New Home based ECDs (Early Childhood Development) centers to increase mothers' productivity in Nyaruguru district, UNILEVER tea Catchment area

UN Women Rwanda in collaboration with its partners ADEPE and Nyaruguru District officially inaugurated three Early Childhood Development Centers (ECDs) in three sectors of Munini, Kibeho and Mata in Nyaruguru district. The project comes as a solution to fight against malnutrition and stunting in children but also promotes women's safety and economic empowerment especially young mothers employed in the UNILEVER tea plantation. With the ECDs in Nyaruguru, women will get enough time to work with assurance of safety for their children and good nutrition which will increase their productivity. Niyibivuga Nathalie, a full-time employee in the tea plantation said that she used to leave her three-year-old daughter alone at home “I was always working under stress, telling myself that my child would get hit by a cyclist”. From now on, Niyibivuga will leave her little one at the centre and focus on her work, a joy she shared.

The goal is to promote the participation of women in income-generating activities. “We want women to work and participate in the development of their families. But because of the daily chores at home, including childcare, they are always busy. That's why we initiated this project,” says Alice Rugerindinda, UN Women. 

According to Grégoire Rucamihigo, National Director of ADEPE, in charge of the execution of the rehabilitation of these three centers and their annexes, this project cost more than 100 million Rwandan francs and has the capacity to take eighty children per ECD Centre.

This work is supported by UN Women under the “Safe Rural Public Space Project”  To enhance the overall safety of women and girls, men, and boys in the UTR Tea plantation’s catchment area in Kibeho, Mata and Munini Sectors of Nyaruguru District in the Southern province of Rwanda.

The project is funded by the UNILEVER and implemented in three sectors of Nyaruguru District.