Survivors Fund (SURF) and AVEGA Agahozo have been awarded a new UK Aid Direct grant to directly respond to the impact of COVID-19. This is a UK Government challenge fund that supports civil society organisations to be a force for good in the world. This supports charities on preparedness, mitigation, and response to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and is one of 33 approved to be delivered in 16 countries.
To this end, Survivors Fund (SURF), in partnership with AVEGA Agahozo is proud to announce the launch of the C-19 Emergency Nutritional Response for Vulnerable Genocide Widows in Western Rwanda (CENREV) Project. CENREV aims to reinforce existing interventions in three districts of the Western Province of Rwanda, namely Rusizi and Nyamasheke – where our current UKAD project (EVWEP) is operational – and the neighbouring district of Karongi, which is the focus of a parallel project funded by the Addax & Oryx Foundation (EVKEP). The work will cover all 46 of their sectors.
SURF’s contribution in response to the COVID-19 aims to provide immediate nutritional support in form of direct cash transfers to enable the most hard-hit survivor-headed households to buy food, in addition to households in need receiving livestock for more sustainable food production. In this framework, each of the identified 490 survivor-headed households in most need shall receive a hardship grant of Rwf 15,000 approximately GBP 12 for a period of four months. Most of these households are headed by elderly survivors unable to earn an income independently.
Additional funds shall then go towards purchasing livestock (goats, pigs, chickens, rabbits) for over 500 survivor-headed households to cushion the shock after the lapse of the four months and to potentially sustain their livelihoods. We will specifically target older survivors whose health and psychological wellbeing has been affected because they do not have the income for food for themselves and their dependants making them vulnerable and susceptible to a state of depression and weakened immunity that if not checked now may result into fatal outcomes. UK Aid Direct supports civil society organisations (CSOs) working in UK Government priority countries and the 50 lowest countries in the Human Development Index (HDI), where support for achieving the Global Goals is most needed.