Note: This document may not always reflect the actual appropriations determined by Congress. Final budget allocations for USAID's programs are not determined until after passage of an appropriations bill and preparation of the Operating Year Budget (OYB).

RWANDA

FY 1998 Development Fund for Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,500,000
FY 1998 P.L. 480 Title II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $44,808,000

Introduction

Achievement of a lasting peace in Rwanda -- a pivotal country in the Great Lakes region -- is in the clear interest of the United States. It is manifestly evident that the costs of failure in this endeavor, in loss of life and in human suffering, are incalculable and that failure's claim on American and other international resources - monetary, human, environmental - is staggering. The types and levels of assistance needed to rebuild society will test U.S. commitment to Africa as well as its ability to apply the principles of President Clinton's Greater Horn of Africa Initiative (GHAI). Stability and reconciliation in Rwanda are essential for regional stability; renewed conflict will further inflame the Great Lakes region. The Rwandan people have endured a catastrophe of historic proportions: civil war, genocide and mass migrations. In a massive move -- unprecedented in history -- some half million refugees returned to Rwanda from Zaire in 10 days in November 1996, followed in December by hundreds of thousands more from Tanzania.. The needs of a year ago - for security, food, shelter, basic services - have not changed with the returnees; they have intensified, straining a fragile society that is among the world's poorest. Although the Government of Rwanda (GOR) is striving - thus far successfully - to bring peace and stability to the nation, this process requires the monumental task of promoting reconciliation between perpetrators and victims of the genocide. As the GOR and populace dedicate themselves to providing immediate needs of security, food and shelter, there is also the opportunity and desire to nurture democratic principles and institutions, and the determination not to be deterred from the path of participatory development and sustainable economic growth.

The transition situation which confronts Rwanda is becoming more common on the African continent. There is a need for relief assistance, but by the GOR's own admission, this is for a finite period only and must be provided in ways which lay the groundwork for transition to self-sustaining development. It is this type of situation which spurred the United States to create and demand implementation of the GHAI. The GHAI principles include: ensuring African ownership and leadership of the development process; strategic coordination; undertaking activities in a regional framework; and, explicit linkage of relief and development strategies and activities. The GOR responded quickly and successfully to lead the international community in the massive repatriation. Its promulgated strategic framework addresses both immediate needs for reintegration of refugees and the longer-term goals of economic growth. It is incumbent on international donors and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), to coordinate in reinforcing the GOR's lead and capacity. Since 1994, the international community has responded generously to relief needs of Rwandans outside its borders. Large levels of assistance will continue to be needed for as many as two million returned Rwandans, but is also important for vulnerable Rwandans who survived the genocide and are struggling to rebuild their lives.

The magnitude of the 1994 crisis can best be measured by its impact on the Rwandan population of 7.5 million. A four-year civil war and mass genocide provoked an unprecedented migration of hundreds of thousands. The country was decimated: more than 10% of the population (one million people) was annihilated. Entire families and villages were destroyed. Nearly two million Rwandans left the country -- largely forced out by vanquished government forces. The enormous mix of refugees and continued control of the camps by the past leadership complicated the situation and thwarted prompt repatriation. The provision of feeding and shelter programs to the camps, as required by international conventions, by the international community over a two-year period, had the unwanted effect of making them somewhat responsible for supporting leaders of the past regime, as well as prolonging the encampment of hundreds of thousands of refugees, which further destabilized regional security.

Consistent with the GHAI, the situation in Rwanda should be viewed within a regional context. The GreatLakes area is one of the most troubled on the sub-continent. The ramifications of conflict and refugee flows affect each country individually. The large and multiple refugee camps became a burden and source of discord for Zaire, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, and Kenya; i.e., the entire Great Lakes Region and beyond. In addition, each country is confronted with domestic strife. Zaire -- the most populated and potentially the most wealthy, has served as the cornerstone of the region. It is currently composed of increasingly fragmented regional and political interests vying with ineffective and corrupt national leadership. It was political turmoil in eastern Zaire that caused the ex-Rwanda Armed Forces (ex-RAF) and militia to lose their control over the refugee camps, clearing the way for the majority of the Rwandan refugees to return home. Uganda, also recently convulsed by civil war, has achieved relative stability and unprecedented economic growth, but continues to struggle with internal strife in the north and chronic conflicts across the border with Zaire. In Burundi, the overt ethnic nature of the ongoing struggle and instability exacerbates similar tensions inside Rwanda -- and elsewhere.

On the more positive side, there are important constructive alliances forming within the Greater Horn of Africa (GHA). Governments in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Rwanda, and Uganda are beginning to build upon shared experiences, philosophies, and vision. Each has recently won a prolonged civil war, has set up a related but separate civilian government, and has cautiously begun instituting democratic principles and institutions. All are heavily populated by former fighters and returned refugees. The alliance with neighboring Uganda was formed while many of Rwanda's current leaders were studying and working there during the former Rwandan regime. Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Uganda are the founding members of the new, revitalized Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). IGAD, currently comprised of seven member states, has as its central mandate the prevention, mitigation and resolution of conflict in the GHA sub-region. The member states of this organization are considering inviting the states of the Great Lakes (Burundi, Rwanda, and Tanzania) to join the organization in recognition of the interdependent causes and potential solutions of conflict in east and central Africa.

While the rapport of some other Western nations suffers, the United States maintains a strong leadership role in Rwanda disproportionate to its financial assistance. The United States, in an ambiance of confidence and consultation, has a healthy and open relationship with the new GOR. This ability to leverage and provide leadership among other donors is key to the success of U.S. policy in Rwanda. From May 1994 to February 1995, U.S. Government (USG) assistance to Rwanda was primarily humanitarian with the goal of saving lives and reducing suffering. In the post-crisis period, U.S. assistance is needed to continue provision for the basic needs of food, water, and shelter where immediately required. The goal, however, is to return attention and resources as rapidly as the context permits to the challenges of sustainable development, particularly in the justice and health sectors.

The Development Challenge

The program challenge is to integrate the various USG resources (humanitarian, rehabilitation, development, political and military resources) to most effectively help Rwanda move toward recovery, long-term stability and sustained development.

Within the context of the encouraging, but fragile, stability within Rwanda and the problems within the region, the primary transition-to-development challenges are to:

  1. promote social stability and increased confidence by strengthening the institutions of justice and democratic governance;

  2. promote resettlement and reintegration into the economy by improving household food security and increasing access to basic social and family services nationwide; and,

  3. apply the principles of the GHAI as keys to concerted, African-led efforts to extend stability and return to development in the country and region.
The situation is fraught with potential difficulties. Returnees found their former homes and land occupied, both by Rwandans that remained after the civil war and by those who returned to their homeland after many years. Returning refugees include ex-military and political forces who controlled the camps in order to foment opposition and destabilize the post-war Rwandan government.

Still, there are many promising internal indicators of recovery and rehabilitation despite limited resources and distracting regional instability. A civilian administration was in place by 1995. Government ministries are re-established, though lacking human and financial resources. The internally displaced were reintegrated by 1995 and the new influx of refugees are being reintegrated remarkably well. Over 5,500 children have been reunified with their families. Education capacity is slowly being re-established. The national health delivery system has been reconstituted, but lacks trained staff. Overall agricultural production is improving, but is still only 77% of pre-war levels, with production much lower in areas hardest hit by genocide and out-migration. The National Assembly, representing seven political parties, has reassembled and is functioning with increasing gusto. The Supreme Court, approved by the National Assembly, is now operating. Local civil administrators have been appointed and a civilian police force established. The GOR has promulgated a new law providing special procedures for processing the large genocide caseload. Above all, is the indisputable capacity for sound, decisive leadership demonstrated by the Rwandan Government in rising, with minimal resources, to cope so successfully with the unprecedented challenge of repatriation.

However, many problems loom. The grief and pain of genocide losses remain. It is estimated that over one million returnees struggle with reintegration. Some 70% of the population is female -- many are widows or single parents. Over 21,000 children are orphaned or separated from their families, with over 13,000 living in children's centers. A critical shortage of trained human resources persists in all sectors. The first trials have started for the more than 85,000 Rwandans accused of participating in the genocide and detained in Rwanda's prisons. Land mines still take lives and render areas of Rwanda underproductive. Military expenditures remain high. While the civilian police force is systematically rebuilding, the military continues to perform many law enforcement functions. Severe budgetary constraints and pressures are compounded by a foreign debt of approximately $930 million.

Other Donors

There have been a series of international conferences on the situation in Rwanda. In the first post-war Round Table Conference on Rwanda in January 1995, the United States pledged over $60 million to assist Rwanda in its transition from crisis to stability. The United States was not the largest donor; other pledges included: European Union--$127 million; Germany--$81 million; World Bank--$75 million. During the second Roundtable conference held in June 1996, the United States broke ranks with other donors and asserted that conditions in refugee camps were causing political instability in Rwanda and jeopardizing the region, and challenged the international community to push for new solutions. The United States also emphasized the need to put more resources in Rwanda -- as opposed to camps in neighboring countries -- to improve the economic and social situation inside the country and encourage repatriation. The United States led several donors to respond to the GOR's appeal for resources to be allocated to rehabilitation and development activities in Rwanda. An additional $600 million was pledged during the June 1996 Roundtable. The United States promised to maintain its bilateral assistance to Rwanda at a minimum of current levels.

In the wake of the November return of refugees, a multi-donor meeting in Geneva was held that same month, in which the Government of Rwanda presented its strategic plan for refugee reintegration and longer-term development. The international donors committed themselves at this meeting to following Rwanda's lead and providing assistance within the GOR's framework. At this meeting, the United States pledged $140 million over a one-year period. Follow-up meetings held in Rwanda ensure coordination of donor assistance within the Rwandan strategic framework.

fY 1998 Program

Given the encouraging but fragile stability within Rwanda, the priority transition-to-development objectives are: 1) achieve enduring stability and the rule of law by strengthening the institutions of justice and participative governance; and, 2) promote resettlement and reintegration by improving economic opportunities and food security, and increasing access to basic social and family services at the local level. During this transition period, USAID is challenged to help integrate humanitarian, rehabilitation and long-term recovery resources in a manner that effectively promotes the environment and investments for development in Rwanda.

In FY 1998, U.S. assistance will remain flexible and responsive. The program will evolve as immediate emergency needs and resources shift to longer-term requirements; the current heavy infusions of humanitarian assistance can be expected to diminish. USAID's strategic framework and program planning will continue to integrate resources from diverse sources, from within the Agency - Africa Bureau Development Fund for Africa, Bureau of Humanitarian Response, the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, the Office of Transition Initiatives, and the Global Bureau. The program will enlist other USG partners in planning and implementation such as the Departments of State, Defense and Justice. A bilateral P.L. 480 Title II food program is not presently contemplated, but if circumstances warrant, USAID may advocate monetization of some food commodities contributed by the United States to the World Food Program to generate additional resources. This integrated approach to provision of U.S. assistance is particularly pronounced in Rwanda, and has proven key to American success in this complex context.

The GHAI also provides a dynamic mechanism to address regional issues and linkages that are essential for Rwanda. Rwanda and its neighbors will play an increasing role in resolving regional conflicts and in developing ways and means to do so. In FY 1998, an objective will be to use the GHAI to help Rwanda participate with its neighbors in finding solutions to common problems relating to food security, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) pandemic and the increasing numbers of orphans in the region as a result of genocide, civil war and AIDS. The goal of such linkages will be to help consolidate stability in Rwanda, and broaden it within the volatile Great Lakes region.

Finally, in FY 1998, the USAID approach will continue to complement and seek to shape the efforts of the World Bank and other donors to assist recovery in Rwanda, with added emphasis on Rwandan "ownership" of this process. The GOR has established its leadership credibility, and in FY 1998 USAID will focus on reinforcing and augmenting Rwandan capacity with its partners, including the World Bank, UNDP, and bilateral donors.

Agency Goal: Encouraging Economic Growth

Most of the casualties of the genocide and civil war were men, leaving large numbers of households headed by women totally responsible for the economic well-being of their families. The OTI Women in Transition Project (WIT) was initiated to assist Rwandans move beyond the crisis and re-establish economic opportunity for these women. One result of war and genocide is that women throughout the country have had to play an increasingly important economic function in their communities as they are now the sole source of support to their families. Under a partnership agreement with the Ministry of Family and Women's Promotion, WIT supports Rwandan women in helping to rebuild their lives, the lives of their families and their local communities. WIT activities in five prefectures are identifying and providing technical and financial support for a variety of women's initiatives including microenterprise development (e.g., brick manufacture), shelter construction, small livestock husbandry and reproduction, women's rights education, literacy training, agriculture production and training, and credit programs. These important efforts will need to be supported at least over the near-term.

Attention of the GOR, donors and the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) is rightly turning to the country's macro-economic position and the international response to it. Enormous challenges are emerging. Rwanda maintains a debt in the range of a billion dollars, nearly 70% of which is owed to theWorld Bank and other IFIs. The GOR is not in a position to service its external debt in the near future. With production levels and revenues down, and revenue collection almost impossible in the short-term, the government's foreign exchange position is weak. Refugee repatriation places further pressure on the country's limited infrastructure, and generates significant economic need. USAID, with the GOR, IFIs and other involved donors, is assessing options for coping with these pressures, which can be expected to loom over the next several years.

Agency Goal: Stabilizing World Population Growth and Protecting Human Health

All funding requested ($1,340,000) in FY 1998 for the population and health agency goal is planned for health activities.

Rwanda is the most densely populated country in central Africa. Before 1994, HIV infection rates were as high as 27% among sexually active adults in Kigali. Preliminary surveillance data from the post-war period indicates that rates in rural and semi-rural areas which have received an influx of migrating Rwandans have increased markedly. With these dimensions, the impacts of sexually transmitted diseases (STD)/HIV infection extend beyond the health sector and become social and economic problems. They threaten the region as populations move among Rwanda, Zaire, Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania. The USAID/Rwanda AIDS Control and Prevention (AIDSCAP) activity was the first long-term health program to re-open after the genocide of 1994. It was instrumental in re-establishing the capacity of the Rwanda National AIDS Prevention Program, and remains the only major activity in the country addressing HIV/STD prevention through the fundamentals of education and capacity-building. Reflecting the improved political situation and the government's ability to set policy and implement strategies, STD/HIV/AIDS prevention activities are transitioning from a single centralized program into an integrated strategy that supports a decentralized health delivery system. USAID assistance will concentrate on strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Health to deliver sustainable STD/HIV control and prevention services such as improved clinical practices, surveillance systems, referral structures, and education interventions. STD/HIV/AIDS education and awareness activities will be strengthened through a joint World Bank-USAID effort to create a national health communications capacity.

Agency Goal: Building Democracy

In FY 1998, U.S. strategy continues to support the growth of those institutions most directly related to the rule of law: the judiciary, local government, entities central to democratic procedure (parliament), public safety organizations, and civil society, including free press. The selection of activities for funding is based, among other criteria, on their centrality to the rule of law, on strength of Rwandan commitment and demonstrated progress, and how well they complement activities of other donors.

Since the genocide and civil war of 1994, Rwandans have made remarkable progress toward stabilization of their society. Emanating from a post-genocide policy conference that was supported last year by USAID, newly enacted Rwandan legislation establishes a procedure for trying those arrested for genocide. Democratic institutions have consistently been reinforced throughout the past year, particularly in the judiciary. USAID has contributed to the physical rehabilitation of local courts and prosecutors' offices around the country and, with the support of other donors, the GOR has made consistent progress re-establishing the professional personnel capacity of the Ministry of Justice. In the justice sector, USAID selects activities which can promote the establishment of the rule of law during the transition period, as well as those which lay the foundations for development of democratic institutions and processes. In thisvein, USAID and the Department of Justice support training of local and national police to rebuild decimated ranks, the distribution of non-ethnically based identity cards (previously, cards displayed ethnic affiliation and were used in conducting the genocide), and provision of law training to the cadre of young law students who will soon inherit the responsibility of fostering justice in Rwanda.

Other institutions necessary for democratic tolerance and compromise, such as the UN Human Rights Field Operation for Rwanda, which monitors and investigates human rights abuses, will be supported as appropriate as Rwanda passes through transition.

Agency Goal: Providing Humanitarian Assistance

Recovery has been no less than phenomenal in light of the brutality and destruction of the genocide and war of 1994. With the return of the refugees, emergency humanitarian assistance for Rwanda has been very effective. These resources, channelled through the Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs' Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (FDA) and Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI), as well as the Displaced Children and Orphans Fund, were expanded this year and have been essential in relieving suffering and supporting internal recovery. In less than two years, the authorities had established the security of the nation and organized an effective civilian government capable of directing the repatriation and reintegration of hundreds of thousands of Rwandan refugees returning from Zaire, Tanzania and Burundi.

Renewed U.S. humanitarian assistance, triggered by the refugee repatriation, is being programmed to respond to Rwandan priorities as articulated in the GOR's Emergency Program for Repatriation and Resettlement (ERR). Rwanda has proven itself capable of moving from crisis towards sustainable development in a relatively short time. Thus, the ERR states in the opening paragraphs that humanitarian assistance must not interfere with, but rather should reinforce, Rwanda's development efforts. Consequently, current USAID humanitarian assistance is providing support, largely at the community level, which is essential in ensuring life-saving and peaceful reintegration. Activities concentrate on improving rural water and sanitation facilities in those communities receiving enormous numbers of returnees; reinforcing community-based health and social services for unaccompanied children and foster families to cope with the sudden population increase; providing emergency food aid and agriculture inputs such as seeds and tools so that returnees can quickly resume productive lives and integrate back into their communities; and assisting in basic shelter programs for the hundreds of thousands of families who are now being displaced by returning refugees. Assistance through the Displaced Children and Orphans Fund provides direct support for approximately 30,000 children harmed and separated in the aftermath of the genocide and war of 1994 as well as for children recently separated in the massive return of refugees to Rwanda. Activities include tracing and reunification programs as well as strengthening community-based social services which assist in integrating foster children and orphans into the community.

The Office of Food for Peace is providing enormous resources, presently exceeding $90 million, primarily through the United Nations World Food Program (WP). WP/Rwanda is responding well to the latest emergency coordination of logistics for the distribution of vast emergency food stocks to returning families in their communes of origin. It has designed food-for-work strategies with the local authorities and NGOs that put about 350,000 people to work, avoiding the "free-food-handout" mentality that is anathema to the GOR.

Currently the GOR, WP and the NGOs have formed a partnership to meet the needs of the mass influx of returnees. Food-for-work programs will be open to all vulnerable groups within the community, not just returnees, which should reduce tensions in the face of the lackluster harvest looming across major sections of the country. Unless unforeseen circumstances demand such extraordinary assistance next year, no humanitarian assistance should be required in FY 1998.

The longer term development plans aim at agricultural recovery and food security in Rwanda rather than institutionalized food aid programs. The "food partners" in Rwanda will explore possibilities of cash-for-work and other monetization programs that could assist Rwandans in revitalizing the agricultural sector.

In addition to Food for Peace (FFP) direct support of WP, Catholic Relief Services is implementing a FFP Title II emergency program which is meeting the needs of returnee families and vulnerable groups and the indigent through unaccompanied children's centers, orphanages, hospitals and nutrition programs.

Building on emergency initiatives launched in 1994, USAID is strengthening government and community structures which are assuming responsibility for policy and action related to unaccompanied and separated children. Support is also given through an international NGO to create and reinforce community-based coping mechanisms through needed social services for unaccompanied children, orphans and foster families.

RWANDA

FY 1998 PROGRAM SUMMARY

USAID Strategic Objectives

Encouraging Economic Growth

Stabilizing Population Growth and Protecting Human Health

Protecting the Environment

Building

Democracy

Providing Humanitarian Assistance

TOTALS

SO1. Improve Systems for the Administration of Justice.

- Dev. Fund for Africa

---

---

---

2,000,000

---

2,000,000

SO2. Facilitate the Reintegration of Communities Through Public Sector Capacity Building and Humanitarian Assistance.

- Dev. Fund for Africa

- P.L. 480, Title II

4,160,000

---

1,340,000

---

---

---

---

---

---

44,808,000

5,500,000

44,808,000

Totals

- Dev. Fund for Africa

- P.L. 480, Title II

4,160,000

---

1,340,000

---

---

---

2,000,000

---

---

44,808,000

7,500,000

44,808,000

USAID Mission Director: George Lewis

ACTIVITY DATA SHEET

PROGRAM: RWANDA

TITLE AND NUMBER: Improve Systems for the Administration of Justice, 696-SO01

STATUS: Continuing

PROPOSED OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: FY 1998: $2,000,000 DFA

INITIAL OBLIGATION: FY 1995 ; ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 2000

Purpose: To facilitate and broaden popular participation in shaping terms of the new social contract and the institutions through which that contract will be carried out.

Background: Since the genocide and war of 1994, the new Government of Rwanda has been struggling to lead Rwanda back to stability. Efforts have been severely hampered by the regional context, in which the former government_after having attempted to implement a genocide and subsequently having been forced to flee_openly armed itself and posed a real threat to Rwanda. In addition, the overwhelming post-genocide caseload in the prisons coupled with a lack of human and physical resources in the judiciary posed formidable obstacles to administering justice quickly and broadly. In the last half of 1996, however, and especially in the last few weeks, the pace of events accelerated inside and outside Rwanda, presenting opportunities for progress. First, the GOR promulgated a new law outlining the judicial response to the genocide. The impact of this law will be clearer as prosecution commences, but it is a step toward eradicating a perception of impunity. Second, more than a million refugees have returned from Zaire and Tanzania, significantly reducing the threat of the former regime which had based themselves in the camps. Although the return of refugees presents many new problems, including the need for housing, the resolution of conflicts surrounding access to land, and on-going societal questions of culpability for genocide, mass repatriation and closure of the camps was a necessary step en route to enduring peace and sustainable development.

USAID Role and Achievements to Date: USAID supported the genocide policy conference which led to the implementation of the new genocide law. For the first time since the colonizers first issued identity cards in 1934 marking ethnic affiliation, Rwandans now have identity cards which no longer bear an ethnic classification. USAID has supported the Ministry of the Interior in issuing these new cards nationwide. Efficient implementation has permitted many more identity cards to be issued than contemplated under the original USAID-financed budget. With security an over-arching problem in Rwanda today, USAID's support for the training of public safety officials lays the institutional foundation for the rule of law and respect for human rights. In Rwanda today, there are fewer than 20 practicing lawyers. Without many more, Rwanda's judicial institutions cannot begin to function properly. USAID is providing professors of law for instructing 140 law students who would not otherwise have access to such training.

Description: Activities will focus on strengthening administration of justice and creating the institutional capacity for rule of law. USAID assistance will train personnel, including police trainers and new police officers, and equip public safety institutions; train new legal professionals and continue translation of Rwandan laws into English for English-speaking lawyers; fund issuance of identity cards not indicating ethnic affiliation; and develop and assist participatory processes at the community level in planning and allocating public resources for rehabilitation. All these activities will be key assets in the struggle to overcome and put to rest the traumatic record of the past, and peacefully reintegrate nearly all Rwandans inside the country's borders, for the first time in forty years.

Host Country and Other Donors: Other donors from Europe and North America also recognize the importance of working in the justice sector. The Netherlands and Germany are heavily involved in the Justice sector, each contributing more than United States. In local government, the UN Development Program has a high-level decentralization expert placed in the GOR who conducts small-scale rural training for local development activities. Holland cooperates with the United States in supporting issuance of new non-ethnic identity cards. Several other donors are selectively engaged in justice sector support.

Beneficiaries: Immediate and direct beneficiaries are the institutions which underpin administration of justice, rule of law, and broad-based development. All Rwandans will benefit from the success of these endeavors, as confidence in the machinery of impartial justice, public security, and participatory local development grows.

Principal Contractors, Grantees, or Agencies: The Ministry of the Interior, the International Criminal Investigation and Training Assistance Program (U.S. Department of Justice), several privately held American companies providing material (film and laminate) for identity cards, an international bi-lingual university and a U.S. Private Voluntary Organization (yet to be determined) are all involved in implementing these USAID efforts.

Major results indicators Baseline Target
Judicial Policy New genocide law passed (1996) Functioning judicial response to genocide caseload: trials started, arrest rate beginning to deminish after recent influx, prison population treated appropriately (either convicted or released). (1997-98)
Civil governance Appointed government with a National Assembly based on Arusha Accords (1994); basic functioning of civilian institutions (1995) Increased participation by the population in local government (197-98)

Increasingly capable government able to focus on development needs, central government interested in promoting decentralization; increased particiopation by thepopulation in local government
Absence of conflict in countryside Massive refugee return engendering tesions and fear in many segments of the population (1996) Improving stability/security in the countryside through an incremental process of increasing confidence; reduction of sources of conflict related to housing, land and the presence of individuals who had participated in genocide

ACTIVITY DATA SHEET

PROGRAM: RWANDA

TITLE & NUMBER: Facilitate the Reintegration of Communities Through Public Sector Capacity Building and Humanitarian Assistance, 696-SO02

STATUS: CONTINUING

PROPOSED OBLIGATION & FUND SOURCE: FY 1998: $5,500,000 DFA, $44,808,000 P.L. 480, Title II

INITIAL OBLIGATION: FY 1995; ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 1999

Purpose: To contribute to the well-being and integration of Rwandans who are returning home after internal and external displacement, in ways that promote stability, health and productivity within their communities.

Background: There have been a large displaced and refugee population in and around Rwanda for decades. Large numbers of the internally displaced were able to return home in 1993 following the signing of the Arusha Accords. However, the situation deteriorated with the outbreak of genocide and civil war in 1994 which resulted in massive population displacement, the slaughter of some one million people, and over 200,000 separated or orphaned children. Although the Rwanda Patriotic Front-led government has stabilized, the recovery inside Rwanda remains fragile. Of immediate concern are: 1) an unprecedented number of vulnerable people: separated children, widows, single-headed households, survivors of genocide and the displaced now reintegrating into society; and, 2) the rebuilding of critical physical and social infrastructure/services, and a sound national economy that is needed to promote reintegration--broadly shared stakes in the nation's future.

USAID Role and Achievements to Date: USAID support began in FY 1993/94, by assisting 225,000 displaced persons to return and reintegrate into their communities from camps in northern Rwanda through a grant to CARE. In FY 1995, assistance focused on the immediate physical needs of over 40,000 unaccompanied children inside Rwanda and assisted in creating community social systems to integrate and care for children over the long-term. To assist the Government of Rwanda (GOR) in providing essential public and social services as hundreds of thousands of Rwandan reintegrate into their communities, expanded assistance through FY 1997 will support sexually transmitted diseases/human immunodeficiency virus (STD/HIV) control and prevention activities and social services for unaccompanied children and foster families. The program will concentrate on integrating sustainable STD/HIV prevention activities into the national health delivery system, strengthening the capacity of the national health care system, and re-building Rwanda's cadres of health professionals through training. In addition, on-going support will be provided to strengthen community-based social services related to tracing and reunification of unaccompanied children and to foster care programs.

Description: The original Assistance to Displaced Persons (ADP) project was designed to assist the internally displaced as they returned home from camps in Rwanda. A FY 1995 project amendment broadened the scope of the project to include all returnees and the critical needs of survivors of the genocide. It was again amended in FY 1996 to encompass an STD/HIV/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) prevention and control component. The project finances international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to assist government agencies and community associations that aim to: 1) strengthen key ministries responsible for unaccompanied children, foster families and other returnees, 2) promote rural reintegration, 3) strengthen the health communications capacity of the Ministry of Health and 4) implement STD/HIV/AIDs prevention and control interventions. Additional project resources have been programmed directly with the Ministry of Health to establish its capacity to implement STD/HIV control and prevention activities through the national health delivery system. Local recovery must occur on a national scale, with the integrating functions and forces of a stable, growing economy. New economic growth resources in FY 1998 will reinforce those of other donors to assist high impact initiatives under consideration in Rwanda, such as military demobilization and commodity import support, which augment resources for national economic recovery and development.

Host Country and Other Donors: USAID works with the United Nation High Commission for Refugees which supports refugee reintegration and resettlement activities; United Nations Children Fund which coordinates children's interventions and is assisting the GOR to build its own capacity to assist unaccompanied children. In addition, USAID is collaborating with the World Bank to strengthen Ministry of Health capacity to implement STD/HIV prevention and control activities. Key donors, working directly with the GOR and through NGO intermediaries, are Belgium, the European Union, Canada, and Germany. The Ministries of Rehabilitation, Health, and Social Affairs are providing leadership and taking responsibility for health and reintegration issues facing Rwanda. The World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and United Nations Development Program are principal collaborators with USAID on economic matters.

Beneficiaries Rural families throughout the country, i.e. the vast majority of the Rwandan population benefit from strengthened regional and local capacity for basic service delivery - particularly in health. Other beneficiaries are unaccompanied children and foster families, and the hundreds of thousands of Rwandans in need of productive opportunities and basic services formerly provided in camps as they reintegrate into society after displacement (both internal and external).

Principal Grantees: The Ministry of Health (MOH), NGOs (CARE International, Save the Children, Population Services International)

Major Results Indicators: Baseline Target
Children in residential centers 12,5000 children (4/95 UNICEF) 2,000 by 3/98
New Caseload Refugee Returnees 93,900 in 1995 (UNHCR) 800,000 by 4/97
Capacity-building health delivery Absence of cost-recovery system in health sector Institution of the Bamako Initiative (primary health care cost recovery system) by 1997
Inability to provide USG funds directly to GOR entities Acceptable accounting and administrative systems in the MOH (Central level, National AIDS Prevention Program, and regional health offices) by 1998
Lack of MOH capacity to plan and implement STD/HIV prevention activities MOH capacity to take on STD/HIV program design, implementation and supervision activities in an integrated & decentralized health system.

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