Community Needs Assessment and Effective Project Design in Rwanda A Case Study of Gimbuka Project in Ruhango District 2013-2017

The study was a case study of Gimbuka project in Ruhango district (2013 to 2017). The study was to achieve the following specific objectives: to evaluate methods, techniques and outcomes of community needs assessment, to assess the process and inputs required for effective project design and to analyze the relationship between communitys needs assessment and effective project design. The study used primary data and secondary data to achieve the objectives and hypothesis testing. Secondary data were collected from various dissemination tools like internet, Project report and district reports. Primary data were collected from beneficiaries of Gimbuka project; both 94 households sampled and 20 representatives of the institutions (health centre, district officials, Caritas officials and executive sectary of sectors). Data analysis was aided by SPSS tool and hypothesis were made using linear regression analysis. Hypothesis testing results indicated that the relationship between independent variable (community need assessment) was positive and statistically significant to dependent variable (effective project design). Thus the study concluded that the null hypothesis Community needs assessment is not significant to effective project design was rejected in favor of the alternative hypothesis Community needs assessment is significant to effective project design. The study recommended that Gimbuka Project management should ensure income source diversification and be sure that, they are using the support got from the project for economic purposes not only consumption. Additionally, the project management have to ensure that the project can self-sustain without wholly relying on the donors who can withdraw at any time. The community also to offer reliable information to the project management since the information is the basis for needs satisfaction; inaccurate information will lead to poor services.