NGO on anti-poverty drive

Various initiatives have been instituted to curb poverty which is widespread within the countryside. Rwanda Rural Rehabilitation Initiative (RWARRI) is a local Non Governmental Organization that is set to alleviate hunger and poverty within certain sections of the Eastern province. The NGO seeks to improve the livelihoods of the most vulnerable groups in Mukarange, Gahini and Muhazi sectors within Rwamagana district. RWARRI supports strictly needy families in the area. A baseline survey for its intervention activities was jointly conducted by the local government officials and its officials. The survey identified 450 families as the most vulnerable. They are thus the priority of the project. The project is financed by Christian Aid. “Our intention is to empower people with necessities that will keep them out of hunger- at individual family levels. If each and every family gets three square meals a day, then our goal will have been achieved,” said Bideri John, Director of RWARRI. The NGO is basically interested in promoting banana plantation as the main agricultural activity in the area. It also offers cows and goats as donations to each targeted family. It is in the same context that hundreds of residents were recently given exotic cows and goats. Friesian and Jersey cows were donated to peasants. “We want every family to own at least a cow and a banana plantation-no matter how small it may be. We also want the peasants to know the interrelationship between the two. The cows offering manure for the banana plantation on one hand, and the banana plantation offering money to buy necessities for maintenance of the livestock,” Bideri John observed. RWARRI goes a mile further to train peasants on how to acquire the scientific methods of farming. This includes the use of fertilizers to boost productivity of the banana plantations as well as animal husbandry to boost milk yields. The peasants naturally had the minimum required skills.This is being redressed through training. “I was trained and I am now in a position to adequetly take care of my cow”, Silas Kamurari, 72, one of the beneficiaries said. The peasants of the area have been given facilities to handle the milk to boost productivity. In addition the NGO officials contend that special milk cooling machines will be installed in Kayonza town to handle the expected increase in milk production from this region. “Our financial support is justified by overwhelming demands needed to get our targeted beneficiaries to kick out poverty. It is not enough to give the peasants the cows and goats. We have to go beyond that. For instance the milk processing plant is one such thinking. Christian Aid therefore, will not leave any stone unturned to offer approaches which will ensure that poverty is sustainably kicked out”, said Venant Nzabonimana, Christian Aid Programme Manager Rwanda. ChallengesRwanda and many Sub-Saharan Africa countries face serious challenges of the 21st Century to end poverty and hunger. In the sectors said above of Kayonza and Rwamagana districts, the issues of poverty, hunger, environment, and economic growth have become critical. The tragedy is further compounded by high population growth rates. The overall problem being peoples’ ignorance, and illiteracy.“We are having two major problems in this part of the country. One is people’s poor attitude towards developmental activities due to ignorance and illiteracy. Two, families continue to produce too many children. The children are also poorly spaced. Family planning initiatives are frustrated by people’s illiteracy. It is thus problematic to end hunger and poverty within such settings,” John Bideri observed. Development projects also need adequate pool of funds to meet the demands of the population who have been raged by a vicious cycle of poverty . RWARRI acknowledged that available funds cannot march needs at hand. All notwithstanding, Bideri contends that the program adopted by RWARRI is in line with one important element of Rwanda Millennium Development Goals (RMDG’s).This is poverty alleviation. “RWARRI’s goals represent a common vision for dramatically reducing poverty. It seeks to provide clear objectives for significant improvement in the quality of people’s lives”, he added further. Other officials of the NGO have added that more needs to be done from other stakeholders to educate the population on other forms of intervention such as checking population growth . “Rwanda’s progress in achieving universal education gives much hope in this regard. There is great need to establish mechanisms to entrench radical approaches to tackle the cycle of poverty which has been trapping the masses”, another official added. Officials are in agreement that to offer redress Rwanda has to increase specific strategies to encourage girls’ schooling, such as community sensitization campaigns and other related initiatives. These strategies work and reflect strong national commitment to achieving universal primary education. It is education that will help efforts of projects like RWARRI to liberate Rwandans from poverty. mugitoni@yahoo.com