RWF 9 billion to support vulnerable families

By The Inspirer.

A report from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN) on the utilization of the 2024/2025 budget indicates that over RWF 9.4 billion has been allocated to a project aimed at providing financial assistance to vulnerable families.

This assistance will be distributed across 25 districts, excluding Gakenke, Rwamagana, and the districts within the City of Kigali.

The financial aid is intended for households living in extreme poverty, who cannot afford basic necessities. These are typically households with either no able-bodied member or only one able-bodied member who has the responsibility of caring for a severely disabled or chronically ill person who cannot perform daily activities like bathing, feeding themselves, or using the toilet without assistance.

Additionally, children under the age of 18 or those above 18 but still in school are considered unable to work.

Beneficiaries of this program are selected through community assemblies, with the final list being approved by the Sector Council. However, village and cell leaders are responsible for refining the list and managing any changes in household composition.

The amount of assistance is calculated based on the number of people in the household. A household with one person receives RWF 7,500, two people receive RWF 12,000, and three people receive RWF 15,000. A household with four people receives RWF 18,000, and one with five people receives RWF 21,000. The assistance is provided monthly, within 10 days of the following month.

There is also a special support provision for pregnant women and children under two years old in low-income families.

In February 2024, the Minister of Local Government, Jean Claude Musabyimana, informed members of the Chamber of Deputies that 975,680 households living in poverty need assistance. He highlighted that there are programs designed to lift citizens out of poverty, but they only reach a limited number of people due to available resources.

Although poverty in Rwanda decreased from 60.4% in 2000 to 38.2% in 2017, and extreme poverty dropped from 40% to 16% over the same period, reducing poverty remains one of the key goals of Rwanda’s Vision 2050.

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