On 11^thMarch 2011,The Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs(MIDIMAR) and the International Organisation for Migration (OIM) announced a new $1million project that will provide skills training and support for refugees who have returned to Rwanda.

The new scheme is part of a wider project, which began in 2010 and provides support for refugees who have returned home, as well as other vulnerable groups in Rwanda. The initial project, worth $2million, covered 10 districts in the western and southern provinces of Rwanda; the new announcement means that people in five districts in eastern province will also now get help.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Minister of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs, Gen. Marcel GATSINZI, said “This decision not only means help for people in need of assistance, but also serves as a way to connect with refugees still outside the country. Each person that is helped becomes a gateway of communication to the outside world. We want all refugees to know that they have a right to return and that those who wish to will receive every possible help in re-establishing their lives here at home.”

The scheme allows recipients to choose between either receiving livestock or, undergoing training to help them find a job. Since 2010, beneficiaries have received more than 660 cows and 112 goats, and over 950 people have been trained in skills including carpentry, mechanics, tailoring, fishing and shoe-making.

Regional representative for the IOM, Mr Ashraf El Nour,  said, “The great thing about this project is its focus on the individual and the fact that every recipient takes a part in choosing what sort of help will be most beneficial to them. Those who wish to be trained have a wide range of vocations to choose from. Those choosing cows, gain something beyond social and cultural value, in this country a cow is a small economy in itself.”

This announcement coincided with the official closing of a three day skills-enhancement workshop for instructors of the programme’s training sessions on “Training of Trainers from Skills Training Institutions” for sustainable reintegration opportunities for Rwandan Refugee Returnees and other vulnerable groups”. Both projects are funded by the Government of Japan through the IOM.

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