As part of the celebrations to mark the 28th Liberation Day, Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) will on Monday unveil four Integrated Model Villages in three districts.
The villages contain furnished self-contained houses set to accommodate hundreds of families, as well as a wide-range of infrastructure projects designed to improve the living conditions of residents, according to RDF.
This year's flagship housing project is the Rwf15.7 billion Munini Integrated Model Village in Nyaruguru District, which will accommodate 48 families.
As well as the Munini IDP project, the year's liberation anniversary will also see the inauguration of three other model villages, in Karongi, Kayonza and another one in Nyarugugu constructed at a total of Rwf6.7 billion.
Aside from the four model villages, the military has also completed 32 villages for Genocide survivors across all the 30 districts (worth Rwf11 billion), a resettlement housing project in Busanza, Kigali for 840 families, two resettlement projects in Nyagatare District (Rwf8.5 billion), among others.
Together, more than 70 infrastructure projects undertaken over the past one year are set to be inaugurated on the occasion of the Liberation Day, which will be held under the theme, 'Together We Prosper'.
At the national level, celebrations are due to take place in Nyaruguru District, where President Paul Kagame was set to inaugurate the Munini IDP.
All the projects completed at the tune of Rwf191 billion, RDF Spokesperson Col Ronald Rwivanga said.
In addition to the housing schemes, the other completed projects include roads, schools, markets, bridges, a research institute of digestive cancer, as well as farming, livestock and environmental protection projects. Others include an IPRC (TVET) centre, early childhood development centres (ECDs), electrification and gridlines maintenance, among others.
The projects are designed to contribute toward the country's development and improve the quality of life of Rwandans, Rwivanga said.
Munini model village
The newly constructed Munini model village has three residential blocks of 16 units. It also includes a school, Groupe Scolaire Munini, complete with 18 classrooms, an administrative block, two advanced laboratories, a smart classroom, a dining hall with capacity to accommodate 1,000 people, a playground, and connectivity pathways, as well as three ECDs with their classrooms and kitchen.
The village also boasts several welfare facilities, including; pigpens, a tree plantation as well as a small and medium enterprise business centre (locally known as Agakiriro), selling points, water supply systems, access roads, electrical supply machine expropriation, and a furniture workshop.
Human security
Rwivanga said the projects were delivered as part of the RDF mandate, which includes ensuring the welfare of the public to help bring about sustainable peace and security.
"Liberation was not just about fighting bad leadership; it is also about improving the welfare and lives of Rwandans. RDF believes that, in order to ensure sustainable peace and security, we must ensure human security," said Rwivanga.
He added: "To this end, RDF partners with different stakeholders to participate in improving the lives of our people."
Women empowerment
The vice president of Nyaruguru District Council, Marie Rose Turamwishimiye, said women's empowerment is one area where Rwanda has made notable progress in what she called "one of the fruits of liberation".
"Liberation comes in different forms and one of them is empowering the people. Today, Rwandan women are able to go to school, to compete equally on the labour market and be entrepreneurs. These are fruits of liberation and another stage achieved," she said.
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It has become customary in recent years for such pro-people projects to be unveiled on Liberation Day.
During last year's liberation celebrations held in Kinigi Sector, Musanze District, similar infrastructure projects were inaugurated, including a Rwf26.6 billion model village of 144 families.
In 2019-20, up to 14 model villages hosting 318 families, and 286 housing units for Genocide survivors (561 families) were constructed.
That's the same time when Gishuro Model Village, home to 64 families, an early childhood development centre, a school with smart classrooms, and a health centre, was inaugurated in Tabagwe village, Nyagatare District.
Earlier, similar projects, worth billions of Rwandan Francs, were inaugurated in Nyarugenge and Bugesera districts.
Rwanda's liberation struggle was launched on October 1, 1990 in a war that would eventually topple the genocidal regime on July 4, 1994.
