Rwanda has successfully addressed national challenges using home-grown solutions. This approach is largely responsible for the country’s tremendous development pace, which has seen millions of people lifted out of poverty.

Among the many home-grown solutions is the social protection which puts emphasis on the vulnerable.

This is the idea behind the reintroduction of the age-old practice of Ubudehe, a mutual support mechanism where communities assess the level of poverty and those in need of help.

This has helped government to give support where it is most needed. 

The neediest of communities are helped to get medical insurance, receive cows under Girinka programme while the elderly and disabled receive financial help all aimed at ensuring that every household has a sustainable source of living.

But time and again, those in charge of executing the programmes at the village level abuse their responsibility and divert resources meant for the poor.

While social protection has its benefits – as over a million people have been lifted out of poverty – there is need to sensitise the population to use the available resources as a springboard out of poverty.

This is where the local leadership comes in; they should not be content with distributing aid but endeavor to ensure ownership of the initiatives by the beneficiaries.  

This also requires continuous training of local leaders to engage communities and sensitise them that government efforts can only succeed if individual people put extra efforts to improve their livelihoods. Government alone cannot address all individual challenges. 

As for those who intentionally divert resources, they should face the full wrath of the law, and should be publicly chastised to set an example and deter similar offences.

At the end of the day, social protection means exactly that; to shield the population from avoidable hardships while ensuring ownership and participatory development.