Project Planning Practices and Sustainability of Community Livelihood Projects in Compassion International Rwanda (2025-2026)

This study examined the influence of project planning practices on the sustainability of community livelihood projects implemented by Compassion International Rwanda. The study was motivated by challenges affecting project continuity after donor support, including weak financial sustainability, limited risk preparedness, inadequate stakeholder participation, and ineffective communication systems. The research focused on four dimensions of project planning: resource planning, risk planning, stakeholder planning, and communication planning. A quantitative cross-sectional design was adopted, and data were collected from 134 respondents selected through stratified probability sampling from a target population of 200 staff members, partner church staff, beneficiaries, and caregivers. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, ANOVA, and hypothesis testing. The findings revealed that all four planning practices were positively and significantly associated with project sustainability. Resource planning was positively associated with sustainability through effective management of human, material, and equipment resources, although financial planning remained inadequate. Risk planning contributed through strong risk assessment and response mechanisms despite weaknesses in risk identification and mitigation. Stakeholder planning emerged as the strongest predictor of sustainability, highlighting the importance of participation, ownership, and collaboration. Communication planning improved sustainability through effective communication channels, consultation, feedback, and stakeholder coordination. Correlation results showed significant positive relationships between sustainability and stakeholder planning (r=0.820), resource planning (r=0.770), risk planning (r=0.667), and communication planning (r=0.649). Regression analysis indicated that project planning practices explained 78.9% of the variation in sustainability (R²=0.789), with stakeholder planning (β=0.461) having the greatest influence. The study concludes that integrated project planning is significantly associated with income diversification, financial independence, community empowerment, and long-term project sustainability. It recommends strengthening financial planning, proactive risk management, stakeholder engagement, communication systems, and integrated planning frameworks to sustain project benefits beyond donor support.