An estimated 800,000 people were killed in a three-month period in Rwanda during the civil war that ended in July 1994. A government of national unity was formed and affirmed its commitment to work for peace and national reconciliation, and to liberalize the economy. Over the next three years, millions of exiles and refugees poured back into the country from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Tanzania.

During this massive return of exiles and refugees to Rwanda, and as part of the peace process, the new government has remained persistent in its efforts to build trust and to dismantle Rwanda¹s legacy of centralized decisionmaking.

The World Bank-assisted Community Reintegration and Development Project is approaching the start of implementation and focuses on three tasks: transferring decisionmaking authority from the central to the community level, strengthening partnerships between the local administration and the local population, and building trust and cooperation within and between the local government and the population.

The project works to empower people, foster self-reliance, and bring life to local communities through locally determined development sub-projects such as enhancing food security, further developing small farms and businesses, or infrastructure repair. Once approved by community development committees, the sub-projects are implemented by community-based groups, partner agencies, and local government units. This project is a highly participatory undertaking that employs a decentralized approach for all phases of the project cycle, including financial management, and serves as a comprehensive economic and social investment for a peaceful future.