(MENAFNEditorial) GENEVA Switzerland January 20 2015/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Under the Swedish-funded One UN / Ministry for Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR) Joint Sustainable Return and Reintegration programme IOM has stepped up efforts to boost the sustainable reintegration of Rwandan returnees from neighbouring countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo Tanzania and Burundi.

The organization last week (13-16/1) trained some 84 trainers who will soon train some 770 selected returnees and vulnerable members of returnee host communities in Rwanda in income generating activities.

These will include skills such as carpentry welding knitting tailoring mechanics masonry hairdressing and others depending on the trainee's choice marketability of the trade and availability of a training provider in the target area.

The trainers were drawn from the districts of Bugesera Musanze Nyabihu Rubavu Rusizi Karongi Ngororero Rutsiro Nyamagabe and Nyamasheke.

The training follows an earlier 2010-2014 programme implemented by IOM Rwanda in coordination with MIDIMAR that also extended access to market-oriented skills training to returnees and other vulnerable members of host communities. The project resulted in an average 78 per cent increase in income for direct beneficiaries and a marked improvement in their living conditions.