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By Frank Higiro
World Vision has donated an equivalent of more than US$332,000 to 14 new cooperatives in Nyamata District, eastern Rwanda.
The move seeks to strengthen the cooperatives, which are key to eradicating poverty in the region. It falls under the organisation’s Canadian-funded Governance Ecosystems and Livelihoods (GEL) project.
Jean Claude Musoni, the coordinator of a juice-making cooperative that received an equivalent of more than US$19,000, said the money would strengthen his cooperative and enable it to support others.
“We have been praying for juice-squeezing machines. Now God has answered our prayers. With this money, we will get more equipment and become a strong juice making factory,” he said.
World Vision’s acting national director in Rwanda, Edward Kalisa, has urged the project’s beneficiaries to use the support to lift themselves out of poverty.
“Through the cooperative strategy, it is easier to kick out poverty so you must do whatever it takes to exploit these funds to achieve this major goal,” he said at a recent event.
The governor of the country’s Eastern Province, Ephraim Kabaija, thanked World Vision for its efforts to improve the lives of poor communities. He said the government of Rwanda would continue to support the organisation to achieve their objectives.
Kabaija also urged the beneficiaries to work hard to eradicate poverty in the region. “Pooling resources together and utilising our different abilities will drive our nation to desired development goals,” he said.
Under the GEL project, World Vision provides support to groups, associations and schools that promote governance, ecosystems, and livelihoods and conserve the environment through the use of biogas.
Supporting community health workers
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Meanwhile, World Vision has also distributed more than 600 bicycles to community-based health workers in Nyamata District and other regions such as Gicumbi, nothern Rwanda; and Nyaruguru, western Rwanda.
The bicycles are aimed at facilitating their work as they move from door to door offering health-related support in their communities.
Norah Dusabe, 38, who received a bicycle, says she can now visit more needy people whom she couldn’t reach previously. “Some places were too far for me to reach and I wasn’t able to meet my target of visiting at least 15 households per month,” she said.
During their home visits, community health workers teach beneficiaries about hygiene, small-scale agriculture, and health-related issues. They also support people living with HIV.
“We also help those with psychosocial problems. They need us,” Dusabe said.
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