History of the USAID program in Rwanda, 1962-1985

In the early years (1962-68), A.I.D., functioning as a supplemental donor, encouraged economic development, fiscal reform, and internal security. A new policy for Africa ended bilateral assistance in 1969 and from then until 1974 A.I.D. activities were restricted to P.L. 480 Title II assistance and a self-help program. After the 1973 "New Directions Mandate" sparked interest in Rwanda as one of the "poorest of the poor", A.I.D. began to develop a long-range program, consisting primarily of increasing agricultural production and improving the country"s demographic situation (1975-79). Despite a change in directors in 1979, the Rwanda Mission continued through 1982 to focus on enlarging and coordinating activities begun in the late 1970"s. The priority for the years 1983-85 has been to address the "four pillars" of A.I.D."s global development priorities and strategy. This report presents both brief summaries and longer descriptions of each of these periods; major emphasis is placed on describing the wealth of new projects developed after 1974.