Twenty vulnerable households in Gisagara District have received a cow each from the Embassy of Israel in Rwanda.

The embassy handed over the cattle on behalf of the Israeli development agency, MASHAV, on Thursday, June 24.

Amb. Ron Adam, the Israeli envoy to Rwanda, who handed over the cows to the beneficiaries, said the support was in the context of the Rwanda-Israel bilateral ties.

"Israel and Rwanda are two sister countries that are enjoying good relations, thanks to existing cooperation in different aspects. Today’s support comes to cement this good relationship,” he said at the event in Musha Sector, Gisagara.

"A cow is a sign of prosperity, and that is our wish to the Rwandan people," he added.

The move is in line with the government of Rwanda’s Girinka programme, the one-cow-per-poor-family, under which hundreds of thousands of households have received cows over the years.

Initiated in 2006, the scheme seeks to help tackle poverty and malnutrition issues, while also cementing social relations between households.

The concept is such that a poor family receives a heifer, raises it and when she gives birth, the first female calf is given to another poor family and the process continues.

"I am happy that, going forward, I will be able to get milk, feed my children and get manure for my farm,” said Eugenie Muhoza, a mother of two, after receiving a cow on Thursday. "My goal now is to take care of this cow, be self-reliant and support another poor family once the cow gives birth to a female calf.”

This is the second time the State of Israel is supporting Girinka, having previously donated cows to 22 households in Nyamasheke District.

Meanwhile, according to Jerome Rutaburingoga, the Mayor of Gisagara, the donation is timely and will improve the beneficiaries’ welfare. 

"We are grateful to the Israel Embassy in Rwanda for this support. 90 per cent of Gisagara population are farmers, and cows are vital in the development of the sector,” he said.

Over 14,500 Gisagara households have hitherto received cows under the Girinka scheme.

"We realised that beneficiaries of this programme have developed themselves and are no longer dependent on the government for daily bread. We are confident that this latest support will have a similar impact,” the mayor added. 

Rwanda-Israel ties

Rwanda and Israel have for years now enjoyed cordial bilateral relations, with the latter opening an embassy in Kigali in 2019.

Two years ago RwandAir commenced direct flights to Tel Aviv.

Other areas of cooperation between the two countries include agriculture, education, ICT and innovation, and security.