The Tubehoneza community programme
The Tubehoneza community development programme is located in a
hilly rural area on the southwestern outskirts of Kigali, Rwanda's
capital city. World Vision reaches 45,000 community members from
both rural and urban communities. World Vision's partnership with
Tubehoneza started in 2005 and is expected to be completed in 2021,
when the community will be fully equipped with the resources and
skills to take ownership of its own development. In the past year,
significant improvements were achieved in the areas of health,
education and nutrition.
Issues covered: Education, nutrition,
health, peace and reconciliation
Updates on World Vision's work
Health; peace and reconciliation
- Tubehoneza is one of the areas affected by the 1994 genocide,
and to help families and children with issues of justice,
forgiveness, reconciliation and peace, World Vision educated 156
children younger than 18 years on child protection, children's
rights, and unity and reconciliation.
- The construction of the new Tubehoneza health centre was
completed on budget in July 2011. The new centre provides the
community with a high-quality health facility, comprising primary
care medical and maternity services, as well as various health
education programmes such as family planning, antenatal care,
nutrition training, and the prevention of mother-to-child
transmission of HIV.
Education and nutrition
- The number of children attending the eight primary schools in
the area has increased by 48 per cent since 2007 - from 5552
students to 10,550 in 2011, thanks to improvements to the learning
environment, and building the capacity of teachers and school
management committees.
- Improved nutrition, including the establishment of 450 kitchen
gardens, has resulted in a drop in the average malnutrition rate in
the community - from 39 per cent in 2007 to 29 per cent in
2011.
The Tubehoneza community is in the eighth year of its development
journey with World Vision.
Life on
the ground in Tubehoneza
Sponsored child leads HIV and AIDS campaign
Aimable Nsengiyumva (right), World
Vision's community development programme manager in Tubehoneza,
talks to 15-yearold Prince about his involvement in the anti-HIV
and AIDS campaign in Tubehoneza.
Fifteen-year-old Prince from Tubehoneza is a World Vision New
Zealand-sponsored child who has taken the lead in an HIV and AIDS
campaign at GS Buzanza High School, which he attends. Prince
believes poverty is the main cause of so many problems around him.
"I felt the responsibility to do something. That is why I joined
the anti-HIV and AIDS club at my school with the help of World
Vision," he explains. Prince is active in advocacy initiatives and
is also the secretary of the anti-HIV and AIDS club. Together with
HIV and AIDS prevention, care and support programmes, the club also
advocates against drug use among young people. "It is a growing
problem and we want our fellow youth to be out of the habit before
it is too late," says Prince. About his future, Prince says he
wants to become a soldier. "I just feel I can serve the people
better if I become one," he says. When Prince is not in school, he
helps his mother on their farm, as his father is currently away
studying towards a college degree. In 2011, World Vision reached
1500 children with HIV and AIDS awareness-raising programmes.
Rwanda at a glance
The two most well-known images of Rwanda are in stark contrast.
The first image is of peaceful gorillas living on misty mountains.
The second is of genocide; a nation split in two along ethnic
lines, refugees and more than 800,000 orphaned children.
I felt the responsibility to do something. That is why I
joined the anti-HIV and AIDS club at my school with the help of
World Vision
- Fifteen-year-old Prince, an HIV and AIDS
advocate in Tubehoneza