NYAGATARE-The Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee affairs (MIDIMAR), in partnership with the International Organisation for Migrants project, on Thursday, donated 100 goats to vulnerable communities in Kiyombe Sector, Nyagatare District.

In a ceremony to hand over the goats to beneficiaries, Jean Claude Rwahama, the head of refugee affairs in the Ministry said that the donation was a collective commitment by the Ministry to ensure that vulnerable groups also play a role in the country’s development.

"The donation is a starting point for you to play a role in the country’s development as well as dignifying yourselves. The main purpose of IOM project is to help you cope with the government programmes,” he said.

He requested beneficiaries to take good care of the goats and pass some of the young ones to their neighbours.

Kiyombe Sector Executive Secretary, Emmanuel Mwumvaneza, thanked MIDIMAR and said that the donation is a catalyst to the sector’s growing economy.

One of the beneficiaries, who only identified herself as Nyiramana, thanked MIDIMAR and said that the donation will not only improve their livelihoods but also provide manure.

"We sometimes lack manure in our gardens. But this donation will provide enough fertilizers and our production will increase and provide surplus for the markets,” she said.

The project was financed by the Japanese government. It seeks to strengthen the capacity of the Government to manage returnee data collection and analysis as well as the capacity of local training institutions to provide marketable skills training to returnees and other vulnerable community members.

Beneficiaries included visually impaired groups, child headed families, people living with HIV Aids, among others.

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