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  • What We've Accomplished
• Enabling Sustainable Development

Rwanda

Ilvy Njiokiktjien/Partners in Health

Patients outside the Rwinkwavu hospital in eastern Rwanda, which was rebuilt from an abandoned facility through a partnership among CHDI, CHAI, Partners In Health, and the Government of Rwanda. The hospital serves 265,000 local people.

About 90 percent of the population of Rwanda is engaged in mainly subsistence agriculture, mainly subsistence farming, as well as some mineral and agro-processing. And the majority of Rwandans live below the poverty line. At the invitation of the government of Rwanda, and in partnership with the Hunter Foundation, the Clinton Hunter Development Initiative (CHDI) works to identify large-scale business opportunities for local farmers, develop market research and business plans to support them, and then actively invest alongside local co-investors. CHDI shares management, technical, and marketing expertise to local farmers and operators to ensure sustainability.

CHDI is focusing efforts in the Eastern Province, a particularly dry and poor region that is home to more than 1.5 million people. Specifically, CHDI is working in Rwanda to:

• Develop Agribusiness:

  CHDI seeks to identify large-scale business opportunities, develop the market research and business plans to support them, and then actively invest in the businesses alongside local co-investors. CHDI maintains a hands-on involvement through construction and implementation phases, lending management, technical, and marketing expertise. These large agri-based business development projects will create employment and stimulate demand for crops that are supplied by local farmers.

• Train farmers:

  In areas where CHDI is working to develop agribusiness, local farmers are supported through access to inputs and technical advice, and with firm contracts with the newly created business in order to ensure they have a dependable customer and will get a fair price for their crops.

• Provide discount purchasing:

  CHDI works to assist the national government in large-scale purchasing of farming inputs to supply to local farmers at a significant cost savings.

CHDI reinvests any financial benefit from the original investment into related projects or infrastructure improvements in surrounding communities. These projects include rebuilding and renovating hospitals and healthcare facilities and constructing schools. Read more about our accomplishments in Rwanda »