Caritas Rwanda joined partners and stakeholders to reflect on the achievements and lessons of the IGIRE Program and discuss how to sustain community HIV services through local ownership and Government leadership.
On 25th September 2026, Caritas Rwanda joined PACT/ACHIEVE, AEE Rwanda and FXB Rwanda for the PACT/ACHIEVE and IGIRE Implementing Partners’ Legacy and Learning Event, held at Kigali Marriott Hotel under the theme “Sustaining HIV Outcomes Through Local Ownership.”
The event brought together Rwanda and U.S. government representatives, implementing partners, community actors and other stakeholders to celebrate achievements, share lessons learned and discuss sustaining community HIV services under Government leadership.
Supported through the U.S. Government’s PEPFAR funding, ACHIEVE and IGIRE have contributed to HIV prevention, care and treatment, education, protection and economic strengthening across 11 districts, reaching children, adolescents, caregivers and vulnerable households.
Through the Health component, 193,794 children and caregivers were reached with health, education, protection and economic-strengthening services. Among those living with HIV, 90,879 children, adolescents and caregivers were supported to remain on ARV, while 87,072 achieved viral-load suppression.
Under the Schooled component, 81,386 vulnerable children and adolescents were supported to enroll, remain and progress in school, including 55,562 primary-school learners and 25,824 secondary-school learners.
The Safe component strengthened protection and violence prevention, reaching 172,428 adolescent girls and young women with sexual and reproductive health and rights services and 116,372 community members through gender-based violence prevention and social-norms-change interventions. In addition, 447 safe spaces were established to provide adolescent girls and young women with mentoring, information and peer support.
Through the Stable component, 5,942 youth acquired technical skills through TVET and received support to start income-generating activities. The programmes also supported 2,427 Internal Savings and Lending Groups, while 13,737 vulnerable households received cash grants to meet priority needs and strengthen livelihoods.
As ACHIEVE and IGIRE conclude their HIV service delivery activities in September 2026, the event provided a platform to reflect on these achievements and lessons learned and discuss the transition of community HIV programming to Government leadership.
For Caritas Rwanda, the event was an opportunity to reflect on its contribution to IGIRE, share implementation experiences and reaffirm its commitment to collaboration and local ownership.
The discussions highlighted the importance of strong community systems, collaboration and Government leadership in sustaining HIV services and the gains achieved through community-based programming.
The event therefore served not only as a reflection on achievements, but also as a platform to strengthen collective commitment to sustaining HIV outcomes through local ownership.