A five-year strategic program, Peace Consolidation and Livelihoods Development in Rwanda, was on Friday launched by Oxfam Great Britain (GB), at Novotel Hotel, Kigali.

Oxfam International is a worldwide partnership or alliance of international groups of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) or affiliates dedicated to fighting poverty and related injustices around the world.

According to Alice Anukur Uwase, the Oxfam GB Country Director, the launch comes in the wake of a major call from the Government of Rwanda to all development partners to support in the implementation of the Vision 2020 Umurenge, one of the three flagship programs of the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS).

Uwase explained further that the program impact will be targeted at the sector level over a five-year period. It will work in six sectors located in the East and Western Provinces.

"The impact will be scaled up through advocacy and working with other partners,” she pointed out.

Oxfam will work both in direct partnerships with local governance institutions in two sectors in the first 2 to 3 years and with selected partners in the other sectors.

The Executive Secretary of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC), Fatuma Ndanginza, lauded Oxfam for its contribution to the unity and reconciliation program since 2001, especially in the Western province where it has registered many achievements ranging from poverty eradication to conflict resolution.

She also highlighted that the role of the commission is to help and to coordinate unity and reconciliation on a broader base and challenged other stake-holders, like Oxfam who accelerate the reconciliation process among the people.

The programme strategy is underpinned by Oxfam’s belief that poverty makes people more vulnerable to conflict and natural disasters and with the right resources, support and training, people living in poverty can solve their problems.

Women representatives, present at the launch, also lauded Oxfam’s achievements in the rural areas and narrated how it had tremendously changed their lives.

"There were so many conflicts in our sector before Oxfam came to teach us on conflict management, but since 2005, we have been able to solve our own conflicts even without going to the authorities,” said Agnes Mukamana from Nyagatare District.

Mary Kagitare, also from Nyagatare district pointed out that Oxfam was able to get the women in her sector ‘out of the Kitchen’ and taught them the advantage of working in groups and they can now be able to do things which are income generating like farming and goat rearing.

However, the new strategy focuses on livelihoods and peace consolidation in selected communities in Nyagatare and Karongi districts.

Expected results include increased agricultural production and access to markets. Also expected is increased income from non-agricultural sources in the target communities.

130,000 people in Nyagatare and Karongi Districts are targeted.

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