[UK] Britain Pledges $800 Million to Rwanda for Poverty Reduction

from The Voice of America

Britain says it will give Rwanda $800 million during the next 10 years to combat poverty.

Speaking in Kigali Monday, the head of Britain's Department for International Development, Suma Chakrabarti, praised Rwanda's government for making strides against poverty and improving basic services.

He and United Nations officials also applauded Rwanda's success in reducing the prevalence of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Britain has been a major donor to Rwanda as the Central African country rebuilds from the 1994 genocide, in which an estimated 800,000 people were killed.