Operations

Rwanda has made significant progress in addressing poverty but important challenges remain, particularly in addressing malnutrition and tackling children’s participation in education. Primary-school enrolment is 85 percent, but completion and retention rates remain unacceptably low.

Rwanda has a large number of orphans and other vulnerable children, many unable to attend primary school. This WFP development project will provide cooked
meals in schools to reduce dropout rates and to allow more children to complete their primary education. WFP will also provide those orphans and vulnerable children attending primary school with a take-home ration for their host families.

The recent evaluation of the country programme recommended that WFP focus more on education, and in particular enable access for orphans and vulnerable children. It also recommended stronger integration with Government structures. This project is consistent with those recommendations.

Rwanda is a pilot country for the “One UN” initiative. The United Nations country team prepared the 2008–2012 United Nations Development Assistance Framework as a basis for the One UN programme followed by a common operational document.

The framework identifies five thematic areas where the United Nations has a comparative advantage. One of these is education, with the agreed outcome that “All children in Rwanda acquire a quality basic education and skills for a knowledge-based economy.”

This development project is integrated with the United Nations Development Assistance Framework. Further resources will be available through the One UN fund.

The intended outcomes of this project are:

•  improved school attendance and retention of boys and girls in WFP-assisted primary schools;
•  increased enrolment and retention of orphans and vulnerable children; and 
• increased ability to manage school meal programmes by the Government at the national, regional and district levels.

This corresponds to WFP’s Strategic Objectives 4 and 5 and to Millennium Development Goals 2 and 3.

WFP development allocations will provide resources of up to US$4.5 million per year. Additional resources will also be required: US$943,000 in the first year, US$678,000 in the second year and US$585,000 in the third year. WFP will seek additional funding beyond regular contributions. It is also anticipated that the One UN programme budget will provide further resources in joint pooled funds.

Countries

Rwanda

Rwanda has made remarkable economic progress since the 1994 genocide. Per capita incomes rose from US$140 in 1994 to US$260 in 2006. The economy grew 5.5 percent in 2006 and 6.0 percent in 2007....