Japan Donates USD 3 Million in Support of Reintegration of Rwandan Refugees

The Government of Japan through its supplementary budget, has given USD3 million to the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM), to be used in funding  humanitarian efforts, which aim to promote sustainable reintegration for 5,000 Rwandan returnees and other vulnerable community members.

The project, now in phase four, will be implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR) to assist Rwandan refugees who returned home from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda in 2009.

IOM and MIDIMAR aim to collect data on returnee family composition, social economic status, education levels, and vocational skills as well as preferred livelihood activities. The project seeks to contribute to sustainable growth by building on the results of the previous reintegration accomplishments. The assistance will be provided in the form of vocational skills trainings, small business start-up kits, livestock and housing assistance as appropriate.

With generous support from the Government of Japan, IOM has been able to provide direct assistance in securing livelihood opportunities to 8,000 beneficiaries and indirectly reaching out to and positively affecting the lives of 40,000 returnees and vulnerable groups since 2010.

The Government of Japan committed a total of USD4.5 million to implement phase four of the comprehensive socio-economic reintegration programme which covers 21 Districts in three provinces, up from the 10 districts covered in previous phases.

IOM’s reintegration project involves, assessing the labour and skills market opportunities; strengthening government capacity to ensure effective reintegration of returnees and community development; and providing 3,000 beneficiaries with vocational training and other income generating opportunities. IOM has also provided housing assistance to 2,000 vulnerable beneficiaries and improved access to basic community infrastructure to enable the absorption capacity of the communities with higher number of returnees.

The project is part of a multilateral mechanism established in the framework of the Cessation Clause of refugee status with an inter-agency reintegration programme, which was approved by the Government of Rwanda, United Nations agencies and other partners in December 2012.