3,342 households from Ngororero, Burera, Rubavu, Nyabihu, Rutsiro and Karongi districts (Western and Northern Provinces of Rwanda) affected by the floods and landslides of May 2023, have received assistance through EA 17-23/RRF Project. This project was implemented by Caritas Rwanda, in collaboration with local authorities, Caritas Internationalis and diocesan Caritas, with funding granted by Caritas Italiana, Caritas Korea, Caritas Japan, Caritas Slovenia, CRS, Trócaire and other people of good will.
The figures published by the Ministry of Emergency Management on May 13, show that these floods and landslides killed 135 people, left 110 injured and destroyed 5,963 houses. The populations affected by the floods and landslides were immediately evacuated to 83 emergency sites. Caritas Rwanda, in collaboration with diocesan Caritas, approached the affected people to comfort them, and called on everyone to collect funds, needed equipments and food to help them. Below are the donations collected:
|
Donor |
Donations in euros |
| Diocesan Caritas | 250,917 |
| CRS | 221,971 |
| TROCAIRE | 84,457 |
| Caritas Italiana | 30,000 |
| Caritas Rwanda | 28,340 |
| Caritas Korea | 28,057 |
| Caritas Japan | 10,000 |
| Caritas Slovenia | 10,000 |
| People with good will | 1,133 |
| Total | 664.875 |
The donations collected equal to Frw 759,000,000. To provide the assistance, Caritas Rwanda collaborated with diocesan Caritas and local authorities to select the most vulnerable beneficiaries, following the criteria below:
– Households with children under 5 ;
– Households headed by a widows (women);
– Households including elderly people ;
– Household headed by children (orphans at the head of the household) ;
– Households with children suffering from malnutrition or at risk ;
– Households including disabled people;
– Households that have not yet received similar support.
The 3,342 most vulnerable households received food, clothes, hygiene kits and a cash grant for their recovery and social reintegration after the floods. The transfer of the cash grant was transferred to their mobile phones, where 625 households received Frw 50,000 (each household), while the remaining 2,717 received Frw 92,000 (each household).
Use of the cash grant received
From 16th to 18th August, 2023, a team composed of staff from Caritas Rwanda, Caritas Internationalis, the diocesan Caritas of Ruhengeri and Nyundo (Gisenyi zone and Kibuye zone) and local authorities, visited the populations affected by the May 2023 floods in Burera, Rubavu and Karongi, districts, that received assistance under EA17-2023/RRF Project.
During this visit, the joint team noted that some families used the cash grant to rebuild their houses but with solid foundations as advised by local authorities. Others have invested in small livestock with a view to producing manure and selling the young at the market for economic development, while others have started small income-generating activities.
The joint team encouraged the affected populations to remain strong, and always seek to promote their economic development. As for the families supported, they expressed their gratitude to Caritas at all levels and the local authorities, for the physical and moral support.
They testified that the support they received from Caritas served as a lesson to them and affirmed that from now on they will help other people in need. “We received love, and we can’t waste this love that our brothers and sisters showed us. We learned the lesson that will help us. Even if we are not rich, we will help other families whose houses are destroyed, once they get permission to rebuild”, said Jean Claude Siborurema, one of the people affected by the floods of May 2023, from Burera district.