Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi is tomorrow expected to brief both chambers of Parliament about the government social protection activities. This is as provided for in article 134 of the Constitution, which stipulates that the Premier, once in a session of the Parliament, shall inform Parliament on government activities. When he briefs lawmakers, the Prime Minister will most likely highlight achievements and possible challenges as well as envisaged plans to augment all the government’s development initiatives especially aimed at improving the country’s most vulnerable folks. Home-grown social protection programmes based on Rwanda’s culture of mutual assistance and community approach in addressing common challenges such as Ubudehe, Girinka, Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme (VUP), and Mutuelle de Santé, are likely to be highlighted.Under Girinka project alone, more than 143,000 cows have been distributed to vulnerable households country wide. The plan is to distribute cows to 350,000 households, or more, by 2017. As social protection continues to be at the heart of all government’s development policies, officials have been pushed to own these different social protection programmes so that they duly offer sustainable and lasting solutions to improve social welfare.Focus is being put on, among others, assessing if the programmes are having a real impact on the beneficiaries rather than transforming them to continuous aid dependants. In March, the World Bank agreed to help Rwanda further cut poverty with stronger safety nets for vulnerable families after it approved a grant of $50 million (about Rwf31.7 billion) to help the country expand and manage its social protection system, to ensure that benefits reach those most in need. Rwanda has made record reduction in poverty levels, from 57 per cent in 2006 to 45 per cent in 2011, an achievement government partly attributes to the success of its social safety net programmes such as VUP.