NYANZA - The Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme (VUP), has greatly contributed to the improvement of social welfare among local communities especially in the eradication of grass thatched houses in Nyanza district, an official has said.

VUP was introduced by the government as one way of helping poor sectors in the country to develop. The money that is injected in the programme is allocated to various activities like construction and rehabilitation of infrastructure and environmental protection.

The programmes generate jobs specifically targeting poor residents of identified sectors to help them earn income and better their lives.

Apart from job creation, the programme also helps grassroots entrepreneurs by offering them soft loans  to help them set up income generating projects while direct support is given to the most vulnerable people in the community.

In an interview with The New Times, Egide Bizimana, the Kibilizi Sector Executive Secretary, said that since the programme was introduced in the Sector a year ago, the number of grass thatched houses has gone down from 1360 to only 370 in one year.

He attributed this trend to incomes earned from VUP.
"Residents use the money they get to build modern houses; many new ones have since come up. We hope to root out grass thatched houses from the sector by the year end,” said Bizimana.

Residents who spoke to our reporter said that the programme has been an opportunity for them to speed up their socio-economic development and welfare.

"With the money I earn, I have managed to build a house apart from being able to fund my wedding ceremony thanks to the programme,” said Jean de Dieu Ntawurunga of Cyeru Cell.

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