Rwanda’s finance and economic planning ministries recently released a report which said that a total of 131 infants, out of 1,000 live births, die during delivery because of widespread disparities in the provision of social infrastructure across regions in the country. RNA quoted the report as saying that life expectancy and infant mortality rates are less favourable, partly due to the high level of malnutrition and also to high cost of health care. “The low income levels of the population aggravate the poor accessibility to social services,” it said. The average life expectancy in Rwanda is 49 years. According the report, poverty is the main obstacle to improved living standards of many Rwandans. It noted that the vulnerability of some groups has risen since the 1994 genocide resulting in the emergence of the “new very poor” category. “Poor households are now more likely to be female headed or child headed and are characterised by a lack of able-bodied labour,” the report said.
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