Rechercher
Affichage de 90 à 105 sur 121 actualités
-
Enabel, central authorities and local community identify areas of intervention in infrastructure - Rwanda
Denise NSANGA | 28/08/2020
The Urbanisation sector of the current Belgo-Rwandan cooperation is focusing on boosting infrastructure in secondary cities. Three districts namely Rubavu, Musanze and Rwamagana, in Western, Northern and Eastern provinces respectively were targeted for this 28 million Euros project dubbed Urban Economic Development initiative (UEDi). To scale up the infrastructure, a workshop and urban walk is organized in each district of intervention and brings together Enabel, Local Administrative Entities Development Agency (LODA), District authorities, the private sector and other partners for the identification and prioritization of quick-wins projects as well as role sharing among the stakeholders. “With the Urban Walk, we want to understand, together with all the stakeholders, the potentialities of the sites presented by the district and to understand how to work on their development. We want to participate in the construction process of a sustainable vibrant city” Mattias Piani, Intervention Manager, Urbanisation intervention In Rwamagana District, a road connecting the handcraft centre to the city centre of Rwamagana is being built under this project which is operating since January 2020. “We will benefit from this project as it will enable us creating more jobs from the carpentry workshop; having a new market which will boost our businesses; moreover, citizens will be getting jobs from roads construction” Celestin Munyaneza, Private Sector representative in Rwamagana district In Musanze District, construction of the new handcraft centre has recently started and is expected to finish mid-2021. In the city of Rubavu, the construction of interconnecting roads around its handcraft centre is starting soon.
-
A new strategy is under development at REG to ensure gender mainstreaming in the energy sector
Ellen VAN HIMBERGEN | 18/06/2018
From the 13th of 14th of June, elected members of the gender advisory committee in Rwanda Energy Group are in a workshop to establish a gender mainstreaming program and set timeframes and targets for a 3 years action plan. This gender mainstreaming program was first launched On March 23 2018 during the workshop to celebrate the International Women’s Day at Rwanda Energy Group under the theme « Empowering REG Women to Energize Rwanda », and is supported by Enabel’s Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building project in the Energy Sector (CDEU). The Energy sector in Rwanda still has a small number of staff women. This is due to the country’s historical and cultural background which discouraged women involvement in the technical works. Despite the current political will in Rwanda and Government efforts to promote gender balance in all sectors, the energy sector still has a very low rate. As of today, REG women make up approximately 18% of the total staff.In a bid to be able to reach the Rwandan Government targets of 30% women representation at all levels, Rwanda Energy Group has put in place a special committee in charge of establishing the program to ensure the gender mainstreaming in this sector. Among the strategic objectives of this program include the representation of women at all levels of REG management, equal opportunities to promotions, equal access to career development programs as well as ensuring a working environment that is free from any sexual harassment. “We believe that having women in the organization and especially in the management will contribute a lot to the success of our company” said the CEO of REG during the launching ceremony of the strategy.
-
Integration of mental health care in primary health care to increase accessibility in Rwanda
Ellen VAN HIMBERGEN | 07/05/2018
Mental health, a serious health challenge in the worldMental health is one of the most serious health challenges in the world. Globally, 700 million people are estimated to suffer from mental and behavioural disorders and one out of four people will develop one or more of these disorders during their lifetime. Three out of four people with mental health problems live in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) and yet up to 90% of people living with mental illness in these countries do not receive mental health services. One of the biggest reasons behind this “treatment gap” is underinvestment. Low-income countries spend less than 1% of their health budgets on mental health, while less than 1% of global development funding for health is spent on mental health. In spite of the chronic and long-term nature of some mental disorders, with the proper treatment, people suffering from mental disorders can live productive lives and be a vital part of their communities. Mental disorders represent a huge cost to health care systems and to the global economy, and affect some of the world’s most vulnerable people, through stigma and lack understanding. In 2015 the world took a huge step forward by including mental health in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which fixed the global development agenda for the next three decades.Mental health, priority area of intervention in RwandaIn Rwanda, the available data show that the country faces an exceptionally large burden of mental disorders and much of the country’s burden of mental disorders can be linked to the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994. Furthermore certain mental disorders such depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are described with proportions beyond international averages. One out of four people suffers from PTSD and prevalence of depression is 15.5 to 21% depending of the study. Drug abuse, particularly among young people, is a new mental health challenge in Rwanda and prevalence of epilepsy is high (5%), making mental health a serious public health problem in the country. Mental health is clearly identified within the overall Health Sector Policy as a priority area of intervention. This policy recommends the integration of mental health services into all national health system structures, including at the community level. On the contrary to many developing countries, Rwanda is on the forefront in terms of developing a sustained and sustainable national response to the burden of disease caused by psychological and neurological disorders, as well as substance abuse. Mental health in Belgium Cooperation context in RwandaThe Belgian Cooperation supports the development of mental health services in Rwanda over more than a decade and is the only bilateral donor working on this thematic. The Mental Health intervention provides technical and financial support to decentralize mental health care into general care and integrate mental health care into primary health care. This support is mainly through capacity building, equipment, mentorship & supervision and training of health professionals to deal with mental disorders including substance abuse related issues. This intervention supports also psychological interventions during the Genocide commemoration period. In order to ensure the success and quality of the integration of mental health care, the intervention supports the Mental Health Division of Rwanda Biomedical Center / Ministry of Health as well as the national mental health reference structures.Key progress in the decentralisation and integration of mental health careThe officially-approved Mental Health Policy, (introduced in 1995 and reviewed in 2011) has initiated a process of decentralization and integration of mental health care as well as the creation of referral services. At the central level, there is the Mental Health Division within the Rwandan Biomedical Center in the Ministry of Health. Its main mission is to implement the Mental Health Policy through a strategic plan under the guidance of the Health Sector Strategic Plan. Mental health is now integrated into the package of care of health centers, district hospitals, provincial hospitals and referral hospitals. Obviously, mental health services and resources were shifted from the psychiatric hospital to the community health facilities: District Hospitals (DH) and Health Centers (HC).Mental health services are effectively decentralised. Each of the country's DH & PH (43), through the Mental Health Unit, delivers a comprehensive mental health care package according to the national standards. Within this framework, each mental health unit provides inpatient and outpatient mental health care, including analysis and diagnosis, treatment and follow-up, rehabilitative measures, counselling and interaction with families. If necessary, the patient will be referred to mental health referral settings. Mental health units are staffed by a permanent team comprising one or two psychiatric nurses and one psychologist providing a broad range of mental health services under the supervision of a physician trained in mental health care. There are 66 psychiatric nurses and 41 psychologists working in mental health units in district hospitals and at least one GP gets hands-on training. Each mental health team receives on-site formative supervision and participates in regular case review sessions led by a mental health team from the national referral structures. General Nurses working in health centres and CHWs were trained to ensure an integrated mental health care component in health centres and at community level. CHWs serve as an important link between the community and health providers. In this context 766 General Nurses in Health Centers, more than 15000 CHWs and important number of volunteers (local NGOs & association) were trained annually. A stepped-care approach is provided: from health centres in rural areas, to district hospitals and then mental health referral settings in Kigali. Consequently, patients are treated as near as possible to their home and then receive hospital treatment only after community treatment has failed. A specific list of essential psychotropic medicines has been established for each level of the health system. These psychotropic medicines are part of the national list of essential medicines. Mental health care is integrated into the community-based health insurance (CBHI) scheme (Mutuelles de santé), which allows mentally ill people, similar to other patients, to pay at most a 10% co-payment for psychotropic medicines and services. There is no co-payment for the lowest incomes. By decentralizing mental health services and integrating mental health care into CBHI, the accessibility was increased, and the number of transfers to mental health referral structures was reduced. Data from the national health management information system (HMIS) shows that in 2016, all mental health units at DHs level received 26.060 new mental health cases and performed 201.902 outpatient consultations and 3.236 hospitalizations, with only 779 transfers to mental health referral structures. Rwanda still lacks staff with an educational background in psychiatry. Up to 2017 there were only 7 psychiatrists in the health system. In 2013, the University of Rwanda launched a third-cycle specialization in psychiatry to increase the pool of trained psychiatrists in the country. Specialists can ensure quality of care and expand health care provision. The first 3 psychiatrists were graduated in August 2017 and 10 students are enrolled within the program in collaboration with Belgium and Switzerland universities. In the area of prevention of drug abuse, regular awareness campaigns are conducted targeting young people. A specialized structure for the treatment of drug-related disorders has just been set up. Integrating mental health care into Primary Health Care (PHC) is a great opportunity to intervene early and prevent chronicity. It is also an opportunity to involve communities and increase accessibility to mental health care which can be provided close to the community.
-
Empowering Women to Energize Rwanda
Ellen VAN HIMBERGEN | 07/05/2018
On March 23, the launching of the Rwanda Energy Group’s (REG) Gender Mainstreaming Program took place through the important workshop « Empowering REG Women to Energize Rwanda ». All women of REG, nationwide and from all different levels within the organization, have been invited to the workshop to meet each other, discuss gender issues in REG, give voice to their ideas and suggestions on what issues they face and what actions they recommend to accomplish change. The launching of the REG Gender Mainstreaming Program is the first important step in the journey towards advancing gender equality and equity in REG – to ensuring women’s full participation in the success of REG and the development of Rwanda. Due to historical, cultural, social and educational reasons, REG, just as many other organizations in the energy sector, have low participant rates of women on their staff. With this program, REG aims not only to develop the capability of present men and women, but also to actively attract and recruit more women into the organization at all levels and in all categories of jobs. Today, REG women make up approximately 18% of the total staff and very few women are in decision making roles. As a first goal, REG hopes to reach the Government of Rwanda’s target and have 30% women in all levels in the organization in the next three years. After this workshop, the next step is a first meeting with the REG’s gender focal points and the Advisory Committee Members elected during the workshop to review the proceedings of the meeting and to decide on the way forward, to then prepare the presentation to the senior management of REG. Reactions of participants: “This is the first time for me to meet colleagues from other provinces in Rwanda. We don’t know each other, but still we find out we face the same challenges.” “I really encourage the development of a policy on gender equality and equity. I hope it will also include a strategy of retaining women in the organization, which will better enable the appointment of women in management positions aswell.” Enabel in Rwanda funds two interventions in partnership with REG: the three Belgian contributions to the Electricity Access Roll-Out Programme (BE-EARP) and Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Development (CDEU). At Enabel we recognize the importance of developing and harnessing the capability of all people to increase the performance not just of organizations, but also as a key contributor to the development of the country. That is why at Enabel we include Gender as a component in all interventions.
-
Kigali hospital network
Ellen VAN HIMBERGEN | 07/05/2018
The Ubuzima Burambye (Long Healthy Life) Program is supported by Enabel and implemented under management of Rwanda's Ministry of Health (MoH) in partnership with Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) and the City of Kigali (CoK). This program officially started in July 2015 and its implementation phase is scheduled to last 48 months. The general objective of this intervention is to "strengthen the quality of primary health care and health services in Rwanda". To properly manage the complexity of health issues in the City of Kigali (CoK), intensified by the rapid population growth with fast urbanization, several strategies have been proposed. One of them, supported by UBUZIMA BURAMBYE (UB), is related to the development of a hospital network for the CoK in order to produce efficient, organized, rationalized and integrated health offer in an urban context. Integration of resources (human, logistics, etc.), better articulation between all actors, sharing harmonized health information, improving reference system, merging technically complex services can considerably improve health services efficacy, continuity of care, and reduce the costs and fragmentation with better efficiency. In line with the national health policy, Kigali Hospital Network is mandated to “Promote complimentary between hospitals in their common production of qualitative, continuous and accessible and integrated healthcare to face the rapid evolution of the needs of the citizens in the city of Kigali who are increasing rapidly and face profound demographic and epidemiologic changes” The development of the network concerns 11 Hospitals in CoK: 3 National referral hospitals, 3 public District Hospitals and 4 Private hospitals. The main strategic interventions that are currently supported by UB include: Optimization of specialized and quality services delivery through regular exchange of experience/expertise, skills and information. In 2018, this includes 16 modules elaborated by specialists to be shared at district hospital level for medical staff; Define the vision, strategies, mechanisms and the resources needed towards a sustainable Hospital Information Network program by digitalization. The draft strategy hereto is to be validated; Improve the information sharing between hospitals in the city of Kigali through a web-based dashboard for the 11 health facilities. At this moment, the development of a plan to share real time information to improve the referral system (availability of beds, ambulance, specific medical specialities, specific diagnostic equipment, etc.) is ongoing;Develop a tele-medicine system initially directed to tele diagnostic: this year, a "Picture Archiving and Communication System" (PACS) will be procured. In a second phase, the set-up of a harmonized electronic patient file between network member facilities to keep a continuum of care and consistency in service delivery will be developed.
-
Nyarugenge District hospital: ceremony of first stone laying
Ellen VAN HIMBERGEN | 07/05/2018
On the 9th February 2018, the first stone of the Nyarugenge District Hospital was laid by Hon. Minister of Health, Dr. Diane Gashumba and by His Excellence Belgian Ambassador Benoit Ryelandt with the presence of The Mayor of Kigali and the Mayor of Nyarugenge. In relation with the decentralization policy, the Nyarugenge District Hospital is the largest infrastructure project to be managed by the district, funded by the Kingdom of Belgium and the Government of Rwanda. The project is co-managed by Enabel’s Ubuzima Burambye program and benefits from technical support from Rwanda Biomedical Center and the Ministry of Health. The hospital responds to a high demand for more than 300,000 Nyarugenge residents. It is expected to become a model of excellence and innovation in terms of organization, patient flowing, high standards of care, healthy working conditions, respect for environment, sound waste management, energy saving, isolation and network connection. The construction will take place in 2 phases: the first one will provide a fully equipped and functional 120-bed hospital by July 2019, including outpatient, inpatient, emergency and supportive services and utility buildings. The phase 2 will increase the capacity up to 300 beds to better cover needs of district population.
-
The use of digital technologies for sound decision making
Ellen VAN HIMBERGEN | 07/05/2018
Enabel optimizes its own internal processes and systems using the latest technologies in communication, management and results monitoring. We support out partners to build knowledge-driven institutions through the development of ‘open data’ strategies underpinned by the use and analysis of big data. This ranges from data of telecommunications operators to the provision of geographical information collected by interventions. Example from Rwanda: Mobile data collection for the BE1-EARP intervention’s baseline The Belgian contribution to the Electricity Access Roll-Out Programme (BE1-EARP) aims to improve the access to reliable on-grid electricity services in rural areas in Rwamagana, Ngoma and Kirehe districts. The main activity to achieve this is the electricity grid extension in specific lots in these districts with the construction of new transmission and distributing lines connected to the national electricity network. The existing houses, public institutions and businesses in the intervention area are then connected to this grid.In the end of 2017, the construction works in Rwamagana were completed. Parallel with the final stage of the works in December, the intervention conducted a survey amongst a large sample of beneficiaries. Out of apx. 8000 new connections, a sample of 954 households and 152 non-households (non-residential customers such as small businesses and churches, and to a smaller extent also schools, health centers and cell offices) were interviewed using Kobo Toolbox, an open source mobile data collection tool. Increased data quality through mobile data collection The survey is conducted by use of a mobile data collection tool, Kobo Toolbox. After a one-day training and a pilot survey, a team of 7 data collectors visited all respondents for face-to-face interviews and presented them a set of questions. Answers were registered on tablets, containing the pre-programmed surveys with apx. 50-70 questions (taking into account different scenarios in the course of the survey). A great advantage of Kobo Toolbox is that it can be used offline, as all the interviews took place in remote areas.However, the improved data quality is the most important advantage. The data collectors upload the completed surveys every evening to the Kobo platform, which then automatically generates a database of collected data. This allows real-time monitoring and easy data analysis. The skip patterns and validation functions (build-in limitations for data entry) inside the tool ensure both the logic of the survey and of the answer to each question. Working with digital tools also avoids the risk of post-survey data entry mistakes, which is often the case with paper based surveys. Through the survey, data were collected regarding the current energy consumption of households and non-households, and their intentions and expectations regarding the future (after connection to the on-grid electricity). The obtained data allow the intervention to better understand the potential results on outcome level as well as they point out challenges to be considered. 53% of the sampled households responded using torchlights to brighten their houses (possibly in combination with other traditional sources), while others are found using candles and off-grid solar lamps as lighting solutions. 97.8% of households and 99.3% of non-households expressed their willingness to connect to the grid. People not only expect to better their lives with improved lighting solutions, they also foresee positive changes in the community as electricity opens up new economic opportunities, improve health facilities and delivery of public services. However, the biggest challenge is the cost of electricity and its affordability for the households. The current energy related expenditures of sampled households are found to be on average a monthly 1905 RwF. With this amount, households will not be able to consume more electricity than what is required for basic lighting and mobile phone battery charging. The looming question is thus will the cost of electricity risks prohibit certain section of household to reap the benefits of electricity despite being connected to the grid? Are the benefits for the population sufficient to justify an investment equivalent to apx. 300 months of electricity consumption for the average household? A similar baseline survey will take place in Ngoma and Kirehe during the next months. In a second phase, there will be a follow-up survey amongst the same sample of beneficiaries in all 3 districts. The follow-up survey is planned to take place minimum 1 year after the baseline survey and will serve to get better insight in whether and to what extent beneficiaries make use of electricity, the reasons why they potentially don’t and whether or not access to on-grid electricity has resulted into (direct or indirect) socio-economic results, and thereby provides data for the intervention to measure results on outcome level.
-
Integrating the Enabel Health Programme into the Rwandan national planning, budgeting and procurement systems
Pieter DEPARCQ | 19/01/2018
In 2005, countries from around the world endorsed the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, a comprehensive attempt to make aid more effective based on principles of partnership, in order to produce better development results. As part of this initiative, Belgium committed to the principle of ‘alignment’, both with the partner’s development agenda and its management systems for the delivery of aid. 'National Execution' implementation modalityThroughout the years, BTC (now Enabel) has progressively relied more and more on Rwandan systems for the implementation of its projects: for a long time, most tenders have been managed according to the Rwandan Public Procurement law, and projects and programmes have been integrated in the Single Project Implementation Units (SPIU) that were established in ministries to coordinate projects funded by external and domestic grants. In the Indicative Cooperation Programme 2011-2014, it was agreed that Belgium would further enhance the use of country systems, by implementing projects under ‘National Execution’ modality. The Ubuzima Burambye (UB) Health Programme was identified as a pilot thanks to the long-standing and excellent relationship with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and its well-established SPIU. Use of Rwanda's country systems and proceduresThe most important change relates to the full alignment with the Rwandan planning and budgeting calendar, as well as the use of the Government of Rwanda’s systems for procurement and financial management (better known as ‘Umucyo’ e-procurement and ‘Integrated Financial Management Information System’/IFMIS respectively). The former change implies that UB’s activities are planned and budgeted for according to exactly the same procedures and timeline as MoH’s activities funded with domestic resources, which reduces transaction costs for the partner. The latter ensures that the UB Programme is integrated in the national budget and its expenditures reported in the GoR financial statements. Moreover, this close involvement offers opportunities for strengthening those systems through regular feedback which is provided to the relevant units in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN) or the Rwanda Public Procurement Authority (RPPA). Capitalising on the UB Programme experienceAfter two years of programme implementation, it can be said that the integration into national systems has been successful, although it has not always been without challenges. Notwithstanding the drawbacks, it is assured that future cooperation programs may benefit from the UB Programme experience thanks to an elaborate ‘lessons learned’ overview which has been built up over the years. For more info about the use of the National Execution modality, contact pieter.deparcq@enabel.be
-
Health Sector Working Group Field Visits
Alexis DE HERDE | 20/11/2017
Between 24th and 26th October members of the Health Sector Working Group, including BTC and the Embassy of Belgium, conducted joint field visits to the Districts of Nyabihu, Gicumbi and Bugesera with a special focus on Family Planning, Nutrition and Hygiene.The visits were led by the Director General of Planning, Health Financing and Information Systems of the Ministry of Health. Bilateral and multilateral development partners as well as civil society organisations participated in high numbers. In each district, the local authorities presented the district health profile as well as achievements, challenges and good practices in the chosen topics and in other areas such as maternal health, malaria and community-based health insurance (mutuelles de santé). Discussions were followed by on-site visits to health facilities and Community Health Workers' cooperatives where participants were briefed on key services provided.Family planning and Youth Friendly Corners In the area of family planning for example, participants were briefed about the youth friendly corners set up in some health facilities where adolescents can receive counselling on sexual and reproductive health and family planning methods. The Demographic and Health Survey of 2014/15 found that 7% of girls between 15 – 19 years of age had begun childbearing (i.e. being pregnant or having given birth to a child) which was a slight increase from the 6% shown in the previous survey (2010). A number of cultural barriers with regard to access to services for the youth remain but the government is committed to addressing the issue and has been calling upon various stakeholders, starting from the household level, to take more responsibility for sensitising the youth in order to avoid unwanted pregnancies while scaling up access to services in facilities as well.Addressing malnutritionInterventions to address chronic malnutrition (also known as ‘stunting’ which is defined as low height-for-age) have been stepped up in some districts with the support of development partners. One particular case is the district of Nyabihu, which benefits from high agricultural productivity and supplies food to many parts of the country yet faces the highest rate of stunting affecting 59% of children under the age of 5 according to the 2014/15 Demographic and Health Survey (while the national average stood at 38%). Again, the government is addressing these challenges which among other things requires changing mindsets and promoting better and more diversified eating practices.Peer to Peer Learning Opportunities The field visits are highly valued by development partners as they provide an excellent opportunity to take stock of strides being made at different levels of the health system and to appreciate the commitments of the local authorities in delivering quality health care. The visits offer a space for peer-to-peer learning between stakeholders working at the policy level and health care providers on the ground and are seen as an important tool to inform and strengthen policy dialogue. Findings from the field visits are presented at the Joint Health Sector Review, which is a semi-annual forum chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health .Health, a priority sector for Belgium Belgium has been a long-standing partner of the health sector in Rwanda. BTC currently supports a variety of interventions in close collaboration with the Government of Rwanda, namely through:i) sector budget support;ii) a capacity development pooled fund to strengthen human resources for health ;iii) the Ubuzima Burambye (‘Long healthy life’) institutional support programme which focuses on leadership and governance, quality of health care, urban health, mental health and maintenance of medical equipment and infrastructure.
-
Electrification in Rwamagana
Alexis DE HERDE | 20/11/2017
“We have set our targets but we will have to stretch them in the future. Our general target is to connect all Rwandans by 2024” said recently the CEO of Rwanda Energy Group, Eng. Ron Weiss.Access to electricity in Rwanda is one of the key targeted development boosters of the Government. The current target, dubbed 7-5-2, stipulates a 100% access to electricity in Rwanda in 7 years while this percentage will be reached in Kigali City in only 2 years and in all productive use centres (health centres, schools, handcraft centres, markets, etc.) in 5 years.BTC is one of the main development partners supporting the Government of Rwanda to meet these targets. The support is channelled through the Electricity Access Rollout Program, EARP, a program based in EDCL, a Rwanda Energy Group subsidiary company in charge of Energy Development.Through 2 consecutive projects, namely BE-EARP1 and BE-EARP2, BTC is intending to provide access 20,340 households in the Eastern Province. Currently, 36.5% of households in the Eastern Province have access to electricity, including 24.5% connected to the national grid and 12% using off-grid solutions. Through a Tunisian contracting company - STEG - under the BE-EARP project, 8104 households are currently being connected to electricity. Stringing works and transformers installation are preceding the last step to connect house after house.Residents of Munyaga Sector, one of the 7 sectors to be electrified in Rwamagana District, welcomed this electrification project saying that it will enable them to start various businesses such as hairdressing, milling and welding.
-
LCF - Short video documentary about the Local Competitiveness Facility
Simon DESCHUTTER | 07/11/2017
Through the cooperation of Belgium and Rwanda, the "Local Competitive Facility" (LCF) grant fund (worth €2.4 million) has been implemented in 4 pilot Districts - Gakenke, Gisagara, Rutsiro and Nyagatare - in Rwanda.The objective of LCF is to fund innovative economic partnership projects implemented by different companies or cooperatives, which will enhance pro-poor local economic development (LED). Supported by the BTC-funded Rwanda Decentralization Support Programme (RDSP), LCF is implemented under the joint responsibility of the Local Development Agency (LODA), the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC) and the respective District authorities.After a thorough selection process for which 497 projects initially applied, 36 projects have been selected for support. The projects are unique and developed by the partnerships, according to their own needs. Partnerships have formed in different economic sectors: in agro-processing (banana-beer making, honey-processing, bread making); handicraft (shoe-making, handbags, bamboo-products); tourism (boat services and sleeping services); and ICT (webshops).For one year, each project will receive financial support as well as capacity building on business management and marketing in order to secure sustainable growth of their businesses.Find out more about LCF by watching this exclusive video presenting this innovative funding mechanism through a sampling of 4 beneficiary projects.A short version of the video can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b-IyuR_O0s
-
Stringing of power lines in Rwamagana District
Alexis DE HERDE | 25/09/2017
In Rwamagana District (Eastern Province), the Tunisian contractor STEG began last week the stringing of power lines for the Be EARP project. Be EARP is implemented by BTC, in partnership with the Energy Development Corporation Limited (EDCL) of the Rwanda Energy Group (REG) and aims to provide sufficient, reliable and affordable on-grid electricity services for households, priority public institutions and businesses. The first connections are expected to arise in the last quarter of 2017!
-
The journey towards empowering the Capacity and Employement Service Board (CESB)
Alexis DE HERDE | 08/09/2017
The mandate of CESB is to contribute to a strong national workforce and performing organisations that deliver quality services to achieve the national development agenda. To achieve this mission, CESB needs to be internally strong as an organisation. Through the Strategic Approach to Capacity Building project (SACB), BTC has provided technical and financial supports to CESB. Organisational Development Coaching is essential to develop CESB internal capacities.Organisational Development Expert CoachingAll the Organisational Development Coaching interventions aim to provide lasting and sustainable organisational change. Through guidance, advice, training and support, CESB staff are able to gain knowledge and execute themandate leading to organisational development. The focus of the Organisational Development Coaching is to continuously improve and enhance organisational, team, and individual performance with an aim of creating awinning culture for all. The Organisational Development Coaching also focused on skills transfer for example byhelping staff create and design workflows and team accountability for day-to-day standardized process. These areconsolidated in a procedure operating manual, which includes the employee handbook, Human Resource policiesand job descriptions for all CESB staff.CESB Handbook Through the services of an Organisational Development Expert Coach, SACB nproject has supported the development of the CESB employee handbook entitled “The Link”. With the support of the Organisational Development Expert Coach, the CESB HR Office under the overall supervision of the CESB senior leadership authored the inaugural employee handbook for CESB that links and helps publish employee-friendly applicable policies and practices. The Link is an accessible handbook covering key areas such as Performance Management, Recruitment, Leave management and Code of Conduct. The CESB Human Resource Office and the Organisational Development Expert Coach worked with the department heads to make sure all departments were aligned.Job description for all Employees need to have clarity on their job specifications, reporting lines, key performance indicators and day-to-day interactions with stakeholders in order to perform at their highest potential. The Organisational Development Expert therefore worked with the internal leaders and job holders to articulate their job descriptions in a standardized format. The Job Descriptions are a key tool that informs performance management expectations, support in recruitment processes, informs learning and development requirements and is ultimately a critical tool for succession planning. It also helps communicate with clarity the technical, behavioural and experience profile for a job. In total 81 Job Descriptions for all the roles within CESB were delivered. It has helped organise all staff to become more engaged with the job thanks to enhanced clarity while improving performance standards.Procedure and Operationnal Manual One of the highlights of SACB’s achievements for Organisational Development is the creation of a revived Procedure Operating Manual which is in line with and relevant to the current organisational structure and mandate of CESB. With the POM, CESB is able to explain the provided services to key stakeholders while cutting on time waste and improving quality and efficiency to deliver.Procedures and policies The fundamental controls for an organisation lies in its procedures and policies. It is through these that management set their intent and guide their employees in the execution of their duties. The SACB project supported thedevelopment of policies with the aim of having clear guidelines for different areas in the organisations. CESB employees get to know their rights, whereas the organisations understand what governance measures to put in place.Advancing the strategic role of HR in Rwanda The Government of Rwanda considers Human Resources Development as instrumental for an efficient and effective delivery of the country’s development targets. Through the services of the Organisational Development Coach and in close collaboration with CESB, the SACB projectorganised a training on "Advancing the Strategic Role of HR in Rwanda”. We can point out three major achievements :1. Unpacking of the HR profession and promotion of specific behaviours that HR professional must embody;2. HR practitioners reflected on strategic HR responsibilities and the position of their department in organisations;3. HR practitioners were exposed to current regional and global trends and best practices in HR Management while promoting networking and the exchange of ideas.Through the SACB project, CESB will continue to benefit from organisational development coaching in the coming months. We will keep you posted !
-
17.000 households to get electricity by next year
Alexis DE HERDE | 08/09/2017
Current access to electricity in Rwanda is estimated at 34.5% of the population including 27.2% connected to the national grid while the remaining 7.3% are accessing electricity through off-grid solutions. Seven years ago, less than 10% of the population was connected to the national electrical grid.In order to ensure that the energy sector contributes to economic growth as set in its development agenda, the Rwandan Government has a target of 70% access by the end of the year 2018 . BTC is one of the main partners in the initiatives to achieve this objective.BTC is supporting electrification in Rwamagana, Kayonza, Ngoma and Kirehe Districts, amongst other activities in the electricity sector, through 3 consecutive supporting programs namely Be1, Be2 and Be3 in the Electricity Access Roll-Out Program within the Rwanda Energy Group. The general objective of the BTC intervention is to ensure that the energy sector is able to provide sufficient, reliable and affordable energy for all Rwandans. By mid-2018, around 17,000 households in 24 rural sectors of 4 districts of the Eastern province will be connected to the national electrical network.As per the Rwandan rural electrification policy, a special target is put on productive users including health centres, schools, administrative offices and markets to name but a few. Around 80 productive or public users will be connected such as schools, health centres, markets or water pumping station.
-
Putting the youth away from the danger of drugs!
Alexis DE HERDE | 08/09/2017
BTC through the programme “Ubuzima Burambye” is funding Rwanda’s national campaign against drug abuse. This activity led by the Mental Health Division of the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) involves various stakeholders such as the Ministry of Youth and ICT, Ministry of Education, Rwanda National Police, National Youth Council, NGOs including association of Girl Guides and associations of ex drug users.Drug abuse in Rwanda Jeanne D’Arc Dusabeyezu who is in charge of drug abuse prevention and treatment within the Mental Health Division at the RBC exposes the situation in the country: “a recently conducted study by the Ministry of Youth and ICT shows that 52.5% of the youth aged between 14 and 35 years old has consumed one or more substances at least once in their lifetime. Moreover, the age of substance use initiation is on average 11 years old. Due to regular drug use, one young man or woman out of thirteen (7.46 %) is alcohol dependent, one young man or woman out of twenty (4.88%) suffers from nicotine dependence and one young man or woman out of forty (2.54%) is cannabis dependent”. This situation is putting pressure on health care facilities. At Ndera Neuropsychiatric Hospital, the number patients with alcohol and drug-induced mental illness has seriously increased in the last few years from 440 in 2009 to 2804 in 2016. It is clear that without sound actions, Rwanda will face an increasing number of drug addictions. This could become a serious public health issue and an important barrier to development.National anti-drug abuse campaignIn line with the prevention and treatment of mental disorders, the Mental Health Division of RBC and the inter-ministerial committee responsible for fighting against illicit use of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors, supported by BTC Rwanda is conducting a national campaign of awareness and sensitization against drug abuse.“We took the opportunity of the spirit surrounding the international day to fight against drug abuse traditionally held on June 26 to mobilize people. There are lots of fake messages such as “Taking drugs will make you stronger and solve your problems”. We have realized how important it is to reach out to the youth with clear messages about their health and the danger of drugs. They also need to know that if they suffer from psychological or mental health problems they have opportunities to consult and be assisted. Taking drugs should never be seen as an option. This is what the campaign is all about” concludes Jean D’Arc Dusabeyezu.The campaign was officially launched on June 22nd in Kirehe district and extended to Huye, Nyarugenge, Gicumbi & Rubavu districts which are at high risk of drug use and drug trafficking particularly those on borders. The campaign will last until December and will be countrywide. Drug use awareness is integrated within a global package of sensitisation on health issues conducted by the RBC & MoH.
