Many who lost income to the lockdown and other containment measures live hand to mouth as relief food dries up
In 2019, Saidi Gisagara was making over Rwf150,000 per month as a cab driver and part-time mechanic. It was enough to provide for his family of three. Mr Gisagara, 40, and his wife Alphonsine Mukamugenza, had always dreamt of opening a restaurant.
They required a capital of at least Rwf300,000 to open one near their home. When Covid-19 hit in March 2020, they had saved Rwf200,000 and were looking forward to the dream come true.
Fourteen months into the pandemic, Mr Gisagara’s family has been crushed down to begging for food. They drained their savings during lockdown and had to move into a cheaper house of Rwf20,000 per month when he lost his job as a driver.
“Sometimes, we spend days without food. It has never happened to us before. We used to receive support from the government but not anymore. We rely on my husband's gigs to fix fridges and it could take weeks before he gets any,” Ms Mukamugenza explained
Although none of Mr Gisagara’s family members contracted the coronavirus, Covid-19 has not only crushed their dreams and wellbeing but also stole peace and solidarity from their threeyear-old marriage. The drainage in income, poverty and desperation have prompted conflict between the couple with the husband accusing the wife for intentionally relaying on him while the wife feels she cannot find work even when the husband cannot.
Mr Gisagara’s family is one among thousands of families that were hammered down to poverty by Covid-19. It is reported by the World Bank Rwanda Economic Update that at least 550,000 Rwandans entered poverty bracket during the pandemic.
The numbers continue to increase despite social protection policies that have been put to support families like Gisagara’s. The Government developed a social protection response plan to assist households affected by Covid-19 estimated at Rwf133.6 billion. During lockdown, vulnerable families received relief food the government.
The support was both insufficient and periodic, as claimed by some beneficiaries. In September 2020, six months into the pandemic, the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda reported that unemployment had increased by 9.1 percent between March and May 2020 due Covid-19 pandemic.
Throughout the year, vulnerable families including Mr Gisagara’s family, were receiving support which they say was very helpful.
“They used to give us beans, maize flour and rice. The support saw us through tough days but then it stopped,” Mr Gisagara said.
Although the impact of Covid-19 was not limited to only vulnerable families in the poorest social category, the support left out the new poor.
The concern was raised by the Rwanda Civil Society Platform which claimed that the support provided by the government neither reaches everyone in need nor satisfies the beneficiaries. The Chairperson of the platform, Dr Joseph Ryarasa Nkurunziza told Rwanda Today that they have been advocating for sustainable ways of support.