Monthly Archives: August 2024

As part of the collaborative meetings that Caritas Rwanda is holding with the diocesan Caritas, a team from Caritas Rwanda and Caritas Kabgayi met on 22^nd August 2024 to evaluate the implementation of 2023 Caritas Rwanda General Assembly recommendations (for the Social Welfare department) and to exchange ideas.

In his opening remarks, Father Jean Berchmans Gasasira, Director of Caritas Kabgayi, recalled that like other diocesan Caritas, Caritas Kabgayi is part of the Caritas Rwanda family. Father Jean Berchmans thanked Caritas Rwanda for the good coordination and advice for the proper functioning of the diocesan Caritas.

The participants then discussed about the Caritas’ visibility through the Catholic Church media and the Caritas Rwanda annual magazine called “Caritas Contact”. Thus, they took this opportunity to review together how to write a good story.

Celebration of Caritas Day and World Day of the Poor

During the celebration of the World Day of the Poor, the message of the Holy Pope for this day is read in all parishes, and the selected poor receive help. Each parish decides how to celebrate this day according to its capacities, but so far, not all are able to help the poor.

Regarding the celebration of Caritas Day, Caritas Kabgayi organizes a week to help the poor where various charity acts are done at the parish level such as cultivating the fields of the poor, giving them food, building houses for them, etc. At the end of this week, the Parishes celebrate the Caritas Day, to pay tribute to those who those who are no longer Caritas volunteers because of their advanced age, while they pray for the souls of the volunteers who died. The Caritas Day celebration is an opportunity to self-evaluate and plan for the future.

Encouraging Youth to Become Caritas Volunteers

In order to encourage youth to participate in Caritas volunteer activities, Caritas Kabgayi encourages the parish Caritas committees’ members to conduct awareness campaigns in primary and secondary schools at least once a year in each school, and help to set up a Caritas committee for each school.

The Charity Month campaign

During this Charity Month campaign, Caritas Kabgayi staff visited all parishes to raise awareness. This campaign was named “Twese Tujyanemo!” (Together, Let’s do it!).

In addition to conducting awareness in parishes, the message inviting everyone to contribute to the Charity Month is also broadcast on the radio “Ijwi rya Gare” (The Voice of the Bus Station) and on the market radio.

Caritas Kabgayi staff also undertook a study tour in the Ruhengeri Diocese, to learn how Caritas Ruhengeri conducted the awareness campaign for the Charity Month 2023 to collect Rwf 25,198,908.

Closing the meeting, Father Gasasira Jean Berchmans said that the Diocese of Kabgayi has appointed the Commission for Persons with Disabilities, in order to grant them dignity. As the projects that take care of these people have a certain periodicity, this commission will allow Caritas Kabgayi to help them regularly. Father Jean Berchmans also returned to the Caritas’ vision: “We want the poor to have a life like that of others and to have dignity like others, that is why Caritas exists. This is the fight that we must lead together”.

At the end of the meeting, the joint team of Caritas Kabgayi and Caritas Rwanda paid a visit to the Home Saint Joseph Kabgayi owned by the Abizeramariya Sisters, which cares for vulnerable elderly people, who gave touching testimonies, sharing how they arrived in bad condition, were treated and healed from their physical and emotional wounds.

During this visit, Caritas Kabgayi donated food to the Home Saint Joseph Kabgayi.

An MOU was signed this 6^th August 2024 between BK Foundation and the Igire Implementing Partners at Ubumwe Grande Hotel, marking a significant partnership in supporting 200 youth from OVC and DREAMS supported districts to pursuit TVET program throughout 2027.

As a pilot phase, this activity will be implemented in five districts namely Muhanga, Kayonza, Kicukiro, Rwamagana and Nyamasheke targeting 200 youth from OVC and DREAMS supported districts. The prioritized districts have a bigger youth population that needs TVET scholarship, and majority are adolescent girls and young women.

The selection of participants will involve BKF and local leaders to ensure we are targeting the most in need and avoid overlap with other development partners in targeted districts.

This cohort of 200 youth will be for a 12-month period, including six months of intense trainings, three months of internship and three more for monitoring to track and report on employment.

On 12^th and 13^th August 2024, the heads of (i) Administration and Finance and (ii) Social Welfare departments of Diocesan Caritas and Caritas Rwanda held a workshop for a mid-term evaluation of the 2024 operational plan (January – June 2024).

This exercise also aimed to evaluate the implement of the Caritas Rwanda Strategic Plan 2020-2024 and reflecting on the activities to be part of the upcoming Strategic Plan (2025-2030).

After reviewing what has been done, the participants concluded that most of the activities have been implemented while those that have been not implemented will be prioritized for the for the remaining months of the year.

During this workshop, the directors of Diocesan Caritas and the Secretary General of Caritas Rwanda held a meeting which recommended the elaboration of reports providing full information to decision makers, the strengthening of the communication and staff capacity building, as well as the encouragement of staff to adopt the Caritas Spirit.

On Friday 26^th July 2024, the PRM/PAC project that was implemented in Kiziba refugee camp from August 2021, was officially concluded, after helping 580 partners to start income-generating activities in order to come out extreme poverty and develop.

The project aimed to reach 700 participants, including 500 refugees and 200 members of the host community. Due to the refugee resettlement program, only 580 participants were reached.

After the identification, the participants received various trainings and each received a grant of 800,000 Frw to start small income-generating activities, while they were encouraged to form savings groups for their economic development. Indeed, 24 groups (including 17 from the Kiziba camp and 7 from the host community) were created, bringing together 580 members. Until July 2024, a total of 113,661,003 Frw have circulated among the savings group members.

The income-generating activities (IGA) implemented by the project participants include 259 agricultural and livestock IGA, 329 commercial IGA, 35 vocational IGA, 15 related to motorcycle transport, and 20 related to the provision of various services (mobile money, Irembo).

As a sign of development, PRM/PAC project participants purchased livestock including 130 cows, 235 pigs, 273 goats and 256 chickens, while 57 othersbuilt houses for their families.

Addressing participants at the closing ceremony of the PRM/PAC project in Kiziba camp, Caritas Rwanda Secretary General, Father Oscar Kagimbura, praised the Government of Rwanda for doing everything possible to ensure that refugees are secured and has access to development, and commended the cooperation of all partners in supporting refugees.

The PRM/PAC project was implemented by Caritas Rwanda in Kiziba and Nyabiheke refugees’ camps in collaboration with World Vision Rwanda, with funding from the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (BPRM). The project aimed at helping refugees and Rwandan host community members to come out extreme poverty.

In collaboration with Burera District, on July 30, 2024, the USAID Gikuriro Kuri Bose Program welcomed a delegation from the District Plan to Eliminate Malnutrition secretariat and USAID Gikuriro Kuri Bose nutrition teams from nine districts. This visit aimed to facilitate the exchange of innovative ideas and best practices in preventing stunting and promoting inclusive nurturing care, as implemented by the USAID Gikuriro Kuri Bose program in Burera District.

The team visited the Rugarama Nutrition Center in Rugarama Sector and benefited from a presentation on the Continuous Quality Improvement Project, through which children affected by malnutrition are rehabilitated in close collaboration with the community, the Sector Plan to Eliminate Malnutrition and Child Development (SPEM-CD), and partners including USAID Gikuriro Kuri Bose. The Nutrition Rehabilitation Fund (Ikigega cyo Kondora umwana) operating at the SPEM-CD level plays a crucial role in providing financial support for essential food commodities.

The guests also visited Kabindi Village in Gahunga sector, highlighting the importance of feeding children a nutrient-dense diet within Home-Based Early Childhood Development (ECD) facility, led by community health workers and parents lumiere. All 30/30 members of the village nutrition school have eggs laying chicken, which contributes to ensuring that young children consume plenty of animal source proteins through a well-balancedmeals, crucial for their growth, development, and overall well-being.

The USAID Gikuriro Kuri Bose program implements the village’s Nutrition School (VNS) approach in Kabindi Village within the Nutrition Rehabilitation Fund, aiming to provide such diets at Growth Monitoring Promotion (GMP), VNS, ECD, and Nutrition Rehabilitation Center, demonstrating effective strategies for supporting early childhood nutrition and development.

At Gatovu Nurturing Care Hub, the visitors interacted with parents about inclusive Nurturing Care services and their contributions and commitments to sustaining these services.

On July 29, 2024, staff members from Caritas Rwanda and Caritas Butare convened to discuss ways to enhance the visibility of Caritas, develop fundraising strategies for Charity Month, evaluate the progress of the Caritas Rwanda 2023 General Assembly (Social Welfare Department), and review the activities scheduled for January-June 2024.

During the discussion on enhancing Caritas’ visibility, participants reached a consensus that the staff at Caritas Butare will be responsible for composing articles highlighting the various activities of its departments, as well as other charitable endeavours within the Catholic Church aimed at assisting the less fortunate.

Father Boniface Kamulegeya, the Director of Caritas Butare and chair of the meeting emphasized the importance of training the staff to create high-quality reports that could serve as the basis for these articles. He urged the Caritas Butare team to provide comprehensive reports accompanied by photographs to ensure the effectiveness of their communication efforts.

During the discussion on enhancing Caritas’ visibility, participants reached a consensus that the staff at Caritas Butare will be responsible for composing articles highlighting the various activities of its departments, as well as other charitable endeavours within the Catholic Church aimed at assisting the less fortunate.

Father Boniface Kamulegeya, the Director of Caritas Butare and chair of the meeting, emphasized the importance of training the staff to create high-quality reports that could serve as the basis for these articles. He urged the Caritas Butare team to provide comprehensive reports accompanied by photographs to ensure the effectiveness of their communication efforts.

Regarding the celebration of Caritas Day and the Day of the Poor, participants noted that these days are celebrated properly.

This meeting also discussed the field visits made by Caritas Butare to the parish Caritas to re-energize their committees. Such visits will take place twice a year and will help increase the productivity of the month of Charity and Mercy. Currently, Caritas Butare has already visited 21 parishes Caritas out of 26, and Christians have reported that the harvest is good in February rather than August as it used to be.

As part of strengthening the animation for integral human development with a focus on young people, Caritas Butare provided financial support to some poor people to enable them to create small income-generating activities and helped them form savings and internal credit groups. Among the 48 people who received financial support, 20 have flourishing activities. The beneficiaries are also sensitized to behavioural change, to come out of extreme poverty. Each received a cash grant of between 26,000 Frw and 20,000 Frw.

Regarding the activities planned for January-June 2024, Caritas Butare staff said that the Caritas animation in schools has not been carried out, but it will be conducted when the children go back to school.

Concerning the activities that will be part of Caritas Rwanda’s strategic plan for 2025-2030, the participants concluded that they will be discussed at the meeting that will bring them together on 12^th and 13^th August 2024 at the national level.

On 25^th July 2024, the staff of Caritas Rwanda and Caritas Ruhengeri met to exchange ideas on promoting Caritas’ visibility. The meeting also included an evaluation of the progress made in implementing the recommendations from the Caritas Rwanda 2023 General Assembly, specifically those related to the Department of Social Welfare. Additionally, the staff reviewed the activities scheduled for January- June 2024.

This meeting also aimed at brainstorming on the activities that will be included in the Caritas Rwanda strategic plan for 2025-2030.

After the prayer led by Father Narcisse Ngirimana, the director of Caritas Ruhengeri, there was a presentation about Caritas Ruhengeri’s activities carried out through its 4 departments namely: Administration and Finance, Social Welfare, Health and Development.

Speaking on behalf of Caritas Rwanda Secretary General, Sister Gaudiose Nyiraneza, the acting Director of the Social Welfare Department at Caritas Rwanda, commended Caritas Ruhengeri for their outstanding performance in fundraising during the Month of Charity (2023) and for consistently submitting reports within the agreed-upon deadlines.In addition, Caritas Ruhengeri was praised for its contributions to radio programs and articles published in Caritas Contact and Radio Maria Rwanda. Thus, participants took this opportunity to discuss the best way to write an article, for all Caritas Ruhengeri departments to write in the future. These articles will be published in Kinyamateka and Caritas Contact.

To increase the productivity of the 2024 Charity Month, participants deemed it necessary to strengthen animation everywhere.

The meeting also discussed the point concerning the celebration of Caritas Day and the Day of the Poor, where it was noted that these days are celebrated properly in ​​the Ruhengeri Diocese area.

Participants also discussed the implementation of one of the 2023 Caritas Rwanda General Assembly recommendations, regarding strengthening the support for integral human development with emphasis on young people. In this context, Caritas Ruhengeri staff highlighted their ongoing efforts to conduct educational activities in schools as part of this initiative.

Concerning the activities planned for January-May 2024, everything has been done, except the learning visits between parishes’ Caritas. Caritas Ruhengeri intends to conduct these visits in the near future.

Regarding the activities to be part of the Caritas Rwanda strategic plan 2025-2030, participants agreed that they will be discussed during the meeting scheduled on 12th and 13th July 2024.

Participants expressed concerns about tendency for some beneficiaries who rely heavily on continued support without taking ownership of their progress. As a result, participants concluded that there is a need to promote self-reliance and independence. It was agreed during the meeting that raising awareness about the need for behavior change is crucial in addressing this issue effectively.

In his closing remarks, Father Narcisse Ngirimana, Director of Caritas Ruhengeri, recalled that in the past, a poor person was a person who did not have food, clothes, etc. Today, there are also the poor who cannot be recognized at first sight, who have other problems that overwhelm them, educated young people with prolonged unemployment and other problems that are not immediately noticeable. Father Narcisse added that this requires discernment so that a person is assisted for what she/he needs, so that the body and soul are healthy.

After the meeting, the team visited the Centre Saint Vincent Ruhengeri, which cares for orphaned disabled children.