VSO and DFID Rwanda on Thursday May 9 announced the launch of a new project – INSPIRED! (Inclusive Services through Participation of stakeholders for realising Rights in Education & Disability).

The project will be spread over three years with funding worth £4 million.

The project recognises that there are several issues in education and disability in Rwanda and many are cross cutting.

In education, although issues of access have been largely dealt with, for example by the 9 year basic education and classroom building initiatives, issues remain around quality and in particular, the quality of the teaching and learning process.

The main objective of the project therefore is to get teachers to use more relevant and attractive teaching methods, to be aware of the needs of all the children in their class and to be able to engage children in learning appropriately.

This is key to ensuring that young people finish school with the skills and preparedness to further their learning, and to effectively participate in Rwanda’s growing, diversifying economy.

People with Disabilities face particular challenges and inequalities which restrict their opportunities to escape poverty.

Children with disabilities are less likely to attend school than others - they are seen as a source of shame and often hidden away.

Though the Government of Rwanda has put in place a legal framework for People with Disabilities, there is an understandable gap between policy and implementation that VSO seeks to support the Government of Rwanda and civil society to address.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Alok Rath, the Country Director of VSO said "VSO is proud to be a partner in change in Rwanda. The INSPIRED! project will significantly add to the capacity of institutions working in education and people with disabilities, and create robust evidence, enabling better policies and practices to realise rights of children in school and people with disabilities in Rwanda”.  

The INSPIRED! Project will support organisations in Rwanda, including districts, national organisations for people with disability, Teacher Training Colleges and schools to improve the delivery of quality services for children in basic education and people living with disabilities.

The project will run in the following districts Gicumbi, Musanze, Ngororero, Nyagatare, Nyaruguru, Rwamagana, Rubavu, Rusizi, and Kigali City.

VSO will also work with all of the Teacher Training Colleges in Rwanda, Kigali Institute of Education, Rwanda Education Board, the National Council of People with Disabilities Rwanda, the National Union of Disability Organisations of Rwanda and all national Disabled People’s Organisations.

Major activities of this project include technical capacity building support through volunteers from different parts of the world, small grants to partner organisations, setting up of teacher resource centres in all Teacher Training Colleges and Kigali Institute of Education, and working at the national level for the achievement of people’s rights in disability and education.

Through robust impact monitoring, the data collected during this project will be available for use by all partner organisations and the Government of Rwanda, in order to support the further improvement in policies and programmes contributing to the delivery of Govt. of Rwanda’s development objectives.  

VSO is a leading international non-governmental organization that works through highly skilled and dedicated volunteers to share skills, build local capacities and deliver social impact across 35 countries in partnership with around 1,000 local partner organisations.

On disability, the project will support the national disabled people's organisations of Rwanda to support the achievement of rights  and services for people with disabilities; and will work with 6 districts to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities are mainstreamed in district development plans.

VSO came to Rwanda in 1998, following an invitation from the Government of Rwanda (Ministry of Education). In Rwanda they focus on three programme areas – education, disability, and livelihoods, mainstreaming issues of gender and climate change.