Placing a steppingstone for women`s socio-economic empowerment and early childhood development in Rwanda

Unique for its expansive and lush landscapes, the district of Nyaruguru stands as one of the leading regions in Rwanda contributing to a significant portion of Rwanda`s GDP. Lush as they are, within these hills you will find women and men, sweat on the brow, determinedly working from the chilly hours of the morning to the sun-filled afternoons to harvest and tend to one of the countrie’s largest natural exports. The highly acclaimed “Rwandan tea”

However, these productive plantations are sustained at a great human development cost, particularly to women. This is the cost of an unequal burden to unpaid care work, coupled with the risk for deficient early childhood development. To bridge this gap and level the burden of unpaid care work that women face, UN Women partnered with the district of Nyaruguru under the “Safe Public Spaces” project to develop three Early Childhood Development Centers (ECDs) as a solution to empower women to freely pursue income generating activities with the peace of mind of knowing that their children are catered for in a safe, educational and nutrition providing environment.

Christine Mukamana, a mother of five, is one of the many women whose lives have been transformed following the establishment of these ECDs.

“Life before having access to the ECD was incredibly difficult. As a mother of five children working the entire day on the farm, it was almost impossible to look after them and be productive at the same time, especially with my youngest who needs to be breastfed and requires constant attention. With this level of distress, my work suffered, our income was low, and our household was a mess. I sometimes wondered whether it was better to not work, but just stay home to take care of my children.”

When I heard that a new ECD was being developed by the district, I became very hopeful and prayed that it would be a much better option than what we had at the time. Looking back, my prayers were answered.” says Christine.

The project has so far reached approximately 18,850 direct beneficiaries during its three-year implementation period. These ECDs were developed under the overarching mission to address the unequal burden of unpaid care work that many women face in the district, to promote women`s economic empowerment and ultimately gender equality.

“The three ECDs established in Kibeho, Munini, and Mata sectors employ a unique integrated approach aimed at strengthening children`s nutrition, protection, health, and education. Nyaruguru district was one of Rwanda`s most vulnerable to stunting, at a rate of 44 percent, but with the establishment of these ECDs and complementary awareness-raising activities including ‘Men Engage’ initiatives, the severity is rapidly decreasing, now standing at 24 percent with a target to reach 19 percent by 2024” said Assoumpta Byukusenge, Vice Mayor of Socio-Economic Affairs, Nyaruguru district.

“Having joined this ECD in April 2022, there has been a big difference in my life, and that of my family. Here, my children are safe, they can play and learn, and get a balanced diet, but also have stimulating activities to lead their development. Since my son joined, he can now confidently feed himself and easily learn new things. As a mother, I am now excited to witness the development and growth of my child.” she adds.

Although early childhood development is still emerging in Rwanda, the Government has demonstrated its commitment to this sector at the highest level. UN Women’s intervention in Nyaruguru district to address unpaid care work, and Unicef’s work to

(1) Increase access to and use of quality ECD services for families and their children, including integration of health, nutrition, and protection.

(2) Improve effective and responsive childcare provided by parents, caregivers, families, and communities.

(3) Support implementation of ECD policies and strengthen government coordination of ECD between districts and the national level, contribute to the first outcome of the UNSDCF with the aim to influence positive socio-economic transformation from the household to the community level.