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| The Millennium Villages Project is addressing critical problems simultaneously- |
The Millennium Villages Project is addressing critical problems simultaneously -- hunger, disease, inadequate education, economic stagnation, and absence of essential infrastructure -- to end the cycle of extreme poverty and assist communities toward self-sustainable development. These integrative solutions present a model that can be replicated to enable impoverished communities reach the Millennium Development Goals agreed upon by all countries to halve extreme poverty by 2015.
Mayange Cluster: 5 Millennium Villages | 25,000 residents.
The Millennium Village cluster in Rwanda is located in Mayange, a sector of Bugesera District located about 40 km south of the capital, Kigali . In Rwanda , the“land of 1,000 hills”, the terrain around Mayange is flatter and drier than most of Rwanda . The area suffers from sporadic rainfall and declining soil fertility, leading to endemic poverty, illness, and a lack of economic opportunity. The project began working with an initial 5,000 people in Kagenge, one of Mayange's five subdivisions, or cells as they are referred to in Rwanda , in early 2006, scaling up to 4 other cells later in 2006. The population was facing impending famine because of failing rains and a poor harvest the year before, and the health center was severely lacking in staff, medicines, equipment, and supplies, and had no electricity or running water.
Unlike most of rural Rwanda , where individual homesteads are scattered across the hilly landscape, Mayange has several Imidugudus , or settlements, of closely spaced dwellings, which the government built to house returnees after the 1994 genocide. 15 years after the genocide, Bugesera and Rwanda as a whole are intently focused on rebuilding and reconciliation.
Intervention Highlights
By applying targeted, science-based interventions and maximizing community leadership and participation, Mayange has been transformed from what was previously one of the poorest places in Rwanda to one that has become a model for development .
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Agriculture: Increase crop yields, decrease hunger and diversify crops |
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Agriculture yields tripled in the first year and the villagers have set up a cereal bank to store grain and help curb the risk of food insecurity. Farmers have also made great progress in terracing which is proving to be highly effective in combating soil erosion and harvesting rainwater. The villagers are diversifying into high-value crops and are planting fruit trees such as avocado, mango and pomegranate trees. They are also planting beans and cassava to sell at nearby market for extra income. Unpredictability of rainfall continues to cause crop failures in the area and highlights the need for the population to diversify their economic activities. |
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Health: Improve access to basic medical services, improve maternal and child health, and combat the spread of major diseases |
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Malaria incidence has declined dramatically thanks to a mass distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets, and sensitization on their use, and malaria testing and treatment at the health center. Maternal and child mortality rates are improving as well. The number of pregnant women now coming to the clinic to deliver has quadrupled due to improved health facilities that are helping to ensure safe births. Before the project began, an average of only 5 to 10 mothers came to the clinic each month to deliver. Now, that number has increased to as many as 40 to 45 per month. In addition, contraceptive use has increased dramatically since the health center introduced routine counseling on contraception for all patients, male and female, regardless of the nature of the health center visit. |
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Business opportunities and income generation |
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Many women are undertaking additional income-generating activities such as basket weaving. The Imasirire (sunrise) basket weaving cooperative comprises more than 200 women who are learning basket weaving and business techniques, leading to additional income for their families; the baskets are being sold to visitors and many have been exported internationally. The project is also opening up the community to access to microcredit. |
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Changing people's life: some stories to tell |
Jacqueline Karenzo: Community health worker
Jacqueline Karenzo and her husband have lived in Mayange for the past 12 years with their five children. Jacqueline is a traditional midwife, and has helped MVP to sensitize pregnant women on the importance of using the health center's antenatal care services (including screening for pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and HIV testing). During her visits to the homes of pregnant women, Jacqueline stresses the benefits of delivering their babies at the health center .
Before MVP's interventions, women gave birth at home, usually with the assistance of traditional midwives. Due to constant shortages of essential medication and trained medical personnel at the health center, feelings of distrust permeated the community.
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Since the health sensitization campaign began in January 2007, the number of women giving birth outside of the health center has declined substantially. At least 85% of pregnant women living in Mayange have received HIV testing within the past year. Due to PMTCT interventions (preventing mother to child transmission), there has only been one HIV-positive birth identified. In addition, the distribution of bed nets was coordinated with awareness activities carried out by people like Jacqueline, designed to sensitize villagers to the causes of malaria. “We used to bury ten people per month due to malaria,” Jacqueline said. “There were at least two funerals a week. Since MVP's distribution of free insecticide treated bed nets there are no more funerals because of malaria.” |
Félicien Vugabagabo, farmer Prior to MVP's involvement in Mayange, Felicien and his family barely survived on subsistence farming: Their crop production was insufficient to feed Felicien, his wife and his three children. Through agricultural trainings provided by the MVP, Felicien learned how to line plant and construct valley dams and terraces to harvest the rainwater for use during the dry season. These terraces trap water for re-absorption into the soiFelicien and her wife planting maize .
In addition, in the first year the project provided fertilizer and high-quality maize and bean seeds in return for a payback of a portion of the maize harvest. Now Felicien not only has a high enough yield to feed his family, but also has a surplus to sell for a profit in the local commercial market. Within the first year of the project, Felicien sold 1,800 kg of maize. |
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With project interventions, Felicien has grown from a subsistence farmer barely able to feed his own family to a commercial farmer. With the profits he earned from selling his produce in the local village market, Felicien was able to diversify his crops. Through MVP's seed and fertilizer loan program, Felicien was able to gain access to credit for use in his new small agriculture business. With the profit he made from his maize, he used his credit to purchase high value fruit tree seeds, and high quality fertilizer. His crops include avocado, guava, pumpkin, lemon, guava and mango. The avocado seeds are especially useful to Felicien as they are saplings and therefore reach maturity within a single year, instead of the eight years that are typically required. Felicien has also constructed a new house more appropriate for his family of five. In addition, he can now afford to send all three of his children to school. |
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Mukasine Adèle : A basket weaver
She joined COOVAMAYA – Imirasire Cooperative in January 2007 after she having participated in several sensitization meetings organized by Millennium Villages Community mobilizers. Her family was in exile in Burundi from 1959 and she was born there, they returned in Rwanda after the 1994 genocide. |
Mukasine Adele before joining Imirasire cooperative After her primary studies she was not able to get good marks to be sponsored by the government and as her parents are very poor she was not able to attend private secondary schools although it was her wish. She was obliged to be involved in farming activities, due to shortage of rains she was never happy with her harvest. She decided to start a business of selling local beer made from sorghum, a crop that is well grown in the area.
Mukasine Adele after joining COOVAMAYA – Imirasire Cooperative She is among the first weavers who started the weaving cooperative, she attended the master weavers training organized by Millenium Villages Project. After the training she was also involved in training other weavers in her group of Mbyo. She has achieved a lot since the period she joined the cooperative, following are examples of her achievements: She was able to buy a mobile phone at 39,000 Rwf (70US $); She renovated her parent's house for a value of 58,000 Rwf (110 US $); Bought house furniture; Pay for her whole family of 6 people medical insurance; She is able to contribute transport fees for her brother who goes to secondary school; Bought nice clothes. |
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Ongoing Projects (by MYFF Service Lines)
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Rwanda
