Welcome to Self-Help Program

Basket Weavers Cooperative Funded by Self-Help Program

• Guidelines

• Application Form (PDF 221 KB)

• Success Stories 

• Photo Gallery 

In 1964 an experimental and modest Self Help program was started in the tiny West African nation of Togo.  Its intent was to demonstrate that the United States government cares for the welfare of the African people and is interested in the self help endeavors of local communities.  Rather than encouraging reliance on US assistance, the program encourages recipients to be self reliant and independent. 

Now, the program extends across the entire African continent.

Currently, the US Embassy Kigali is funding many different projects ranging from glass bead jewelry production and a water purification system to mushroom and poultry farming.  The impact of this year’s Self Help Program will be greater than ever before.  Around 800 direct beneficiaries, including the respective cooperative members and their families, as well as tens of thousands of indirect beneficiaries, including the greater communities where the cooperatives are located, will benefit from this grassroots assistance program in Rwanda.