For 65 years, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has been working alongside local partners and the government, without interruption in Rwanda, from providing large scale school feeding support in the 1960s to accompanying multi-sectoral programmes that advance nutrition, agriculture, livelihoods, youth employment, market systems and community health. Throughout this period, CRS Rwanda has been committed to its mission particularly assisting vulnerable families across the country, working in the spirit of Catholic’s social teaching to promote the sacredness of human life and the dignity of the human person. The faith-based international organization arrived in Rwanda in the early 1960s, running nationwide school-feeding programmes that reached thousands of children. Directors noted that the 1980s saw CRS pivot toward empowering families through small enterprise development and agricultural support, laying the groundwork for improved nutrition and livelihoods. When Rwanda faced its darkest days during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, CRS responded with immediate emergency aid, providing food and essential support to those in desperate need. In the years that followed, the organization shifted focus to rebuilding, constructing homes for refugees, supporting orphaned children, and helping the elderly and persons with disabilities. Projects in lowland development and watershed management further demonstrated CRS’s commitment to long-term recovery. “CRS’ 65-year presence alongside the people of Rwanda stands as a testament to ensuring partnerships with local communities, the Church and the government,” said Jude Marie Banatte, Regional Director for Central and West Africa. “CRS has supported families through crises and recovery, always upholding human dignity and empowering communities to thrive. Our commitment remains steadfast to support Rwanda’s vision for a resilient, prosperous future,” he added. From 2000 to 2010, the organization expanded its impact by partnering with Caritas to empower landless farmers and, for the first time, support families affected by HIV with food aid, while also introducing bio-intensive agriculture, nutritional education, and community savings groups that put local wisdom at the center. For the aforementioned half of its decade, CRS accompanied the Catholic Church in establishing Justice and Peace Commissions, helping parishes encourage reconciliation and human rights education. Since 2014, it has continued to serve across nutrition, early childhood development, and other vital sectors, always striving for transformative change at scale through partnership and listening. “The milestone of 65 years is not about CRS alone but also Rwanda’s courage and grace,” said Kumud Chandra, Country Manager for CRS Rwanda. “As Country Manager, I’m proud that our bold commitments are grounded in a simple practice that includes show up, listen deeply and build together – quietly and consistently. We look forward to continuing to contribute to Rwanda’s Vision 2050,” she added. ALSO READ: Catholic Relief Services: Embracing innovation, technology to promote gender equality Changing lives one at a time and for all This change is visible in countless stories that include vulnerable families who received dignified shelters and food aid, thousands of persons who were reached with HIV testing and counselling interventions, farmers who were supported with technical skills and seeds to grow nutritious food, communities who were encouraged to initiate Savings and Lending communities to enable them to access small loans, youth who were supported to start small enterprises, and communities who were reached with water infrastructures, better sanitation, and hand washing sanitations and more. For instance, Christine Mukajambo, living in Nyabihu District, started participating in a CRS-led nutrition programme to support the recovery of her malnourished son. “Through the programme, I was introduced to a Village Nutrition School, where I learned about food supplementation for my son and learned how to grow a vegetable garden in my compound,” she said. “My son received growth monitoring support to ensure his nutritional status improved.” Mukajambo also participated in a CRS-organized Savings and Internal Lending Community group, where she could save and receive small loans to enhance her family’s nutrition. Only a few months later, her son recovered thanks to CRS’ Village Nutrition School model that has also supported the rehabilitation of over 15,000 children from acute and moderate malnutrition. Along the quest, over 99,000 youth have been reached through CRS’ youth employment and entrepreneurship programme, helping them to start their own businesses or secure jobs to earn a living. On the roster is Hakizimana Erasto, 26-year-old from Rubavu District who attended and graduated from CRS youth entrepreneurship programme, after several attempts to secure a job. He benefited from training on entrepreneurship, and business management. “Through various programme support, I started a chicken farming business and today, I have over 1,060 chickens in my farm, employing three of my fellow youth and I have been able to coach more than 80 other young people on chicken farming,” he said. In his community, he’s nicknamed as “Big Chick”, as the community sees his impact in promoting chicken farming. The quest to increase food security CRS in Rwanda remains committed to promoting agriculture to increase crop production and household nutrition. This has been achieved through distributing over 18,000 livestock to families, supporting over 100,000 families to establish kitchen gardens, and providing seed packs and fertilizers to farmers. CRS also works with agriculture cooperatives to increase agricultural production and productivity, as well as addressing challenges they face to attain economic growth. Among those cooperatives, the KOAIRU GANZA (Koperative y’abahinzi b’ibigori n’ibishyimbo ba Rubira - Ganza), received technical assistance to build the capacity of the members, board, and staff on governance, management, cooperative structure, and leadership. ALSO READ: 4,500 farmers benefit from Catholic Relief Services' USAID-funded project As noted, the link between Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and community health is also important. CRS contributed to the installation of over 280,000 WASH facilities in Rwanda, constructing over 500 Community Water Supply infrastructures, including boreholes, water kiosks, water springs, and more, as well as contributing to the reduction of diarrheal disease prevalence among children. During moments of crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, CRS remained at the forefront, supporting those in need with interventions such as unconditional cash transfer to more than 9,000 families most heavily impacted by the pandemic. For instance, Joseph Kiyobera, 75, who used the financial support to meet his household’s basic needs and repair his house with the remaining money, underlined the impact of CRS’ timely response. The organization has also been working hand in hand with Caritas Rwanda. “Caritas Rwanda is truly honored to work hand in hand with CRS by delivering high quality services to the most in need in our country,” said Father Oscar Kagimbura, General Secretary for Caritas Rwanda. “We wish them a better and more successful future in Rwanda! May God bless CRS,” he added. Sixty-five years on, CRS continues to be a pillar of positive socio-economic transformation in Rwandan communities. CRS will continue working to enable Rwandan youth to access dignified work, by focusing on financial inclusion, digitization, and entrepreneurship,” according to the directors. Under its framework, the organization will also continue accompanying the fight against malnutrition, supporting systems and communities to bring down rates to 15 per cent. “We know that lasting change comes only through partnerships with the Government of Rwanda, Caritas, and other Rwandan public and private sector actors, and CRS will continue its commitment to nurturing these partnerships in service of scalable and sustainable solutions,” said Kumud. “CRS will remain a steadfast partner to Rwanda as it continues to make great strides towards its ambitions of being a middle-income country by 2035 and a high-income country by 2050,” she added.
