Rwanda
GEWEP II: Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Programme II Final Report
GEWEP II works with and for poor and vulnerable women and girls. More than 8 160 000 women and girls live in our programme areas, and the end programme target is to directly work with 1 022 200.
The main impact is through Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs). The VSLA model came out of a pilot in Niger in the early 90s. Nearly 30 years later, there are more than 6.7 million VSLA members across the globe. Other organisations and governments have adopted CARE’s model, thereby multiplying impact. GEWEP continued to scale up VSLAs, and advocated for governments to recognize the model. The Governments of Burundi, DRC, Niger and Rwanda all recognize the important contribution of VSLAs to women’s economic empowerment, manifested within national strategies, policies and funds.
Women’s economic empowerment opens up for women’s participation. GEWEP supported women to come together and find confidence and common cause through VSLAs. We find VSLA women who actively participate in decision-making in formal structures, and who manage to stay there despite resistance from some men. This is the main success for women’s participation, across countries.
The shrinking space for civil society remains the most difficult challenge. In all countries, CARE’s main approach was to maintain good relations with those that are directly engaging with the field of women’s rights or who control the implementing areas or relevant political processes. This approach was successful in terms of preserving enough working space for CARE, GEWEP partners and other civil society actors working in the same field. Read More...
The main impact is through Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs). The VSLA model came out of a pilot in Niger in the early 90s. Nearly 30 years later, there are more than 6.7 million VSLA members across the globe. Other organisations and governments have adopted CARE’s model, thereby multiplying impact. GEWEP continued to scale up VSLAs, and advocated for governments to recognize the model. The Governments of Burundi, DRC, Niger and Rwanda all recognize the important contribution of VSLAs to women’s economic empowerment, manifested within national strategies, policies and funds.
Women’s economic empowerment opens up for women’s participation. GEWEP supported women to come together and find confidence and common cause through VSLAs. We find VSLA women who actively participate in decision-making in formal structures, and who manage to stay there despite resistance from some men. This is the main success for women’s participation, across countries.
The shrinking space for civil society remains the most difficult challenge. In all countries, CARE’s main approach was to maintain good relations with those that are directly engaging with the field of women’s rights or who control the implementing areas or relevant political processes. This approach was successful in terms of preserving enough working space for CARE, GEWEP partners and other civil society actors working in the same field. Read More...
Mind the Gap Exploring the Gender Dynamics of CARE Rwanda’s Village Savings and Loans (VSL) Programming
This report documents the process, tools and key findings of a Gender Gap Analysis (GGA) carried out by CARE
Rwanda in late 2011 to explore how gender dynamics influence the process and outcomes of the VSL methodology
as a programming platform for women’s empowerment. The findings of the CARE Rwanda Gender Gap Analysis indicate that normative gender roles and inequitable power relations between men and women significantly constrain women’s ability to fully participate in and benefit from the VSL methodology. The specific objectives of the CARE Rwanda GGA were:
To learn how gender norms shape women’s participation in and benefits from VSL groups;
To understand the different experiences of men and women participating in VSL groups; and
To formulate recommendations for strengthening the VSL methodology to address issues relating to gender
dynamics. Read More...
Rwanda in late 2011 to explore how gender dynamics influence the process and outcomes of the VSL methodology
as a programming platform for women’s empowerment. The findings of the CARE Rwanda Gender Gap Analysis indicate that normative gender roles and inequitable power relations between men and women significantly constrain women’s ability to fully participate in and benefit from the VSL methodology. The specific objectives of the CARE Rwanda GGA were:
To learn how gender norms shape women’s participation in and benefits from VSL groups;
To understand the different experiences of men and women participating in VSL groups; and
To formulate recommendations for strengthening the VSL methodology to address issues relating to gender
dynamics. Read More...
YOUTH EMPLOYABILITY IN THE INFORMAL SECTOR (YEIS) PROJECT: End of Project Evaluation Report
This report presents the findings of the End of Project (EOP) Evaluation of the YEIS Project. The purpose of the EOP Evaluation was to ascertain the extent to which the project achieved its objectives and results. The Evaluation focused on the following aspects: (i) relevance, (ii) effectiveness (iii) impact (iv) efficiency (v) innovation, (vi) scalability and reliability, (vii) sustainability, (viii) project lessons learned and best practices, (ix) sensitivity to gender, women’s rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities, (x) project’s implementation architecture.
The overall objective of the YEIS project was to contribute to the elimination of poverty of youth between (16-30 years) dependent on the informal sector in Rwanda with a specific geographical coverage of seven districts namely; Nyarugenge, Kicukiro in Kigali City, Rulindo, Gakenke in the Northern Province, Nyabihu, Rubavu and Ngororero in the Western Province. The project was implemented by AJPRODHO in partnership with YWCA and CARE with funding from the European Union and Austrian Development Agency for a period of four years running from February 2015 to January 2019. Read More...
The overall objective of the YEIS project was to contribute to the elimination of poverty of youth between (16-30 years) dependent on the informal sector in Rwanda with a specific geographical coverage of seven districts namely; Nyarugenge, Kicukiro in Kigali City, Rulindo, Gakenke in the Northern Province, Nyabihu, Rubavu and Ngororero in the Western Province. The project was implemented by AJPRODHO in partnership with YWCA and CARE with funding from the European Union and Austrian Development Agency for a period of four years running from February 2015 to January 2019. Read More...
Rwanda Influencing local government planning process to address GBV
strengthening demand- and supply side local governance processes to ensure that local decision-makers incorporate and implement measures for GBV prevention and response into the district level development planning process, which is known as imihigo in Rwanda. This programming experience has highlighted the importance of strengthening women’s and marginalized groups’ participation in the imihigo process and ensuring that district level performance contracts include budgetary allocations for GBV prevention and response activities.
Influencing the imihigo process must however be understood as a long-term advocacy objective. To date, CARE Rwanda’s programming interventions have contributed to changes in the attitudes of local leaders in terms of their understanding of GBV as a development issue and their responsibility for ensuring downwards accountability to their constituents.
The starting point for this influencing process was the implementation from 2010 to 2013 of the Great Lakes Advocacy Initiative across six districts in southern Rwanda. This project aimed to increase national and local leaders’ accountability for the implementation of national GBV policy, as well as building the capacity of women and men activists to receive cases of GBV and to provide referrals to appropriate services and to advocate for quality, affordable and available services in the community. GLAI and subsequent women’s empowerment programming interventions by CARE Rwanda (GEWEP and Umugore Arumvwa – ‘A Woman is Listened To’) which also focussed on GBV prevention and response, provided the foundation for CARE Rwanda to build an understanding of the socio-political context shaping the implementation of GBV legislation at the national and local level and to develop effective working relationships with key ministries such as MIGEPROF.
Implementation of GLAI also involved Read More...
Influencing the imihigo process must however be understood as a long-term advocacy objective. To date, CARE Rwanda’s programming interventions have contributed to changes in the attitudes of local leaders in terms of their understanding of GBV as a development issue and their responsibility for ensuring downwards accountability to their constituents.
The starting point for this influencing process was the implementation from 2010 to 2013 of the Great Lakes Advocacy Initiative across six districts in southern Rwanda. This project aimed to increase national and local leaders’ accountability for the implementation of national GBV policy, as well as building the capacity of women and men activists to receive cases of GBV and to provide referrals to appropriate services and to advocate for quality, affordable and available services in the community. GLAI and subsequent women’s empowerment programming interventions by CARE Rwanda (GEWEP and Umugore Arumvwa – ‘A Woman is Listened To’) which also focussed on GBV prevention and response, provided the foundation for CARE Rwanda to build an understanding of the socio-political context shaping the implementation of GBV legislation at the national and local level and to develop effective working relationships with key ministries such as MIGEPROF.
Implementation of GLAI also involved Read More...
Making Advocacy Count: GBV Advocacy in Rwanda
Over the past 9 years CARE Rwanda has implemented a series of programming interventions designed to promote women’s empowerment and to address Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Rwanda. Learning from these programmes informed the development of a holistic approach for community based GBV prevention, which is now being scaled up by the Government of Rwanda’s Ministry for Gender Equality and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF) with the intention of reaching national coverage within the next 3-4 years. Read More...
Indashyikirwa programme to reduce intimate partner violence in Rwanda: Report of findings from a cluster randomized control trial
Intimate partner violence (IPV), which includes physical and sexual violence, economic abuse and emotional aggression within intimate relationships, is the most common form of violence against women globally. IPV can lead to a wide range of negative health consequences including depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, post-traumatic stress disorder, drug and alcohol abuse, serious injuries, and death. The Indashyikirwa programme in Rwanda sought to reduce experience of IPV among women and perpetration of IPV among men, and also to shift beliefs and social norms that sustain IPV in communities and couples. The programme also strove to support equitable, non-violent relationships, and ensure more supportive and empowering responses to survivors of IPV seeking assistance. The impact evaluation of Indashyikirwa assessed whether and how the programme met these objectives and sought to inform the global best practices in IPV prevention by generating evidence through a rigorous community randomized controlled trial (cRCT).
The quantitative impact evaluation of Indashykirwa took the form of a cRCT with randomization at sector level and two separate evaluation components: (1) a cohort of control and intervention couples interviewed at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months, and (2) a pair of cross-sectional community surveys with control and intervention communities implemented at the beginning of the programme and 24 months later. This quantitative impact evaluation was accompanied by in-depth process evaluation and qualitative research with beneficiaries and programme staff. Read More...
The quantitative impact evaluation of Indashykirwa took the form of a cRCT with randomization at sector level and two separate evaluation components: (1) a cohort of control and intervention couples interviewed at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months, and (2) a pair of cross-sectional community surveys with control and intervention communities implemented at the beginning of the programme and 24 months later. This quantitative impact evaluation was accompanied by in-depth process evaluation and qualitative research with beneficiaries and programme staff. Read More...
Safe Schools for Girls Project Midline Evaluation
Throughout the past two decades, Rwanda has made significant efforts to improve the coverage of education to ensure that all Rwandans have access to quality education through the completion of secondary school. Despite policies to increase access to basic education and increase enrolment rates, dropout remains a key issue, especially in secondary school where female students tend to have lower completion rates than male students.
To promote better educational, social, and economic outcomes for students, CARE Rwanda established the Safe Schools for Girls (SS4G) Project. Operating in the Southern Province of Rwanda, the SS4G Project provided holistic support--including academic resources, financial literacy training, and sexual and reproductive health education, and leadership training--to students to address obstacles to secondary education. As the SS4G project passes its mid-way point in 2019, CARE Rwanda commissioned this evaluation to assess trends and changes over time in students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to the intervention aims, in order to better understand areas that were performing well and identify those that needed revised efforts. Read More...
To promote better educational, social, and economic outcomes for students, CARE Rwanda established the Safe Schools for Girls (SS4G) Project. Operating in the Southern Province of Rwanda, the SS4G Project provided holistic support--including academic resources, financial literacy training, and sexual and reproductive health education, and leadership training--to students to address obstacles to secondary education. As the SS4G project passes its mid-way point in 2019, CARE Rwanda commissioned this evaluation to assess trends and changes over time in students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to the intervention aims, in order to better understand areas that were performing well and identify those that needed revised efforts. Read More...
Better Environment for Education Project Endline
Throughout the past two decades, Rwanda has made significant efforts to improve the coverage of education to ensure that all Rwandans have access to quality education through the completion of secondary school. Despite policies to increase access to basic education and increase enrolment rates, dropout remains a key issue, especially in secondary school where female students tend to have lower completion rates than male students.
To promote better educational, social, and economic outcomes for students, CARE Rwanda established the Better Environment for Education (BEE) Project. Operating in the Western Province of Rwanda, the BEE Project provided holistic support--including academic resources, financial literacy training, and sexual and reproductive health education, and leadership training--to students to address obstacles to secondary education. As the BEE project neared its conclusion in 2019, CARE Rwanda commissioned this endline evaluation to assess trends and changes over time in students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to the intervention’s aims. Read More...
To promote better educational, social, and economic outcomes for students, CARE Rwanda established the Better Environment for Education (BEE) Project. Operating in the Western Province of Rwanda, the BEE Project provided holistic support--including academic resources, financial literacy training, and sexual and reproductive health education, and leadership training--to students to address obstacles to secondary education. As the BEE project neared its conclusion in 2019, CARE Rwanda commissioned this endline evaluation to assess trends and changes over time in students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to the intervention’s aims. Read More...
Learning for Change (L4C): Strengthening Women’s Voices in East Africa (Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda)
CARE Austria, together with CARE Ethiopia, CARE Uganda and CARE Rwanda, has been implementing a three-year regional programme, “Learning for Change (L4C): Strengthening Women’s Voices in East Africa”, financed by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and CARE Austria. The programme started from 1st April 2016 to 31st March 2019. The core of this programme was organisational capacity development to support transforming gender norms.
The objective was: “268,622 women and girls are meaningfully participating in decision-making at household, community,
local and national levels”. The programme theory of change defined three expected results areas (ERs) to reach this objective:
ER 1: Improved organisational climate in partner organisations and CARE reflects transformative GED and psychosocial wellbeing.
ER 2: Programmes and knowledge systems reflect an integrated gender transformative approach in the design, implementation and reporting of CARE and partners.
ER 3: Women’s voices influence strategic forums concerning women, peace and security at national and international levels (contributing to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820). The L4C programme partners have included: CARE Austria; CARE Ethiopia with 5 government partners; CARE Uganda with 7 NGO partners; and CARE Rwanda with 6 NGO partners.
The main objective of the evaluation is to assess, measure and present the progress and success of the implementation of the L4C program (outputs and outcomes), draw out lessons learnt and provide recommendations based on these findings. The methodologies of the evaluation have included documents review; key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and self-completed most significant change (MSC) tools; reflection and review workshops; qualitative analysis; and presentation at a validation workshop. Read More...
The objective was: “268,622 women and girls are meaningfully participating in decision-making at household, community,
local and national levels”. The programme theory of change defined three expected results areas (ERs) to reach this objective:
ER 1: Improved organisational climate in partner organisations and CARE reflects transformative GED and psychosocial wellbeing.
ER 2: Programmes and knowledge systems reflect an integrated gender transformative approach in the design, implementation and reporting of CARE and partners.
ER 3: Women’s voices influence strategic forums concerning women, peace and security at national and international levels (contributing to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820). The L4C programme partners have included: CARE Austria; CARE Ethiopia with 5 government partners; CARE Uganda with 7 NGO partners; and CARE Rwanda with 6 NGO partners.
The main objective of the evaluation is to assess, measure and present the progress and success of the implementation of the L4C program (outputs and outcomes), draw out lessons learnt and provide recommendations based on these findings. The methodologies of the evaluation have included documents review; key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and self-completed most significant change (MSC) tools; reflection and review workshops; qualitative analysis; and presentation at a validation workshop. Read More...
Learning for Change: Strengthening Women’s Voices in East Africa
Learning for Change (L4C) Strengthening Women’s Voices in East Africa is a 3-year regional programme ending in March 2019. L4C has the aim of promoting the meaningful participation of women in decision-making processes at household, community, local and national levels in Ethiopia, Uganda and Rwanda. The programme is funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA)1, implemented by CARE Austria in cooperation with CARE Country Offices in Ethiopia, Uganda and Rwanda. It includes capacity development, and advocacy relating to the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in Austria, at European Union level and in the Great Lakes Region. The programme directly contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially on Gender Equality (SDG5) and UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR1325). Read More...