From 27th August 2018, a five day refresher training of LG staff on social protection with focus on VUP and livelihood enhancement interventions was launched by LODA. Simultaneously happening at Musanze (gathering Districts from Northern Province & City of Kigali) and Rubavu (Western Province Districts), this activity is in line with the implementation of Strengthening Social Protection Project (SSPP) financed by the World Bank and Government of Rwanda. The objective of the project is “to improve the effectiveness of Rwanda’s social protection system, notably the flagship Vision 2020 Umurenge Program (VUP) for targeted vulnerable groups”. The target group of this training comprises of District staff in positions of Division Manager, Director of Finance, Director of Social Development, Budget Officer, Accountant, Statistician, Procurement Officer, Environmental Officer, Engineer/OSC, Director of Good Governance (Province) & CoK. In the course of the training, participants are taken through an Overview of SSPP design, key changes in VUP guidelines, and the complementary livelihood enhancement interventions. While officiating the training at Musanze, Mr. GATSINZI Justine, Division Manager of Social Protection at LODA, stated that the utmost objective of the training is to enable key decision makers to better manage the implementation of Strengthening Social Protection Project (SSPP), VUP and other livelihoods projects, and most importantly leave them with sensitivity in light of the Government of Rwanda and World Bank commitments as stated in the project appraisal documents and financing agreement. Further, Justine outlined that at the end of the training participants will:

• Understand the commitments between the GoR and the WB;
• Ensure that projects are planned in compliance with the GoR and WB requirements for environmental and social safeguarding;
• Ensure that the GoR and WB funds are well managed;
• Have a better understanding of complementarity between Social Development and different staff from different units at district level for delivery of Social Protection and in influencing decisions around Social Protection.

The Division Manager emphasized that this training is the first of its kind as it brings together some key decision makers and District support units’ staffs who are stakeholders in successful implementation of interventions in social development. Participants to the training acknowledged its importance right from the first day. Mr. SAKINDI Mathieu, Director of Social Development Unit of Burera District, declared: “This training shall leave us with a package in the daily management of VUP programmes and livelihood interventions which enhances service delivery to the most vulnerable people to get out of poverty as committed by the GoR.  The advent of SSPP shall solve out problems faced by poorest households especially malnutrition issues among children and mothers in Ubudehe Category One. Moreover, it shall help both finance and social development staffs have a common understanding and fast track service delivery to beneficiaries, given that “Support Delayed is Support Denied”. Again, it shall help in addressing gender equity and early childhood related issues. Another participant stated: “We were merely accustomed to VUP projects and Direct Support, but I saw there were added in some new things like Nutrition Support. We used to encounter VUP payment requests from concerned staff and considered them as routine payments, but now we have come to realize the cause and rationale for the country’s commitment to vulnerable members of the community”, revealed one District accountant who preferred anonymity. SSPP was conceived to better implement Rwanda’s social protection system by: (a) improving coverage, adequacy and effectiveness of the VUP cash transfers to even include households with persons with severe disability; (b) enhancing access to human capital and economic inclusion services; and (c) strengthening and building capacity for upgraded delivery systems, policy, and programme management. In reference to the financing agreement between the GoR and the World Bank dated 21st December 2017, SSPP will last 3 years (effective since 21st March 2018) and its total project cost amounts to 109,000,000 USD (co-financed between IBRD/IDA loan: USD 80 million; Global Finance Facility & Multi Donor Trust Fund grants: USD 23 million; and GoR counterpart amount: USD 6 million). Spearheaded and coordinated by MINALOC and LODA SPIUs respectively, SSPP is implemented by Districts and focused on VUP projects (Direct Support, Classic Public Works, and Expanded Public Works) and other livelihood development programmes including Ubudehe, and Minimum Package to Support Graduation (MPG) which should then respect environmental and social safeguards. Moreover, nutrition support, community and home based childcare initiatives shall also be carried out, whereby LODA, RBC, and NECDP shall sign a memorandum of understanding. Similar training on SSPP is expected to be carried out at Huye (for Southern Province Districts) and Rwamagana (for Eastern Province Districts) from 3rd to 7th September 2018.