Press Releases

USAID Increases Development Assistance to Rwanda

Kigali, Rwanda (September 26, 2007) – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) signed amendments to its five-year (June 2004 – September 2009) agreements with the Rwandan Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN) on September 21, 2007. The amendments increase USAID’s assistance to Rwanda from US$80 million in 2006, to US$125 million in 2007. Total U.S. official assistance to Rwanda in 2007 through USAID and other U.S. Government agencies is approximately US$167 million, a 40 percent increase from 2006.

USAID works with the Government of Rwanda and through implementing partners to increase economic growth and improve the well-being of Rwandan citizens. USAID programs focus on health, including HIV/AIDS and malaria; democracy and governance; and rural economic growth.

In 2007, USAID will devote over US$104 million to reduce maternal and child mortality, improve the quality of family planning, ensure access to health care at decentralized levels and prevent the transmission of and provide treatment for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. This includes more than US$10 million for family planning and maternal health, US$74.1 million for the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and US$20 million for the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI).

PEPFAR/Rwanda prevents new infections and provides care and treatment for individuals infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. PEPFAR is a collaborative U.S. Government effort implemented by USAID, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Defense (DOD) and the U.S. Embassy in Kigali.
 
The President’s Malaria Initiative uses a comprehensive approach to prevent and treat malaria, supporting four key areas – indoor spraying of homes with insecticides, insecticide-treated mosquito nets, lifesaving antimalarial drugs, and treatment to prevent malaria in pregnant women.

With nearly US$2.7 million earmarked for democracy and governance, USAID supports the Government of Rwanda’s initiatives for local government and decentralization, strengthens civil society organizations, and promotes reconciliation and conflict-mitigation.

USAID’s rural economic growth program exceeds US$18 million in 2007, including more than US$14.4 million in food aid. Programs develop value-added agribusinesses – USAID continues to be a key player in the country’s specialty coffee sector – and preserve biodiversity through ecotourism in Nyungwe Forest National Park. USAID’s food aid program improves agricultural methods, distributes food to people living with HIV/AIDS, helps farmers’ cooperatives, reclaims wetlands and provides food supplements to at-risk populations.

For more information, please visit http://rwanda.usaid.gov