21 FXB-Villages in Operation in Rwanda
Bringing health, education, and stability to children left behind by poverty and AIDS
|
|||||||||
Our History in Rwanda
The 1994 Rwandan genocide orphaned countless children. It also enabled the spread of the AIDS epidemic and severely hampered the capacity of Rwandans to help each other, with the vast majority of the population living below the poverty line.
FXB recognized that the challenges to helping children in Rwanda were beyond any simple answers. Why send children to school if they are too hungry to learn? How can children be tested and treated for HIV if local medical care is nonexistent? How can cycles of transmission and infection be broken when extreme poverty inhibits real progress?
In 1995, FXB developed and launched the FXB-Village program in Rwanda in response to these dilemmas. Since witnessing the success of the first FXB-Villages, FXB has implemented over 30 Villages in Gitarama, Kigali, Ginkongoro, and Gisenyi. Through the FXB-Villages, Rwandan children and families receive comprehensive support to help them get on their feet and regain stability.
Video: Zena, an HIV-positive mother living in Kigali with 16 children under her care
There are currently 22 FXB-Villages in Rwanda, directly reaching approximately 12,000 individuals, mostly children. Each FXB-Village provides 80 families in need with a comprehensive package of services, including:
- Health & Nutrition
- Income Generation & Savings
- Education
- HIV Prevention
- Psychosocial Support
- Water, Sanitation & Environment
- Participant Groups
- Children’s Rights and Legal Protection
The FXB-Villages are designed for participant households to reach autonomy within three years. FXB’s financial input is scaled down each year as participants increasingly contribute to their families’ school and medical costs. The FXB-Villages aren’t charity. Instead, individuals take an active role in building lives of greater stability and self-sufficiency.
Click here to learn more about the FXB-Villages.
Results
According to an independent evaluation of the FXB-Villages:
- Children enroll, remain, and advance in school at better rates than their peers
- Over 85% of families progress from extreme poverty to self-sufficiency within the program’s three years, and maintain sufficient income thereafter
In addition, communities in Rwanda benefit from new sources of clean water, better sanitation, HIV awareness workshops, and shared wellbeing.
Article: Francine and Claire, 2 success stories of FXB programs
-
Alber Behler & Friends
*This program is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this page are the responsibility of FXB and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
