Overview

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to improving the lives of children, families, and communities affected by poverty and injustice. In Rwanda, it works to ensure that children grow, learn, and thrive in a safe and supportive environment.

History

World Vision began its work in Rwanda in 1994, immediately after the genocide against the Tutsi, by providing emergency relief to millions of displaced people. Around the year 2000, it transitioned toward long-term development, focusing on child-centered programs in specific geographic areas rather than just emergency aid.

Strategic Focus Areas

World Vision in Rwanda operates through several key sectors:

Education & Literacy: Early Childhood Development, literacy campaigns, teacher and caregiver support, and improved learning environments.

Health & Nutrition: Maternal and child health programs, nutrition interventions, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) initiatives.

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH): Providing access to clean water, promoting hygiene, and building or rehabilitating water systems.

Livelihoods & Resilience: Household savings groups, sustainable agriculture, climate-smart farming, and income-generating activities.

Child Protection: Safeguarding children from abuse, neglect, and exploitation while strengthening child rights.

Coverage and Scale

Active in 24 out of Rwanda’s 30 districts.

Supports more than 1 million people, with a goal to reach 2 million vulnerable children by 2025.

Key Achievements

Provided over one million people with access to clean water.

Reached hundreds of thousands of children through literacy initiatives such as the Unlock Literacy program.

Supported thousands of households in ultra-poor graduation programs.

Facilitated more than 16,000 savings groups that have collectively built significant assets.

Promoted climate-smart farming and distributed millions of seedlings to farmers.

Partnerships

World Vision collaborates with government institutions, civil society, faith-based organizations, communities, and private sector partners. It also partners with international agencies such as the World Food Programme, particularly in school feeding programs.

Challenges

Difficulty reaching the most remote or vulnerable communities.

Ensuring long-term sustainability of projects once external funding ends.

Climate change impacts on farming and water availability.

Economic pressures such as inflation reducing household purchasing power.

Long-term psychological and social effects of the genocide.

Recent Initiatives

Finishing the Job campaign to expand clean water access.

Scaling up literacy programs such as Unlock Literacy.

Expanding ultra-poor graduation programs to help families move out of extreme poverty sustainably.