AVSI Rwanda

- Alfred Marshall

“The most valuable of all capital is that invested in human beings.”

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All material © AVSI Foundation

Opinions expressed are those of AVSI and do not necessarily reflect those of our donors and partners

Photography and design by Brett Morton Photo|Graphics

Text by AVSI Rwanda Staff

B.P. 3185Kigali, RwandaE: kigali@avsi.org

Via Legnone 4 20158 Milan Italy T: +39 02 6749881 E: milano@avsi.orgwww.avsi.org

529 14th Street NW, #994Washington DC 20045USAT: +1 202 429 9009E: infoavsi-usa@avsi.orgwww.avsi-usa.org

AVSI Rwanda

Fondazione AVSI

AVSI USA

4 AVSI Rwanda

700government institutions, education, health, non-governmental and religious organizations

partners

1,481employees, expatriates, consultants, volunteers and interns

staff

38,642 donors79 public (municipalities, provinces, regions, Italian Government, EU, bilateral cooperation, international organizations, development banks)

9,907 private (firms, individuals, banks, foundations, schools and families)

20,656 distance support (at times coincides with private)

118realized in 39 countries

projects1. Centrality of the Person: Every person is a unique being connect-ed to humanity by his/her own particular needs, beliefs and relationships. This is what provokes AVSI to share this sense of life through educational encounters leading to a help that goes far beyond poverty conditions or material needs. It is precisely this that makes beneficia-ries equal to project staff, and reduces class or cultural differences to a simple acceptance of life events within a global meaning.

2. Starting from the Positive: Positivity is a sign that goodness is present and possible; it indicates points to hold on to, and allows for hope and possibility of change in one’s life. Each person is a capital without which humanity would be poorer. AVSI starts an action from what is present in terms of competence, resources, expectations and desires - not from what is lacking.

3. Doing With: There is a risk in developing countries that people are made the objects of help, and are not active participants in their own development. Little can ultimately improve in one’s life if he or she is not able to be a protagonist for change. AVSI aims to “do with” rather than to “do for.” By establishing a relationship with the beneficiary through dialogue and sharing responses to needs becomes a mutual endeavor.

4. Subsidiarity: The development of intermediary bodies represent the first level of a society’s response to its own needs. With a logical solidarity, localized groups and organizations can express initiative for the common good.

5. Partnership: Forming partnerships gives sustain-ability to actions by empowering local mechanisms with support, guidance and resources without sacrificing their freedom of action. It is these organiza-tions which can then continue to act as positive agents for change within their communities.

The AVSI Foundation is an international, non-profit, non-governmental orga-nization (NGO) founded in 1972, with headquarters in Milan, Italy and an office in Washington, D.C.. Globally, AVSI’s mission is to support human develop-ment in developing countries according to the social teaching of the Catholic Church, with special attention to educa-tion and promotion of the global dignity of every person. Since 1991, AVSI has been registered as a PVO with USAID, and is officially recognized by the Italian Government and the European Union. AVSI holds general consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council, New York, with UNICEF, New York and is listed in the ILO Special List of NGOs. At present, AVSI is operating in 39 countries in Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Eurasia, the Middle East and South-East Asia in the sectors of social development and education, distance support, urban development, health, employment, agriculture, food security and water, energy and environ-ment, humanitarian emergency, migra-tions, and international adoptions. More than 60 organizations now make up the informal AVSI network, which works systematically on the implemen-tation of projects and common reflec-tions on development, sharing methods and experiences. The network is one bound by operative friendship and in-cludes founding members, participating members, as well as partners. Drawing on AVSI’s methodological ap-proach that focuses on the needs of the person in his/her entirety and on part-nerships with local institutions, AVSI’s programs and those of networked organizations often extend into more than one sector and across the divisions of civil society, business, and the state. This cross-sectoral and community-level approach makes each intervention more effective and sustainable. Over the course of forty years, AVSI has developed a method of work which takes into account the various realities experienced in all parts of the world. This method is a conceptual framework of the values which AVSI means to pro-mote through its presence in the world, and can be defined in the following five principles:

40Years of international presence

60 millionWorldwide operational budget (in US$)

St. Joseph’s Orphanages workers tend to a garden of beans to provide food for the children supported at the orphanage in Gatsibo District.

33,338Children benefiting from Educational Sponsorship

4742

107

12

5

european union

usaid and world bank

private

distance support

unicef

others

12.1%

11.2%

16.5%

23.3%

10.6%

15.1%

11.2%

italian government

AVSI FoundationProjects

eastern europe

6%

mid east

6%

2%asia

africa52%

latin america& the carribean

34%

Located in the heart of the Great Lakes Region in Central Africa, Rwanda is one of a few African countries on track to achieve seven of the eight Millennium Development Goals. The country has made remarkable progress since the 1994 genocide, particularly in promoting good governance and delivering es-sential services to the poor. It is known worldwide for its zero tolerance towards corruption and promotion of gender equality.

Rwanda has its own home grown Vision 2020 and ‘Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy’ to trans-form its agricultural based economy into a knowledge-based hub for business and information technology by 2020. The country recently joined both the East African Community and the Com-monwealth of Nations and has been cited two years in row by the World Bank as one of the world’s top perform-ers in terms of doing business.

Despite impressive economic growth and development, Rwanda remains 166th of 187 countries in the 2011 HDI, with 44% of the population living below the poverty line. With a population of over 11 million and high fertility of 4.6 births per woman, Rwanda is also the most densely populated country in Africa with half of its citizens under the age of 18 years.

Rwanda’s economy is mainly depen-dent on rain-led agricultural production (based on small, semi-subsistence and fragmented farms), which accounts for 35% of GDP and almost 80% of total employment. Although still one of the least urbanized countries in Africa, Rwanda has, since 1994, experienced rapid urbanization, due mainly to the rural exodus and return of refugees after the genocide and civil war.

Rwanda has made tremendous progress in improving child survival. Under-five mortality rate has fallen from 153 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2005 to 76, with maternal mortality drop-ping from 1,075 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 487 in 2010 (DHS,2010) However, over 50,000 chil-dren under the age of five continue to

6AVSI Rwanda

die annually from diseases like diarrhea, acute respiratory infection and malaria. In addition, 44% of children under five years old suffer from chronic malnutri-tion and a quarter of the population still does not have access to an improved drinking water source or improved sanitation facilities (DHS, 2010).

Thanks to a policy to make primary education free, 95.9% of students are enrolled in primary school (MINEDUC 2011), but completion (24%), dropout (12.2%) and repetition rates (14%) for both boys and girls, remain key chal-lenges. Development of a strategy to address broader issues of the quality of education, including major investments in teacher training and development is ongoing.

While Rwanda is one of a few Afri-can countries with relatively low HIV prevalence, estimated at about 3% of the adult population, prevalence rates amongst pregnant women in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, range between 16 and 34%.

Children remain at risk of violence, exploitation and abuse in Rwanda. The National Child Labor Survey in 2008 found that 11% of children work - half of them in hazardous conditions. Statistics from the National Police indicate that girls account for 65% of all cases of gender based violence at the One-Stop Centre in Kigali (RNP 2011).

More than 3,000 children live in orphan-ages and some 1,000 are currently housed in transit homes or centers for street children. In addition to strength-ened policies related to social protection and Gender-Based Violence and the establishment of a National Children’s Commission and model centers for child survivors of violence, the Govern-ment now intends to begin a process of de-institutionalization, finding families for more than 3,000 children that currently live in orphanages.

Rwanda Profile

All information taken from:http://www.unicef.org/rwanda/overview.htmlhttp://www.unicef.org/rwanda/children.html

Primary school net enrolment ratio (%), 2007-2009*

96%

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Secondary school participation, Net attendance ratio (%), 2005-2010*

% of population using improved drinking water sources, 2008*

65%

GNI per capita (US$), 2010*

$540

5%

Life expectancy at birth (years), 2010*

Total population, 2010

10.6 million

Orphans (aged 0-17) 2009, estimate*

690,000

Rank, out of 187, in the 2011 Human Development Index**

166

Total adult literacy rate (%), 2005-2010*

71%* UNICEF “The State of the World’s Children” 2012.

** “Human Development Report 2011 - Human development statistical an-nex”. United Nations Development Program.

KarongiRuhango

Nyanza

Kamonyi Kicukiro

Gatsibo

Gicumbi

Gasabo

UGANDA

DR CONGO

BURUNDI

TANZANIA

AVSI Rwanda District of Operations

Country Border

Kigali

National Park

0 20 40 km

Bugesera

very much in the process of rebuild-ing and healing. There remains a need to provide programs which go beyond simply putting children in the classrooms; programs which involve families and communities to empower themselves and become protagonists of their own destiny remain a focus of AVSI Rwanda. Furthermore, the shifting from French to English as a teaching and learning language, together with the lack of training for the teachers, brings a serious quality issue within the formal education.AVSI’s Distance Support Program (DSP) continues to provide more than 2,000 students each year with a chance to go to school, while concurrently working to improve the capacities of the communi-ties, schools, educators and families who help children discover their inherent potential.

Building upon the foundation of the DSP, AVSI has developed various programs over the years to extend the support further and further into the community and better fill the gap of vul-nerability. Payment of the health insur-ance scheme and agreements reached with clinics and hospitals provide chil-dren and families with access to health care, and raise community awareness of health issues such as HIV/AIDS, nutri-tion and hygiene, while child protection programs to benefit all children including those living in the refugee camps have grown as a result of needs observed in the DSP; vocational training courses and remedial education programs have evolved to support disadvantaged youth throughout the country in preparation for their entry into the job market, while programs to provide clean drinking water to communities in order to relieve some of the most fundamental needs within communities, allowing them to focus on growing beyond these basic needs.

Above all, it is the observation of AVSI Rwanda that in everything we do, it is always the “human factor” which makes the greatest difference in development.Over these years we have recognized that it is the willingness to learn from reality and adjust our approach that makes our work more intense, reward-ing and effective.

Since taking the first child’s hand, AVSI’s activities in Rwanda have focused on a commitment to children - a commitment to restoring their health, their homes, schools, communities, and the social network responsible for their well-being.

In 1994, soon after the genocide thatdevastated the country, an AVSI team crossed the border from Uganda into Rwanda to assess the needs. Observ-ing the scene still unfolding on the ground, AVSI encountered countless children who were wandering unac-companied and began immediately the long process of tracing relatives. Three months of war had left a generation of orphans behind, and these initial steps became part of the nearly twenty-year effort to rebuild a society’s fragile fabric for the sake of the children.

AVSI has continued and expanded this commitment to children through proj-ects aimed at strengthening education and health services, and building the capacity of Rwanda’s human resources. it is only by sharing people’s needs and working with them to promote part-nership at all levels that development programs offer an opportunity for the real, long-lasting growth.

Funding for AVSI projects in Rwanda has come from donors including UNI-CEF, the U.N. Development Program, the U.N. World Food Program, USAID, FAO, the European Union and the Italian government, to name a few. These funds are complemented by the generous contributions of private institutions and individuals who have made a pledge to global solidarity. With a constant eye on sustainability, AVSI Rwanda’s projects continue to be car-ried out in partnership with local govern-ments and civil society organizations.

AVSI has strived to reinforce the rights of the child, aiming always to strive for the day when “education for all” becomes a reality. As one of the great challenges a nation can undertake, education helps to shape all aspects of development and quality of life.Rwanda - while having developed greatly over the course of the last decade, is still

8 AVSI Rwanda

Nursery School, St. Joseph’s Orphanage, Gatsibo District.

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AVSI Rwanda

As an essential tool for personal devel-opment, education is the foundation of all AVSI actions. The nearly 20-year presence of AVSI in Rwanda has lead to strong relationships with government authorities and communities alike, which today help AVSI to undertake educa-tional activities which address a variety of needs present.

Distance SupportAs the backbone of AVSI’s educa-tional interventions, the privately-funded Distance Support Program (DSP) has provided more than 5,900 children and their families with educational, medical and psychosocial support since it began in 1994. The DSP’s support to com-munity organizations provides countless more children and their communities with the benefits of an improved social service network.

Accompanying vulnerable children and communities through the educational process, needs are addressed in a holistic way. Providing not only the pay-ment of school fees, but also access to health care, and all-important psychoso-cial support, children are accompanied through the educational process with the help of dedicated social workers.

These same social workers ensure fami-lies are counseled to be involved in this process of development, growth and empowerment. Whether it be through the material interventions, or through the personal growth of those involved in a child’s education, the aim of the DSP is to ensure children are given support not only to cope, but to be strengthened, and become a contributing member to the lives of others.

Thanks to the network of partner orga-nizations, which include three orphan-ages and a health center, the benefits of the project are extended even further than the children directly involved. The DSP could not achieve what it has without the involvement of the family, the community, and the good coopera-tion with the authorities, especially at local level.

As one of the first programs of AVSI Rwanda, the DSP remains to this day an integral part of each project AVSI un-dertakes undertakes and the backbone of AVSI Rwanda programs. Indeed, thanks to the DSP, food security, water and sanitation, child protection and remedial or vocational courses intersect, coexist, and develop synergies which help to ensure societal benefits are maximized.

4,700Children supported by the DSP since 2005

3Orphanages supported with material support and capacity-building (Saint-Joseph in Gatsibo, Saint Antoine and Home Don Bosco in Nyanza)

11 10 AVSI Rwanda

1994Year AVSI Rwanda began the DSP

EducationTitle: “Distance Support Program” Donor: PrivateSectors: Education, MedicalBudget: $768,300Date: PerpetualArea: Kamonyi, Ruhango, Nyanza, Gicumbi, Gatsibo DistrictsBeneficiaries: 2,000 children/yr.

St. Joseph’s OrphanagePartner Feature

Uwimana Martine

With roots in Rwanda dating back to 1992, Muhura St. Joseph’s orphanage in Gatsibo was officially opened in 2007. What began as a center loosely supporting 80 chil-dren has now grown into an orphanage which provides education, feeding and recreational activities for children, as well as economical and support programs designed to help their families become capable again of caring for their own children.

“Apart from the food, the most fundamen-tal thing we give here is affection!” says Sister Juliene.

AVSI supports children’s education through the Distance Support Program, as well as providing the salaries of Social Assistants and Teachers who work with the children at St. Joseph’s.

Each year St. Joseph’s works to reunite orphaned children with their families, and if no families are present, then searches for suitable families to adopt the children. In 2012 nearly 30 children were reunited with their families.

In 1999 Martine’s father Kanyoni brought her to the St. Joseph’s Orphanage as he had no means by which to raise his daughter following the death of her mother. After more than ten years at St. Joseph’s, Martine was reunited with her family in 2011 and is living with them today.

“I will remember all of the children (at St. Joseph’s) and will visit them often” ex-plained Martine. “I’m happy though to be back with my family!”

“Thanks for this orphanage which helped our child,” said Kanyoni. “It helped her grow well, as with me she during these years she could not survive.”

Reunification“ First, you must think posi-

tively and know that you can leave your poverty

through your brain. With-out will power, it does not

work. Once you can accept the advice of others and

use your strength you can achieve what you want ac-

cording to your will, even taking the example of oth-ers who have succeeded.”

- Habimana, Father of DSP sup-ported child speaking of his experience with the project.

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Left: Distance Support parent’s meeting at the Gatsibo office. Top Left, Mid Left, Mid-Right: Recreational activities at St. Joseph’s Orphanage. Top Right: Nursery Room, St. Joseph’s Orphanage. Bottom: Martine with her father and brother at home.

Title: Accelerated Learning ProgramDonor: EDC/AVSISectors: EducationBudget: $125,000Date: 09/12 - 12/13 Area: Kamonyi DistrictBeneficiaries: 100 youth

Accelerated Learning Aiming to provide youth with remedial education and the basic skills necessary to access employment opportunities, the Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) has been designed to address the low level of education of vulnerable youth even after their completion of the basic primary education. Working in conjunction with the EDC/Akazi Kanoze program, and again, based on the experiences of the DSP, this program of accelerated basic education establishes and strengthens the educa-tional foundation of youth needed to enter the world of work or to create their own jobs. Providing 6 months of accelerated basic education as well as specialized seminars organized to introduce youth to the poten-tial jobs available, the youth within ALP are then guided towards 6-month vocational training courses developed through Kigese VTC in Kamonyi, an AVSI partner since 2004. Offering courses in construction, welding and electricity, students are furthermore provided with coaching and mentoring, then 6-months work experi-ence, ensuring they are able to exit the course prepared to step into a career.

Workforce Readiness CurriculumDesigned to aid youth between the ages of 14-18 with their transition into the workforce, AVSI and EDC (Educa-tion Development Center) as donor, have partnered to provide additional skills necessary for students at the crucial time as they enter adulthood. Building upon the achievements of the DSP program, AVSI utilizes the systems, partnerships and lessons learned to deliver work readiness training and supplementary curriculum geared towards strengthening the economic opportunities of more than 400 youth in the Ruhango, Nyanza, Kamonyi and Gatsibo Districts of Rwanda.

Students are guided in the Akazi Kanoze Program as they participate in Workforce Readiness Curriculum and acquire work experience and life skills courses through the five voca-tional training centers partnering in the project. Upon completion of the training, students are guided in the formation of savings and loan committees, as well as provided startup kits for their respective business ventures.

Title: Akazi Kanoze Program / Work Readiness Curriculum Donor: EDC/AVSISectors: EducationBudget: $150,000Date: 08/12 - 10/13 Area: Kamonyi, Ruhango, Nyanza, Gicumbi, Gatsibo Districts Beneficiaries: 416 youth

.

100Youth provided with 18 months of job-specific training

489Youth certified through work readiness courses in 2011-12

AimeNgarama Prof. Center

The Ngarama Professional Center is a vocational training school which provides masonry, electrical and plumbing courses. Following their completion of the Acceler-ated Learning courses, many of the ALP graduates then begin specialized training in technical schools such as Ngarama.

“I became an orphan in 1994, and so didn’t begin school until 2005,” explains Aime, a teacher at the Ngarama Profes-sional Center. “Beginning in 2008 AVSI helped me because I couldn’t find the means to pay the tuition of 95,000 fr (US$ 150) per quarter. After completing my degree I’ve now come to be a teacher, helping students much like myself! In my electrical class I have 26 students, and am even continuing my own education at University thanks to my salary. It feels good to be able to pass on what I’ve learned.”

12 AVSI Rwanda

Murangwa Musambira - Kamonyi

As a Teacher and Director of the Ac-celerated Learning Center in Kamonyi, Murangwa is guiding more than 100 youth as they prepare for employment as part of the EDC program.

“The students here a chance to gain the values which can help them to profit in the work world. They’re going to learn to read, write, and will exit this program ready to enter a professional training course.

These youth can enter having missed many of the most fundamental lessons in school. They profit here from an environ-ment which allows them to focus on mov-ing forward without the distractions that may have been present before.

I see that when they arrive here they are very motivated. They see that it is neces-sary to take the knowledge now, knowing the difficulties they may face if they don’t learn now! In my experience this has made these youth very good students here now.”

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Left: Classes at the Accelerated Learning Center in Kamonyi. Top: Electrical Engineering courses at the Ngarama Professional Center. Mid-Left, Mid-Right, Bottom-Right: Accelerated Learning Courses in Kamonyi. Bottom-Left: Masonry courses at Ngarama Professional Center.

Government Legislation

Attitudes

Mon

itorin

g

Rehabilitation

Capacity

Dis

cuss

ion

Lifeskills

Child Protection Circle (UNICEF)Approaching child protection with the consideration that the achievement of one level of support is only the begin-ning of another, AVSI has partnered with UNICEF to provide child protection ser-vices to more than 3,000 children in the Nyabiheke, Kiziba and Gihembe refugee camps of Rwanda and in Gatsibo Dis-trict through the Child Protection Circle (CPC) project.

Activities are divided between those aimed at preventing lapses in child pro-tection, and those designed to respond in cases of need. The CPC first aims to build the capacity and improve coordi-nation of key formal and informal actors in child protection by strengthening and maintaining effective child protection systems to address challenges such as violence, exploitation, abuse or neglect of children in the refugee camps and in Gatsibo District. Together with camp and District authorities, a framework for coordination through child protection forums for refugee camp and child pro-tection commissions in Gatsibo District has been established. In cases of need, direct interventions are provided access to psycho-educational groups and individual counseling.

Thanks in large part to the Child Protec-tion Committees formed as part of the project, more than 1,800 children par-ticipate in Early Childhood Development (ECD) centers which provide a safe

learning environment for children while not at home or school. Nearly 3,000 children have participated in games and theatre activities organized by these committees.

In Gatsibo District, community members (especially women in cooperatives), supported by child protection commis-sions based in sectors have initiated Early child Development Centers where are cared 313 children.

In response to cases of violence, abuse and/or neglect, more than 300 home visits have been carried out, with refer-rals made to the proper judicial chan-nels when necessary.

Since 2011 a total of 537 cases have been reported and followed in refugee camps while 233 cases have been re-ported and followed in Gatsibo District.

More than 100 at-risk youth have been provided with start-up kits in order to help them begin productive work.

AVSI, in collaboration with governmental and UN authorities, has established a clear framework of regulation and supervision that allows the interests of children to be protected. Educational trainings and community mobilization have been undertaken to strengthen the capacity of refugees and Rwan-dan communities striving to creating a safe and protective environment for all children, while response and rehabilita-tion mechanisms have been put in place to respond to cases of violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect.

Title: Child Protection CircleDonor: UNICEF/AVSISectors: Child ProtectionBudget: $535,000Date: 03/12 - 06/13 Area: Nyabiheke, Kiziba, and Gi-hembe refugee camps, and Gatsibo DistrictBeneficiaries: 3,000+ youth

14 AVSI Rwanda

1,829Children attended AVSI-supported ECD sites

99Victims of violence received counseling

2,849Children participated in recreational activities

Conflict

Labor

Sexual Exploitation

Trafficking

Violence

Lack of Primary Care-Givers

- Model for building a protective environment for children

Early Childhood Development Center, Gihembe Refugee Camp.

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Given that nearly 90% of the parents of AVSI-supported children are farmers, it has become clear that improvements in income generation within these families could have benefits extending to many different levels.

FAO - FFLFollowing the Tanzanian government’s decision in March 2006 to expel from its territory nationals of Rwandan, thousands of people have migrated into the Eastern Provence of Rwanda. Citizens need to be assisted in different areas in order to integrate into the com-munity including: domestic needs basic necessities, education, food, health and nutrition. This project represents the second phase of an intervention led by FAO/AVSI to strengthen the capacity of these Tanzanian nationals to become self-sufficient.

The FFLS (Farmer Field and Life Skills) an approach to the supervision of small farmers aimed at helping to break the cycle of poverty by increasing the ca-pacity of farmers. It is a school without walls, where farmers learn by observa-tion, action and experimentation in their own fields. This capacity building goes beyond experimentation with new tech-nology and extends to an acquisition of life skills to transform their agriculture products in well-being.

The FFS approach was initially devel-oped by FAO in 1989 in Indonesia, and has successfully spread to other coun-tries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa. It was intro-duced in Rwanda in 2008 and began to be utilized by AVSI in collaboration with FAO in 2009. Since this initial AVSI-FAO project in 2009, the partnership has continued, each year integrating new levels of support.

Through three projects farmers’ cooperatives have been formed which continue today, attracting the attention of other development partners such as MINAGRI, financial institutions, the private sector federation etc..

Each group, having formed an action plan, is facilitated through the project in learning with a clear methodology how to go about dealing with not only the harvesting of their particular crops, but also in the networks available for sales. While learning farming techniques to improve production and the protection of the environment, farmers are also taught also life skills such as leadership, gender issues, nutrition, food security, child protection, HIV / AIDS and others.

Emphasis is placed on income-generat-ing activities must ensure the continuity of the intervention even after the termi-nation of the project

360Persons involved in farmer field school activities

3Consecutive projects implemented to continue level of support offered

90Percent of AVSI-supported children’s parents involved in farming activities

Food SecurityTitle: Strengthening Households of Tanzania Nationals through the FFS and JFFLS approach - Phase IIDonor: FAOSectors: Food SecurityBudget: $101,478Date: 09/11 - 12/12 Area: Bugesera, Gatsibo, Nyagatare DistrictsBeneficiaries: 360

Duterimbere Co-Op

Costasie is the President of the Duterim-bere Co-Op, an farmers group which began under the guidance of AVSI-FAO.

“When we started growing we learned how to properly prepare a field, plant seeds, control weeds and analysis of what had grown. Before, we grew crops unconscious of the seasons or crop interactions, which meant that often we were not getting good harvests. Now we know how to grow different crops together, check the condition of the food, and how to prevent it from being damaged.

I recommend to other people in the village to learn what I learned through training. I thank all those who participat-ed in the implementation of the program which taught me so much, and even al-lowed me to start a small business with the proceeds from growing.”

16AVSI Rwanda

Costasie

Opposite Left: Members of the Duterimbere Co-Op analyze the progress of crops. Above: A member of the Turitezimbere Group harvests beans.

17

As a necessity for the development of the communities in which AVSI works, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene improve-ments help communities to lessen the case of sickness and focus further on development. Together with the NGO partner MLFM, AVSI has thus undertak-en activities to improve access to safe water and to basic sanitation services in a safe, affordable and sustainable way for rural population living in 4 sectors in Gicumbi District.

ESVDesigned to address needs in water supply and sanitation for more than 67,000 people, the ESV (Eau, Source de Vie) project is an integrated interven-tion in partnership with MLFM which is composed of four different levels of action, incorporating: 1. Infrastructural projects for safe water supply and basic sanitation; 2. Hygienic promotion ac-tions in favor of vulnerable people living in rural areas; 3. Sanitation sensitiza-tions, and 4. Strengthening the capacity of each community to care for their own water sources.

The ESV project was born of a first project for water facility funded by the EU in the Gicumbi District, and it is the continuation. Indeed, despite the lack of institutional funding, and in view of the reality and importance of the needs expressed by the population, the consortium AVSI / MLFM decided to do a second intervention to serve areas not reached during the first intervention, and which was funded by private donors.

The ESV project has invested heavily in the infrastructure to capture, filter, and transport potable water to more than 13,500 people through a network of more then 37km of piping. In addition to providing 31 water access points for the population, the local actors’

capacity building has been an important part of the strategy to grant durability and action’s ownership. 30% of water infrastructures in Rwanda do not func-tion because of the lack of properly trained technicians leaving only 39,6 out of 286,6 km of adductions working properly. In order to address this, ESV has utilized close cooperation with Dis-trict management and training of water source committees and technicians capable of maintaining the facilities well after the project is handed over to the community.

A delegated management system of water works, commonly known as “Public Private Partnership” was imple-mented in the Gicumbi district partner. A contractor and a cooperative whose members are technicians, who worked on a water supply project conducted by the consortium AVSI / MLFM, were able to build a case strong enough to win the market at the district level. This is a history of good collaboration between the public sector - a district - and civil society - a consortium of NGOs and the private sector - a cooperative.

Hygienic promotion in regards to the new water sources has taken place in order to improve people habits. With a peculiar attention to women and chil-dren, information on best-practices for hygiene has been spread in both homes and schools.

Tools and a database have been devel-oped to assess the effects of awareness activities and allow us to measure the impact of clean water on the health of the population, and made available to health centers Rwesero and Tanda in district Gicumbi.

Finally, more than 50 eco-friendly latrines have been built throughout 4 schools, with sanitation and hygiene committees formed to ensure that the facilities are utilized in a good way for years to come.

56,285persons sensitized on proper hygiene and sanitation practices

53Ecological toilets built in 4 schools and utilized by more than 4,000 students

13,674Persons directly benefiting from improved access to safe drinking water

WaSH

Title: Water - Source of Life!Donor: AVSI/MLFMSectors: WaSHBudget: $845,000Date: 04/11 - 03/13 Area: Gicumbi DistrictBeneficiaries: 67,481

18AVSI Rwanda

Right: Water reservoir constructed as part of the AVSI-MLFM ESV project Opposite-Top: Technicians descend to the pump house which uses falling water to power turbines which distribute the water to more than 30 separate fountains. Opposite-Bottom-Left: Water distribution point. Opposite-Bottom-Right: Pump house.

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