FXB Village Model Program

"Originally developed to combat extreme poverty and communities affected BY HIV/AIDS"

Villages: Gasharu 1, Gasharu 2, Rwaza, Rwerere and Kigali Skol

Program Introduction

Poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy and stigma form a vicious circle, which is very difficult to break. Wishing to give a global answer and in order to be effective, FXBVillages Program gives its participants immediate access to all of their basic rights: nutrition, health, education, housing, employment, access to water and a healthier environment as well as safety, respect and dignity

Education

The first priority of the FXBVillage Model Program is the education, appropriate rearing and care of children. One of the central efforts of the FXBVillage Model Program is thus the facilitation of children’s access to primary and secondary schools, as well as to appropriate vocational training.

FXB believes that children who receive such continuous education in its varied forms will be better equipped to face the challenges of adulthood and to better understand their rights and capabilities. It is a process that contributes to helping children become responsible and productive members of adult societies.

FXB hopes that such early empowering initiatives, in the forms of education and training, will lead children towards more self-sufficient and economically stable futures. Furthermore, FXB contributes to the improvement of equality between boys and girls in education. ECD and after school activities are also integral part of the FXBVillage education methodology.

Economic empowerment

To ensure constant and regular income that will enable participants to meet their basic needs and that of the vulnerable children in their care; FXB Rwanda offers financial support by providing in kind grants of about US$135 to every family to purchase livestock, products or durable goods, based on beneficiary preferences so a family or group can immediately launch a project and income generating activity and make use of any income for the care and support of their families and children.
The program forms and offers technical support to new and existing members of Internal Saving and Lending Groups and train them on ISLG approach and financial literacy; training ISLG members on share out, bookkeeping and management.

Beneficiaries are developing various Income Generating Activities:
Trading food products;
Trading charcoal;
Operating restaurants and refreshment booths;
Operating hair salons;
Operating second-hand clothing shops;
Creating sewing, stitching, and basketwork workshops;
Operating shops that sell basic commodities;

In technical skills training
The program educates the beneficiaries through trainings on topics such as financial literacy, income generating activities and their management, kitchen gardening, personal and environmental hygiene

Nutrition

FXB provides food supplements to families during the first nine months of the first year to allow them meet their daily needs , be fortified enough to develo p their IGA. This supports the fight against malnutrition. Extra food supplements are provided to people suffering from severe malnutrition, children, and people on HIV treatment.
To fully participate in their own development, beneficiaries need to regain energy from their daily diet: regular and balanced food intake enables adults to run their IGA appropriately and children to attend school with greater regularity and success. Nutrition is of prime importance for people living with HIV and AIDS since it can reduce the incidence of opportunistic infections. Good nutrition is the first line of defense against all diseases and plays a key part in improving all aspects of a person’s life. Nutrition component also consists in conducting the nutrition screening of children, regularly to assess and monitor their nutrition status

Health & HIV Aids Prevention

FXBVillage Program supports households to improve their health status by: covering their health insurance fees (commonly known as Mituelle de Santé) for them to afford meds, providing trainings on reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, other diseases and their prevention. This generates a better understanding of HIV/AIDS, both to encourage VCT and fight discrimination and stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The program encourages voluntary counselling and testing through collective information sessions. It is however essential to note that this process is not time-bound.

Each individual functions in a different manner and is receptive to different information dissemination strategies. This is why HIV prevention work, especially voluntary counselling and testing, is administered both at the collective and individual level, respecting people’s processes of change

WASH

FXBVillage Program supports beneficiaries to improve their WASH behaviors and practices through trainings on different aspects of WASH (water treatment and usage, hand washing stations, personal and environmental hygiene). The program distributes WASH Kits (soaps, jerry cans, basins) to beneficiaries, to be used at home and their daily hygiene activities. FXBVillage Program also accompanies and encourages the beneficiaries to support each other in the construction of latrines and renovation of houses. Further, the program distributes iron sheets to the most vulnerable as a means to have improved latrines.

FXB Village Model Program is funded by Mairie de Paris, EU Can Aid, Symphasis, Fondation Augusta, UNIBRA and SKOL