A four-year project intended to develop rural communities in Nyamagabe District has started to bear fruit.

Launched in 2011, thanks to the advocacy efforts led by the Unity Club, an association bringing together current and former members of the government and their spouses, the Saemaul Zero Hunger Communities (SZHC) project has benefited 40,000 people in Cyanika Sector, with 30,000 of them getting casual jobs, generating assets worth over Rwf325 million.

The project "Umushinga Isano Ishamitse Ubukire” came to life after Unity Club, in collaboration with World Food Programme, advocated for a comprehensive socio-economic development project to improve the lives of the members of that community.

The project also aimed at fostering unity and reconciliation among the population, and therefore offered its services to help heal psychological wounds, while empowering the community to overcome their various challenges.

The current implementation modality combines World Food Programme’s (WFP) Food for Assets model with Korea’s Saemaul Undong approach to foster rural development.

Handing over the project initiatives to the local community in Cyanika last Thursday, Abdul Rahim Siddiqui, the World Food Programme deputy country director, said the project designed a number of initiatives to promote sustainable income-generation.

The project, valued at $3 million (over Rwf2 billion), is being implemented in three villages of Gasharu, Munyinya and Rugogwe in Cyanika Sector of Nyamagabe District and will end this year. It is funded by the Republic of Korea through its development agency KOICA.

Siddiqui revealed that 10 per cent of the wages paid out was injected into a Community Development Fund.

The other initiatives under the project include 24 new housing units constructed for vulnerable, and a multipurpose community centre for community meetings, farmers’ cooperatives and other community groups.

Under the project, 76.5 hectares of Cyogo marshaland was reclaimed and 138.5 hectares of land terraced.

"We also connected 100 vulnerable households to electricity and oversaw the rehabilitation of a 7km road and construction of a 2km feeder road in the area,” he said.

The ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Rwanda, Yong-min Park, said the community’s commitment to working closely with the area residents helped attain the goals of the project.

"Achieving sustainable development is only possible by building capacity and supporting an environment that allows communities to find solutions to their problems,” he said.

The Southern Province Governor, Alphonse Munyantwali, urged residents to unite and work together for a common goal.

The second phase of the project, which is expected to start in 2016, is expected to cost $9 million (Rwf4.5 billion) and will operate in Kamegeri Sector of Nyamagabe District, Ruganda Sector in Karongi District and Mukura Sector in Rutsiro District.

Nathalie Musabyimana, the vice president of the Isano mu Kwigira Cooperative (KOIKWI) comprising 500 members, said: "We got jobs from making terraces, building classrooms and houses for the vulnerable. The Cyogo marshland will be used for maize growing and we have a warehouse to properly store our produce with capacity to store 52o metric tonnes.”

She said the community hall is expected to act as source of revenue.

KOIKWI will manage the project activities.