ActionAid-Rwanda intends to spend about £9 million (about Rwf8.7 billion) in improving livelihoods in the next five years.

The development was announced during the launch of ActionAid Rwanda’s Five-Year Country Strategic Paper, which mainly focuses on agriculture, education and women empowerment.

Speaking at the launch of the paper, the Minister for Agriculture, Dr Agnes Kalibata, said this will significantly contribute toward the country’s development agenda.

"This initiative is timely as it comes at a time when we start our second phase of Economic Development and Poverty Eradication Strategy,” Dr Kalibata said.

The minister said ActionAid has been a key development partner, mainly in supporting the needy through the One-Cow-Per-Family programme.

Presenting the Country Strategic Paper, ActionAid Programme Quality Manager James Butera detailed the three pillars of the plan and how they will be implemented.

"In our contribution to the agriculture sector, we will promote alternative process and models that empower people living in poverty, especially women, and guarantee quality life without poverty through active engagement of smallholder farmers,” said Butera.

Part of what ActionAid will be doing is to contribute to improving the quality of public education for girls and boys equally and supporting children and youth to become drivers of change in their communities.

Cooperatives

Butera said, "We will promote access to improved quality public education in a safe and non violent learning environment through advocacy and campaigns to enable children and youth to claim their rights, become self reliant and active agents of change in their communities.”

Regarding women empowerment, ActionAid says it intends to provide them with alternatives that would enable them break the cycle of poverty, violence and have control over their bodies.

Speaking to The New Times, ActionAid Country Director Josephine Uwamariya said her organisation’s work is decided by the demands of the people.

"We work with 50 cooperatives in five districts and what we do is determined by the people’s priorities,” said Uwamariya.