LVEMP II News
Rwanda
Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project (Phase II) Quarterly Online Newsletter
Tracking the progress in
Livelihoods improvement
Issue No 011 April-June 2017
LVEMP II Rwanda Quarterly Newsletter
Editorial Dear Readers,
Content
We are happy to bring to you the 11th edition of LVEMPII Rwanda Newsletter. This is yet another issue of our quarterly Newsletter which brings you hands-on information about what we are doing for the protection of the Lake Victoria basin in Rwanda and the improvement of lives of communities who depend on the resources of the basin.
Improving community livelihoods .............................
Through our work, we target degraded hotspots in the basin and focus on priority areas for the benefit of communities, the country and region in general. All of our interventions are directed to improve environment management for the benefits of all those who depend on the natural resources of the Lake victoria Basin. Putting communities at the centre of our interventions ensures that they are associated in whatever we do and benefits from such actions. The benefits accrue in form of improved environment, increased income, jobs, improved productivity, increased skills and improved practices. The communities also benefit from ouf flagship programme to support community-led income generating projects: these are projects they design and implement themselves to respond to their needs and challenges. We call them Community-Driven Development Subprojects, or CDDs. Throughout this issue, we shall look at how communities are benefiting from our interventions. Particularly, we focus on the socio-economic aspect of CDDs and look at figures of how other Project interventions have impacted the lives of communities. We also explore some other interventions, looking at the indelible mark the project is leaving in communities as it nears completion this December 2017. We hope you will enjoy reading this latest issue of our newsletter. Annette Sylvie MUHAYIMANA Project Coordinator
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Livelihoods improvement: The impact in numbers.............. P6
WED 2017 : LVEMP II hailed for putting human development at the centre of environment protection .............................
Connect with Us www.lvemp2.rema.gov.rw
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LVEMP II Rwanda Quarterly Newsletter
LVEMP II livelihoods improvement programme focuses on improving the welfare of communities through financial and technical support to community-led projects. This is what we call Community Driven Development subprojects- or simply CDDs. We also impact communities through job creation- today, thousands of jobs have been created for communities in targeted areas.
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Community-Driven Development Community Driven Development subprojects (CDDs) operate on the principles of transparency, participation, local empowerment, demand-responsiveness, greater downward accountability, and enhanced local capacity. Under this programme, LVEMP II supports the implementation of income generating activities with the aim of improving the living conditions of communities in targeted areas. Apart from the financial support, we also support skills development and regularly conduct capacity building programmes for communities in targeted areas through training. This is part of the project efforts to support life transformation through investment in income generating activities. Under the programme, LVEMP II supports environment-friendly projects that transform the livelihoods of community while reducing pres-sure on the natural resources of the Lake Victoria Basin. CDDs groups are involved in various activities which include modern farming, animal husbandry, irrigation scheme, beekeeping aquaculture and apiculture, among others.
Members of KODUHARU Cooperative in Rulindo District carry their potato produce
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Currently, we support 54 subgroups located in 12 districts- a powerful channel to improve community welfare.
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LVEMP II Rwanda Quarterly Newsletter
CDDs: Welfare creation, livelihoods improvement
Through Community Driven Development Subprojects (CDDs) LVEMP II Project supports life-transforming income-generating projects with the aim of uplifting the living conditions of communities in targeted areas. Through these interventions, which are designed by communities to respond to their needs and solve their problems, LVEMP II provide grants to community groups who then implement projects to improve their lives. This initiative is proving to be a driver of socio-economic change within the lives of our beneficiaries. Issue No 011
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CDDs: Facts & Figures Under CDDs, communities propose development interventions based on their own priorities for which they get funds for implementation. As such they are empowered economically and encouraged to be active partners in the project and in the protection of environments through adopting sustainable land management practices, rehabilitation and protection of wetlands and land around rivers to reduce erosion and sedimentation. They are also encouraged to be actively involved in the protection of investments made by the project with the aim of protection the Lake Victoria Basin
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Total number of CDDs under implementation in 12 Districts
782,055,831 Frw Total amount of funds (in rwandan
francs) allocated for the implementation of Community Driven Development Subprojects (CDDs)
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2341 Total number of CDDs beneficiaries in Rwanda (CDDs members combined)
1039 Female
44.3%
1302 Male
55.6%
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Putting human development at the centre of environment protection Livelihoods improvement is at the centre of LVEMP II interventions- including those geared towards environment protection. Minister Vincent Biruta has hailed this combination.
Minister Biruta speaks during the celebration of the World Environment Day in Gakenke, on June 5. 2017
Minister Vincent Biruta, has commended the work done by the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project Phase two (LVEMP II) towards the conservation of the natural resources of the Lake Victoria Basin. The Minister, particularly, commended the efforts made by the project by associating environment conservation with actions meant to improve the livelihoods of communities in targeted areas. While Speaking during the Celebrations of the annual World Environment Day on June 6, Minister Issue No 011
Biruta hailed the Project for ‘doing a great work by putting human welfare and livelihoods improvement at the centre of environment conservation’. Through its flagship programme on livelihoods improvement, LVEMP II supports and funds 54 com-
LVEMP II puts human welfare and livelihoods improvement at the centre of environment conservation
munity-led projects in 12 Districts across the country. The initiatives- designed and implemented by communities themselves- are proving to be very important tools in lives and improving the human – nature relations. Apart from contributing to improving the welfare of communities, the groups – knows as Community Driven Development Sub-projects or CDDs- are becoming a forum to discuss environment protection and the role of communities in the efforts.
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#WED2017:Celebrating human-nature relation
Under LVEMP II interventions, riverbanks are stabilised and protected with bamboos, reeds and agroforestry trees. Seen here is Base River in Gakenke District where activities to mark #WED2017 were held
“When these activities to protect Base River started a few years ago, we were reluctant. But currently, we are sure of the benefits we get from them,” testified Mukabera Leoncie, a resident of Gakenke sector, Gakenke District. “Thanks to the restoration efforts
and the protection of the riverbanks, we no longer experience severe floods which used to destroy our crops in the valley whenever the river over flooded,” added Mukabera, who is also the representative of the LVEMPII-funded Ejo Heza Gakenke, a pig farming cooperative.
“We will continue to do whatever we can do to ensure that the investments made are protected from anyone or anything which can harm them and play our role in environment conservation,” she stated.
#WED2017 celebrations
The celebration of the World Environment Day was marked with several activities, including community work ‘Umuganda’ for ecosystem restoration and rehabilitation around Base River, a tour of activities implemented by the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project phase two (LVEMP II) in Gakenke District, awarding winners of the schools’ environmental competitions and an exhibition featuring key stakeholders and actors from the environment sector. The Day concluded the week-long activities dedicated to environment protection and education in the country- the National Environment Week. Issue No 011
LVEMP II interventions in Gakenke In Gakenke District alone, LVEMP II has invested Frw 423,928,284 in the protection of Nyabarongo and Base rivers as well as surrounding hillside areas while over Frw 88 million were invested to support and finance eight community-led income generating Projects. The ecosystem restoration efforts have directly benefited an estimated 1371 households in the District. Eight cooperatives (CDDs) have been supported to im plement income generating activities . 8
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#WED2017 In Pictures 
UP&RIGHT: Participants in the celebration of #WED2017 participate in Umuganda on Base Riverbanks; DOWN: Protected Base Riverbanlks in Gakenke District
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#WED2017 In Pictures ď‚ľ
Minister Biruta during the Umuganda to mark #WED2017
REMA Director General Coletha RUHAMYA during the Umuganda to mark #WED2017
Minister Biruta during tour the LVEMP II Exhibition stand at #WED2017
LVEMP II National Coordinator Annette S. MUHAYIMANA welcomes Hon. Min. Biruta at the project Exhibition stand
Guests are entertained during the celebration of #WED2017 Issue No 011
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LVEMP II: Key Figures
5167.9
hectares of land under sustainable land management
362,100 bamboo planted to protect major riverbanks in the lake victoria basin: Nyabarongo, Rukarara, Mwogo, Base, Yanze, kadahokwa, Mashyiga, Mbirurume, Secoko, Kibirira & Mukungwa
459,452
fruit trees planted to stabilize terraces, improve nutrition and income of communities
11,217 number of project direct beneficiaries with 79% using improved farm methods (8,861 on terraces,organic manure, 386 using Integrated Pest management)
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Number of hectares of degraded wetlands rehabilitated by communities (Including water hyacinth removal on 100 Ha) Issue No 011
1,559,216 Agro-forestry trees planted
13,772 Green jobs created
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Industries located in the Lake Victoria Basin which have adopted resource efficient and cleaner production technologies
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LVEMP II Result Indicators (As of October 2016) INDICATOR
TARGET
PROGRESS
Number of hectares under sustainable land management practices in the targeted subcatchments
5000 Ha
5167.9 Ha (well above the target) were rehabilitated and are under sustainable sustainable management including land on protected riverbanks and buffer zones, established radical and progressive terraces, water hyacianth removed from Lake Rweru and agro-forestry.
4000
The number of direct project beneficiaries is 11217, exceeding the original target of 4,000.
Target industries in the LVB adopting Cleaner Production Technologies
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The target for 8 industries to adopt cleaner production techniques has already been exceeded. Currently, 25 Industries have adopted resource efficiency and cleaner production practices. 12 industries were awarded during the 2nd edition of RECP Awards
Number of hectares of degraded wetlands restored and/or rehabilitated by communities in targeted sub-catchments
200 Ha
244 ha (122% of the target) of degraded wetlands have been restored and rehabilitated by communities in Rweru subcatchments. They include 144 ha rehabilitated on Rweru Wetland and water Hyacinth removal on Lake Rweru completed on 100 ha
Percent of community natural resource management subprojects whose implementation is rated satisfactory or better in the targeted sub-catchments
60%
54 Community Driven Development Subprojects (CDDs) are under implementation in 12 Districts
Direct Project Beneficiaries
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LVEMP II Rwanda Quarterly Newsletter
This newsletter is a quarterly publication of the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project Phase Two (LVEMP II), Rwanda Chapter. In Rwanda, the Project is implemented by Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA)
Connect with Us www.lvemp2.rema.gov.rw @LVEMP2_Rwanda LVEMP2Rwanda LVEMP II Rwanda LVEMP II Rwanda
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