Provision of Emergency Shelter and Agriculture Support to Communities Affected by Floods and Landslides in Rwanda

• Nyakubahwa KAYISIRE Marie Solange, Minister in charge of Emergency Management;
• Representatives from MINECOFIN, MINALOC & MINAGRI & 3 districts
• Dear Head of Agencies and colleagues from One UN family;
• Ladies and gentlemen,

Mwaramutse! Good morning!

I hope you enjoyed a restful weekend with celebration of Assumption day – for those who celebrated.

Nyakubahwa Minister,

I am pleased to participate to the virtual meeting of the Steering Committee and the launch of the Joint Project on “Provision of Emergency Shelter and Agriculture Support to Communities Affected by Floods and Landslides in Rwanda”.  We are honored to have your presence, today.

First of all, let me appreciate the collaboration between the Government of Rwanda with the UN in Rwanda for continued partnership and collaboration with a conducive working environment to deliver programs for the betterment of the Rwandans and people living in Rwanda.

For the event today, particularly, let me thank you Honorable Minister and the Heads of Agencies of the participating UN Agencies working under the ONE UN – Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for partnering on this project we are launching. I would also want to extend my appreciation to WFP colleagues and Local Government staff from the three project Districts of Nyabihu, Gakenke and Ngororero for the rapid assessment done, which was the basis for the design of the project.  

The project has been developed to support in due time the families most affected by floods and landslides that hit almost the whole country, especially this year between March – May. I wish to stand in unity and solidarity with families that lost lives of their loved ones and those displaced with loss of their properties.

In early June 2020, a rapid assessment conducted by the One UN in coordination with MINEMA, identified the three hardest hit districts to be Nyabihu, Ngororero and Gakenke. The report showed that 4,716 of the houses damaged were from these Districts and over 20,750 people, including children have been left homeless. Moreover, in the districts approximately 2,602 hectares of agricultural land planted with various crops have been destroyed, and cattle lost.

Additionally, these rains caused more damages and impact than regular rain seasons, and during this same period the Government is facing the COVID-19 pandemic. The One UN is therefore pleased to have received funding and being able to assist the Government of Rwanda and the communities affected by these rains.

The project has the objective to Support emergency shelter and agriculture needs of vulnerable people affected by floods and landslides in the 3 districts of Rwanda through provision of agriculture tools and seeds.

Honorable Minister,

Dear Colleagues,

With our partnership with the government, the ONE UN family has been supporting the people of Rwanda to build their resilience and promote social protection practices, through a number of initiatives and programmes such as:

• The One UN programme “Accelerating Integrated Policy Interventions to Promote Social Protection in Rwanda” implemented by FAO, UN Children’s Agency (UNICEF) and World Food Programme (WFP)

• The One UN nutrition project “Accelerating stunting reduction among under-two children in Rwanda” implemented by FAO, UNICEF, WFP, and the World Health Organization (WHO). Among others

And now, a total of USD 1 million has been awarded from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for the provision of lifesaving activities within the duration of a six-month period – that is from August 2020 to February 2021.

With this contribution, the most immediate needs of shelter along with agriculture, as identified in partnership with MINEMA and the three concerned Districts will be addressed. The two main components of the project will be;

1. Shelter: Approximately 1,781 households, corresponding to 7,091 individuals will be supported through the provision of iron sheets and other materials to rehabilitate their houses as per Government instructions.

This will enable families to return to their homes or to relocate to semi-permanent emergency shelters on safe land and address overcrowding problems, reported at temporary shelter sites and by host families. This intervention will also allow displaced families living in schools to return home and schools to reopen in September 2020, as per Government instructions.

2. Agriculture: Approximately 2,900 households corresponding to 13,651 individuals will be targeted with agriculture tools and improved seeds (early varieties of maize and fortified beans).

This will enable families to recover crops lost while also further contributing to their food and nutrition security at the household level. This intervention will enable them to produce more for their families as well as be able to sell the surplus to the local markets, thus contributing to improving food security among their communities. In addition to agriculture tools and seeds distribution, the project will also offer quick training session covering aspects on soil protection, modern cropping technique, use of manure and chemical fertilizer, nutritious local vegetable varieties and diets as well as cross-cutting issues.

This emergency support echoes the UN’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda where “No one is left behind”.

Honorable Minister,

UN CERF has previously supported emergency intervention in Gakenke District in 2016, under the project “Safety Net Intervention Program in support of vulnerable landslides and floods affected households in Rwanda” implemented by FAO and UNDP; multi-cluster underfunded emergencies implemented by UNHCR, WFP and UNFPA in 2018; Ebola Readiness in 2019 implemented by WHO and UNICEF. CERF gives the opportunity to provide urgent life-saving support through Rapid Response Window. Collectively, we hope we will document and report on success stories which will help show-case and demonstrate the benefits of the project to other potential donors for continuous support.

The One UN looks forward to working on this project in close collaboration with MINEMA, District authorities as well as Sector authorities, and continuing supporting the Government of Rwanda.

Let me end by thanking you Honorable Minister for the excellent collaboration between One UN and MINEMA throughout the implementation of UNDAP II and specifically on humanitarian matters. We are grateful for the support provided by the Permanent Secretary and MINEMA team during the entire process. Together we, will continue to save lives, leaving no one behind.

Thank you! Turi Kumwe!

Umunsi mwiza!