The government has taken a proactive step towards assisting households in extreme poverty by initiating a comprehensive listing process, with the aim of providing support next fiscal year.
Minister for Local Government, Jean-Claude Musabyimana, revealed that the government has also established para-social workers who will play a crucial role in assisting residents in their journey out of poverty.
Musabyimana said that a total of 60,000 households in extreme poverty have already been identified for special support to facilitate their graduation from poverty. He further added that the complete list of households in this category will be announced by the end of June.
"Over the years, the government has implemented various poverty eradication programs. Our priority is to closely monitor the progress and ensure people successfully transition out of poverty. The para-social workers, operating at all levels from villages to national institutions, will actively contribute to changing the mindset of those receiving support and ensure their graduation within a two-year timeframe," he explained.
In 2000, an alarming 58.9 percent of Rwandans were living below the poverty line. However, this figure significantly decreased to 38.2 percent by 2017. Extreme poverty, affecting 40 percent of the population in 2000, also witnessed a significant decline, reaching 16.3 percent.
According to the National Strategy for Transformation (NST 1) formulated in 2017/18, Rwanda aims to reduce extreme poverty to less than one percent by 2024. With only one year remaining, the country must exert extraordinary efforts to reduce extreme poverty from 16.1 percent to less than one percent.
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"We still have a considerable number of people living in extreme poverty. The residents receiving support will be required to sign two-year contracts, committing to working diligently and leveraging the assistance provided to uplift themselves from poverty," Musabyimana emphasized.
Rwandans who are physically capable of working will receive financial support for income-generating projects, enabling them to meet their needs, including health insurance, instead of receiving direct monetary assistance.
For instance, the City of Kigali has decided to discontinue the payment of Mutuelle de Santé premiums for the 22,874 households previously classified as vulnerable. Instead, these households will be financially supported with income-generating projects, enabling them to afford essential services.
The Ministry of Local Government has also announced the formation of committees at the sector and village levels, tasked with meticulously assessing and selecting genuinely vulnerable individuals who require government support in various capacities. This approach aims to avoid solely relying on Ubudehe categories.
The list of households in poverty and extreme poverty is currently being prepared, and these households will be required to sign performance contracts as they embark on a transformative journey out of poverty, with a targeted timeline of two years only.
