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Updated: March 2009

Rwanda

Overview | World Vision's history in Rwanda| World Vision in Rwanda today

Overview

The Republic of Rwanda is located just south of the equator on the African plateau. This landlocked country shares a border with Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Rwanda is known as the “land of a thousand hills” due to the grassy uplands and gently declining mountain ranges throughout the country. Frost and snow are possible in the mountains, but mostly the country experiences a temperate, occasionally rainy climate. Natural resources include gold, tin and tungsten ores, methane, hydropower, and arable land. The official languages are Kinyarwanda—a universal Bantu vernacular, French, and English; Swahili is used mainly in the commerce sector. Eighty-four percent of Rwandans identify themselves as Hutu, 15 percent as Tutsi, and one percent as Batwa.

More than 90 percent of Rwandans still practice subsistence agriculture in this predominantly rural country. They grow coffee, tea, bananas, sweet potatoes, sorghum, and beans as well as raise livestock. The most densely populated country in Africa, Rwanda has small, overused land plots, outdated or unavailable production technologies, and erratic rainfall, all of which have rendered the majority of households unable to grow enough food to meet their annual needs. These factors, along with the country’s infrastructural issues, have culminated in a chronic and often acute food crisis for the people of Rwanda.

Dominated by various European rulers for more than 100 years, Rwanda won independence from Belgium in 1962. A long history of ethnic turmoil existed between the Hutus and Tutsis before and after independence. Though they often are considered two separate ethnic groups, they speak the same language, have a history of intermarriage, and share much of the same culture. In 1959 the Hutus overthrew the Tutsi king. Over the following years, thousands of Tutsis were killed and nearly 150,000 were driven into exile. 		Rwanda map


Rwandan Map 


Country statistics 
Population9.46 million
Land mass10,169 square miles
People per square mile931
Life expectancy49 years
Under age 5 mortality rate160/1,000
Literacy rate65%
Access to safe water74%
Average annual incomeUS$250
Religion
Christian93.6%
Muslim4.6%
Indigenous Beliefs 0.1%
None1.7%
 
 
The Rwandan Patriotic Front, a group of Tutsi exiles, launched a civil war in 1990. This resulted in one of the worst genocides in history. In 100 days, between April and July 1994, the Hutu-led military and a militia group, the Interahamwe, slaughtered 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Following a Tutsi victory, more than 2 million Hutu refugees fled to neighboring countries (mainly Tanzania and the DRC) in fear of retaliation. Nearly all public systems and health services in the country collapsed.

Fallout from the genocide along with chronic food insecurity, frequent droughts, and poverty have prevented many children, especially girls, from enrolling in public school. In response to this, the government recently instituted a plan to eliminate primary school fees. Catch-up programs have been introduced to help children who had previously been excluded, and as a result, primary school attendance has risen to 85 percent. Secondary school attendance, however, remains one of the lowest in the world at five percent.

The 1994 genocide increased the number of broken families and orphans in the country, and decreased the labor force. Today, 60 percent of Rwandans live on less than a dollar a day. The country is ranked 161st out of 177 on the UN’s Human Development Index. The current government is focusing on re-establishing the civil administration, reconstructing the social and economic infrastructure, and assuring public safety. Electric and water systems are being restored and health centers are being refurbished.

The HIV and AIDS epidemic is undermining progress in Rwanda. An estimated 210,000 children have lost one or both of their parents to AIDS. There are 100,000 children living in child-headed households, due in part to the genocide and in part to AIDS. Malaria, diarrhea, and respiratory infections are the other primary causes of death in Rwanda. The infant mortality rate is among the highest in the world at 98 deaths per 1,000 live births. The government is working to improve health services.

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World Vision’s history in Rwanda

In 1976, World Vision began working with the people of Rwanda through support of the Free Methodist Church in Cyangugu. Approximately 1,200 children and their families were provided with food, clothing, education, vocational training, and adult literacy classes.

From 1988 to 1990, World Vision responded to an urgent appeal from the international community regarding the refugee crisis in southern Rwanda. Partnering with African Enterprise, the Anglican Church of Rwanda, and other members of the Kigali community, World Vision provided food, medicines, tents, and blankets to assist 2,000 refugees fleeing tribal conflict in northern Burundi.

Due to widespread crop failures in the Bultare and Gikogoro districts in the late 1980s, World Vision, partnering with local churches, provided emergency food relief to 8,000 people suffering from malnutrition and starvation.

From 1991 to 1998, World Vision began the Displaced Persons Project to address the massive relocation of refugees fleeing genocide and ethnic violence. World Vision ministered to more than 400,000 people in the Rwandan towns of Kigali, Byumba, Gikongoro, and Kanzenze as well as Bujumbura in Burundi, Kabale in Uganda, and Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo (then Zaire).

Beneficiaries were provided with health services, food, agricultural assistance, and emergency relief supplies including blankets, cooking utensils, and clothing. Unaccompanied children, those who were orphaned, lost, or abandoned, were provided with care and reunification assistance to help find their parents, other family members, or foster homes. In addition, many children received trauma counseling to help them heal emotionally from the atrocities they endured.

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World Vision in Rwanda today

World Vision is committed to partnering with the people of Rwanda to enhance their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future of their communities, families, and children. Currently, 47,506 children are registered in the World Vision sponsorship program. Several times this number of children and other family members benefit from World Vision activities. Of these registered children, many have World Vision sponsors in other countries. U.S. donors sponsor more than 23,300 girls and boys. In addition, World Vision operates 13 development programs, five of which are supported by U.S. donors. Highlights of these efforts include the following:
  • The Rwanda Care and Support Project is an effort to improve the psychological and social well-being of more than 2,100 orphans and vulnerable children in Gikongoro, considered the poorest region in Rwanda. In partnership with Tulane University School of Public Health, the project seeks to complement other activities by adding an adult support structure. Mentors will train community volunteers to visit and offer care and guidance to youth who have lost their parents. In 2007, six sports teams and two artistic expression groups were set up for children, 65 local leaders were trained on child rights, and 30 children gained access to legal services.
  • The Orphans and Vulnerable Children Project seeks to improve the welfare of orphans and vulnerable children through initiatives that address the children’s need for shelter, food, health care, education, and spiritual nurture. In addition to caring for orphans, the project is working to restore social and cultural systems in war-torn communities. In 2007, school fees were paid for 20 orphans, 429 children received school supplies, and 25 caregivers were trained in HIV and AIDS prevention education.
  • The Nyarutovu Vocational Skills Training Program targets households with orphaned and vulnerable children, offering skills training to enable them to generate income to meet their needs. Artisans will train youths in apprenticeships, allowing them to gain access to tools, basic equipment, and receive a start-up loan to launch a small business. Thus far, construction has begun on 25 houses for children living without their parents, and 38 children have enrolled in vocational training programs in tailoring, carpentry, and masonry.
For further information about World Vision’s programs in Rwanda, please contact the United States office.

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