NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABLE GRADUATION

The discussion of graduation in the social protection sector in Rwanda has a long history, and thinking and understanding has evolved over time.

The SP Policy of 2005 which was developed before the elaboration of EDPRS1 (September 2007), referred to ‘exit strategies out of poverty’ and not necessarily graduation strategy. As a matter of fact, EDPRS1 set the target of 38% of vulnerable people graduating from livelihood enhancement schemes to achieve economic independence2.

The subsequent design of VUP in 2007-8 to implement the policy was based on the articulated with the notion that graduation from VUP would be possible, at scale, though with ambitious timelines of about six months, which proved to be over- ambitious during the implementation.