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Since October 2022, FXB Rwanda has been implementing its FXBVillage model program in Gisagara and Nyaruguru districts with the financial support of ‘The Light Foundation’. The model is built on the principle of reducing poverty by implementing multi-sectorial interventions to simultaneously address underlying factors of poverty namely, economic poverty, malnutrition, lack of access to health care, lack of access to education, unsanitary housing and environment.

On 28th and 29th September 2023, in partnership with the local authorities in Nyaruguru and Gisagara districts respectively, FXB Rwanda conducted an event to launch the achievements of the program for the first year of its implementation. During the event, FXB Rwanda provided financial support of 23,231,240 Rwanda Francs to 400 beneficiary households from Ngoma and Ngera Sectors in Nyaruguru district and 21,195,950 Rwanda Francs to 400 beneficiary households from Nyanza Sector in Gisagara district. The support aimed to fund the initiation of Income income-generating activities selected and planned by representatives of the beneficiary households. Similarly, the 800 households were facilitated to initiate 38 Village Saving and Loans Associations (VSLAs), and FXB Rwanda organized and conducted training for all beneficiaries to provide financial literacy and capacity to manage VSLAs.
In education support intervention, about 2639 children in Primary and Secondary schools in both districts received scholastic materials, including 566 students in secondary schools who got financial support for school feeding. Expressing his appreciation for the program, Athanase Ndayisaba (65), a beneficiary in Mbuye FXBVillage, Nyaruguru District said “I am so grateful for the support I got to help me buy goats as my planned project. Since my 2 children also got educational support, I will do my best to make the goats rearing project successful, lift myself out of poverty, and be able to pay for my children’s schooling after graduating from the project.

In addition to economic and educational support given to the program’s beneficiaries, WASH, Health, and Nutrition interventions were not left behind. The 800 households and 38 community-based program volunteers obtained training sessions on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene practices ; with the households provided with hygienic home appliances. The program also provided iron sheets to 109 most vulnerable families in both districts for roofing their constructed latrines. The program also covers health insurance for all members of the beneficiating households, while training and awareness sessions about HIV prevention are organized during regular domestic visits by the project facilitators.

As far as Food and Nutrition Security is concerned, the 800 families have been gathered into 16 Farmer Field Schools (FFS), in which collective capacity-building sessions on good nutritional practices are carried out, and have received agricultural kits and seeds. Besides this, FXB Rwanda provided 96,000,000 Rwandan francs as nutrition support to the families for 6 months.
Addressing the audience, Emmanuel Kayitana, the Executive Director of FXB Rwanda reiterated that the holistic support aims at accompanying the program beneficiaries for 3 years while preparing them for graduation out of poverty : “In close follow-up by the program staff and volunteers, we will regularly track how beneficiaries will make use of the support they receive, and I have a strong belief that we have provided the right support to lift them out of poverty”.

FXB-Village Model ensures high community engagement in its implementation. The program helps the beneficiary to build the capabilities of supporting themselves as the program support reduces gradually. In year 1 FXB covers 100% of the planned interventions and requests the beneficiaries to contribute 25% for the planned interventions in the second year and 50% in the last (3rd) year of the program’s implementation. This informs the full resilience and capacity at graduation time.