Caritas Rwanda, in partnership with Nyanza District, organized a youth awareness campaign on June 21, 2026, aimed at preventing new HIV infections and reducing teenage pregnancies. The initiative is part of ongoing efforts to support the Ministry of Health, through the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), with funding from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
The campaign used football as a platform to engage young people and deliver key health messages. The match brought together students from ESCLM Louis de Montfort and ES Saint Esprit, which ended with a 2–1 victory for ESCLM Louis de Montfort over ES Saint Esprit. This event was attended by students from various schools across Nyanza District, district officials, including representatives responsible for health and education.
Before and during the match, participants received sensitization messages encouraging them to make informed decisions, protect themselves from HIV infection, and avoid behaviors that can lead to unintended pregnancies.
Building on the success of the Nyanza event, Caritas Rwanda will continue the awareness campaign in the week starting by June 22, in Huye and Gisagara districts, where the project is also being implemented.
Caritas Rwanda, in partnership with Plan International Rwanda, successfully convened validation meetings in the districts of Gatsibo (16/06), Bugesera (17/06), and Nyaruguru (18/06), to review and validate the findings of the ECD Project Impact Assessment covering the implementation period from 2022 to 2025.
The meetings brought together district authorities, representatives from the National Child Development Agency (NCDA), development partners, ECD practitioners, project staff, caregivers, and community representatives. The objective was to reflect on the project’s achievements, discuss lessons learned, and identify priorities for strengthening Early Childhood Development services in the target districts.
Speaking at the validation meetings, Christine Kayitesi, ECD Project Coordinator, noted that the assessment was undertaken to evaluate the impact of the ECD Project after three years of implementation. Specifically, it sought to determine the extent to which the project had contributed to children’s development, strengthened caregivers’ capacities, and aligned with Rwanda’s National Strategy for Transformation (NST2). She emphasized that the findings would help the project and stakeholders sustain the gains achieved while addressing identified gaps to maximize future impact.
Significant progress across ECD pillars
The impact assessment findings demonstrate the positive contribution of Home-Based ECDs to children’s holistic development across the three districts.
Gatsibo and Bugesera recorded exceptional performance in curriculum and school readiness, nutrition, and caregiver quality, achieving scores of 100 % in several indicators. Nyaruguru also demonstrated strong results, particularly in caregiver quality and parenting education (100 %), nutrition (93.3 %), and health (83.3 %).
Across all districts, the assessment confirmed improvements in parenting practices, child nutrition, health-seeking behaviours, community participation, and the quality of care provided to young children. Increased engagement of parents, including fathers, emerged as one of the project’s notable achievements.
The findings further show that project-supported HBECDs performed above national averages across most ECD pillars, highlighting the effectiveness of community-based approaches in promoting child wellbeing and development. Hereafter the details on the following infographic:
Priorities for Sustaining Impact
While acknowledging the project’s achievements, stakeholders identified key areas requiring continued investment to sustain and build upon the gains achieved.
Recommendations from the assessment include establishing a child outcome tracking system, strengthening caregiver support and retention mechanisms, increasing community financing through Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), upgrading caregiver qualifications in line with NCDA standards, and improving WASH and child protection infrastructure.
Participants also emphasized the importance of institutionalizing fathers’ clubs and expanding male engagement approaches to strengthen shared responsibility for child development.
During the meetings, local leaders requested that the assessment report be shared with them once finalized, so that its findings and recommendations can inform their efforts to promote Early Child Development.
From left to right: RURANGIRWA Fred, executive secretary of the Kamabuye sector; Kadafi Aimable, executive secretary of the Kamabuye sector; and Ruth Kemirembe, director of health for the Bugesera District, during the validation meeting held in Bugesera District.
Implemented by Caritas Rwanda with support from Plan International Rwanda, the ECD Project aimed to improve the wellbeing and holistic development of young children through Home-Based Early Childhood Development (HBECD). The project focuses on the six pillars of ECD: (1) early learning and school readiness, (2) health, (3) nutrition, (4) child protection and inclusiveness, (5) water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and (6) parenting education.
On 4 and 5 June 2026, Caritas Rwanda staff and nine service providers gathered at the Savana Hotel to review the achievements of the first five months of the PATHs Project (Livelihoods & Adult Education).
The review confirmed that all planned activities were successfully implemented. Participants also developed a three-month action plan aligned with the evolving needs of evacuees and host communities.
Beginning this June, Caritas Rwanda will continue existing skills-training programs while introducing new vocational courses in Welding, Plumbing, Culinary Arts, and Machine Knitting at ETM Gashora.
Caritas Rwanda staff and service providers during the meeting at Savana Centre.
As an innovative initiative, 12 high-performing participants from Cohort I, comprising both evacuees and host community members who completed Hairdressing and Tailoring training, have been selected to receive support in launching Income-Generating Activities (IGAs). This support will enable them to put their newly acquired skills into practice, strengthen self-reliance, and improve their livelihoods while awaiting resettlement.
These small businesses will not only empower the selected participants but also serve as a source of inspiration and motivation for others to pursue economic independence and resilience.
Caritas Rwanda, in collaboration with the Nyamasheke, Karongi, and Rutsiro districts, on May 30, 2026 conducted malaria prevention activities in the sectors most affected by malaria namely Nyabitekeri, Mubuga, and Musasa.
In Nyabitekeri Sector, Muyange Cell, Nyamasheke District, a community awareness campaign was organized through health messages, drama, and poems performed by Community Health Workers. Residents were reminded of key malaria prevention measures and encouraged to seek early and appropriate treatment when experiencing symptoms. During the event, 11 people with high fever were tested for malaria, and one person who tested positive received immediate treatment on site. This activity was carried out in collaboration with local authorities from the district (from village to district level), as well as security organs.
Community health workers presented plays and recited poems containing messages about fighting malaria.
A special community work activity (Umuganda) aimed at malaria prevention was also conducted in Rubyiro Village, Murangara Cell, Mubuga Sector, Karongi District. During the activity, nine large water-filled pits that had previously been used for brick making were filled in, to eliminate mosquito breeding sites.
Similarly, a community work activity was organized in Kabuga Village, Nyarubuye Cell, Musasa Sector, Rutsiro District, where 12 large water-filled pits left behind by mining activities were filled in to prevent mosquito breeding.
Following the Umuganda activities, community members were sensitized on malaria prevention measures and reminded not to become complacent simply because their homes had been sprayed with insecticide to control mosquitoes that transmit malaria. The event was attended by representatives from security organs, sector, cell, and village authorities.
These activities reflect the continued commitment of Caritas Rwanda and local authorities to reducing malaria transmission and promoting healthier communities through prevention, early diagnosis, and collective action.
