Investments to
End Poverty

Mayange, Rwanda
BEFORE Millennium Villages

Mayange, Rwanda AFTER
start of the Millennium Village

Agriculture
MDGs 1, 7, 8

90% of population are subsistence level farmers where chronic hunger and malnutrition were widespread due to low crop yields.

 52% of population lived on $1 a day or less (avg. is 60 cents in Mayange);

Interventions such as fertilizer & draught-resistant seeds increased agricultural productivity 10 fold (300 kg/ha to 3,700 kg/ha) and harvest yields tripled after the first year – allowing farmers to feed their families, provide towards school feeding programs, and enter into cash crops.

Improved crop yields have allowed many farmers to diversify crops and move from subsistence to commercial farming.

Over 75% of Mayange farmers have taken out micro-credit loans to expand farming opportunities.

A pomegranate cooperative has begun and harvests will begin in just two years.  Earnings per farmer have been conservatively estimated at $500 per annum.  This amount will propel member households from the depths of poverty to Rwanda's middle class.

Millennium Villages work to expand bio-diversity, improve soil nutrients (through crop-diversification), and protect against soil erosion and run-off.

Health
MDGs 4, 5, 6, 8

Nearly 1 in 5 children died before age 5;

HIV prevalence highest in Rwanda at nearly 13%;

Malaria endemic in region with 55% of the population infected with the disease and at least 120 malaria-related deaths a year;

Only 1 in 8 women received pre-natal, birth, and post-natal care;

Mayange Health Clinic had no electricity, no running water, almost no medical supplies, and no doctor.  The clinic (serving an area of 25,000 people) only saw, on average, 5 to 10 patients a day due to lack of resources at the clinic and lack of health insurance for a majority of village residents.

In just 18 months Mayange Health Clinic was connected to a local water supply and power grid, stocked with medical supplies, hired a doctor, and assistance in providing health coverage now sees 100 to 150 patients a day for preventative care and another 200-250 for emergency feeding, wound care and emergency care.

 A properly staffed and stocked health clinic and access to health care for residents is helping to dramatically reduce under-5 mortality, ensuring healthy mothers are delivering healthy babies, and reversing the impact of limited access to care.

Patients with HIV and AIDS are being treated with anti-retrovials and HIV rates have been dramatically reduced through prevention testing and education.  For example, At least 85% of pregnant women living in Mayange have received HIV testing within the past year.  Due to preventing mother to child transmission interventions, there has only been one HIV-positive birth identified.

The mass distribution of insecticide-treated bednets and malaria testing and treatment has reduced malaria infection rates from 55% to 2% in the first 18 months of the Millennium Village project.

The number of pregnant women now coming to the clinic to deliver has quadrupled due to improved health facilities that are helping to ensure safe births. Before the project began, an average of only 5 to 10 mothers came to the clinic each month to deliver. Now, that number has increased to as many as 40 to 45 per month.

Education
MDGs 2, 3, 8

Primary school enrollment is high in Rwanda (86%), so approximately 14% lacked access to primary school education; However, primary schools are over-crowded with 70 to 80 students per teacher and books and supplies are often not available.

Secondary school is a far greater challenge with 82% of boys and 85% girls not attending secondary school.

In Mayange, the introduction new classrooms has eased overcrowding and the introduction of school feeding programs has increased school enrolment and enhances students’ learning by eliminating the distractions of hunger and ill-health.  Mayange expects to reach 100% primary school enrolment within five years.

Students, teachers and project staff also work together to cultivate the school garden, which provides an additional food source as well as hands-on experience in farming techniques and best practices.

Due to a local partnership with the Kigali Institute for Science and Technology, students and staff at the school also now benefit from the addition of two computers, and hope to soon join the global online community with assistance from Rwanda’s main internet service provider, Terracom.

Millennium Villages is investing in school supplies, scholarships, and promoting new classrooms to significantly increase secondary school enrolment within five years.

 

Infrastructure
and
Micro-Enterprise
MDGs 1, 3, 7, 8

55% of population lacked access to safe water supplies.

Lack of safe water and proper sanitation led to many illnesses, particularly among school children.

Subsistence-level farming limited the opportunity to produce cash crops or to develop non-farming economic opportunities.

Water tanks are providing safe water to the clinic, schools, and many homes.  Plans for additional water tanks are underway.

Progressive terracing and water capture techniques now ensure proper irrigation of crops and prevention of flooding.

Many women are undertaking additional income-generating activities such as basket weaving. The Imasirire (sunrise) basket weaving cooperative comprises more than 200 women who are learning basket weaving and business techniques, leading to additional income for their families; the baskets are being sold to visitors and many have been exported internationally.

Improved agriculture yields have led to commercial farming, income, and the ability for over 75% of Mayange farmers to take out micro-credit loans to expand economic opportunities.

A pomegranate cooperative has begun and harvests will begin in just two years.  Earnings per farmer have been conservatively estimated at $500 per annum.  This amount will propel member households from the depths of poverty to Rwanda's middle class.