Starting by 9th July 2024, Caritas Rwanda organized a 2-day workshop between its Development Department and the Development Coordinators from 10 diocesan Caritas. This workshop aims to evaluate the accomplishments made from January to June 2024, while also reflecting on the Caritas Rwanda strategic plan for 2020-2024.
In his opening remarks, Prosper Sebagenzi, the Programmes’ Director at Caritas Rwanda urged the development coordinators to redouble their efforts to assist the impoverished individuals around us to lift themselves out of poverty.
Prosper Sebagenzi emphasized that Caritas Rwanda’s new strategic plan will span a period of six years, from 2025 to 2030, aligning with the strategic plan of Caritas Internationalis. “This alignment will enable us to work in harmony with the global Caritas network towards achieving our shared goals”, he said.
The workshop was concluded by Father Oscar Kagimbura, the Secretary General of Caritas Rwanda. He revisited the theme of the Synod, “Walking Together”, urging all participants to strengthen the existing collaboration to ensure the dignity of the poor and vulnerable is respected. Just as the Church embodies this commitment, the Development department at both Caritas Rwanda and diocesan levels should also embrace this ethos of collaboration.
The Secretary General emphasized the importance of inclusivity, urging participants to ensure that no one is left behind or neglected. This would contradict Caritas’s mission of restoring dignity to those whose vulnerabilities have stripped it away. In addition, he called on Development department coordinators to focus on empowering the poor and vulnerable, with a clear goal of helping them become self-reliant rather than dependent on aid. Dignity entails taking responsibility for one’s own life.
Furthermore, the Development department should not only assist those facing adversity but also work towards addressing the root causes of vulnerability, he added.
Concerning the Caritas Rwanda Strategic plan 2020–2024 and the activities that were planned from January to June 2024, all were implemented even if it is not on the same level as many of the activities rely on external funds. The participants proposed following new interventions:
- Strengthen the Entrepreneurship Skills of Youth to Make Them Job Creators;
- Promote Youth Effective Participation in Gainful Agriculture;
- Promote Vocational Training, Internship, and Apprenticeship Among Youth;
- Contribute to the Electrification in Rural Areas Through Off-Grid Solutions and Building or Rehabilitating Water Channels.
This workshop also was an occasion of introducing the participant coordinators to Data Protection, Gender Equality, and Social Inclusion. They learned how to effectively use and protect beneficiary data, while also ensuring inclusivity and addressing gender-specific needs in all interventions.