Monthly Archives: June 2024

On June 5, 2024, 48 Savings and Internal Lending Community groups (SILC groups), consisting of 944 participants of the UNHCR-funded Graduation Project, shared Rwf 285,519,800 after a year of saving. The sum includes 225,149,230 Rwf in savings and 60,370,570 Rwf in interest. These SILC groups are now transitioning into cooperatives to become more empowered and self-reliant.

One of the Graduation Project participants, Sosthène Azabe, testified that his family lived in extreme poverty prior to being identified by this project, so that there was a time when he left the camp to seek for work as a mason’s assistant in Bugesera district, where he spent two months and lost 10 kilograms. However, his life took a turn for the better once he received the training and financial support from the Graduation Project.  “Thus, I invested the received cash grant of 800,000 Rwf in selling honey, sesame, olive oil, etc. I buy them in Kigali to resell them in the camp. Recently, we closed the savings year, and I found that I had saved up to 600,000 Rwf, which generated a profit of Rwf 185,000”, said Sosthène.

As for Solange Umukiza, one of the project participants from the Mahama camp host community, stated that even though she studied veterinary in high school, she remained jobless for a long time and when she got a job the salary was insufficient to provide for her family. After receiving the cash grant from the Graduation Project, Solange opened a veterinary pharmacy. For this year, she saved 655,500 Rwf and her pharmacy business is flourishing. Together with her other 19 SILC group members have created a maize farming cooperative and have already deposited 510,000 Rwf on their bank account.

During the share out event, the 48 SILC groups’ members were reminded that the graduation model followed by the Graduation Project has a duration of three years, during which the project trains the participant, provides him/her cash grant and continues to advise him/her on income-generating activity as well as SILC groups activities. “After three years you are no longer begging. You don’t ever wonder how you are going to survive? You don’t you say what else are they going to give me? Instead, in three years we look forward for an employer. Who is self-reliant and hires others”, said Samuel Bigirimana, the UNHCR Community Protection Associate in Mahama refugee camp.

Janvière Mukandayisenga, the Vice Mayor of Kirehe District in charge of Social Affairs, appreciated Caritas Rwanda for providing both the financial support and creating the saving groups. “We thank Caritas Rwanda through its Graduation Project. We appreciate you for providing the financial support, but also helping the project participants to create the Saving and Internal Lending Community Groups. That is why they are successful. If people didn’t form saving groups, we wouldn’t celebrate these achievements”, said the Vice Mayor.

In his closing speech, Father Emmanuel Nteziryayo, the Kiyanzi parish priest, asked everyone to work hard to develop economically, but not to forget God. “The two must go hand in hand. Saint Benedict, the patriarch of the monks, used to tell them: pray and work, because God must be put first in everything you do”, stressed Father Emmanuel Nteziryayo.

The SILC group that saved the most is Abadahigwa Saruhembe, who shared 11,64,800 Rwf. This group is made up of Rwandans, members of the host community in Mahama camp. The first SILC group in Mahama camp is Ejoheza Mahama V15, and it shared 8,443,000 Rwf. The group member who saved the most is Etane Jean Bosco (Rwandan), who saved 1,242,250 Rwf within one year and his fruit selling business is also flourishing. The smallest savings for this year was Rwf 180,000.

This is the second year that the SILC groups assisted by the Graduation Project in Mahama camp and its host community have shared their savings. Some are in their second year of saving, while for others it is the first year. The savings made during two years are 395,000,000 Rwf.

Among the 944 members of the 48 groups, there are 669 Burundian and Congolese refugees (regrouped into 36 groups) and 287 Rwandan members of the host community (12 groups).

Through its ECD project funded by Plan International Rwanda, Caritas Rwanda along with other partners, joined the Bugesera district to celebrate the ECD day on 27^th May 2024. This event took place in the Kamabuye sector and marked the end of the ECD week that began on 20^th May 2024).

The ECD Week in Bugesera district was centered around the theme “Isibo, the solid foundation of early childhood development.” Throughout the week, a variety of activities took place, such as measuring children’s weight and height, collecting food for their nourishment, raising awareness on hygiene, sanitation, and health practices, educating parents on the importance of clean water, teaching parents how to prepare balanced meals for their families, and promoting positive parenting techniques.

In her address, Mrs. Yvette Imanishimwe, Vice Mayor of Bugesera District in charge of Social Affairs, highlighted the importance of addressing malnutrition among children. As for her, during the ECD week, out of the 1,756 children assessed, 99 were found to be suffering from malnutrition. Of these, 79 were identified as not severely malnourished (marked in yellow) and were immediately enrolled in the community kitchens within the villages (Igikoni cy’Umudugudu) to receive nutritious meals. The remaining 20 children were diagnosed with acute malnutrition and are now under the care of paediatricians who provide daily check-ups and ensure they are receiving a balanced diet until they fully recover.

Alphonsine Mukantwari, a home-based ECD caregiver supported by Caritas Rwanda’s ECD Project, shared her experience of how parents assist in caring for children while adhering to the six pillars of ECD: Nutrition, Health, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), Parenting Education, School Readiness, and Child Protection and Inclusiveness. She expressed gratitude to local authorities and partners such as Caritas Rwanda and Plan International Rwanda for their support in home-based ECD. Alphonsine urged all parents with children under 6 to enroll them in ECD programs, emphasizing the numerous benefits they provide.

During the event, winners of the competition for role model fathers were presented with bags and registers to help them continue to encourage other men to participate in nurturing care tasks. Robert Sengarama, the ECD and Education Program Manager at Plan International Rwanda, emphasized the importance of ECD and the need to raise awareness among parents of children under 6 who have not yet enrolled their children in ECD programs.

Sengarama highlighted the benefits of ECDs and stressed the significance of celebrating ECD Day to promote the well-being of young children. He also pointed out the lack of play areas in home-based ECDs, “In collaboration with Caritas Rwanda, we conducted various field visits in home-based ECDs and discovered that children do not have access to entertainment. A child learns a lot through playing activities. By using toys, the kid’s brain is stimulated”, he said. As a response, Caritas Rwanda, with support from Plan International Rwanda, distributed various brain-stimulating toys and games to children in the 20 home-based ECDs supported by the ECD Project in Bugesera district.

The Director General of the National Child Development Agency (NCDA), Mrs. Assumpta Ingabire, was the guest of honour at the ceremony. She explained that the ECD program was established by His Excellency, President Paul Kagame of the Republic of Rwanda in 2006. This initiative was born out of the realization that a significant number of Rwandan children suffer from stunted growth and lack access to quality education.

Mrs. Assumpta emphasized the importance of ECD caregivers and parents in enhancing the quality of home-based ECD services. She urged parents with children under the age of 6 to take advantage of these services. Mrs. Assumpta highlighted the transformative impact of proper child care, stating that a well-cared-for child grows into a responsible citizen who contributes positively to the development of the nation.

As was outlined at this event, there are 1,625 ECDs in the Bugesera district with 57,303 children. Among them, 1,160 (ECDs) are based in family houses (23,161 children). With funding from Plan International Rwanda, Caritas Rwanda’s ECD Project supports 20 of them in the Bugesera district.

To enhance the identification, linkage to treatment, retention in care, and viral load suppression among children, midwives, and staff responsible for HIV Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) at Catholic-based health facilities in Karongi District, a two-day training on Pediatric HIV was held from May 30th to May 31, 2024. Karongi District was chosen for its high HIV testing positivity rate, ranging between 2.84% and 3.66% (source: HIMS July 2022-June 2023[1]).

This training was part of the Faith Initiative Project funded by Caritas Internationalis through the PEPFAR fund. It took place at Home Saint Jean Hotel and focused on three key pillars:

1. Raising awareness to combat stigma and discrimination;
2. Preventing Mother-to-Child HIV transmission;
3. Enhancing screening, care, and linkage to treatment.

Following the training, healthcare workers were advised to promote early diagnosis, ensure linkage to care, provide adherence support, strengthen healthcare systems, foster community engagement, and uphold a political commitment, particularly at health facilities and various community gatherings (Inteko z’abaturage), parents’ meetings (Umugoroba w’ababyeyi), etc. They will also conduct targeted awareness campaigns featuring voluntary HIV testing and household visits, with a special emphasis on encouraging men to support their partners during the eight antenatal care visits.

Previously, the religious leaders from Karongi District underwent training on Pediatric HIV and the CaritasCare Mobile Application from April 23rd to April 25th, 2024. This training aimed to equip them to raise awareness against HIV-related stigma and discrimination, collect and report data using the CaritasCare mobile application, identify undiagnosed children at the community level, and facilitate their screening and treatment at health facilities as part of their daily responsibilities.

Furthermore, on May 23, 2024, Caritas Rwanda’s Health Department Team engaged with local authorities in Karongi District to emphasize their critical role and contribution in increasing the screening of children living with HIV and linking them with healthcare facilities for treatment. This collaborative effort also involves close cooperation with religious leaders and healthcare workers within this framework.

The Faith Initiative Project is currently being implemented in four countries: Nigeria, Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda.

 

[1] https://www.rbc.gov.rw/fileadmin/user_upload/report23/HIV%20Annual%20report%202022%20-2023.pdf – page 13