AVSI Rwanda
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AVSI Rwanda B.P. 3185 Kigali, Rwanda E: kigali@avsi.org Fondazione AVSI Via Legnone 4 20158 Milan Italy T: +39 02 6749881 E: milano@avsi.org www.avsi.org AVSI USA 529 14th Street NW, #994 Washington DC 20045 USA T: +1 202 429 9009 E: infoavsi-usa@avsi.org www.avsi-usa.org
All material © AVSI Foundation Opinions expressed are those of AVSI and do not necessarily reflect those of our donors and partners
Photography and design by Brett Morton Photo|Graphics Text by AVSI Rwanda Staff
“The most valuable of all capital is that invested in human beings.” - Alfred Marshall
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AVSI Rwanda
Projects
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AVSI Foundation 118 1,481
The AVSI Foundation is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 1972, with headquarters in Milan, Italy and an office in Washington, D.C.. Globally, AVSI’s mission is to support human development in developing countries according to the social teaching of the Catholic Church, with special attention to education and promotion of the global dignity of every person.
projects realized in 39
countries
staff
employees, expatriates, consultants, volunteers and interns
africa 52% 6% eastern europe 6% mid east 2% asia 34% latin america & the carribean
700 38,642
partners
government institutions, education, health, non-governmental and religious organizations
More than 60 organizations now make up the informal AVSI network, which works systematically on the implementation of projects and common reflections on development, sharing methods and experiences. The network is one bound by operative friendship and includes founding members, participating members, as well as partners.
donors
79 public (municipalities, provinces,
regions, Italian Government, EU, bilateral cooperation, international organizations, development banks)
9,907 private (firms, individuals,
banks, foundations, schools and families)
20,656 distance support (at times coincides with private)
unicef
15.1%
european union 12.1%
usaid and
world bank
others 11.2%
11.2%
10.6%
italian
private
government
16.5%
23.3%
distance support
Since 1991, AVSI has been registered as a PVO with USAID, and is officially recognized by the Italian Government and the European Union. AVSI holds general consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council, New York, with UNICEF, New York and is listed in the ILO Special List of NGOs. At present, AVSI is operating in 39 countries in Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Eurasia, the Middle East and South-East Asia in the sectors of social development and education, distance support, urban development, health, employment, agriculture, food security and water, energy and environment, humanitarian emergency, migrations, and international adoptions.
Drawing on AVSI’s methodological approach that focuses on the needs of the person in his/her entirety and on partnerships with local institutions, AVSI’s programs and those of networked organizations often extend into more than one sector and across the divisions of civil society, business, and the state. This cross-sectoral and community-level approach makes each intervention more effective and sustainable. Over the course of forty years, AVSI has developed a method of work which takes into account the various realities experienced in all parts of the world. This method is a conceptual framework of the values which AVSI means to promote through its presence in the world, and can be defined in the following five principles:
1. Centrality of the Person: Every person is a unique being connected to humanity by his/her own particular needs, beliefs and relationships. This is what provokes AVSI to share this sense of life through educational encounters leading to a help that goes far beyond poverty conditions or material needs. It is precisely this that makes beneficiaries equal to project staff, and reduces class or cultural differences to a simple acceptance of life events within a global meaning. 2. Starting from the Positive: Positivity is a sign that goodness is present and possible; it indicates points to hold on to, and allows for hope and possibility of change in one’s life. Each person is a capital without which humanity would be poorer. AVSI starts an action from what is present in terms of competence, resources, expectations and desires - not from what is lacking.
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47
42
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Years of international presence
60 million Worldwide operational budget (in US$)
33,338 Children benefiting from Educational Sponsorship
3. Doing With: There is a risk in developing countries that people are made the objects of help, and are not active participants in their own development. Little can ultimately improve in one’s life if he or she is not able to be a protagonist for change. AVSI aims to “do with” rather than to “do for.” By establishing a relationship with the beneficiary through dialogue and sharing responses to needs becomes a mutual endeavor. 4. Subsidiarity: The development of intermediary bodies represent the first level of a society’s response to its own needs. With a logical solidarity, localized groups and organizations can express initiative for the common good. 5. Partnership: Forming partnerships gives sustainability to actions by empowering local mechanisms with support, guidance and resources without sacrificing their freedom of action. It is these organizations which can then continue to act as positive agents for change within their communities.
St. Joseph’s Orphanages workers tend to a garden of beans to provide food for the children supported at the orphanage in Gatsibo District.
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Rwanda Profile 166
Rank, out of 187, in the 2011 Human Development Index**
$540 GNI per capita (US$), 2010*
55 Life expectancy at birth (years), 2010*
96% Primary school net enrolment ratio (%), 2007-2009*
5% Secondary school participation, Net attendance ratio (%), 2005-2010*
10.6 million Total population, 2010
690,000 Orphans (aged 0-17) 2009, estimate*
65% % of population using improved drinking water sources, 2008*
71% Total adult literacy rate (%), 2005-2010* * UNICEF “The State of the World’s Children” 2012. ** “Human Development Report 2011 - Human development statistical annex”. United Nations Development Program.
Located in the heart of the Great Lakes Region in Central Africa, Rwanda is one of a few African countries on track to achieve seven of the eight Millennium Development Goals. The country has made remarkable progress since the 1994 genocide, particularly in promoting good governance and delivering essential services to the poor. It is known worldwide for its zero tolerance towards corruption and promotion of gender equality. Rwanda has its own home grown Vision 2020 and ‘Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy’ to transform its agricultural based economy into a knowledge-based hub for business and information technology by 2020. The country recently joined both the East African Community and the Commonwealth of Nations and has been cited two years in row by the World Bank as one of the world’s top performers in terms of doing business. Despite impressive economic growth and development, Rwanda remains 166th of 187 countries in the 2011 HDI, with 44% of the population living below the poverty line. With a population of over 11 million and high fertility of 4.6 births per woman, Rwanda is also the most densely populated country in Africa with half of its citizens under the age of 18 years. Rwanda’s economy is mainly dependent on rain-led agricultural production (based on small, semi-subsistence and fragmented farms), which accounts for 35% of GDP and almost 80% of total employment. Although still one of the least urbanized countries in Africa, Rwanda has, since 1994, experienced rapid urbanization, due mainly to the rural exodus and return of refugees after the genocide and civil war. Rwanda has made tremendous progress in improving child survival. Under-five mortality rate has fallen from 153 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2005 to 76, with maternal mortality dropping from 1,075 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 487 in 2010 (DHS,2010) However, over 50,000 children under the age of five continue to
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die annually from diseases like diarrhea, acute respiratory infection and malaria. In addition, 44% of children under five years old suffer from chronic malnutrition and a quarter of the population still does not have access to an improved drinking water source or improved sanitation facilities (DHS, 2010). Thanks to a policy to make primary education free, 95.9% of students are enrolled in primary school (MINEDUC 2011), but completion (24%), dropout (12.2%) and repetition rates (14%) for both boys and girls, remain key challenges. Development of a strategy to address broader issues of the quality of education, including major investments in teacher training and development is ongoing. While Rwanda is one of a few African countries with relatively low HIV prevalence, estimated at about 3% of the adult population, prevalence rates amongst pregnant women in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, range between 16 and 34%. Children remain at risk of violence, exploitation and abuse in Rwanda. The National Child Labor Survey in 2008 found that 11% of children work - half of them in hazardous conditions. Statistics from the National Police indicate that girls account for 65% of all cases of gender based violence at the One-Stop Centre in Kigali (RNP 2011). More than 3,000 children live in orphanages and some 1,000 are currently housed in transit homes or centers for street children. In addition to strengthened policies related to social protection and Gender-Based Violence and the establishment of a National Children’s Commission and model centers for child survivors of violence, the Government now intends to begin a process of de-institutionalization, finding families for more than 3,000 children that currently live in orphanages. All information taken from: http://www.unicef.org/rwanda/overview.html http://www.unicef.org/rwanda/children.html
DR CONGO Gicumbi Gatsibo
Gasabo Kamonyi
Karongi
Ruhango
Kicukiro
Bugesera
Nyanza
TANZANIA
AVSI Rwanda District of Operations
BURUNDI
Country Border Kigali National Park
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AVSI Rwanda
AVSI Rwanda Since taking the first child’s hand, AVSI’s activities in Rwanda have focused on a commitment to children - a commitment to restoring their health, their homes, schools, communities, and the social network responsible for their well-being. In 1994, soon after the genocide that devastated the country, an AVSI team crossed the border from Uganda into Rwanda to assess the needs. Observing the scene still unfolding on the ground, AVSI encountered countless children who were wandering unaccompanied and began immediately the long process of tracing relatives. Three months of war had left a generation of orphans behind, and these initial steps became part of the nearly twenty-year effort to rebuild a society’s fragile fabric for the sake of the children. AVSI has continued and expanded this commitment to children through projects aimed at strengthening education and health services, and building the capacity of Rwanda’s human resources. it is only by sharing people’s needs and working with them to promote partnership at all levels that development programs offer an opportunity for the real, long-lasting growth. Funding for AVSI projects in Rwanda has come from donors including UNICEF, the U.N. Development Program, the U.N. World Food Program, USAID, FAO, the European Union and the Italian government, to name a few. These funds are complemented by the generous contributions of private institutions and individuals who have made a pledge to global solidarity. With a constant eye on sustainability, AVSI Rwanda’s projects continue to be carried out in partnership with local governments and civil society organizations. AVSI has strived to reinforce the rights of the child, aiming always to strive for the day when “education for all” becomes a reality. As one of the great challenges a nation can undertake, education helps to shape all aspects of development and quality of life.Rwanda - while having developed greatly over the course of the last decade, is still
very much in the process of rebuilding and healing. There remains a need to provide programs which go beyond simply putting children in the classrooms; programs which involve families and communities to empower themselves and become protagonists of their own destiny remain a focus of AVSI Rwanda. Furthermore, the shifting from French to English as a teaching and learning language, together with the lack of training for the teachers, brings a serious quality issue within the formal education. AVSI’s Distance Support Program (DSP) continues to provide more than 2,000 students each year with a chance to go to school, while concurrently working to improve the capacities of the communities, schools, educators and families who help children discover their inherent potential. Building upon the foundation of the DSP, AVSI has developed various programs over the years to extend the support further and further into the community and better fill the gap of vulnerability. Payment of the health insurance scheme and agreements reached with clinics and hospitals provide children and families with access to health care, and raise community awareness of health issues such as HIV/AIDS, nutrition and hygiene, while child protection programs to benefit all children including those living in the refugee camps have grown as a result of needs observed in the DSP; vocational training courses and remedial education programs have evolved to support disadvantaged youth throughout the country in preparation for their entry into the job market, while programs to provide clean drinking water to communities in order to relieve some of the most fundamental needs within communities, allowing them to focus on growing beyond these basic needs. Above all, it is the observation of AVSI Rwanda that in everything we do, it is always the “human factor” which makes the greatest difference in development. Over these years we have recognized that it is the willingness to learn from reality and adjust our approach that makes our work more intense, rewarding and effective.
Nursery School, St. Joseph’s Orphanage, Gatsibo District.
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AVSI Rwanda
Education As an essential tool for personal development, education is the foundation of all AVSI actions. The nearly 20-year presence of AVSI in Rwanda has lead to strong relationships with government authorities and communities alike, which today help AVSI to undertake educational activities which address a variety of needs present.
Distance Support
These same social workers ensure families are counseled to be involved in this process of development, growth and empowerment. Whether it be through the material interventions, or through the personal growth of those involved in a child’s education, the aim of the DSP is to ensure children are given support not only to cope, but to be strengthened, and become a contributing member to the lives of others.
As the backbone of AVSI’s educational interventions, the privately-funded Distance Support Program (DSP) has provided more than 5,900 children and their families with educational, medical and psychosocial support since it began in 1994. The DSP’s support to community organizations provides countless more children and their communities with the benefits of an improved social service network.
Thanks to the network of partner organizations, which include three orphanages and a health center, the benefits of the project are extended even further than the children directly involved. The DSP could not achieve what it has without the involvement of the family, the community, and the good cooperation with the authorities, especially at local level.
Accompanying vulnerable children and communities through the educational process, needs are addressed in a holistic way. Providing not only the payment of school fees, but also access to health care, and all-important psychosocial support, children are accompanied through the educational process with the help of dedicated social workers.
As one of the first programs of AVSI Rwanda, the DSP remains to this day an integral part of each project AVSI undertakes undertakes and the backbone of AVSI Rwanda programs. Indeed, thanks to the DSP, food security, water and sanitation, child protection and remedial or vocational courses intersect, coexist, and develop synergies which help to ensure societal benefits are maximized.
“ First, you must think positively and know that you can leave your poverty through your brain. Without will power, it does not work. Once you can accept the advice of others and use your strength you can achieve what you want according to your will, even taking the example of others who have succeeded.” - Habimana, Father of DSP supported child speaking of his experience with the project.
Partner Feature
St. Joseph’s Orphanage Title: “Distance Support Program” Donor: Private Sectors: Education, Medical Budget: $768,300 Date: Perpetual Area: Kamonyi, Ruhango, Nyanza, Gicumbi, Gatsibo Districts Beneficiaries: 2,000 children/yr.
4,700 Children supported by the DSP since 2005
3 Orphanages supported with material support and capacity-building (Saint-Joseph in Gatsibo, Saint Antoine and Home Don Bosco in Nyanza)
1994
With roots in Rwanda dating back to 1992, Muhura St. Joseph’s orphanage in Gatsibo was officially opened in 2007. What began as a center loosely supporting 80 children has now grown into an orphanage which provides education, feeding and recreational activities for children, as well as economical and support programs designed to help their families become capable again of caring for their own children. “Apart from the food, the most fundamental thing we give here is affection!” says Sister Juliene. AVSI supports children’s education through the Distance Support Program, as well as providing the salaries of Social Assistants and Teachers who work with the children at St. Joseph’s. Each year St. Joseph’s works to reunite orphaned children with their families, and if no families are present, then searches for suitable families to adopt the children. In 2012 nearly 30 children were reunited with their families.
Year AVSI Rwanda began the DSP
Reunification
Uwimana Martine
In 1999 Martine’s father Kanyoni brought her to the St. Joseph’s Orphanage as he had no means by which to raise his daughter following the death of her mother. After more than ten years at St. Joseph’s, Martine was reunited with her family in 2011 and is living with them today. “I will remember all of the children (at St. Joseph’s) and will visit them often” explained Martine. “I’m happy though to be back with my family!” “Thanks for this orphanage which helped our child,” said Kanyoni. “It helped her grow well, as with me she during these years she could not survive.” Left: Distance Support parent’s meeting at the Gatsibo office. Top Left, Mid Left, Mid-Right: Recreational activities at St. Joseph’s Orphanage. Top Right: Nursery Room, St. Joseph’s Orphanage. Bottom: Martine with her father and brother at home.
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AVSI Rwanda
Workforce Readiness Curriculum Designed to aid youth between the ages of 14-18 with their transition into the workforce, AVSI and EDC (Education Development Center) as donor, have partnered to provide additional skills necessary for students at the crucial time as they enter adulthood. Building upon the achievements of the DSP program, AVSI utilizes the systems, partnerships and lessons learned to deliver work readiness training and supplementary curriculum geared towards strengthening the economic opportunities of more than 400 youth in the Ruhango, Nyanza, Kamonyi and Gatsibo Districts of Rwanda. Students are guided in the Akazi Kanoze Program as they participate in Workforce Readiness Curriculum and acquire work experience and life skills courses through the five vocational training centers partnering in the project. Upon completion of the training, students are guided in the formation of savings and loan committees, as well as provided startup kits for their respective business ventures.
Accelerated Learning Aiming to provide youth with remedial education and the basic skills necessary to access employment opportunities, the Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) has been designed to address the low level of education of vulnerable youth even after their completion of the basic primary education. Working in conjunction with the EDC/Akazi Kanoze program, and again, based on the experiences of the DSP, this program of accelerated basic education establishes and strengthens the educational foundation of youth needed to enter the world of work or to create their own jobs. Providing 6 months of accelerated basic education as well as specialized seminars organized to introduce youth to the potential jobs available, the youth within ALP are then guided towards 6-month vocational training courses developed through Kigese VTC in Kamonyi, an AVSI partner since 2004. Offering courses in construction, welding and electricity, students are furthermore provided with coaching and mentoring, then 6-months work experience, ensuring they are able to exit the course prepared to step into a career.
Ngarama Prof. Center
Title: Akazi Kanoze Program / Work Readiness Curriculum Donor: EDC/AVSI Sectors: Education Budget: $150,000 Date: 08/12 - 10/13 Area: Kamonyi, Ruhango, Nyanza, Gicumbi, Gatsibo Districts Beneficiaries: 416 youth
Aime
The Ngarama Professional Center is a vocational training school which provides masonry, electrical and plumbing courses. Following their completion of the Accelerated Learning courses, many of the ALP graduates then begin specialized training in technical schools such as Ngarama.
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“I became an orphan in 1994, and so didn’t begin school until 2005,” explains Aime, a teacher at the Ngarama Professional Center. “Beginning in 2008 AVSI helped me because I couldn’t find the means to pay the tuition of 95,000 fr (US$ 150) per quarter. After completing my degree I’ve now come to be a teacher, helping students much like myself! In my electrical class I have 26 students, and am even continuing my own education at University thanks to my salary. It feels good to be able to pass on what I’ve learned.”
Youth certified through work readiness courses in 2011-12
Title: Accelerated Learning Program Donor: EDC/AVSI Sectors: Education Budget: $125,000 Date: 09/12 - 12/13 Area: Kamonyi District Beneficiaries: 100 youth
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Musambira - Kamonyi
Youth provided with 18 months of job-specific training
Murangwa
As a Teacher and Director of the Accelerated Learning Center in Kamonyi, Murangwa is guiding more than 100 youth as they prepare for employment as part of the EDC program. “The students here a chance to gain the values which can help them to profit in the work world. They’re going to learn to read, write, and will exit this program ready to enter a professional training course. These youth can enter having missed many of the most fundamental lessons in school. They profit here from an environment which allows them to focus on moving forward without the distractions that may have been present before. I see that when they arrive here they are very motivated. They see that it is necessary to take the knowledge now, knowing the difficulties they may face if they don’t learn now! In my experience this has made these youth very good students here now.” Left: Classes at the Accelerated Learning Center in Kamonyi. Top: Electrical Engineering courses at the Ngarama Professional Center. Mid-Left, Mid-Right, Bottom-Right: Accelerated Learning Courses in Kamonyi. Bottom-Left: Masonry courses at Ngarama Professional Center.
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AVSI Rwanda
Child Protection Circle (UNICEF) Approaching child protection with the consideration that the achievement of one level of support is only the beginning of another, AVSI has partnered with UNICEF to provide child protection services to more than 3,000 children in the Nyabiheke, Kiziba and Gihembe refugee camps of Rwanda and in Gatsibo District through the Child Protection Circle (CPC) project. Activities are divided between those aimed at preventing lapses in child protection, and those designed to respond in cases of need. The CPC first aims to build the capacity and improve coordination of key formal and informal actors in child protection by strengthening and maintaining effective child protection systems to address challenges such as violence, exploitation, abuse or neglect of children in the refugee camps and in Gatsibo District. Together with camp and District authorities, a framework for coordination through child protection forums for refugee camp and child protection commissions in Gatsibo District has been established. In cases of need, direct interventions are provided access to psycho-educational groups and individual counseling. Thanks in large part to the Child Protection Committees formed as part of the project, more than 1,800 children participate in Early Childhood Development (ECD) centers which provide a safe
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In Gatsibo District, community members (especially women in cooperatives), supported by child protection commissions based in sectors have initiated Early child Development Centers where are cared 313 children. In response to cases of violence, abuse and/or neglect, more than 300 home visits have been carried out, with referrals made to the proper judicial channels when necessary. Since 2011 a total of 537 cases have been reported and followed in refugee camps while 233 cases have been reported and followed in Gatsibo District. More than 100 at-risk youth have been provided with start-up kits in order to help them begin productive work. AVSI, in collaboration with governmental and UN authorities, has established a clear framework of regulation and supervision that allows the interests of children to be protected. Educational trainings and community mobilization have been undertaken to strengthen the capacity of refugees and Rwandan communities striving to creating a safe and protective environment for all children, while response and rehabilitation mechanisms have been put in place to respond to cases of violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect.
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1,829 Children attended AVSI-supported ECD sites
99 Victims of violence received counseling
2,849 Children participated in recreational activities
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Title: Child Protection Circle Donor: UNICEF/AVSI Sectors: Child Protection Budget: $535,000 Date: 03/12 - 06/13 Area: Nyabiheke, Kiziba, and Gihembe refugee camps, and Gatsibo District Beneficiaries: 3,000+ youth
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learning environment for children while not at home or school. Nearly 3,000 children have participated in games and theatre activities organized by these committees.
Ca pac ity
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Lac Carek- of Prima Giver ry s
- Model for building a protective environment for children
Early Childhood Development Center, Gihembe Refugee Camp.
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AVSI Rwanda
Food Security Given that nearly 90% of the parents of AVSI-supported children are farmers, it has become clear that improvements in income generation within these families could have benefits extending to many different levels.
FAO - FFL Following the Tanzanian government’s decision in March 2006 to expel from its territory nationals of Rwandan, thousands of people have migrated into the Eastern Provence of Rwanda. Citizens need to be assisted in different areas in order to integrate into the community including: domestic needs basic necessities, education, food, health and nutrition. This project represents the second phase of an intervention led by FAO/AVSI to strengthen the capacity of these Tanzanian nationals to become self-sufficient. The FFLS (Farmer Field and Life Skills) an approach to the supervision of small farmers aimed at helping to break the cycle of poverty by increasing the capacity of farmers. It is a school without walls, where farmers learn by observation, action and experimentation in their own fields. This capacity building goes beyond experimentation with new technology and extends to an acquisition of life skills to transform their agriculture products in well-being.
The FFS approach was initially developed by FAO in 1989 in Indonesia, and has successfully spread to other countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa. It was introduced in Rwanda in 2008 and began to be utilized by AVSI in collaboration with FAO in 2009. Since this initial AVSI-FAO project in 2009, the partnership has continued, each year integrating new levels of support. Through three projects farmers’ cooperatives have been formed which continue today, attracting the attention of other development partners such as MINAGRI, financial institutions, the private sector federation etc.. Each group, having formed an action plan, is facilitated through the project in learning with a clear methodology how to go about dealing with not only the harvesting of their particular crops, but also in the networks available for sales. While learning farming techniques to improve production and the protection of the environment, farmers are also taught also life skills such as leadership, gender issues, nutrition, food security, child protection, HIV / AIDS and others. Emphasis is placed on income-generating activities must ensure the continuity of the intervention even after the termination of the project
Title: Strengthening Households of Tanzania Nationals through the FFS and JFFLS approach - Phase II Donor: FAO Sectors: Food Security Budget: $101,478 Date: 09/11 - 12/12 Area: Bugesera, Gatsibo, Nyagatare Districts Beneficiaries: 360
360 Persons involved in farmer field school activities
3 Consecutive projects implemented to continue level of support offered
90 Percent of AVSI-supported children’s parents involved in farming activities
Duterimbere Co-Op Costasie Costasie is the President of the Duterimbere Co-Op, an farmers group which began under the guidance of AVSI-FAO. “When we started growing we learned how to properly prepare a field, plant seeds, control weeds and analysis of what had grown. Before, we grew crops unconscious of the seasons or crop interactions, which meant that often we were not getting good harvests. Now we know how to grow different crops together, check the condition of the food, and how to prevent it from being damaged. I recommend to other people in the village to learn what I learned through training. I thank all those who participated in the implementation of the program which taught me so much, and even allowed me to start a small business with the proceeds from growing.” Opposite Left: Members of the Duterimbere Co-Op analyze the progress of crops. Above: A member of the Turitezimbere Group harvests beans.
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AVSI Rwanda
WaSH As a necessity for the development of the communities in which AVSI works, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene improvements help communities to lessen the case of sickness and focus further on development. Together with the NGO partner MLFM, AVSI has thus undertaken activities to improve access to safe water and to basic sanitation services in a safe, affordable and sustainable way for rural population living in 4 sectors in Gicumbi District.
ESV
capacity building has been an important part of the strategy to grant durability and action’s ownership. 30% of water infrastructures in Rwanda do not function because of the lack of properly trained technicians leaving only 39,6 out of 286,6 km of adductions working properly. In order to address this, ESV has utilized close cooperation with District management and training of water source committees and technicians capable of maintaining the facilities well after the project is handed over to the community.
Designed to address needs in water supply and sanitation for more than 67,000 people, the ESV (Eau, Source de Vie) project is an integrated intervention in partnership with MLFM which is composed of four different levels of action, incorporating: 1. Infrastructural projects for safe water supply and basic sanitation; 2. Hygienic promotion actions in favor of vulnerable people living in rural areas; 3. Sanitation sensitizations, and 4. Strengthening the capacity of each community to care for their own water sources.
A delegated management system of water works, commonly known as “Public Private Partnership” was implemented in the Gicumbi district partner. A contractor and a cooperative whose members are technicians, who worked on a water supply project conducted by the consortium AVSI / MLFM, were able to build a case strong enough to win the market at the district level. This is a history of good collaboration between the public sector - a district - and civil society - a consortium of NGOs and the private sector - a cooperative.
The ESV project was born of a first project for water facility funded by the EU in the Gicumbi District, and it is the continuation. Indeed, despite the lack of institutional funding, and in view of the reality and importance of the needs expressed by the population, the consortium AVSI / MLFM decided to do a second intervention to serve areas not reached during the first intervention, and which was funded by private donors.
Hygienic promotion in regards to the new water sources has taken place in order to improve people habits. With a peculiar attention to women and children, information on best-practices for hygiene has been spread in both homes and schools.
The ESV project has invested heavily in the infrastructure to capture, filter, and transport potable water to more than 13,500 people through a network of more then 37km of piping. In addition to providing 31 water access points for the population, the local actors’
Tools and a database have been developed to assess the effects of awareness activities and allow us to measure the impact of clean water on the health of the population, and made available to health centers Rwesero and Tanda in district Gicumbi. Finally, more than 50 eco-friendly latrines have been built throughout 4 schools, with sanitation and hygiene committees formed to ensure that the facilities are utilized in a good way for years to come. Right: Water reservoir constructed as part of the AVSI-MLFM ESV project Opposite-Top: Technicians descend to the pump house which uses falling water to power turbines which distribute the water to more than 30 separate fountains. Opposite-Bottom-Left: Water distribution point. Opposite-Bottom-Right: Pump house.
56,285 persons sensitized on proper hygiene and sanitation practices
53 Ecological toilets built in 4 schools and utilized by more than 4,000 students
13,674 Persons directly benefiting from improved access to safe drinking water
Title: Water - Source of Life! Donor: AVSI/MLFM Sectors: WaSH Budget: $845,000 Date: 04/11 - 03/13 Area: Gicumbi District Beneficiaries: 67,481