taken for overheads.

"All the overheads are paid for by grants."

  • To help Msaada, write to it at 9 Leddington Way, Gillingham, SP8 4FF