Gender Equality, Financial Inclusion, and Youth

Survivors on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) for Speak Out Project

The four-year project aimed to address Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Rwanda. Funded by UK Aid Direct through DFID and implemented by ActionAid Rwanda in partnership with the Faith Victory Association, the initiative spanned four districts across nine sectors: Karongi (Murundi and Gitesi), Nyanza (Mukingo, Busasamana, and Rwabicuma), Gisagara (Muganza, Kibirizi, and Gishubi), and Nyaruguru (Ruheru).

To achieve its objectives, FAVA engaged RCID to specifically support survivors of violence, focusing on teenage pregnancies and young women aged 18-25 with skills in Empowering Girls for Better Health and Bright Future, Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and GBV. These skills significantly increased the willingness and confidence of beneficiaries to report and respond to violence. Additionally, these efforts aimed to shift social attitudes and influence duty bearers to enact meaningful policy and practice changes in the prevention and response to violence against women and girls (VAWG).

Promoting Opportunities for Women Empowerment and Rights (POWER Project)

In Rwanda, women often face patriarchal societal structures that limit their rights and control over their lives. Recognizing that economic empowerment is unattainable without addressing the unequal workload that women bear, the POWER project (Promoting Opportunities for Women Empowerment and Rights) was initiated in partnership with ActionAid Rwanda and the Faith Victory Association (FVA). This initiative targets three districts—Musanze, Nyaruguru, and Nyanza—supporting 4,050 women smallholder farmers organized into 135 groups. By the end of 2020, the project aimed to empower 21,000 rural women to advocate for their rights and enhance their influence within their households and communities.

To achieve this, FVA engaged RCID to conduct capacity building for community facilitators and women’s group representatives, focusing on effective participation, negotiation, and communication skills, gender inequalities, education, Gender-Based Violence (GBV), and limiting women’s political participation. Participants identified barriers to women's political participation and developed strategies to enhance their involvement in decision-making processes, ultimately fostering gender equity and addressing issues related to GBV and women's rights.

Midterm Review of CARE International Rwanda from 2022 to 2025

The prevailing gender norms in (rural) Rwanda continue to shape development outcomes. Despite Rwanda’s progress in promoting gender equality, especially in the political arena, gaps remain. This can be illustrated by the gender pay gap (women earn 32% less than men).

Moreover, the 2020 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) showed 35% of women aged 15-49 experienced physical violence, with intimate partner violence (IPV) being particularly high. CARE’s strong focus on gender justice, gender equality, and women empowerment, including addressing SGBV at home level, is still essential. Although Rwanda has relatively strong legal frameworks and support systems to combat SGBV, they don’t easily reach community and home levels. In addition, there are gaps in coordination between SGBV support structures including safe spaces, limitations in case management, and insufficient counseling and psychosocial support.

Rainwater harvesting and dams in Rwanda

In this context, CARE Rwanda has engaged MDF Training and Consultancy and Regional Research Centre for Integrated Development (RCID Ltd) to carry out a mid-term program strategy for the period 2022 - 2025. The strategy aligns very well with national priorities like Rwanda's Vision 2050, National Strategy for Transformation 1, and CARE Global priorities, which also emphasize a strong focus on women and girls. The primary objectives of this mid-term review are to assess the progress of the CARE Rwanda Program Strategy 2022-2025 on gender equality, economic women empowerment, and provide actionable recommendations for the remaining implementation period.

The report shows that the program focuses on improving the lives of women and girls by promoting gender equality, reaching a total of 1,272,392 women and girls, which is 85% of its target of 1,500,000 by 2025. In the area of Gender Equality and Right to Health, the program targets 500,000 women and girls but has already reached 696,169. For Women Economic Justice and Climate Justice, the goal is to assist 1,200,000 women and girls, and so far, 837,375 have been reached.