Rwandan Answer to Pandemic through Investment and Development (RAPID) The project will strive to mitigate health as well as economic and social impacts of COVID‑19. It will adopt a youth-led
approach. Given that the median age of the continent is 19.7 years, youth leadership will be critical for prevention and
containment activities (World Economic Forum, 30/03/20).
SACCA will build on its 5-years’ experience of training young people and extensive community links, and establish a
community-based structure of 38 RAPID facilitators supported by 141 village communicators. Facilitators will be
recruited from SACCA’s graduates who lost employment and other active youth. They will work closely with sector and
cell leaders and identify “at-risk” groups to the virus and lockdown aftershocks (older people, people with disabilities,
informal workers, vulnerable families etc.).
The facilitators will support more than 5,000 households (at least 20,000 individuals) to adopt preventative behaviours
to protect themselves and others from COVID‑19. They will train community members in hand-washing and deliver
accurate messages as well as leaflets about the disease. The facilitators will be able to address the cultural and social
factors around risk perception and risk management. They will ensure that their message does not increase stigma and
does not deter people from reporting symptoms and seeking treatment. If facilitators come across cases that require
psycho-social or other support, they will refer those to SACCA’s professional staff.
Facilitators will distribute hygiene kits in line with WASH standards to 1,000 vulnerable households. These households
will also receive masks made by a group of tailors with hearing impairments. They will also identify 300 the most at-risk
individuals (elderly and those with comorbidities). The project will provide them with simple hand-washing station. The
facilitators will promote a stay-at-home option while helping this group with food delivery in line with updated
government’s guidelines (£21 per family of 4).
We will also aim to support 675 vulnerable people who are the most affected by the aftermath of the lockdown
(informal workers, families with large number of children etc.). In addition to information, during first 3 months, these
households will be supported with cash transfers in line with government’s guidelines. During the following 3 months,
when some informal workers will be able to restart paid work, the support will focus on 120 households to enable them
to engage in subsistence agriculture. The facilitators will also signpost any available resources from the government or
other organisations.
The project will further complement the Government’s efforts to raise community awareness on COVID-19 and
hygiene behaviours with a strong focus on the hard to reach population. It will also support 45 additional street girls in
SACCA Rehabilitation Centre.
It will also deliver essential hand-washing and other equipment to 15 health centres and 28 health posts in Kayonza
District. 1) Vulnerable individuals in 4 sectors of Kayonza District (Mukarange, Gahini, Kabarondo, Nyamirama - these are 4 out
5 sectors in the district with any urban population):
a) Older people’s households and individuals with comorbidities (300 households)
According to the latest census (NISR, 2015), there are 2,863 individuals over 70 years old in these 4 sectors.
Households with an older person seem uniformly to struggle with food scarcity.
Support: information, hand-washing station, hygiene kit, food delivery over 6 months, follow-ups
b) Informal workers’ households (425 households)
The majority of 16,962 working age urban population of 4 sectors are working informally (domestic workers, market
traders etc.). This group includes sex workers from Kayonza and Kabarondo towns who have been serving truck drivers
delivering cargo between Kigali and Tanzania.
Support: information, hygiene kit, cash transfers (month 1 – 425 households, month 2 – 300, month 3 – 200)
c) Vulnerable families with children at-risk (250 households)
SACCA has been already running a prevention programme for vulnerable families in the communities. Children in such
families are at-risk of going to the streets because of carers’ inability to provide for the most basic needs. These are
often households from Ubudehe 2 and they are not entitled for governmental support.
Support: information, hygiene kit, cash transfers for 3 months, livelihoods support for 120 families over 3 months
d) Girl street children (45)
SACCA is one of 3 centres supporting street girls in Rwanda and the only one in the Eastern Province with a
rehabilitation programme. SACCA has been contacted by the district transit centre for street children with a request to
accommodate more girls.
Support: rehabilitation in the centre, reintegration support
2) Patients of 15 health centres and 28 health posts (80,000 per month) in Kayonza district - the health facilities with be
equipped with hand-washing stations and water tanks.