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On Wednesday, 11^th October 2023, the Secretary General of Caritas Rwanda, Father Oscar Kagimbura, visited the Mahama refugee camp located in Kirehe District, to observe the interventions of the Graduation project, funded by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

First of all, Father Oscar Kagimbura paid a courtesy visit to Farhat Jabeen Khan, the head of the UNHCR sub-office in Ngoma district. Their discussions focused on training the beneficiaries of the Graduation project on the skills needed in the labor market or the community-needed businesses so that after the training and receiving the cash grant, they all graduated.

Father Oscar Kagimbura also visited the Ministry of Emergency Management office in Mahama camp. The camp manager, Vuganeza André, congratulated Caritas Rwanda for improving the lives of the refugees and the host community members and called for the increase in the number of beneficiaries from the camp and host community.

Indeed, among the beneficiaries of the Graduation Project, 70% are refugees from the Mahama and Kiziba camps, while 30% the host community members. Vuganeza André explained that increasing the number of beneficiaries from the host community will help to promote their financial autonomy in parallel with that of refugees.

After listening to the testimonies from the savings and internal lending community group called “Abadahigwa mu iterambere rya Mahama”, Father Oscar Kagimbura asked them to continue to strengthen their unity, and work with the financial institutions for their sustainable economic development. “The financial institution will trust you, based on your unity”, he said. The members of this group requested that other refugees who have not yet benefited from the Graduation Project’s interventions be supported, so that they can find something to do and get out of poverty, as the support especially that becoming increasingly scarce in the camp.

During this visit, the Secretary General of Caritas Rwanda, who was accompanied by the Priest of Rusumo Parish, Father Buregeya Félicien, visited some Graduation project beneficiaries who run businesses in the Mahama camp market, as well as pig farmers outside the camp. After talking with them and seeing how they fill out books about their daily business, they ask them to keep working hard for their sustainable development.

With the aim of strengthening ECDs, Caritas Rwanda, through the #ECD Project funded by Plan International Rwanda, distributed various materials to 43 home based ECDs (HBECDs) in Gatsibo District. The distribution was held at Kiziguro Parish on October 3, 2023.

The materials provided to HBECDs are in line with the ECD six pillars, Nutrition, Health, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) services, Parenting Education, School readiness, and Child protection and inclusiveness. Under WASH the materials distributed range from soap, jerrycans (to storing drinking water) and portable sinks known as “kandagirukarabe”.  Under school readiness, some various games and toys to awaken the child’s brain were distributed. The ECD caregivers also received a manual to use in educating and caring for children in ECDs and those modules have topics covering all 6 pillars of ECD.

In addition, the 43 HBECDs received wall sticky papers with letters, numbers, and words in other languages accompanied by pictures, as educational tools to teach children. Under the nutrition pillar, ECDs were provided with porridge flour SOSOMA and sugar as food supplements to promote the health and good nutrition of children under HBECDs.

During the distribution event, the ECD committees were reminded to promote hygiene and sanitation in ECDs, and to use the materials they had received for that purpose.

They were also asked to prepare a balanced diet for the children and to encourage their fellow parents to do so in their families. They were advised to use VSLA as a platform to cascade messages to parents.

The materials distributed are worth Rwf 10,203,500. In addition, parents and the caregivers were trained on the six pillars of the child development: nutrition, health, hygiene and sanitation, education, child protection and safeguarding, and brain stimulation of the child.

Early Childhood Development is a Caritas Rwanda project, which cares for the child from conception to 6 years old, intending to awaken his/her brain, preparing him/her for school, providing him/her equitable education, protect him/her against diseases and malnutrition, as well as any kind of violence.

Members of the parents’ committees who received these materials thanked Caritas Rwanda and Plan International Rwanda, Gatsibo Program Unit for their unwavering support, highlighting that they will facilitate the daily activities of the ECDs. They added that the received materials will raise parents’ awareness of the importance of ECD and encourage them to send children to ECD.

Ndagiwenimana Jean Bosco, one of the parents whose house hosts HBECD in the Kabarore sector, said that they received the materials they lacked for the smooth running of ECD activities. “For example, we had a single portable sink at the entrance. You know kids sit on the floor all the time and get their hands dirty. We will place the newly received sink at the toilet entrance. Children will wash their hands after using the toilet and be clean”, he said.

 

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 16^th to 18^th 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.

74 Field Agents from the Burera, Rulindo and Nyabihu districts identified and trained by the USAID-funded Gikuriro Kuri Bose Program (implemented by Caritas Rwanda) were certified as Private Service Providers (PSP) from 12^th to 14^th September 2023. The skills acquired will enable them to continue extending the economic strengthening services by creating, coaching, and mentoring saving groups in the community.

Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILCs) are a type of community savings group that the GKB program has adopted to strengthen the livelihoods of the people it serves. To mentor SILCs, the Gikuriro Kuri Bose program recruited and trained community-based field agents, whose responsibilities are to promote SILC activities, mentor SILC members, supervise SILCs, and prepare quarterly reports on the groups’ performance over a given period, usually one year corresponding to a savings cycle for the groups they mentor.

To continually build the capacity of field agents, the GKB program holds a monthly review meeting. This meeting shares important information on the economic opportunities, resources, and support available to the community to resolve issues and challenges. To ensure accountability, towards the end of the first year, field agents undergo an assessment of their performance through an individual oral examination by program staff, complemented by an evaluation by the SILC group members they have coached through an organized group discussion.

The process enables field agents who have passed the assessment to become Private Service Providers (PSPs) with the capacity to establish private savings groups on their own, and established private savings groups are required to pay a service fee if they are satisfied with the support provided by PSPs (Private Service Providers).

The certification events of the 74 PSP in the three districts involved the GKB staff and leadership, districts’ officials as well as local leaders.

With the aim of promoting assistive delivery, and preventing pregnancy complications and death during delivery, on 22^nd August 2023, Caritas Rwanda through the USAID funded program Gikuriro Kuri Bose (GKB), in collaboration with Burera District, awarded mothers of babies under 2, who conducted 4 ANC standard visits while pregnant as required by the Ministry of Health.

Rwanda’s Ministry of Health is encouraging pregnant women to attend the four visits scheduled during the antenatal care period and to follow the advice given to them by healthcare providers, to ensure the good health of both mother and baby.

The rewarding event of the outstanding mothers took place in the Kinoni Sector of Burera District, and was attended by the Mayor of the district Nshimiyimana Jean Baptiste, the Gikuriro Kuri Bose nutrition advisor at the national level, health facilities managers, Community Health Workers, and local communities.

200 mothers of children under the age of 2 who completed 4 standard prenatal visits during their pregnancy received a hen each, to help them feed their children with eggs. 4 Community Health Workers were also rewarded with kitchen utensils for encouraging mothers to complete the 4 standard prenatal care visits.

The health centers that distinguished themselves in the promotion of this program, namely Kirambo, Ndongozi, and Kivuye, received appreciation awards.

A total of 3,490 mothers of children under the age of 2 will be rewarded in all sectors of the Burera district.

On the 3rd of June, the steering committee meeting of the Slovenia Government and Karitas Slovenija-funded Tube Aheza, Amazi Hafi Project was held at Home Saint-Jean. The meeting was graced by the Karongi district Vice Mayor in charge of Finance and Economic Development Mr NIRAGIRE Théophile, Mr NIYONSABA Cyriack, the Executive Secretary of the Rugabano sector and priests from the Gisovu, Nyange and Mukungu parishes located in the sectors

On the 3rd of June, the steering committee meeting of the Slovenia Government and Karitas Slovenija-funded Tube Aheza, Amazi Hafi Project was held at Home Saint-Jean. The meeting was graced by the Karongi district Vice Mayor in charge of Finance and Economic Development Mr NIRAGIRE Théophile, Mr NIYONSABA Cyriack, the Executive Secretary of the Rugabano sector and priests from the Gisovu, Nyange and Mukungu parishes located in the sectors

On the 3rd of June, the steering committee meeting of the Slovenia Government and Karitas Slovenija-funded Tube Aheza, Amazi Hafi Project was held at Home Saint-Jean. The meeting was graced by the Karongi district Vice Mayor in charge of Finance and Economic Development Mr NIRAGIRE Théophile, Mr NIYONSABA Cyriack, the Executive Secretary of the Rugabano sector and priests from the Gisovu, Nyange and Mukungu parishes located in the sectors

On the 3rd of June, the steering committee meeting of the Slovenia Government and Karitas Slovenija-funded Tube Aheza, Amazi Hafi Project was held at Home Saint-Jean. The meeting was graced by the Karongi district Vice Mayor in charge of Finance and Economic Development Mr NIRAGIRE Théophile, Mr NIYONSABA Cyriack, the Executive Secretary of the Rugabano sector and priests from the Gisovu, Nyange and Mukungu parishes located in the sectors