Coordination Mechanisms among Faith-Based Organisations and Household Poverty Reduction in Rwanda’s Western Province
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t4389Abstract
Persistent household poverty in Rwanda’s Western Province has increased the need for coordinated, locally grounded, and accountable poverty reduction interventions. Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs) remain important actors in supporting vulnerable households through livelihood assistance, food security initiatives, education support, healthcare-related services, psychosocial care, humanitarian response, savings groups, agricultural inputs, and community mobilisation. However, their contribution depends not only on the existence of programmes, but also on how organisations coordinate planning, share information, identify beneficiaries, refer households, align interventions with district priorities, and follow up implementation. This study determined how coordination mechanisms among FBOs influenced household poverty reduction in Rwanda’s Western Province. An interpretivist qualitative case-study design was employed, using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, observation, and document review involving FBO leaders, programme staff, local government and Joint Action Development Forum (JADF) actors, community leaders, and beneficiary households. Data was analysed thematically through coding, triangulation, cross-actor comparison, attention to negative cases, and interpretive synthesis. Findings revealed that coordination strengthened poverty reduction by improving joint planning, reducing duplication, enhancing beneficiary targeting, supporting referral pathways, and promoting service complementarity. However, weak documentation systems, irregular information sharing, donor-driven reporting, competition for visibility, and limited referral follow-up constrained household-level change. The study concludes that FBO coordination is a governance mechanism through which fragmented interventions can be transformed into more coherent, equitable, and responsive poverty reduction practice.
Keywords: Faith-Based Organisations, coordination mechanisms, household poverty reduction, collaborative governance, Rwanda’s Western Province
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