The Effectiveness of Community Development Projects in Poverty Alleviation in Rwanda: Acase Study of Ubudehe Project

ABSTRACT The study was carried out on the contributions of community development projects in poverty eradication in Rwanda where Ubudehe local community development project was considered as a case study. It was carried out in the four major provinces of Rwanda and it focused on the local government officials, project management officials and the beneficiaries of the project who are the community members. The major objectives of the study were to find out the roles that were being played by Ubudehe development project in the alleviation of poverty among the rural communities in Rwanda, to examine the challenges that were being experienced by the project and the viable strategies that can be put into place to avert these challenges and bring about success in the management of the project and the alleviation o [poverty. The study targeted different groups of respondents who included the beneficiaries of Ubudehe development project, the project officials and the government officials from the Ministry of Finance Planning and Development (MFPI)) as the study population: it covered all the four provinces of the country and employed a descriptive research design to help the researcher conduct the study fairly. The study found out that Ubudehe project was playing a crucial role in alleviating poverty among the people whereby the project was involved in sensitizing the people on the causes and how to control poverty, providing financial assistance, and monitoring the other development projects so as to improve on the participatory development approaches. the project faced challenges including low financial base, remotel*ss of rural areas, lack of well qualified personnel and government interference into the activities of the project. However. some measures were being put in place to avert these challenges which involved sensitization of communities, developing partnerships with other development projects and hiring of qualified man power from the neighboring countries.

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION

APPROVAL ii

DEDICATION iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMEN’I~S iv

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS v

~1~ABLE OF CONTENTS vi

LIST OF TABLES ix

LIST OF FIGURES x

ABSTRACT xi

CHAPTER ONE 1

INTRODUCTION 1

I .1 Background of the study I

1.2 Statement of the problem 2

1.3 Objectives of the study 3

1.3.1 General objective 3

1.3.2 Specific objectives 3

1.4 Research questions 3

1 .5 Scope of the study 4

1.5.1 Area of scope 4

1 .5.2 Time scope 4

1.6 Significance of the study 4

1 .7 Conceptual framework S

ChAPTER TWO 8

LITERATURE REVIEW 8

2.0 Introduction 8

2.1 The Rwanda vision 2020, the poverty reduction strategy. and the national investment strategy

8

2.2 Ubudehe 9

2.2.1 Uhudehe project process at the cell level 10

vi

2.2.2 Ubudehe at the household level.10

2.3 Community 11

2.3.1 Community development project or community based (driven) project 12

2.3.2 Development project 12

2.4 Poverty 13

2.4.1 Types of poverty 13

2.4.2 Poverty alleviation 14

2.5 Participation 14

2.5.1 Social participation 16

2.5.2 Political participation 16

2.5.3 Participatory methods 17

2.5.4 Citizenship participation 17

2.6 The Importance of Citizen Participation 18

2.7 Conditions ofCitizen Participation 19

CHAPTER ThREE 21

METHODOLOGY 21

3.0 Introduction 21

3.1 Research design 21

3.2 Study population 21

3.3 Sampling procedure 22

3.4 Sample size and distribution 22

3.5 Procedure of data collection 23

3.6 Source of data 23

3.6.1 Primary sources 23

3.6.2 Secondary data 24

3.7 ~I’ools of data collection 24

3.7.1 Interviews 24

3.7.2 Focus group discussion 24

3.7.3 Questionnaires 25

3.7.4 Quality control of instruments 25

3.8 Data analysis 26

CHAPTER FOUR .27

ANALYSIS, PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS 27

4.1 Biographic features of the respondents 27

4.1.1 Age 27

4.2. how Ubudehe project is helping in the Alleviation of poverty 31

4.4 How communities are involved in the fight against poverty 35

4.5. Other institutions that are helping people to alleviate poverty in Rwanda 37

4.6. Challenges faced by Ubudehe project 39

4.7. Strategies to solve challenges experienced by Ubudehe project 40

CIIAPTER FIVE 42

DISCUSSION, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 42

5.1. DISCUSSIONS 42

5.2. CONCLUSIONS 44

5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS 45

REFERENCES 46

APPENDIX 1: INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR PROJECT OFFICIALS 50

APPENDIX II: FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR BENEFICIARIES 53