Gift of 200 cows to Rwanda by Modi Government

Gift of 200 cows was to villagers at Rweru Model Village, as part of the Rwandan Government’s GIRINKA PROGRAMME.

Rwanda Government’s GIRINKA programme was started in 2006 in response to the alarmingly high rate of childhood malnutrition and as a way to accelerate poverty reduction and integrate livestock and crop farming. The programme, initiated by President Paul Kagame is based on the premise that providing a dairy cow to Rwanda’s poor citizens transforms livelihoods, reconciles communities improving agricultural productivity through the use of manure as fertilizers. It is also a part of a strategy to rebuild the national cattle herd from an insignificant level after the 1994 genocide during which over 80% of cattle were decimated.

The worst part of the genocide was that more than 8 lacs mostly the minority Tutsis were slaughtered by the majority Hutu extremists within 100 days with impunity. Peace was restored in July 1994 with accords between two warring ethnic groups of majority Hutu (88%) and minority Tutsi (11%) apart from original inhabitants Twa pygmies (1%). The present president Paul Kagame who led the military arm of the Twandan Patriotic Army (RPF) in its war against the Hutu-controlled government belongs to Tutsi minority race and still, he won successive elections continuously as President since 2000 and in the recently held election in 2017, he won for the third term as President and his term also was extended for a 10 year term as per the new constitution.

The word GIRINKA means ‘May you have a cow’. Apart from the economic benefits of Girinka programme, it also aimed at promoting unity and reconciliation among Rwandans based on the cultural principle that if a cow is given from one person to another, it establishes trust and respect between the giver and beneficiary. Hence this gift of cows had resulted in India and Rwanda becoming trusted and respectable friends.

Since its introduction in 2006, a total of 248,566 cows had been distributed to poor households. The program also follows a certain criteria in choosing who the beneficiaries should be.

As per a Government of Rwanda official, they mainly look at those very poor vulnerable families that don’t own a cow but do have land that can be used to grow grass for feeding the cows. The beneficiary should be in position to construct an animal shed or willing to join others in community to construct a communal cow shed to be jointly used with the rest.

During Modi’s visit, India had also extended two lines of credit -- one of $100 million for development of industrial parks and Kigali special economic zone (SEZ) in Rwanda and another one for $100 million for agriculture.  The two countries have signed agreements on cooperation in the field of defence, trade, agriculture and animal resources. They also agreed to cooperate in defence capacity building, industry, science and technology.

Modi also said that India will soon open a High Commission at Kigali – capital city of Rwanda as part of New Delhi’s efforts to bolster the strategic partnership with the fast-developing East African country.

Modi’s visit will mark the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in over two decades.

Let us hope that gift of Cows brings mutual trust and friendship between the two nations.