Attachments
In Numbers
283.6 MT of food distributed
USD 763,612 cash-based transfers (CBT) distributed
USD 15 million six months (January – June 2024) net funding requirements, representing 58 percent of total requirements
136,642 people reached in December 2023
Operational Updates
Refugee operation:
• During the month of December, WFP provided food and nutrition assistance to 125,169 people, including 118,056 refugees and registered asylum seekers, 6,728 unregistered asylum seekers, and 385 Rwandan returnees. This included USD 756,177 of cash-based transfers allowing registered asylum seekers and eligible refugees to purchase food of their choice, and USD 7,435 transferred to schools that host refugees for school feeding contributions. A total of 224.3 MT of food commodities were distributed as hot meals to unregistered asylum seekers and returnees, and under nutrition and school feeding programmes. In addition, 6,253 people were reached through Social and Behaviour Change Communication for Nutrition.
• Insecurity and violence caused by armed groups in eastern DRC has been displacing an increasing number of people. By end-December 2023, 14,314 asylum seekers had arrived in Rwanda from DRC, and all of them received food assistance in December 2023.
Resilient livelihoods:
• 103 farmers who benefited from the Kinyinya irrigation scheme sold a total of 15,421 kilograms of produce, including vegetables and fruits from the 2024 Season A harvest. The sales generated an income of RWF 4,888,300 (around USD 3,900) for the participating farmers.
• 30 Farmer Field School (FFS) facilitators from Nyamagabe and Nyaruguru attended a 5-day training in Huye district focusing on pests and diseases control, harvesting, and post-harvest handling.
The session concluded with a graduation ceremony in which FFS facilitators received certificates, committing to apply the knowledge in their communities.
• WFP organized a one-day study tour for 56 greenhouse and seed conditioning users from Rusenge and Kaduha, along with their agronomists, to Gatare and Buruhukiro sectors in Nyamagabe district. During the tour, the hosts shared their experience in Irish potato seed multiplication, showcasing the process from vitroplants to basic seeds, and highlighting the benefits of greenhouse usage for both owners and the surrounding community.
Disaster risk management:
• WFP and MINEMA co-organized a training workshop for 91 District Disaster Management Officers and District Administration Security Support coordinators in the Eastern and Western provinces. Through tabletop exercises, the training focused on using the post-disaster emergency needs assessment toolkit developed with WFP support and enhancing reporting capacities.
School feeding:
• WFP provided daily nutritious school meals to approximately 30,000 students in 32 schools in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and district authorities. This aims to improve their health and nutrition, while also reducing school absenteeism.
• Cash transfers to WFP-supported schools enabled the provision of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as animal protein such as dried fish, enhancing the nutritional value of the meal and providing much-needed nutrients to school children. These are served to students three times per week.
• WFP participated in a 2-day workshop with the ministries of Education, Local Government (MINALOC), Trade and Industry, and Finance and Economic Planning along with Province Executive Secretaries, as well as Executive Secretaries and Directors of Education from all districts. The focus was on reviewing the new procurement model's progress and challenges. Recommendations emerged, targeting issues like low parent contributions, food price variations, improved food safety, quality inspections, and the need for additional staff to support school feeding at district-level.
Nutrition:
• In partnership with the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), WFP successfully conducted review and validation sessions for the HIV-sensitive Social Protection Assessment report on December 18th and 19th, 2023. Key collaborators included UNICEF, UNAIDS, UNHCR, UNFPA, UN-Women, RBC, MINALOC/LODA, and some members of the HIV technical working group. The final version is anticipated to be completed by January 2024, aiming to enhance access to social protection for people living with HIV for improved food security, nutrition status and well-being.
Smallholder Agricultural Market Support:
• WFP and Impact Hub Kigali organized a peer-to-peer event, bringing together agri-SMEs from the IGNITE food systems challenges 1 and 2. The session facilitated informal networking, and offered a platform for these ventures to showcase their innovative agri-solutions to the WFP team and external partners. Participants presented their progress, highlighting remarkable advancements in the food systems landscape in Rwanda.