Rwanda is world-renowned for having terrific national policies and programs in place to try to correct some of the inequalities endured by women and girls for decades, and some would argue centuries. One of the most commonly noted statistics is that Rwanda has the highest percentage of women in its Parliament than any other country in the world, over 50%. But this is not just a question of numbers in a legislative body. From proactive land policies that allow women to own their own plots of land to health policies that ensure that all girls are vaccinated for cervical cancer, Rwanda has ensured that “gender” issues have been mainstreamed. It would take far too much space here to elaborate on each proactive policy in Rwanda related to the empowerment of women. Go into any village of the country, facilitate a community meeting on any topic, and, after a flurry of responses from men, there are bound to be a handful of people who will giggle and encourage women to start raising their hands even if you just say the word “gender” (in English)! – Jesse Hawkes, GYC Executive Director

From the Delegates:

Workshop Discussions & Visiting with the Kigali Institute of Education’s Gender Studies Department

On Day 5 of the August delegation, we broke into groups of about four to discuss the issue of gender and its relationship to human rights as a whole. The different groups were a mix of Rwandan and international participants. Jesse gave us several items to consider within our groups during the discussions, such as: What is gender? What are the rights associated with gender? How do individuals see this topic differently? Why is there a need for gender-specific rights when human rights should account for the rights of all people?

In response to the last question, our group asserted that human rights laws cannot take into account all of the difficulties and rights violations experienced by marginalized groups. It was also noted that just because an international law exists does not mean that it will be obeyed.

In terms of the first questions, one idea that came up – both in my own small group and as a large group – was the difference in the conceptual definition of gender between the Rwandan and international delegates. When asked to define ‘gender’, many of the internationals described it in value-neutral terms, relating it equally between males and females. There were variations in the degree definitions were related to the idea of the physical sex of the person and to the idea of gender being socially constructed. The idea of gender for Rwandans, however, seemed inextricably linked to the fight for gender equality. When asked to define gender, participants responded, “It is the promotion of equality between men and women,” or “It is promoting women as equals.”

According to participants in Rwanda, the promotion of gender equality has focused on the idea of “complementarity” as opposed to the idea of “equal” which could imply sameness. In our group, we explored this idea in depth, discussing how men and women should have similar opportunities and the same rights, but in a way that acknowledges the differences between the sexes.

At the same time, we acknowledged that Rwanda has pushed for equality of the sexes in a variety of ways involving, and exceeding, affirmative action. Laws and policies have been developed to put women into the forefront of Rwanda’s development as a country. These laws include quotas, for example to increase the numbers of women in secondary school and within universities since these are traditionally male-dominated areas of education. Because women’s educational participation has been historically low, the country must work very hard to increase the number of qualified women in order to meet the quotas. Rwanda has exceeded the quota/mandate that 30% of parliamentarians are women.

However, our group also noted that, with the focus on the inclusion of women in higher education and traditionally masculine jobs, some tension has developed among Rwandans, and the country must also change the traditional understanding of gender and gender roles. Note: we had seen some evidence of the jealousy of men towards affirmative action policies even in the Kiziba Refugee Camp (based on a previous report we saw from previous delegations).

Later in the day, we visited the Kigali Institute of Education’s groundbreaking Gender Studies Department, to better understand their responses to the same questions and to find out more about their program in general.

Related to our previous discussions and topics: The fear of male resentment was summarily dismissed by the academic Dean of KIE, a man. However, the head of the gender studies program, a woman, acknowledged the potential for the increased focus on female participation to cause tension and asserted that there was a need for increased understanding of the term “masculinity” and a discussion of male identity in Rwandan society. The KIE Department was very hopeful that Rwanda would succeed in this regard in part due to their efforts. The KIE program is trying to introduce studies on masculinity because both genders are equally involved in the process of gender equality. Introducing, explaining, and opening up discussion about gender is key because historically it is taboo. Opening up this area of discussion is also seen as important to the overall increase in self-expression that “did not exist before 1994” according to KIE’s director. KIE is also working with law enforcement to reduce gender based violence by creating and conducting a training for law enforcement officers. They also hope that increased awareness of gender issues, particularly violence, will result in an increase in ‘community policing’.

ANALYSIS/REACTIONS:

Overall, our intergroup discussions were interesting and educational. Both KIE representatives were very warm and welcoming to our delegation, dedicating a significant amount of time in providing use with information and in taking our questions.

Several delegation members felt some of the KIE meeting was high in rhetoric and political in nature, as some questions from participants were mollified with platitudes. For example, the Dean had responded “do not be afraid” to concerns about gender relations/jealousy raised by delegates. The head of the gender studies department seemed practical and upfront, however, about the challenges facing Rwanda even as it moves forward.

MINISTRY OF GENDER AND FAMILY PROMOTION

Later in the trip, we had a chance to meet with the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, and while the majority of the meeting thankfully focused on practical issues/questions/challenges and solutions, we did have a chance to discuss Gender as a concept too. After a question about whether LGBTI issues were considered part of the definitions of Gender and Family in Rwanda, the impression we got from the Ministry is that “Gender” — in the policies and discussions at the government level — is a term reserved for addressing the traditional notion of “men” and “women.” There is a contrast between what is being taught at KIE and how the Ministry defines Gender. KIE is addressing the multifaceted nature of Gender in a modernizing world, where some people may not even consider themselves to be traditionally “male” or “female.”  Please see the separate write up about that visit for more information.

Small Group Discussion among Alumni -- on Human Rights of Domestic Workers

On our wrap up day in the July/August program, we discussed several crucial issues that had been coming up in our programming. These are the notes from the sessions:

HR of DOMESTIC WORKERS

Small Group discussion on domestic workers – Sat. August 13th, 2011

Approximately 11 current and former GYC alumni joined the discussion on human rights and domestic workers, including ADBEF President Lyhotely  Ndagijmana who spoke of the work that his organization is doing in regards to this issue.  ADBEF (The association for the defense of human rights, lasting development and well-being of the family) was created in 2006 with a focus on protecting the rights of family members and a vision of a world where all people live happily in dignity and socio-economic security.  Some members of the discussion group were not familiar with the work of ADBEF and were happy to learn of the work ADBEF is doing in advocating for and educating domestic workers on their rights.

Members of the group shared personal experiences as we discussed the question of how best to advocate for this marginalized group of people.

The discussion centered around the fundamental need for a basic level of education for domestic workers so that they understand their rights and so they have the knowledge and resources to help themselves.

We also talked about how we can work to slowly change people’s attitudes so that domestic workers are treated with the same level of respect and that their human rights are also observed.

The discussion concluded with a commitment from each member that along with the great work that ADBEF continues to do in advocating for the rights of domestic workers, we all need to take action in our own lives to address this issue.  The first step is to slowly change the attitudes of people and to educate the community about the rights of domestic workers.  While we all acknowledged that this attitude change certainly won’t happen overnight, we can continue to talk about this issue and to advocate for the rights of domestic workers at the community level and beyond.

We can also use the GYC alumni community as an excellent resource to continue this discussion and to connect with other people who are passionate about this issue.

ARTS ADVOCACY

Attended by Lowell Brower, Adrianna Lawson, Erin Mosely, Christina Callingham, Brittany Cassel, Benoit Tuyisenge, Remy Tuyiringire, Francoise Uzamukunda, Rose Tuyishime (RAPP), Philippe Ngabonziza (RAPP), Emmanuel Nkuranga (Ivuka)

Why arts and arts education matter to us

• Arts for peace, arts for reconciliation
• Arts for art’s sake – creative/vibrant society + social unity
• Arts as a tool for advocacy – changing views, language beyond words, emotional power
• Arts as method for broaching taboo/emotional/hard to communicate topics
• Arts as income generation (livelihood)
• Arts as a serious, legitimate profession/career
• Arts to get kids interested in education
• Arts education to build creativity from an early age
• Arts as a powerful tool for self expression
• Arts as a human rights education tool
• Arts as positive, safe, and creative outlet for youth
• Newly appointed Minister of Youth, Sports, and Culture MITALI Protais; according to Ishyo he is receptive/persuadable, and should therefore be a primary advocacy target
• Rwanda has just approved a new arts section for the national curriculum, but there is a lot of advocacy that can be done to help shape exactly how arts education will be implemented (reach out to Ministry of Education to see what steps can be taken)
• Need statistics and a strategic action plan for larger arts/arts education campaign; need to build a coalition of interested organizations and individuals
• Consider creating a National Youth Arts Forum, which would bring together artists from all genres (film, theater, music, visual arts, etc.) on a monthly basis; combining energy, resources, and ideas; themed conversations on issues that matter to all young artists and a possible launching pad for advocacy efforts; seek the support of the Minister of Culture for this forum (perhaps he could even attend from time to time); Ishyo can likely provide the space; examples of the kinds of discussions that could take place are – how to balance traditional and modern forms in artistic practice? Is there a “Rwandan” aesthetic or style that we are aiming for? If so, what is it, and how is it different from other East African or global styles? How can we as artists promote ourselves AND help market each other?
• Organize a Month of the Arts festival, combining theater, film, music, and the visual arts; get support from Rwanda Tourism Board and others who may be able to help with marketing and promotion; the goal of this festival would be to highlight both the aesthetic and monetary value of Rwandan arts – platform for individual artists to show their talents
• Promote action through the arts, promote arts by using it as a tool – show its importance, its value, and its diversity in order to convince Rwandan society that the arts are a serious and legitimate profession (the best way to convince people is to display talent)
• The more visible art is, the more value government and society will place on the arts; artists need to find strategic platforms for their art (e.g. Ishyo staged the final night of this year’s “Center by Center” performances in the Rwanda Development Board offices)
• Talented individuals are still young, but conversations among young artists need to happen so that they can figure out ways to become role models for younger kids

How to advocate for the arts/arts education

• Newly appointed Minister of Youth, Sports, and Culture MITALI Protais; according to Ishyo he is receptive/persuadable, and should therefore be a primary advocacy target
• Rwanda has just approved a new arts section for the national curriculum, but there is a lot of advocacy that can be done to help shape exactly how arts education will be implemented (reach out to Ministry of Education to see what steps can be taken)
• Need statistics and a strategic action plan for larger arts/arts education campaign; need to build a coalition of interested organizations and individuals
• Consider creating a National Youth Arts Forum, which would bring together artists from all genres (film, theater, music, visual arts, etc.) on a monthly basis; combining energy, resources, and ideas; themed conversations on issues that matter to all young artists and a possible launching pad for advocacy efforts; seek the support of the Minister of Culture for this forum (perhaps he could even attend from time to time); Ishyo can likely provide the space; examples of the kinds of discussions that could take place are – how to balance traditional and modern forms in artistic practice? Is there a “Rwandan” aesthetic or style that we are aiming for? If so, what is it, and how is it different from other East African or global styles? How can we as artists promote ourselves AND help market each other?
• Organize a Month of the Arts festival, combining theater, film, music, and the visual arts; get support from Rwanda Tourism Board and others who may be able to help with marketing and promotion; the goal of this festival would be to highlight both the aesthetic and monetary value of Rwandan arts – platform for individual artists to show their talents
• Promote action through the arts, promote arts by using it as a tool – show its importance, its value, and its diversity in order to convince Rwandan society that the arts are a serious and legitimate profession (the best way to convince people is to display talent)

Phillippe Passionately Addresses his fellow GYC Alumni About Disabilities

On July 9^th, we finished this June/July Turikumwe! Cross Cultural Delegation with a brainstorming session on various issues that we’d yet to fully consider as a group, or about which we wanted to get some outside perspective.

The “extra” brainstorming issues discussed were Advocacy for the Arts / Arts Education in Schools; human rights of LGBTI people, and the human rights of people living with disabilities.

Attendees included health consultants, NGO workers, GYC Alumni,  people who identify as being part of the LGBTI population in Rwanda, representatives from the National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (ANSP+), psychiatric counselors, and others.

There were no watershed moments during the discussions, but the groups recorded their brainstorming and agreed to (a) encourage the youth in the next Turikumwe! program to continue to take-up these issues, preferably in the context of their work with local organizations, and (b) meet again at the next delegation’s wrap-up day for further consideration of next steps.

ADVOCACY FOR THE ARTS IN RWANDA:

Challenges facing this cause: There is little perception of how hard artists need to work to create their art. Part of the challenge is that there is a lot of theatre and film that is meant to spread messages, so some people think that that is the only option/need and therefore there is little need to do anything more for artists, if the “art for the message’s sake” is already readily available.

HUMAN RIGHTS OF LGBTI PEOPLE IN RWANDA:

Some key accolades for Rwanda on this issue:  It is not illegal to be LGBTI in Rwanda. More LGBTI people are expressing themselves more freely today without retribution. There are some services that cater to the specific needs of the LGBTI population, particularly in the field of HIV Prevention.

Some key challenges: Very few organizations have clearly defined programs to assist the LGBTI population. There is a lack of socio/psychological assistance for the LGBTI population.

Of the key questions that came-up , but which remain to be fully analyzed and discussed, the following stood out.

• How visible should activists be in the Rwandan context? Is it always better to be very open about advocating and acting on behalf of the human rights of LGBTI people? Should there be a role model who is LGBTI who can speak out on their behalf? Or a role model who is not LGBTI?
• Even though it is not illegal to be LGBTI in Rwanda, should we be advocating for a special law that would specifically focus on protecting the human rights of LGBTI people? Or should we just rely on Rwanda’s current laws against discrimination? Note: this question was raised in the visit to parliament – and the response from the Commission was “you should just use the current laws that protect everyone from discrimination.” However, one of the crucial areas where this has yet to be tested is in the court system.

RIGHTS OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH DISABILITIES

This is what Alexandra Saper wrote following her consulation with Bonaventure Tuyisenge who is a Counseling Trainer Supervisor at Kigali Health Institute (and a GYC alum!).

Throughout recent years, Rwanda has made progress in protecting the rights of people living with disabilities in the country. For example, several hospital clinics have been built to be accessible to people with mobility impairments, while several schools provide educational services that can be adapted for people with various physical and cognitive disabilities. There have also been clinics and programs created to specifically target people with psychological disabilities, such as psychotic disorders or psychological trauma. However, serious challenges still face people living in Rwanda with physical, cognitive, medical, and other disabilities. In particular, physical accessibility in Rwanda remains seriously undeveloped, while cultural and social barriers can often deter individuals from seeking psychological care. In addition, in many villages, people with disabilities are shamed into hiding and are therefore prevented from receiving information on their rights and obtaining access to services and treatment.  Many counselors in Rwanda are not able to adequately distinguish between PTSD, trauma, and grief, all of which require different treatment approaches.

At the alumni session, Phillippe, a GYC Alumnus said:

I am working on a project to increase awareness about the rights of PLWD, such as my brother who also uses a wheelchair. We hope that there can be more networking about this in the GYC Rwanda Alumni listserv as well as at the next brainstorming session, or even linked to some of the local partner organizations in the program!

One of our international participants, Cecelia Black, uses a wheelchair, and she had this to say about her time in Rwanda and Africa in general:

Traveling in Rwanda and Southern Africa in a wheelchair exposed the challenges and differences that countries continue to face in regards to disability rights.  In addition to a weak infrastructure, Rwanda’s natural hilly landscape poses a serious barrier for people with mobility issues.  Most of Rwanda’s buildings have not made special provisions for wheelchair users and often have a few steps, as well as inaccessible bathrooms.  One major difference between Rwanda and the US was people’s attitudes toward me and my wheelchair.  I felt that Rwandans where much more surprised to see me, but at the same time more willing to offer assistance than Americans.  I noticed many of these same themes traveling in southern Zimbabwe. Surprisingly however, the accessibility in Swaziland was a drastic contrast from Rwanda and Zimbabwe.  Despite very depressed cities and a largely rural country, Swaziland is incredibly accessible, relatively speaking.  Almost all public restrooms include a handicap bathroom and more often than not ramps have been added to storefronts.  In South Africa, I have experienced a broad spectrum of wheelchair accessibility.  I feel that South Africa is more cognizant of accessibility challenges than Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and Swaziland, however there is still a long way to go before the country is like the US, where all new stores and buildings are constructed under handicap regulations.  Still, traveling in Africa made me realize that the political correctness and independent mindset in America makes people afraid to offer help to people with disabilities.  We could use a lesson from Africans openly accommodating attitudes.

The delegation opened up everyone’s eyes to the mobility limitations facing PLWD, and especially people who lack the ability to use their legs or artificial limbs. At the same time, it also helped us to see the kindness of both Rwandans and foreigners living in Rwanda, everyone of whom was always willing to lend a hand to help.

The alumni session at the end was inspirational. Actively engaged alumni were there to encourage the recent “grads” and to network for some of their crucial causes: such as seeking medical care for women who have abortions in Rwanda and de-criminalization of sex-working in Rwanda.

We reminded all alumni that there are several tools that they can use to keep in touch with one another and to gather support from one another, such as the email listserv for all alumni (both Rwandan and International). And that if they want to spark conversations on-line, they can use facebook to start a question and answer session with their friends.

One new grad said, “I am going to go to our community work day – umuganda — and I am going to tell people about what I learned about human rights!”

Wrap Up Press Conference!

On the final day, we also held a press conference – to explore how our message would be picked-up by the Rwandan Press (both in print and on television/radio).

We presented on the various issues and findings. You can download our press briefing here!

In terms of stories:

There was at least one in Kinyarwanda:  http://www.igihe.com/spip.php?article14233

There was another in English in Rwanda’s only daily paper (By the way, we have no idea who Fred Ndahiro is – he was not a participant in our program!): http://www.newtimes.co.rw/index.php?issue=14683&article=43067

Note about Journalism in Rwanda:

Journalism is one of the most controversial and difficult of all sectors in Rwanda. There is a strict media law that is overseen by a governmental body called the Media High Council. Given the fact that in the lead up to the Genocide the media was used for spreading hate messages, Rwanda’s parliament enacted laws that attempt to minimize the potential dangers of mis-use of media. We didn’t get into many discussions about this during this program, but we did feel the effects of a less than perfect media environment in Rwanda, one that is plagued also by a lack of resources, and perhaps a lack of will-power (even on our part!).

Here is the story about why the television did not come to our event!  They received the invitation and called us to confirm the location of the event, but they said they did not have a car to transport themselves to the place. It was hard to imagine that the state-run television station would not be able to fund its journalists to cover an event that they wished to cover, but nevertheless, we told them that we would be able to pay for a taxi that could bring them to the location, but that we didn’t have a driver who could pick them. They did not make the arrangement to come however. And why not? Why didn’t the TV come anyway, even after we said we would pay their ride? We were told that this is common for the TV reporters. If they do not get picked-up, they will not come.  Period. Those organizations that can send a car, get the story. It’s the system. Afterwards, we were told that this is part of an on-going challenge in Rwanda related to how the press functions.  It is very common for the press to demand some “transportation” contribution when they cover an event. The practice is actually forbidden according to Rwanda’s media law and standards/regulations, but still we were told that it is a very common practice. Sometimes reporters demand the money, but they don’t want to sign for that money because they fear that someone will find out. At our event, the reporters all signed for a “transportation” allowance. But we explained that if they wish to cover our events in the future, they should not expect to receive anything. At some point, this cycle needs to be broken!

At a rehearsal of one RAPP's Population Services International theatre groups -- Jesse and Frances helped with brainstorming about a play concerning HIV testing

HDI:

1. a.       Activity 1: SHARE Brochure

i.      The past GYC delegation had begun to construct a brochure for HDI’s Sexual Health and Reproductive Education program to distribute to teachers and students.  Our group re-developed and completed the brochure (see attached).

ii.      This brochure will be printed and given to different secondary schools for distribution to students and teachers in the future, and was also uploaded onto the HDI website and facebook page.

1. b.      Activity 2: Open Talk Newsletter

i.      In May, our focal point (Janet) represented SHARE on a visit to two secondary schools to discuss issues related to sexual health and reproduction.  At the end of the workshops, students were asked to write down any questions they had about specific problems/issues/curiosities that would be addressed in SHARE’s monthly newsletter,Open Talk.

ii.      Our group gathered these questions and grouped them according to topic (questions about LGBTI, relationships, menstruation, HIV/AIDS, and condoms) and each of us took one or two topic groups.  Individually we combined questions and responded to them based on our own experiences and through internet research.

iii.      Since there was a wealth of questions regarding LGBTI issues (e.g. “What is a homosexual?”; “Why shouldn’t homosexuals be punished?”, etc.), we decided to include an explanation/introduction to LGBTI issues and rights to begin the newsletter, and then included Q&A directly thereafter (see attached).

iv.      This newsletter was uploaded onto the HDI website as well as the facebook page.

1. c.       Activity 3: Visit to Bwiza Potter Community

i.      Tharcise, Janet, and Angie accompanied HDI’s field officer for COPHAD (Claude) to the Bwiza potter community.  Due to the extreme inaccessibility of the trip to and from the village, Cece was unfortunately unable to join on the visit.

ii.      During the visit, we stopped first at the Ubwiza village being built by the government for the Bwiza community members to be relocated to.  Claude introduced us to the executive of the town, who welcomed us to visit the potter community.

iii.      We then proceeded to the hillside and hiked down to the potter’s village.

1. 1.      Claude brought a bag of clothes, shoes, and a soccer ball for recreation to be distributed to community members.
2. 2.      We were shown where the cows were kept before the thieves had begun to steal them; now the cows are disbursed among the village members to be kept in cages right next to their respective homes.
3. 3.      We were shown the water tank that HDI helped the community build in the past.
4. 4.      It was a special day, as one of the community members we visited with had been given a new granddaughter the day before, so we were privileged to meet the new baby girl and her mother.
5. 5.      Claude showed us the terraces where HDI had helped train Bwiza community members to farm in order to produce a higher yield.
   1. a.       One of the members showed us the over 600 kg of beans and peas that have been harvested this June.
6. d.      Activity 4:  Updated SHARE Program Manual

i.      The SHARE project had an existing program manual containing program goals and instructions for peer educators. The manual consisted of several sections including “Gender Equality” and “Sexual Orientation and Preference.”  These two sections were minimal and contained problematic language.

ii.      We rewrote these two sections (“Gender Equality” and “Sexual Orientation”) to emphasize a better LGBTI understanding.  We included a comprehensive definition of LGBTI and expanded on the issues that face the LGBTI community.  The gender equality section was also edited and reworded incorporating LGBTI issues.

AJPRODHO:

Planned and Implemented Observation Visit to Kiziba Refugee Camp

Reported on Visit to camp (report forthcoming)

Planned and Implemented Observation Visit to Bwishyura Police Station

Reported on Visit to Bwishyura Police Station (report forthcoming)

Arranged a meeting with the Youth Leaders of Karongi District — and reported on discussions about their perceptions of the human rights of youth in their district (report forthcoming)

• Created a Theatre Play on Human Rights in Rwanda and in the USA to spark Discussion with the youth
• Designed and led a human rights workshop with the youth prior to discussing specific issues facing them in Karongi

• A write up about what GYC and AJRPODHO worked on together during this delegation
• A write up about AJPRODHO’s new and upcoming projects
• A write up about AJPRODHO’s ongoing projects
• An updated version of AJPRODHO’s brochure.  

RAPP:

Brainstorming about the Rwanda Knits Program.We went to several site visits and had an informative conversation with their president of the cooperatives. We learned the major challenge for knitting program is that there’s not enough social network for the knitting program. They need more advertising and promotion. In order to help the organization, we decided to bring the knitting program information back to the United States and promoting the blogs, using social media as a tool to advertise for Rwanda knitting program.

Assisting the RAPP Theatre Programs for PSI. We went to the rehearsals and offering some ideas about how to use theatre as an effective tool for social changes.

COPORWA:

Numerous translations of important documents into English from French.

Completion of visit to and report on the Mubuga Sector Potters’ Community (to be released  at later date)

UYISENGA N’ MANZI

-Through two trips to various Uyisenga N’Manzi villages, we were able to gain some insight on how the organization has assisted members of Rwanda’s youth population in their rehabilitation, especially emotionally and economically. We learned that they provide tools for economic self-sustainment, such as a vocational training for cassava and pineapple cultivation. Additionally, they offer several forms of psychiatric assistance, with one-on-one sessions as well as various solidarity camps.

-Specifically, tasks we completed while working with Uyisenga N’Manzi included:

-editing their volunteer application

-researching various hotel/guesthouse prices to provide an average living cost to be included in the volunteer application

-performing 2 interviews with Uyisenga N’Manzi beneficiaries in the villages to understand how they have benefited from the organization

-transforming beneficiary interviews into testimonies to be posted on the Uyisenga N’Manzi website

-attending a Uyisenga N’Manzi orientation presentation

ISHYO:

During our time with Ishyo, we drafted a grant proposal to send to potential sponsors for a “Year of Theatre,” created an outline of a 2012 calendar that included twelve plays to be sponsored by local organizations, and began creating a database of international arts organizations similar to Ishyo which included their contact information and information on their missions and activities. We also helped another intern prepare borrowing materials for Ishyo’s new lending library.

INALAS:

Created a facebook page for the organization.

Updated information online for the organization.

Conducted field interviews to record testimonials.

Here is a detailed account!!!

INARA Legal Aid Service

Volunteer Service Minutes and Wrap-Up

Volunteers: Ashley Brown, Alexandra Saper, Grace Mutoni, Remy Munyaneza (point person)

Head of Organization: Jean Claude Rwibasara

Volunteer Service Day 1:

Arrived: 10:30am

• Mediation was currently going on, so we waited outside for a few minutes and discussed current projects
• Introduction to INALAS
• Jean Claude explained to us the inspiration for the creation of INALAS and their mission: to provide legal aid to indigent and vulnerable populations in Rwanda
• Provided with specific examples of client groups: women, orphans, prisoners
• We discussed INALAS’ belief that without equal access to legal aid for all people, there cannot be justice in Rwanda

• Goals of INALAS’ services
• Educate vulnerable populations in Rwanda about their rights and the avenues they have to claim them
• Educate local authorities and government officials about human rights and the specific rights of their citizens so authorities can protect them
• Act as a liaison between clients and authorities
• Connect clients with appropriate legal services if INALAS cannot provide them the help they need
• Challenges
• Financial: INALAS relies on donations and outside jobs of members, although wealthier clients do pay a minimal amount for their services
• Sensitivity of human rights organizations with the government: there is a trust problem between government and INALAS, although it is improving)
• Current Projects
• New methodology on education
• Legal info needs to be simplified for people to understand
• INALAS is currently working on a comic project (in English and Kinyarwanda) to educate populations about rights
• Wants to pursue other forms of education (i.e. theater productions, radio programs, possible documentary project)
• INALAS hopes to defend orphans who are seeking to gain rights over their parent’s property
• Many orphans’ parents property is currently in the hands of other family members
• Very few individuals produce wills in Rwanda; sometimes oral wills, but difficult to enforce and fairly unreliable
• We hope to meet with a local orphanage during the volunteer service projects to discuss possibilities for this
• Looking to improve program for HIV/AIDS clients
• These clients often come to INALAS, but there is no specified program for them
• Discussed possible collaboration with current organizations working with HIV/AIDS populations (possibly HDI)
• INALAS wants to better reach-out to potential HIV/AIDS clients and approach them, instead of waiting for clients to approach INALAS
• Volunteer Work and Expectations
• Possible visit to orphanage to discuss problems with children and leaders
• Marketing project (Ashley): help with community outreach, apply for grants, create networking opportunities
• Excel project (Alexandra): create a computerized record of client visits
• Currently, all cases are recorded in a single blue book
• Rick of getting lost or stolen
• Strategic Plan (Grace): help elaborate goals and organize plans in a comprehensive five-year strategic plan

• Client visit: we sat in on a client visit and oversaw INALAS’ legal council procedure

Ended: 12:30pm

Volunteer Service Day 2:

Arrived: 8:00am

• Discussed goals for the day with Remy (Jean Claude representing a client in court)
• Worked on individual projects (8:15am – 12:00pm)
• Ashley: grant proposals
• Edited previous grant proposals and identified areas that need improvement in future applications
• Began searching for potential grants and funding to apply for in the future
• Alexandra: Began working on Excel file
• Created an Excel file that mimicked the structure of the current record book
• Began inputting dates and locations for all of the cases
• Installed password protection on the file to ensure it could only be accessed by volunteers
• Still need to input cases, but this needs to be done by someone else (all the writing is in Kinyarwanda)
• Grace: Began elaborating strategic plan with Clement
• Went over current ideas and goals for the organization
• Clearly elaborated goals and expectations

• Lunch break (12:00pm – 2:00 pm)
• Continued work on individual projects (2:00pm – 4:00pm)

Ended: 4:00pm

Volunteer Service Day 3:

Arrived: 8:00am

• Discussed goals for the day with Jean Claude
• Worked on individual projects (8:15am – 11:00am)
• Ashley: created a Facebook page for INALAS
• Added information about upcoming site visits and projects
• Began outreach: sent link to individuals in the community and local organizations
• Emailed AJPRODHO about possible advocacy issues
• Wrote information to be posted on GYC’s website about INALAS
• Alexandra: finished creating and establishing Excel file
• Uploaded Excel file to GoogleDocs so that all employees/volunteers have access to it
• Still need to input cases, but this needs to be done by someone else (all the writing is in Kinyarwanda)
• Discussed plans for creating INALAS’ blog
• Grace: finished elaborating strategic plan with Jean Claude
• Clearly elaborated goals and expectations
• Put everything in writing
• Group discussion about upcoming visit to the Gisimba Memorial Center (11:00am-12:00pm)
• Rwandan law dictates that when parents die, children legally own the property (succession)
• Problem is two-fold for orphans:
• Gaining legal access to property (gaining property rights)
• Establishing tudorship (in order to sell, rent the property, etc)
• If the child is under 21 years of age, they require a tudor to “manage” the property
• If under 21, cannot legally enter in to any contracts (lease, selling the property, etc)
• Establishing tudorship is a long process that must be approved by the court
• Children may choose a representative, but it must be further approved
• Fairly expensive process due to court fees – difficult for children to obtain the means to go to court
• Discussed questions we would like to address
• How do you assist children in understanding their rights?
• What are the living conditions in the center?
• Are there issues of mismanagement of property by family members?
• Do children have access to property that is legally theirs?
• Are children able to/encouraged to complete their education?
• Discussed possible projects to discuss
• Mainly property rights and access to their parents’ property
• Is there any assistance by the center in helping children establish tutorship for their property when they do gain legal access?
• Lunch Break (12:00pm – 2:00pm)
• Gisimba Memorial Center (2:00pm – 4:00pm)
• Met with the director and the legal representative of the Center
• Information about the Center:
• Founded by legal advisor’s parents in 1980 (unofficially started earlier by grandparents)
• Acknowledged growing ethnic division in the country leading up to 1994
• Following the genocide, large numbers of children and adults came to the Center to seek refuge
• Saw illiterate youth and street kids being taken advantage of and used during the genocide
• Currently has 148 youth (considered 21 and younger) living at the Center, and an additional 90 living with the staff’s families
• Most of the youth are in school (those in secondary-school only come to the Center during holidays, while those in primary schools live here a majority of the time)
• Children received managed by the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion
• Children may be referred to the Center
• Sometimes the Center is told about a specific case and then pursues the child
• Relies on local recognition of need and orphan status (as opposed to children abandoned by their caretakers)
• Provide several services: health, education, capacity/skill-building for the future
• Encourage self-development and uplift
• Adhere to the philosophy that they can only take children so far before they need to make it on their own
• Assist youth up to age 21, but willing to allow individuals to stay while they finish their studies, even if they pass the age limit
• Follow-up with youth constantly after release to ensure their well-being
• Youth may return if they require greater assistance
• Before releasing youth, the Center attempts to assist the transition by looking at what is needed and what the Center is capable of providing
• An overwhelming number of received cases face problems with accessing parent’s property and property rights
• Children’s rights are regularly violated and exploited
• Family members often take property from children
• Every child has a file where information regarding property rights is recorded
• Invited INALAS to come back at a later date to look over these files
• Very interested in establishing a partnership or pursuing this project further

• Tour of Gisimba Memorial Center
• Invited to attend 25^th Anniversary celebration on Friday

• Group Debrief (4:00pm—4:30pm)
• Discussed visit and perceptions
• Went over plan for tomorrow

Ended: 4:30pm

Volunteer Service Day 4:

Arrived: 8:00am

• Discussed goals for the day with Jean Claude
• Meeting with Mayor later this afternoon canceled (informed she was going to be out of the office all day)
• Worked on individual projects (8:15am – 12:00pm)
• Ashley: Had no access to the internet all morning (which is necessary for all assigned projects)
• Uploaded pictures from Gisimba Memorial Center visit to be put on Facebook later
• Further edited grant proposal
• Typed up minutes from previous volunteer service days
• Alexandra: Began creating Tumblr account for INALAS
• Blogging site to update about projects, ideas, site visits, etc.
• Easily connects to Facebook account for widespread access
• Grace: Worked on GYC packet and discussed plans with INALAS staff

• Lunch break (12:00pm – 2:00 pm)
• Continued work on individual projects (2:00pm – 4:00pm)

Ended: 4:00pm

Volunteer Service Day 5:

Arrived: 9:00am

• Worked on individual projects (9:00am-11:00am)
• Ashley: Finished compiling list if passwords/accounts for INALAS’ new marketing strategies
• Worked on finalizing some information on the Facebook page
• Finished typing minutes from Gisimba visit earlier this week
• Alexandra: Worked on blog post for Gisimba Memorial Center
• Finished configuring blog for use by the organization

• Grace: Worked on GYC final packet

• Discussed goals and objectives for the day with Jean Claude
• Tutorial session for new media (11:00am-12:00pm)
• Taught volunteers/employees how to use and access Facebook page and blog
• Discussed updating regularly and how to gain more visibility through these various mediums
• Discussed the next steps for the organization: finishing the comic book project and uploading it to the blog when its finished for feedback
• Lunch break (12:00pm-1:00pm)
• Visit to Gisimba Memorial Center (1:30pm – 4:00pm)
• 25^th Anniversary celebration (since gaining legal status)

• Group Debrief (4:00pm-5:00pm)
• Discussed internship period and accomplishments
• Discussed expectations for tomorrow’s advocacy event

Ended: 5:00pm

June 23, 2011

Reported by Jessica Haldeman, Ruxi Zhang, Semir Hasedzic

The Flame in front of the Memorial Center is lit from April 7th until July 4th (Liberation Day)

The main structure takes the visitor through a journey of Rwanda during colonialism, pre-genocide and now post-genocide. What follows are summaries of the different parts of the exhibit. When the Germans, then Belgians, colonized Rwanda, the colonizers were obsessed with the anthropological peculiarities of the region. Measuring the foreheads, chins, and noses was common practice, and would lead to the separation of the Rwandans into three different groups. By 1932, identity cards were issued by the Belgians. These identity cards wrongly concluded that the population of Rwanda is 15% Tutsi, 84% Hutu, and 1% Twa. The separation of the groups would lead to massacres in the 1960s and the genocide that changed the social fabric of Rwanda in the 1990s.

While moving through the different displays, we could not help but be struck by some of the words and sentences, always asking myself, ‘how could this happen’ and ‘where was the moderate voice’? Instance such as:

-“Despite knowing about those atrocities, the French government continued to support the Habyariman [youth Hutu extremists]”

-“Training of the Hutu extremists had the goal of killing 1,000 people every 20 minutes”

By 1994, the country smelt of the stench of death, dead corpses rotting in the streets, the infrastructure damaged, and international support virtually non-existent. What Rwanda faced was unprecedented, with HIV positive widows in the thousands, the infrastructure completely null, and most disturbing, the many survivors “are young and will carry the trauma of their childhood through the rest of their lives – and probably the lives of their descendants” (Reuters)

After passing through the history and viewing the array of pictures and words, the visitors ends in a circular area surrounded by three rooms. In the first room are pictures of people that were killed, providing faces to the names. The second room houses the remains, the bones and skulls, of the dead. The third room is a collection of artifacts, namely the clothing worn by some of the people that were killed in the genocide. Upon walking out of the third room a profound quote greets the visitor:

“When they said ‘never again’ after the Holocaust, was it meant for some people and not for others?” – Apollon Kabahizi

Part of the Kigali Memorial Center focuses on international incidences of genocide, including Namibia, Armenia, the Balkans, Cambodia and the Holocaust. The first acknowledgement of this that we noticed was the two stained glass windows that were designed by the son of a survivor of the Auschwitz death camp. The first window, located after the section of the exhibition explaining the pre-genocide period sheds two rays of light onto the dark basement of the exhibition.  These rays symbolize hope. There are steps leading up to the light which symbolize the idea that the genocide was not inevitable; warning signs of the upcoming violence could have been heeded to and action could have been taken to avoid genocide.  The second window sends a shaft of light down into a section of the exhibition immediately following the description of the genocide. This window is dedicated to the heroes of the genocide: people who fought the violence and rescued others.

As we previously mentioned, on the second floor of the memorial center there is an exhibition dedicated to explaining genocides that have happened around the world. As explained in the exhibit, the genocide in Armenia occurred from 1915-1918, and intellectuals and Christians were the targeted population. In the case of Namibia, the violence was directed towards the Herera group by the Germans in a fight for land; this genocide occurred from 1904-1905. Cambodia also witnessed genocide in the 20^th century, from 1975-1979. Pol Pot, who led the Khmer Rouge, was an extreme communist who targeted the Vietnamese population. In this case, like in Rwanda, machetes and axes were primarily used as weapons.  In the Balkans, in the 1990’s, Serbs promoted fear and hatred of the Muslim population in order to carry out ethnic cleansing.  All of these instances of genocide are similar in that the international community refused to acknowledge what was happening. To this day, the US does not acknowledge that what happened in Armenia was genocide, and there is often still debate about whether or not Rwanda’s violence in 1994 constitutes genocide.

Beside the fountain at the entrance platform, the GYC international and Rwandan participants stood in a circle holding hands. We had a silent moment for the victims of the genocide and for the sufferings during the massacre. The flame above the center of the fountain echoes the mourning that we had for the lost lives: it burns from April to July for the death during the genocide. The water in the fountain symbolizes the new life, and the statues of elephant, as in Rwandan culture, symbolizes memorial and “never-forgetting.”

Walking down the platform, we saw three levels of mass graves, in which buried a quarter million Rwandan victims who died during the genocide. At the corners of each grave there were flower baskets with ribbons saying “Never Again Genocide.” The wall of names recognizes all the people who were buried there. Looking at the long list of names, we learnt about the reality and the scale of the 1994 Genocide. We hope that such horror would never occur to our brothers and sisters in the world.

Surrounding the Kigali Memorial Site was the rose gardens which were built for the admiration and the reflection on the beauty of individual lives. The “Three Gardens” explain the history of Rwanda in an artistic way: water flows from the circular fountain in the Garden of Unity, to the explosive-shaped pool Garden of Division, and finally comes to the fountain in the Garden of Reconciliation, in which the rocks that formed the fountain symbolizes the rebuilding of the once divided nation. There were also gardens built to provide shelter for the women victims and the children to rest in peace.

In some of our reflections for today’s site visit, we mentioned our experience walking through the gardens outside of the Memorial. We thought the outside designs led us through a visual and aesthetical tour to mourn for the loss of life and to appreciate for the beauty of life. Furthermore, our reflection was also writing down our thoughts and placing them in a basket of good hope. Here are some of our collective thoughts:

-Forget cynicism, remember beauty.

-I will use my voice to help give a voice to those without one.

-It is my obligation to go home, and create a safe space for civil society and youth to come together and work in solidarity to educate through advocacy and engage solutions to prevent genocide even happening again. Action starts with education.

-Contact our representatives, stay informed, be a responsible citizen.

-For me, what I can do to prevent genocide happening again is to teach young people the causes of genocide and show them the bad consequences which come from it.

-I think the international members have to go teach or tell their friends, colleagues, the bad of genocide.

Nyange School

By Devota

Dear friends,

Before talking about the history of Nyange School – as a Rwandan who was on the field before, during, and after the genocide – I will begin with our history after the genocide since the Nyange school was attacked in 1997. While the genocidaires were on the move to avoid capture by advancing RPF troops, victims were moving toward RPF-liberated zones. Large numbers of Hutus fled across Rwanda’s borders in fear of revenge killings which the radio (RTLM) consistently claimed would happen.

As the Hutu population fled, returnees from Uganda were entering RPF zones, and millions were internally displaced due to the genocide and widespread insecurity. Refugee camps were set up in Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda and, most importantly in terms of Nyange School — in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). It was from DRC that the interahamwe strengthened themselves in these camps and after three years, in 1997, several genocidaires returned to Rwanda  from DRC– particularly in the Kibuye province – and intended to kill the Tutsi people.

In our travel to Kibuye, we visited Nyange School and met a student who gave us a history of the school. On March 18, 1997, the interahamwe raided the Nyange school by surrounding the dining hall and student classrooms. The interahamwe, well-equipped with weapons, entered and demanded that the students separate into two groups: Hutu and Tutsi. The students refused, telling their attackers that they were all Rwandese. Because of their refusal to separate, six students lost their lives and are memorialized at the school. After three weeks, another attack on the school occurred. When the students were gone and teachers were preparing their lessons, the militia group took concerted efforts to track down where the teachers and headmaster lived and attacked them.

Finally, everyone must say deeply never again genocide in Rwanda and all over the world.

**

Editor’s Note: We also watched the highly recommended film “We are All Rwandans” before going to the school. After the film, one of the most interesting discussions we had in relation to this memorial was about the idea of prevention. Why is it that these things were not prevented even after 1994 had already occurred? One delegate mentioned that the international community failed Rwanda again because they did not listed to the Rwandan government’s plea to bring home the perpetrators immediately. Instead, the camps were fully supported by the UN and international NGOs, and the funding supported the interahamwe. If the international community had enabled the immediate repatriation of the refugees, said this delegate, this Nyange incident would have been prevented.

Nyamata Church Memorial

Jessica Haldeman and Rachel DeFoe

On July 3, the international delegates along with several Rwandese participants visited the Nyamata Catholic Church Memorial, located in the Bugesera district.  When the genocide began in April 1994, many ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus took refuge in churches, believing that militias would not enter these areas that were perceived as sanctuaries.  10,000 people were killed in the Nyamata Catholic church between April 14 and April 19, 1994.  Around 30,000 additional people were killed in the area surrounding the Nyamata church.  People congregated at this church from the surrounding area, padlocking the iron gate to keep the Hutu militias and Interahamwe leaders from entering.  There is a large hole in the gate that shows where a grenade was used to gain entry to the church.  The banner over the door reads: “If you knew me, and you really knew yourself, you would not have killed me.”

Inside the church, people were packed into every space that was large enough to fit a person; they hid inside closets, under the altar, and under the floorboards.  The militias entered the church shooting, and bullet holes can still be seen in the walls and ceiling.  There are also bloodstains on the walls throughout the building, most of which are faded.  The cloth covering the altar, however, still bares very visible bloodstains.  On top of the altar there are rosaries and ID cards displayed that belonged to the victims in the church.  Clothing belonging to the victims of this massacre is displayed throughout the church on benches, shelves, and piled in the back alcove of the church.  It was in this alcove, we were informed, that the Interahamwe militia murdered small children by bashing their heads into the walls.

The basement of the church now holds one of many mass graves.  Several others are accessible behind the church.  There are steps leading down into the basement, which holds the tomb of a woman and her child who were tortured before being murdered.  In addition, there are skulls and other bones on glass shelves throughout this area.  Behind the church, there are several more mass graves that visitors can enter.  They are also underground, in a dark and very narrow tomb-like space.  There are floor-to-ceiling shelves displaying skulls and bones of the victims that were killed at Nyamata.

Editor’s Note: On our return from Nyamata, we stopped at the Nyanza memorial (which is closed for renovations) and then at the ETO school where the victims of the Nyanza massacre had previously been protected by the UN – that is, until the Beligian government called for its troops and foreign citizenry to be removed, exposing the thousands of Tutsi’s in the school to the interahamwe which were swarming outside the gates, who killed many of them immediately and then marched the rest up the mountain to be murdered at Nyanza.

Reading the Placard in front of the former ETO School Gate

CNLG –National Commission for the Fight

Against Genocide

Drafted by Erin Mosely and Aimé Kayumba

“Honoring Memories, Telling Our Stories, Rebuilding Rwanda.” It is this simple and yet boldly determined mission that guides the National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG), which our GYC delegation had the opportunity to visit for the first time in July.

To offer just a brief background, CNLG was established by law in 2007 and began operations in 2008 as a permanent body to prevent and fight against genocide and its ideology, and to deal with the many consequences of Rwanda’s own genocide of 1994. The Commission is made up of three main departments: Memory and Prevention of Genocide; Advocacy for the Assistance of Genocide Survivors; and Research, Documentation, and Dissemination.

Our group had the pleasure of meeting with a representative of the Research and Documentation Center, Bideri Diogene, who provided us with a comprehensive overview of the Commission’s structure and areas of focus. Afterwards, Mr. Bideri graciously fielded our questions on a wide variety of topics.

According to his opening remarks, the primary goal of CNLG is genocide prevention. The Commission approaches this goal from a number of different angles. For example, the Department on Memory is in charge of managing the country’s official genocide memorial sites and coordinating yearly commemoration events, while the Research and Documentation Center collects evidence and information about the 1994 genocide, as a way to build up historical knowledge of the past. In addition to these education-oriented activities, the CNLG’s Department on Advocacy provides health and psychological assistance to survivors of the genocide, as well as legal aid in their quests for justice. The Commission works with civil society groups, universities, and international NGO partners to carry out its important mission.

To give a sense of our very active question & answer session with Mr. Bideri, we have included below a brief summary of some of the topics we discussed:

National Curriculum: How is the genocide being taught in schools?

• In collaboration with a Canadian education organization and the National Curriculum Center, CNLG has developed a chapter on comparative genocides that the Minister of Education recently approved

Conflict Resolution: How does CNLG work with children of perpetrators and survivors to help mediate the potential conflicts between these groups?

• CNLG works with organizations such as Bella Valencia to promote conflict resolution. One initiative has been to create tools for effective conflict management through film screenings (e.g. showing The Long Coat which is about the power of forgiveness)

Advocacy: what specific types of advocacy does the Commission focus on?

• Education for orphans – helping them reach out to financial institutions and other possible sponsors for assistance in school fees
• CNLG also partners with other survivor advocacy groups (AVEGA, IBUKA, etc.)

Compensation: how to balance individual criminal responsibility and state responsibility?

• CNLG has no direct budget for compensation per se, but they follow individual cases and are sometimes able to provide small assistance in areas such as education and health care
• Mostly, the Commission advocates on the issue of compensation (rather than providing it themselves); CNLG works to identify ways that the UN/international community can get involved in this process

Genocide denial: How does CNLG deal with the issue of deniers?

• According to Mr. Bideri, the last step of genocide is denial. In Rwanda, people have tried to deny or downplay the genocide by calling it a “civil war” or by refuting the total number of deaths
• CNLG tracks instances of genocide denial worldwide and tries to combat it through their research (i.e. the gathering of evidence)

As a final note, one of the most interesting questions that was asked – and which produced the liveliest discussion – had to do with a particular massacre that took place in Mudende in Ruvabu District, Western Province in 1997. According to one of our GYC colleagues, although the government has recognized this massacre, there are still mass graves that need to be exhumed so that the people who were killed there can receive proper burials. Mr. Bideri seemed receptive to following up on this incident, and encouraged us to submit information about it to the CNLG hotline. We recommend that our colleague, as well as future GYC delegations who have the opportunity to visit the Commission, inquire about the status of this investigation, to make sure that CNLG is looking into the matter and taking action to address the needs of this community’s victims.

As the CNLG website reminds us, “Almost every corner of Rwanda was touched by the genocide. The memory remains raw and painful today. How that collective memory develops will shape the country’s future.” In light of this important statement, we as GYC delegates were very impressed by our visit to the Commission, because we were able to learn about the specific ways that CNLG is endeavoring to create an archive of knowledge about the 1994 genocide, preserve the dignity of its many victims, and work to prevent the occurrence of genocides worldwide through continued education and outreach.

THE GREAT LAKES REGION, CHILD SOLDIERS,

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

On Day Three of our Workshop, we devoted our activities and discussions to the Great Lakes Region of Africa. Why? It is impossible to have a conversation about Rwanda without discussing the context of events within the Great Lakes Region.  After all, before colonialism, the Kingdoms of Rwanda included Burundi and parts of what are now the DRC and Uganda. After colonialism, the Great Lakes Region, especially in the most recent decades, has been an area rife with conflict, including the Genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda, and the subsequent wars and turmoil in the DRC. The competition over power and resources has resulted in many deaths, although today there are conflicting approaches about how to proceed in the quest for justice, Below is our brainstorming chart identifying the words that first came to mind when our participants were asked to think about the “Great Lakes Region.”

Workshop Brainstorming Sheet about the Great Lakes Region

Following our initial discussions we visited with Search for Common Ground.

Search for Common Ground

On July 27th the delegation met with an international NGO called Search for Common Ground.  Search is a conflict transformation organization, specifically, they run programs that help to bring different groups together.  In other words, they are not an advocacy based organizations, but rather programming specific to conflict resolution.  We met with Rebecca Besant who shared with use more about the programs, specifically, most of their programs target children and youth.

Search is in 30 different countries, 14 countries in Africa.  They use many different tools to help bring group together including radio programming and the arts.  Rebecca discussed how as an organization it is very important that they have representation from each group to help maintain a neutral standpoint.

Rebecca explained how they have various radio shows (primarily in French) on various topics.  It started with children’s programs sensitive issues after the genocide.  There is also a radio program that is targeted to girls between the ages of 14-20.  What I found most interesting with these programs is that they are primarily youth driven, the topics are suggested by the youth themselves and the shows are produced by youth.  Some of the topics have been around land issues/land reforms, youth entrepreneurship, financials, agriculture, cross boarder/racial dating, elections, trade etc.

Search also does programming using Participatory Theatre.  It was really interesting to learn about this process, especially that the process starts within the community.  First they start by surveying the community to learn more about the challenges they are facing.  Then the theatre troop takes about an hour to put a script together.  Afterwards, the community members are given a chance to intervene and brainstorm ideas for what community members could do.  Rebecca explained that this is a really interesting process – community members are empowered to take action.

Another interesting project that Rebecca spoke about was a new pilot using a video game to help promote conflict resolution.  She explained how the video game will help youth to understand a bit more about managing the conflict they experience in their lives.  There is also a reconciliation project that was brand new, in fact it only started the week before our visit.  This program is done in partnership with National Unity and Reconciliation.

Overall, Search for Common Ground is continually working to find the gaps in programming.  Specifically, I really appreciated how they commented on targeting innovative areas of need.  In other words, they are not implementing programs in areas where other organizations are already filling the need.  I really appreciated this.

This meeting provided the delegation with great insight into different strategies and tactics for conflict resolution, not only in Rwanda, but across the globe.  We learned some new approaches and reflected on how Search for Common Ground might be good partner organizations for some of our volunteer placement organizations to consider developing a partnership with.  We learned that there are many complexities that come with conflict resolution and it seems as though Search for Common Ground has found a balance with some of this complexities, positioning them well within many different groups of people.

RUYYAC

After the visit to Search for Common Ground we hosted a discussion with the Association of Rwandan Youth Affected by Armed Conflict (RUYYAC) which is an association of former Child Soldiers, some from the FDLR – genocidal forces which fled Rwanda to Congo – and some from the armies of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, which were fighting for the liberation of Rwanda or to remove the FDLR from Congo.

Elias (center) a former FDLR Rebel Child Soldier, who is the secretary at RUYYAC, led by Mansasseh (Right)

Many of the Rwandan participants reported that hearing the life experience of Elias (one of the child soldiers) was an eye opening experience and one of the most important experiences of their entire time during this delegation.

Debating Development vs. Human Rights

Human Rights vs. Development:

Site Visit to Norwegian People’s Aid and Human Rights/Development Workshop

Reported By Hierete Desta

During the afternoon of Friday, June 24, the GYC delegation met with Mr. Patrick Osodo, Program Manager for Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA). NPA is a seasoned human rights and development focused NGO that has been operating in Rwanda since 1994. Created in 1939, NPA currently operates in over 40 countries worldwide, focusing particularly on issues of gender equality, good governance, civic education, and the promotion of civil society participation across Asia and Africa. Given their belief that fundamental change comes from the people that are directly affected by it, NPA has often sought a “partnership approach” which supports national organizations to take ownership and do the work of development and human rights promotion themselves.
Mr. Osodo explained that NPA began its work in Rwanda as the genocide ended, providing services and responding directly to those who needed help. It was during this time that NPA established a hospital system in Rwanda, including medications, doctors, and nurses. Mr. Osodo also stated that the much-lauded national health insurance policies of Rwanda began with NPA initiatives. NPA also helped build prisons and rehabilitated the Rwandan prison system in the wake of the genocide. After ten years, the organization began to move away from such emergency relief and direct service delivery operations, focusing on a more human rights oriented approach to development. Facing high demand for its resources in-country and believing that a development and development-management organization should facilitate rather than be directly involved, NPA sought to make more of an effort to engage Rwanda’s civil society. Since 2003-4, NPA has focused on promoting development in conjunction with human rights, helping civil society organizations engage with their government on issues of good governance, corruption, and accountability.

Conferencing with Norwegian People's Aid about Development and Human Rights

Currently, NPA is supporting 15 civil society organizations that in turn work with citizens to engage both local and national government on better service delivery. Its longest-running partnership has been with AJPRODHO, with whom they have collaborated on projects of public policy monitoring, village savings and loan programs, capacity-building, legal aid, addressing domestic violence, and promoting women’s rights since 2005. NPA is also working with CLADHO and Transparency International on unique initiatives such as publishing a corruption index identifying which institutions and individuals in Rwanda are the most corrupt, such as the national police. This publically-available index became part of the national discourse and has successfully pressured the judicial system to take action by addressing corruption in Rwanda and holding its perpetrators accountable. NPA believes that such programs and partnerships are the best way to actively increase human rights protection and to facilitate dialogue between citizens and their government. Mr. Osodo acknowledged that despite NPA’s success with advocacy and submitting reports to the government in order to elicit action, Rwanda’s recent history of civil war, conflict, and genocide does pose a challenge for the organization’s work. The country’s traumatic experiences have removed the incentive for its citizenry to be critical, to ask questions of the government, to say that something is wrong; there is still self-censorship even when the government has created space for such critical engagement. For the same reasons, the government itself is also wary of civil society organizations and is hesitant to open up to them, making NPA’s mission of engagement in Rwanda even more pertinent.
The GYC delegation’s objective in visiting with NPA was to supplement our earlier workshop on human rights and development. During our question and answer session at NPA, we further pressed Mr. Osodo about how his organization understands the relationship between human rights and development. He informed us that NPA’s human rights-based approach is based on the notion that development itself is a human right. In our workshop, however, the members of the delegation could not agree on the nexus between human rights and development. Some considered them interdependent, some considered them of equal status, and others believed that development is hierarchically below human rights. We debated the actual definition of development and what it includes, spanning from sustainable and international development, to cultural, economic, political, and community development. Many delegates agreed that merely having economic resources didn’t mean that true development was taking place. Some participants questioned if development was actually a right or a favor, particularly in instances where the government may not have the means for development, asking if it’s possible or even fair to say then that one’s right to development has been violated. Finally, however, the group was able to agree that development can go beyond the achievement of human rights (as they may be conceived today) because the need to improve human rights itself never ceases. There is always room for continued improvement and more human rights to be established and addressed such as now the right to internet, therefore the fields of human rights and development (no matter the status of their relationship) will always continue to evolve.

Student Declares his Right to a Name -- When asked about Children's Rights

Primary School in Karongi District

By MUKARWAKA Queen and MUGWANEZA Yvonne

Editor’s Note: Rwanda has surpassed the UN’s Millenium Development Goal (MDG) for Universal Primary Education, and is even committed by law now to provide universal education up through Senior 3 (Grade 9).

Our delegation went to the primary school in Karongi District on June 28^th, 2011 and visited a P-6 class. When we arrived, the children started by singing a welcoming song for us, then we introduced ourselves to one another.

• The children asked our delegation how to define genocide. Instead of answering that question immediately, we asked them to try: and through numerous good suggestions, they concluded “genocide is an action of killing innocent people based on their race, ethnicity, religion, region of origin, language, etc.”
• A member of our delegation asked the children to list the human rights to which they are entitled. They answered: right to life, right to education, right to healthcare, right to having parents, right to food, right to a name.
• A member of our delegation asked children what they should do if they became the President of the Republic so that genocide would not happen again in Rwanda. They answered that they should unite Rwandans and reconcile differences by telling everyone that they are not different, that they are all Rwandan.
• A member of our delegation asked children what they would like to become when they grow up. They answered that they would like to be “a doctor, an engineer, a teacher, and President of Rwanda.”
• The teacher of the class thanked us for visiting, invited us to return, and told us that the children will continue their studies in English.
• We ended our visit by sharing our national anthems – the children and Rwandan participants sang their anthem and the international delegates sang the anthem of the United States.

RWANDA DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION (RDO)

The Human Rights Learning and Action Delegation with the Parliamentary Commission on Human Rights, Unity/Reconciliation, and the fight against Genocide

Parliament Visit

Compiled By: Akaliza  Shalita and Sammy Kalisa

Our visit to Parliament consisted of a meeting with the committee for Unity, Reconciliation, and the fight against Genocide ideology. The committees’ chairperson, vice chair, and six other members attended the meeting. They began the meeting by explaining the structure of the Rwandan Parliament and their rights and responsibilities.

Mission

Parliaments mission is to legislate and oversee executive article nine of the constitution. More specifically, the committee for Unity, Reconciliation, and the fight against Genocide Ideology is responsible for issues relating to:

a)      unity and reconciliation of Rwandans and human rights;

b)      prevention and fight against the genocide ideology and all its manifestations as well as its trivialization and negationism;

c)      follow up and search for solution of effects of the genocide against the Tutsi;

d)     fight against discrimination in speeches, writings, in actions and in any other forms;

e)      all issues relating to harmonization of Rwandan laws and international conventions on human rights ratified by Rwanda, except for those that fall under the responsibilities of other committees;

f)       human rights organizations

g)      functioning of the structures of administration that have relationship with respect of human rights;

h)      consideration of the report of the National Commission for the fight against Genocide and that of the National Commission for Human Rights and preparation for the Plenary Assembly of draft recommendations within six months of the date of submission of the reports to the Plenary Assembly

The creation of this committee is due to the country’s history. Before 1994 there was no organization, public or private, which dealt with issues of Human Rights. However, after 1994 Human Rights was considered a pillar for the development of the country. Some of the achievements mentioned include:

-          Initiated the law related to fighting against genocide ideology.

-          Monitoring implementation of Human Rights activities on the ground.

-          Analyze the annual report produced by the National Commission for Human Rights and the National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide and provides recommendations.

-          Promotion of gender equality in public and private institutions, specifically women’s and children’s rights.

-          Promotion of freedom of speech through private and public media institutions. As well as promotion of country dialogue achieved through interaction between the citizens and the president.

-          Power sharing in the national government, Rwanda has 8 political parties represented within Parliament, and the President, the Prime Minister, and the two Speakers of Parliament cannot come from the same political party.

-          Fighting genocide ideology through sensitization and education of the public.

After the committee’s presentation we as participants were given a chance to pose questions to the members. There were questions in regards to the rights of people, questions about the human rights challenges they face as a committee, and questions about media and freedom of speech.

Q & A

How do they feel about the enrollment of women with lower marks compared to men?

-          In the past women’s rights were not respected therefore these affirmative action programs are intended to help the promotion of women in education.

-          They also invite young men to come to parliament and participate in order for them to voice their concerns on the issue.

Commission Chair, Mr. Evariste Kalisa (left) with other members of the Commission

How do they plan to advocate and advance sexual orientation rights?

-          They stated that laws are formed in accordance with the country’s culture, so issues of sexual orientation remain private according to the Rwandan culture. Therefore it is an issue that will take time.

What are some of the biggest Human Rights challenges you face as a committee/country and what legislation has been passed in order to deal with these issues?

-          Some challenges they face are poverty amongst the people, justice for perpetrators of genocide, and health care.

-          The ways in which they have tried to address the poverty issues are through programs such as Vision 2020, a strategic five-year plan aimed at reducing poverty within the country, one cow per family, and Umurenge Vision.

-          The way in which they have tried to address justice is through Gacaca courts.

-          The issue of health care has been addressed through community/universal health care insurance, where all Rwandan citizens contribute 1000 francs per year.

Tharcisse Inquiring about Laws to Protect People with Different Sexual Orientations -- He said his question was inspired by his work during the Delegation program with Health Development Initiative (HDI)

How does the government feel and deal with issues of freedom of speech and political spaces? How long will it remain a sensitive issue?

-          They have freedom but the law should be respected, and these laws provide guidelines for the media.

-          One member stated that there are still some challenges when dealing with the media because at times it is difficult to satisfy them, and at times there are financial motives behind their complaints.

Conclusion

Overall, the committee feels as though there have been significant strides made in Rwanda in the promotion of Human Rights. The meeting between our delegation and the committee was informative and eventful, allowing us to see where and how issues of Human Rights fit into Rwandan society and government.

RELATED WORKSHOP DISCUSSION

US Constitution and Rwandan Constitution (6/21/11)

Remy and Hillary

As part of the afternoon session, Alice Umuhoza Umutoni from AJPRODHO gave a brief presentation about the contents of the Rwandan Constitution, which was adopted on May 26^th, 2003. She described it as a basic instrument with which to protect human rights in Rwanda, and explained that it deals with all civil and political rights provided in Articles 2-13 of the African Charter. Alice outlined for us some of the broad categories of human rights provided by the Rwandan Constitution, including legal rights, equality rights, democratic rights, fundamental freedoms, and mobility rights. We learned that, as in the US, a number of other Rwandan laws deal more specifically with particular human rights situations and challenges. Then the participants had the chance to ask questions about the presentation. As a large group, we then had a short discussion prompted by some questions about amending the Rwandan Constitution, and learned that additional national laws must not contradict the Constitution. The Constitution has been amended more than 4 times to provide a basis for new laws, such as the 2008 law punishing genocide ideology. We discussed the possibility of amending the Constitution without passing a referendum, and whether this would be a danger for the human rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

We then split into small groups to explore similarities and differences between the US and the Rwandan Constitutions, and came back together as a group to discuss our findings. By comparing the preambles of both documents, we recognized the historical differences between both countries; the Rwandan Constitution was prompted by a post-genocidal unification process, whereas the US Constitution’s basis was in protecting the unity of a new nation against an outside oppressor. As a group, we discussed the varying degrees of citizens’ involvement in the writings of both Constitutions, noting that the Rwandan Constitution was written with much consultation of citizens from around the country. The group also discussed the concept of “cruel and unusual punishment” as it relates to events in Guantanamo Bay as well as perspectives on the death penalty in both countries. This discussion about the death penalty also focused on how the death penalty was considered by the Rwandan participants as it relates to the punishment of genocide perpetrators.

Delegation with Edward Kalisa, Permanent Secretary at MINIYOUTH

MINISTRY OF YOUTH

The meeting at the Ministry of Youth was informative and productive. The delegates first were presented some facts about the situation of the youth in Rwanda. The official classification of youth is those aged 14 to 35. This encompasses 4 million Rwandans, which is around 40% of the population. 67% of the current population is under 30. This is a large proportion of the population. Some problems that were identified were the lack of employment and education, literacy, and that the past of genocide can manifest itself in the values and behaviors of the youth. To work on these problems and encourage improvement in the situation of the youth, there are National Youth Council structures supported by the government. These councils start at the second lowest level, the cell level, of the country. At the national level, two youth representatives are elected to parliament. This is important because it shows a representation for the interests of the youth in the political process.

One significant objective we learned about for the Ministry of Youth was economic empowerment. They intend to encourage this with the acquisition of vocational and professional skills, access to finances, and education.

Johnas (standing) inquires about the rights of his fellow Refugee Youth for Technical and Vocational Training

• Youth in refugee camps (Q: How can they have equal access to education and training? Can they be included in the IWAWA Training center for example if they so desire? A: Yes we can consider how they can be invited to attend training camps like IWAWA)
• Sex education (Q: Can schools be encouraged to make condoms easily available? ANSWER: This is difficult because the schools are quite conservative still. But they normally allow condom demonstrations to take place, which is a step in the right direction.)
• Resources for Job Creation (Q: Especially related to the Arts; ANSWER: There is way to register businesses and arts entities on-line now for zero fee, so the bureaucracy is getting better.)
• Arts Education (Q: Given that, during our Advocacy conference in January, we identified Arts Education as a crucial thing to increase in Rwanda, to whom should we advocate for more arts education, is it MINIYOUTH, is it MINEDUC? ANSWER: Mainly MINEDUC, but if there is a project that MINIYOUTH can help with and show to MINEDUC with proof that Arts Education in Schools is going to be beneficial, then MINIYOUTH is willing to assist for sure),
• The budget (Q: Is the budget too small for MINIYOUTH?). The responses to the budget questions were that government is dedicated to the department of youth, but there are many competing demands, and thus they must prioritize their resources. This was significant because it showed the delegates the realistic restrictions to the visions of the department, but also ensured that they were committed to empowering the youth.

This session was interesting and the delegates left the meeting with ideas on the importance of empowering the youth and the functions of the Ministry of Youth in pursing these goals, and we all look forward to following up on the issues that we raised and to which we were granted informative answers.

In an intimate meeting with the Minister of Gender, Jean D'Arc addressed Hon. Minister Inyumba with a question about Gender in the Potter Communities

MINISTRY OF GENDER AND FAMILY PROMOTION

On August 12, 2011 the Global Youth Connect Learning and Action Delegation visited the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion.  The Ministry is located in the compound of the Prime Minister’s Office along with the National Women’s Council, the Ministry of Children and the Official Gazette in which all changes to the law are printed in the newspaper for distribution to the country.  The Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion is also referred to as MIGEPROF and directly oversees the National Women’s Council, the Youth Council and the Ministry of Children.  As the Honorable Minister, Aloisea Inyumba, explained to us in the meeting, MIGEPROF is unique in the sense that it works directly under the Prime Minister and is responsible for promoting Gender Equality and Family Promotion issues among all of the other ministries in the government, and it is therefore a ministry focused chiefly on advocacy. The Minister explained that the Ministry is responsible for looking at gender gaps that need to be filled in other ministries.  They approach other ministries regarding various concerns and keep them accountable to make positive changes in regards to gender, youth, children and family promotion.  She informed us that she herself was not responsible for instituting changes in these particular sectors but that she would advocate on behalf of these sectors to the ministries that are responsible for them.

After welcoming us, the Honorable Minister said she wanted to focus on our questions first and foremost, and areas we have seen in Rwanda that could be improved. Being as the delegation was soon to wrap up, there were many issues, concerns and questions that the group wanted to address with the minister.  The entire meeting ended up consisting of a discussion between the delegates and the Minister herself, despite the fact that they had planned a presentation on the relationship between Gender and Human Rights. We greatly appreciated the fact that they prepared this presentation, and we thought it was very useful after reading it (reading material was given to us regarding their planned presentation!). But, all in all, we were also happy that they were willing to forego the presentation to answer as many questions and concerns as possible during our limited time. We will reflect more on the presentation on Gender and Human Rights at the end of this post.

One of the first questions addressed was the issue of decriminalizing abortion.  HDI- Health Development Initiative Rwanda, one of the service organizations that GYC youth were volunteering with, is working to advocate to decriminalize abortion.  The Minister was asked what her official stance on abortion was and if they had considered advocating for this issue.  The Minister responded by saying that they will respect the law but she implied that she personally believes that this issue needs to be pushed/advocated-for by NGOs.  She informed us that the Senate was currently in discussion on this issue.  HDI-Rwanda later informed us that the senate was discussing keeping abortion a crime, and so there was an urgent need to advocate against this.

The second major issue that was raised to the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion was the protection of Domestic Workers’ Rights.  The Turikumwe volunteers working for ADBEF, a local NGO that works to protect the rights of domestic workers in Rwanda, raised some concerns, including one about the ability of DWs to start their own families when they are in employment situations that require them to live with another family.  The Ministry responded to the inquiry by saying that there were tribunals that were held to protect domestic workers but that most of the relationships were informal and could not be brought to court because there was no official documentation of the agreement.  She also commented that there was no law against domestic workers having children or starting a family, but rather is was only an issue of employer preference.  Most importantly, the Minister said that she would love to know more information, and said that ADBEF should come to see her and share all of her research with her so that she can reflect more on it and they can come to some more common understanding about best way forward. The minister was handed a copy of the flyer that the Turikumwe Volunteers created for ADBEF during their volunteering and she saw that MIGEPROF was listed as a partner with ADBEF and she said, “See, there we are, in partnership, so you need to come and share with us so that this can be an effective partnership!”

Next, the Btwa community was addressed as having many issues pertaining to stigma, food security and gender.  The Minister was very interested in this topic.  Jesse informed her that the US Aid program had stopped all food aid at request of the government, as we learned at the US Department of State- Political and Economic Affairs Office.  His concern was that the Btwa children were often not able to attend school because their families were not able to provide them with enough food to give them the energy to attend.  He suggested that if the food was requested to be supplied for children and their families when the family decided to send their children to school, that this could encourage the educational development of the community.  Staying with the theme of education, issues regarding the education of children in the Kiziba Refugee Camp were also addressed. The current situation is that the final three years of high school were not available to the refugee youth.  Also, the very few scholarships that were made available to the refugee youth were given to only to females and that many male youth felt they were being unfairly left out of this opportunity.  The Minister said that all children were protected through the Rwandan law under the Ministry of Children and that both the issues of education in the Camp and in the Btwa community were of interest to her.  She also mentioned that the Refugee camp was specifically protected by the UN’s 1951 Refugee Declaration which gives them access to health care, education and food.  She said that the issue of senior 4 to 6 classes needed to be addressed with the UNHCR whom run the camp and that the government of Rwanda is working closely with them, so advocating could help to improve their situation. Also, the issue of violence against women in the refugee camp was discussed.  Many of the female youth and women in the camp were scared to attend community and youth events for fear of violence from young men.  The concern was that sexual violence and gender discrimination.  The Minister seemed very concerned by our observation and said that the issues would have to be looked into.  The most important progress made by the conversation was a meeting that was requested by the Minister to meet with Jeanne D’Arc, who is from Btwa heritage, along with other COPORWA representatives to discuss what could be addressed in the Btwa community regarding women’s issues such as lack of education and gender based violence.  The concern that COPORWA was identifying up to as many as 60% of the young girls being married by the age of 12 was also made known to the Minister.  The Minister promised to follow up with these issues within the following week.

The Minister asked if there were any other concerns to be addressed, as she found this information very helpful.  At this time, one of the GYC participants brought up the issues that had been identified during the police station visit in Kibuye.  The state of living conditions including the fact that young children were being held in the same detention hall as the older detainees was spoken about.  Also, issues pertaining to the reason for many of the arrests being unclear and the rules regarding detainees were of concern.  The Minister said she would address these issues along with the other Karongi issues that she planned to discuss with the Mayor of Karongi. Jesse thanked her for this and then explained that we have a relationship with the Mayor, and that the Mayor has expressed an interest in working on these issues as well, so there should be a way forward.

She was asked the question, “What is gender?”  She responded by saying that gender is different than sex, but in the Rwandan constitution gender is only recognized as female or male oriented.  This is also in reference to the family structure, which is defined as a father, mother and their children.  When asked about their policies regarding LGBTI issues, she was very clear that the issues were not addressed in the constitution and culturally they were not an issue in Rwanda.  She felt that because these issues were so hidden by their culture, the need to address LGBTI issues was non-existent because there was no discrimination. Currently no “alternative” family styles were recognized and that the constitution did not discriminate but also did not recognize specific issues pertaining to this area of GYC’s work.  The Minister said that is was good that parliament did not criminalize LGBTI, but that further advocating was not needed in her opinion.  At a later meeting, John from AJPRODHO suggested that the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Gender have a meeting regarding LGBTI issues, as their positions are very different.  The Minister of Health is one of the biggest advocators for LGBTI rights, and has knowledge of whatever discrimination exists against LGBTI persons in Rwanda, and may be able to talk to the Ministry of Gender regarding these issues.

Overall, the GYC participants felt that the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion was very receptive to the concerns and issues raised by our group.  She was very honest on her own opinions and on the official stance of the Ministry and government as a whole.  She made promises to follow up on certain issues, while letting us know which issues she was not going to advocate for.  This meeting was very genuine and we as GYC participants are very excited to participate in the follow up of many of these issues.  ADBEF and COPORWA are interested in increasing their partnership with the Ministry and are looking to set up specific meeting dates.  We appreciated that the meeting was a dialogue and that we were valued for the research and service work we had performed in order to advocate for these issues. The Minister also gave plenty of information regarding the ministries we should be meeting with in the future and whom we should be advocating to.

It is recommended that GYC alumni and future delegates work to follow up on all of the issues mentioned here, of course working with the local partnering organizations concerned.  With reference to HDI, suggesting a meeting regarding “issues of gender and health” could be a good way to hold a meeting regarding LGBTI issues with the Ministry of Gender and the Ministry of Health.

The group poses with the Minister of Justice after the meeting

MINISTRY OF JUSTICE

Ministry of Justice

Meeting with Minister Tharcisse Karugarama

August 12, 2011

Location: Ministry of Justice

Reporting Team: Jordan Nowotny and Sibomana Emmanuel

The final governmental site visit by the Global Youth Connect delegates was to the Ministry of Justice.  This visit had two objectives; 1) to learn about the Ministry’s role in promoting human rights in Rwanda and 2) to report to the Ministry on what we have learned during our previous site visits and our work in the Bwishyura Police Station, Kibiza Refugee Camp, and Mubuga/Karora Potters Community.

Expecting a typical reserved if not monotonous governmental meeting, our delegation was somewhat surprised to be introduced to the charismatic and theatrical Minister of Justice. The meeting began with an animated greeting from the Minister of Justice who welcomed each and every one of the delegates personally to the meeting. Following introductions, we got down to business.

The Minister started first by going over his duties and role in the governance of Rwanda.  According to him, the Minister of Justice is in charge of all judicial and legal policy in Rwanda.  Overseeing fourteen institutions, the Minister of Justice coordinates the direction of legal development and justice initiatives in the state.  To put it lightly, the enormity and importance of this position is extraordinary.  Following 1994, Rwanda found itself devoid of any governmental, social, or civil mechanisms to quell the abundance of human rights violations that had occurred there.  As the Minister put it; “Rwanda suffered the worst form of human rights violations…Rwanda was a shattered country with no hope for tomorrow…There was a total breakdown of law and order.”

As our delegation had spent the previous three weeks addressing issues related to the genocide and visiting memorial sites displaying the horror that had occurred to the citizens of Rwanda it became clear that the task of building an institution of justice was of enormous complexity and difficulty.  Rwanda was left with hundreds of thousands of people in detention waiting to be tried for their role in the genocide.  Turning to local citizens to help solve the enormous justice problems in the state, the Rwandan government began a mass campaign to recruit youth to apply to become judges, prosecutors and investigators.  New investigators were trained for three months while judges were trained for six.  As the Minister put it, these instructional programs were “crash programs in law and justice.”  Once some of the local population was trained a period of formal court hearings were undertaken to try offenders.  By 1999, 350 out of some 200,000 cases were completed.  Obviously, this was not sufficient.  With nearly all of the judges, prosecutors, and investigators wiped out by the events of 1994, there was simply no way to conventionally try any of the alleged perpetrators.  The legal professionals that were trained proved insufficient and the courts, jails, and prisons were overburdened.  The Minister described the local population and the international community proclaiming a “cry for justice” to find those responsible for the genocide as quickly and efficiently as possible. The Rwandan government decided to release all sick people and children to clear space in the detention facilities; leaving around 120,000 detainees still incarcerated and awaiting trial.  With over one million Rwandans suspected of genocide and 120,000 kept in jails and prisons the options were limited.  Eventually, the government felt that the best plausible answer was to turn to traditional community Gacaca courts to try the alleged assailants.

With this introduction, the Minister of Justice laid out the framework for the creation of the Gacaca Courts.  He described the courts as a modification of the traditional courts that sought community reconciliation.  The traditional courts were typically used to try lesser crimes and relied on entire communities working together to find the truth and try individuals that were involved in the genocide.  The Gacaca Courts have been in effect since 2005 and are set to close this December.  The Minister proudly declared that there were “1.2 million cases judged by ordinary citizens.”  Running through some unofficial numbers, the Minister revealed that approximately 25-30% of those tried in Gacaca courts were found innocent or acquitted.  5-8% were sentenced to death but altered to life in prison, following legal change barring death sentences in Rwanda.  15% of those convicted faced “life in prison” with the rest receiving between five and fifteen years in prison.  As of today, only 40,000 of the 1.2 million are still in prison as many sentences were abridged for admitting guilt.  The Minister said that “by 2015, almost all of those convicted will be reintegrated [into Rwandan society].”

Overall, the Minister of Justice described the Gacaca process as being a great success.  He admitted that it might not be “100% successful” but was the best they could do.  Additionally, the region has the “smallest rate of crime in the region [East Africa].”  Addressing some international critiques of the Gacaca process, the Minister stated that the international community was wrong in its negative assessment of the Gacaca courts.  These proceedings “don’t need lawyers or judges who have lots of schooling.”  The Minister ended the overview of the Ministry by stating that the goal of the Gacaca courts was social cohesion and the mission has been a success.  99.99% of the people going through the courts have been reintegrated.

Questions and Answers:  Following the overview of the judicial system since 1994, the delegation had the opportunity to ask some questions.

1. One of the questions asked for specific programs that were available for individuals that were being reintegrated back to civilian life after the Gacaca process.  The Minister replied that there were many alternative sentences in place than traditional prison incarceration although relatively few programs after being released from jail.
2. Another question asked the Minister to respond to international critique pertaining to the Rwandan judicial response after the genocide. The Minister responded that the Rwandan government was “condemned if you do and condemned if you don’t [regarding trying individuals for genocide].  He further explained that the government can be criticized for locking people up and for not locking people up.  The government would be criticized regardless.  [Overall, the Minister did not seem concerned with international criticism].
3. A question pertaining to possible abuses at the Bwishyura Police Station were raised to the Minister.  The Minister responded that any individual that was acting illegally would be dealt with by local “mechanisms” inherent already in place in the justice system.  Additionally, he mentioned that one of his staff would follow up on these reports.
4. We asked the Minister if were there were any elements of the current Penal Code that he felt he had to personally compromise on in order to get it passed. The minister said that there is always room for improvement, but he declined to comment on specific items that he personally felt were in need of improvement. Rather he said he preferred to focus on the positives, like the fact that they are reducing the number of prisons in the country.

In conclusion, the meeting was well received by the Minister and the delegation.  The Minister of Justice allowed the delegation to ask many questions and learn about the vision behind the Ministry’s work.

NOTE FROM GYC ABOUT PRESS INVOLVEMENT:

We were surprised to find that photographers were at the meeting and journalists met us outside the Ministry.  Following interviews with some of our delegation and the Minister we were pleased to see our meeting covered in the local newspaper and on television.

At our wrap up session the next day, Jesse explained what he had been asked by the TV reporter and why it was important. Jesse had been asked “What do you think about the human rights situation in Rwanda?” Jesse had tried, in French, to give a reply that included: (a) what is GYC’s definition of “human rights” — a broad framework from the right to health to freedom of expression; and (b) how GYC’s group had been able to witness great advances on many issues in Rwanda, and still the group has seen some areas for improvement (adding that this is the case all over the world of course), and (c) how we are glad to have a cross cultural youth program involved in the process!  Jesse said that the question they had asked is very easy to ask, but very complicated to answer, and hence it can be a dangerous situation. When asked, “What is your take on the Human Rights situation?” you need to be thorough in the response, otherwise the concept of “human rights” can remain stigmatized and divisive. So, Jesse said, if we are asked such things when we go home to the USA we should also try to be as complete in our response and we should ensure that we are clarifying what we mean by the terms Human Rights. 

Discussing the Definition of Human Rigths: All Women Group

Today we began our first conversations of the concept of “human rights,” of “human rights learning” and “human rights action” and how cross cultural dialogue can contribute to all of these.

First, we were finally able to unite the Rwandese and international delegates! The Rwandese delegates greeted the international delegation with traditional song and dance, while the international participants responded with a multi-lingual welcome. Next, we interviewed each other, asking questions such as why we are here and what we hope to achieve. We realized that despite our large differences, most of us came to the delegation with the same passions and goals. John, Jesse, and Gina then outlined the conference’s learning and action objectives.

In order to define “human rights,” the delegates broke into 5 groups classified as: Rwandese only, international only, female only, men only, and finally, mixed gender/mixed nationality. Within these groups, the members discussed the definition of human rights as well as human rights classifications. Each group presented to the delegation as a whole, which led to a very fruitful conversation where we explored differing aspects of human rights with a cross-cultural base. We were introduced tovarious human rights definitions from international NGOs like Amnesty International and UNICEF. One interesting debate that arose surrounded the notion of whether there exists a hierarchical system of rights or if human rights are all interdependent and indivisible from one another. It seemed that most people in the group agreed on a basic definition of human rights, and even with most of the specific human rights that each group listed, but the order of importance of those rights was something where there was less agreement/decision.

Following tea and lunch, John led the participants in the workshop with a focus on the UN and its various efforts and roles in defining and implementing human rights internationally in addition to international and grassroots NGOs.  This was particularly important to us as one of our objectives is to work at the grassroots level in Rwanda. During our discussion, the importance of grassroots efforts became very clear both because they are being consulted by UN monitoring organizations (like the Human Rights Council in the Universal Periodic Reviews) but also because there are limits on what such monitoring groups can do, and therefore grassroots effort  (civil society) will be needed to ensure that human rights are respected in a given society/nation.

John also discussed the media and its role in the representation of various human rights situations across the globe.

The delegates were then given an opportunity to ask questions about the inner workings of the UN and NGOs, which culminated in conversations about current human rights events in Rwanda and the U.S.

Submitted by Ariel, Jasper, Marisa  Sam (with some Edits from the GYC Staff)

The Opening Banquet

Opening Banquet Write-Up

By Angie & Janet

On the first night of the official delegation, GYC and AJPRODHO hosted an opening banquet for the Rwandan and international delegates.  The directors of the seven programs that the delegates were assigned to volunteer with were in attendance as well as several other human rights organization representatives, GYC alumni, and other guest speakers.  In total, there were 46 individuals in attendance.

Spirits were high as we began the banquet with introductions from the president and directors of GYC and AJPRODHO, who then officially introduced the organizations’ representatives and special guests.  The first speaker, Julia Oakley, shared her personal story and words of advice as a GYC alumnus of the 2006 Cambodia delegation for the current Rwandan and international delegates.  One key piece of advice she gave was to remember the power, tenacity, and creativity of ourselves as young people, and to always listen, observe, and dialogue in order to grow as individuals and learn together (turikumwe!) as part of this learning and action community.

Next, Grace and Tharcisse shared a brief overview of the orientation experience that the Rwandan delegates had before meeting the international delegates.  This included a discussion of assumptions of Americans that they are many things including rich, hard-working, and arrogant (which was followed by a good-natured laugh).  Rachel and Frances then provided a brief overview of the pre-orientation that the international delegates went through before meeting the Rwandan delegates as well.

Following these presentations, Ariel, Sam, Marisa, and Jasper then detailed the workshops that all delegates had participated in earlier that day for the directors and guests to the banquet.  John Mudakikwa then highlighted the role of the directors in the first meeting scheduled the following day between the volunteers and each organization.  John then invited any directors to speak about their organizations and receive any questions about their programs from those in attendance.

The keynote address was then given by Zawadi Umuhoza, a GYC alumnus who explained her journey as a Rwandan delegate in both July 2009 and again in December 2010.  She described how GYC helped her become more proficient in English as well as how her experience with GYC assisted her in securing a position working for human rights with AJPRODHO.  Her concluding advice was to acknowledge and understand Rwandan growth and successes thus far in human rights, and to assess the remaining challenges that lie ahead in the development of Rwanda.

Finally, the president of GYC thanked all in attendance for their participation and officially presented dinner to begin.  Since the delegates were seated with the representatives of their respective organizations, dinner carried on with discussions and connections of the seven partnering programs with international and Rwandan youth.  The meal was delicious, and we were all thankful to have been a part of a banquet with so many human rights activists in attendance.

Bonus Section: Highlights of Orientation for International Delegation

The day consisted of a bus route around the hills of Kigali, stopping at sites along the way (see bel0w), and finishing with a meal at the residence of Glenn Hawkes and Ericka Ingabire (GYC Program Director’s father and stepmother) after which we engaged in several sessions on Rwandan culture, taboos, expectations, and issues pertaining to privilege and identity — and received a concert from a young musician named Emmanuel “Ningiri” (his nickname is that of his instrument — a traditional one stringed violin). He also played “you are my sunshine” on a diddle.

Site 1: Kigali Camp by Frances and Rachel

Although considered by many as one of the bravest minds who envisioned the future danger within Rwanda and saved thousands of Tutsis from Machetes, General Dallaire, the general of peacekeeping mission in Rwanda, once said that he failed his mission in 1994 at one of his television interview. With little support from UN, the peacekeeping mission was deteriorated by the withdrawal of Belgian soldiers. After 10 soldiers were tortured and killed, the Belgian government decided that they could no longer take any risks. Therefore, the colonizer, who used to have the closest relationship with Rwanda, abandoned thousands of Tutsis to the chaos. 

Today, we visited the Kigali Camp, a memorial founded by Belgian government to honor the 10 soldiers who dedicated to their mission and to offer people an introduction of the history. During of visits, some people pointed out that the board in the memorial actually misinterpreted the history. It records that the conflict between Hutu and Tutsi started from 1959, where the decolonization started. However, the real separation of Hutu and Tutsi began in 18 century, where Tutsi started to feel superior considering what they owned and what they could do. The elitism has gradually transformed to racism after western colonizer invaded in. They made up the “Hamitic Hypothesis”, dividing Hutu and Tutsi based on their appearance and forcing Tutsis to oppress Hutu. The whole experience of separation has generated hatred and misunderstanding within the two groups, which later on, as Allison Des Forge stresses, created the ideology of genocide. However, the Belgian government has blurred  the facts of colonization and its implications. 

Moreover, we brought the discussion of General Dallaire. On the issue of genocide, he has been a very controversial figure. Many people blamed him for the failure of his mission. They also pointed out that he should be responsible for the deaths of the UN soldiers. On the other hand, some people believe that he was the hero who saved thousands of Rwandans lives and attribute his failure to the lack of support in UN. In our readings “Mostly in a listening Mode”, the author offered a vivid description of how General Dallaire basically stood by himself. When he called the UN after the death of the President Habayarimana, the CIA was even unable to pronounce Hutu and Tutsi correctly. Besides lack of economic interests in Rwanda, there was also a deficiency of knowledge. In our discussion group, many delegates offered more positivity to General Dallaire. People were sympathized with what he had been through in the past years, and admired him for taking actions for Rwandans.

In the end, we also discussed a little about the general comments on the deaths of 10 Belgian soldiers and how people perceive the action of international community. Many delegates expressed that it was a mixed feeling, angry, sad, sympathy. Some said that it was odd that we would go to this memorial on the first day, since it was not really for Rwandans. But others said they felt that it helped orient the international participants to some of the key issues that need to be understood about international cooperation (or non-cooperation) with Rwanda. At the end, everyone holding hands and made a minute silence for personal reflection. 

At “Imbereheza” (Ejo Heza) Cooperative — Buying Products

Site 2: Imbereheza Cooperative in Gikondo (Bright Future)  — by Frances and Rachel

            Later in the morning, we went to Imbereheza Cooperative in Gikondo. Led by a volunteer Frank, we went in a small rocky building with four women sitting there and sewing. This site visit is an opportunity for delegates to gain a better understanding of how people at the grassroots level in Rwanda can generate income. As a branch of Ineza cooperative, Imbereheza Cooperative was founded in December, 2010 with the help of Ineza trainer, Sophie. It aims at supplying women for food, medical and educational supply by sewing and selling high quality hand-made materials. 

            Personally, I was very impressed by the connection of Rwandan grassroots system. From the bottom, there are many local NGOs like CBO, SWAAR, URONANA etc. searching around the area and looking for the most vulnerable group of women. Then, they sent reports to larger NGOs like WEACTX, which connected with the Ineza program. After receiving all the information, Ineza sending trainers to local NGOs, helping them builds up cooperatives like Imbereheza. When the NGOs fulfilled their promise, they can expect the support from local government. Every section was interconnected, and I think it is a very successful model for sustainable development and making connections within Rwandan community. The benefits will partially goes to the women themselves and the others go to the organization for material supplies.  

            However, there are still many questions left to debate. For example, what standard do they use to define the “vulnerable group”  or in what condition will a woman receive the support from Imbereheza?

Zawadi (from Kigali), Cece and Akaliza (from DC) meeting up for a bite.

The delegation met with Alphonse Nkuranga, Executive Secretary of the National Youth Council, who explained the role the Rwandan National Youth Council plays in ensuring human rights of youth are protected.  He first described the structure of the National Youth Council, which consists of youth representatives at the cell, sector, district and national levels.  These representatives are selected every five years.  The council is headed by a coordinator which overseas each level.  There is also an Executive Secretariat, General Assembly and Executive Committee which manages the council.

The National Youth Council’s mission is to advocate for youth, train them in leadership, economic development and social mobilization.  Therefore they have three components of their program: economic, social and corporation.  They also take an active part in the Iterero schools which are traditional learning institutions that have been established to teach Rwandans how to serve the country and be people of integrity.

Mr. Nkuranga explained that the National Youth Council is also a part of the African Youth Council which has a set of basic human rights for youth.  These human rights include access to a good education, a functioning health care system and the right to association.  Therefore, these are the human rights issues the National Youth Council is most active on.  They do this mainly by informing youth of their rights, so that they can actively fight for them.  For example, they train youth on how to create a cooperative, they advise them on how to attain health insurance and make sure they know they are entitled to nine years of basic education.

When the question was asked why youth are the main target of their activities, Mr. Nkuranga explained there is no better group to target, as youth are the future of the country.  Others in the LAC talked about how youth were manipulated during the genocide and the need to ensure that this does not happen again.  Others suggested that youth are generally less set in their ways and better equipped to make changes.

In closing, Mr. Nkuranga explained that the government does consult youth before passing and implementing policies and that they are taken seriously.

 
On January 13, 2011, the LAC visited with Christian Shingiro, Head of the Democratic Governance Unit &Programme Specialist at UNDP, in Kigali.

Mr. Shingiro explained to us the main objectives and structure of UNDP in Rwanda. The main purposeof the office is to quantify progress and build capacity for six main institutions. These institutionsare the Office of Human Rights Commission, the National Women’s Council, the National Unity andReconciliation Commission, Parliament, Media High Council, and the Ombudsman’s Office. There areeight main goals of UNDP that fall under the categories of education, poverty, health, and environment.UNDP collaborates with many local and international organizations and agencies to meet these goals.

The main objective of the UNDP in Rwanda is empowerment. There has been a recent push for genderrights and equal opportunity for women, so the UNDP encourages women and children to participate inprogramming and civil society. While women are relatively well represented in Rwandan government,the challenge is empowering women to better themselves. This challenge is being addressed bymaking sure that they have access to opportunities, as well as the means of finding out about thoseopportunities. This includes access to education and income generating activities. For instance, UNDPprovides work space and training to a group of women who make baskets to sell. The goal of thissupport is to help the women develop a self-sustained business.

The way we understand it, the UNDP uses development as a way of quantifying human rights. Theymonitor and measure the impacts of access to water, number of bed nets in use, health access, andother development projects that help to show progress in the area of human rights. Every project thatthe UNDP office in Rwanda participates in is also assessed using a gender and human rights checklist.This ensures that every initiative is meeting the needs of the community in terms of equal opportunitiesand human rights. As a human rights LAC, our group appreciated this connection between developmentand human rights within the UNDP.

Ms. Hidea opened the discussion by asking the LAC participants why they are inspired to work on human rights issues and what they have accomplished together thus far.

Following this, our questions for Carolina focused on human rights within the context of current affairs: freedom of the press, wikileaks, the Bye-Bye Nyakatsi program, corruption and accountability, freedoms for sexual minorities in Rwanda, and Rwanda’s compliance with the Conflict Minerals Act.

We were quite excited to hear about the embassy’s Public Diplomacy program, which provides resources to Rwandan students and educators who wish to study in the U.S.  The Embassy works in partnership with USAID, which helps provide basic educational needs, to provide academic exchange opportunities for students.  The embassy’s resource center and knowledgeable support staff helps Rwandans to find the program and institution that best meets their educational needs.  VISAs remain difficult to obtain, especially when the student is younger, but students who demonstrate a good academic record and who have the support of a reputable academic institution in the US have a better chance of realizing their goal.

After our discussion with Ms. Hidea and Ms. Foltz, many of the delegates expressed that they may be interested in careers in diplomacy, whether in the U.S., Rwanda, or elsewhere.  Ms. Hidea explained her motivation to join the U.S. Foreign Service. “The Foreign Service is a lifestyle.  You don’t build it, it builds you,” she said.  Ms. Hidea said that she was inspired by how the U.S. tries to do good in the world and how its impact can be quite powerful.” Many of the LAC participants were inspired to learn more about pursuing the same path.

http://turikumwe.wordpress.com/2010/07/05/kigali-memorial-centre/

Before the visit we discussed the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948) and how it preceded even the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Following the visit, we held a large group debriefing.

The following is Morgan Springer’s (one participant’s) journal entry from this important day.

January 8, 2011

Today was a hard day. To begin with, I am feeling really sick so you can add a headache, cough, and not being able to breathe to everything that happened today. We visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial, which is probably the best memorial/museum type thing I have ever been to. It begins with teaching you about the history that preceded 1994 and the way that the genocide came about. Then it moved to describing how it was carried out and included information about the international community’s reactions. Hero stories were documented and also the stories of other genocides around the world (Armenia, Namibia, Cambodia, Bosnia, Holocaust, etc). And then finally, you reach the children’s hall, which has pictures of children and then a plaque that says their name, age, favorite food, disposition, last words, and how they died.

It was difficult enough at the beginning, when you could distance yourself from the killings because you were seeing them in a more academic light. It was hard to hear about the intentionality of the genocide, how they had lists prepared of Tutsi that were to be killed and all they needed was the assassination of the President as an excuse to start killing. And what about how it was colonialism that began to shape the mindset of these different groups, that were once economically based, into actual ethnic groups, based on their physical appearances? They were told that Tutsi were this and Hutu were that because one’s nose was wider and the other was “a full 10 inches taller on average.” So eventually they moved towards a “final solution” to rid themselves of the “cockroach infestation.” And if we really meant it when we said, “Never again,” when the blood of the Holocaust was still on our hands, then how did we watch the exact same thing happen to these people? Even down to the use of propaganda, how they used radio and written print to spread the Hutu Ten Commandments and to convince the whole country that Tutsi were bad people by default and worth killing.

When you can see how the entire country was destroyed, roads torn up, windows broken from looting, churches covered in blood, schools leaking from the hundreds of bullet holes in the roofs, streets deserted, your heart cannot beat with anything but sadness. Even more so, I became frustrated when I read about the troops pulling out. If all the forces that were needed to stop the Interhamwe were there evacuating foreigners, then why didn’t they stay? What could possibly have convinced them that these Rwandese were not worth risking their lives for? What made them any less valuable than the foreigners they were busy saving? But just as I got bogged down with the betrayal that we, as humans, inflicted upon Rwanda, there were stories of hope, stories of people who did recognize that value. Oh, that I had the courage of the 70 year old woman who built up her reputation as being possessed by evil spirits in order to use fear to keep the murderers out of her home that housed many Tutsi. Or if I only had the wit of the man who covered a trench in the ground with planted vegetables to hide Tutsi for weeks.

But still, despite the heroic efforts of these people, there were hundreds of thousands of people who died, people whose pictures were hung on the wall all over the room. People with dreams to be seamstresses, doctors, teachers, even the president…People who had pet peeves and little quirks, people who had best friends and favorite colors, people who got good grades in school and were great athletes. And what of that? How can someone be blind to the potential in another, to turn on the family of their neighbor and kill their child? And aren’t I guilty in some similar way, for doing nothing, sitting in front of my television, shaking my head and changing the channel, like I probably would have done if I were not 2 years old at the time? Or am I guilty for not talking about it afterward, naively believing that the Holocaust was a onetime deal? Who can I complain to that I never was told that there were genocides in Cambodia, Armenia, Namibia, Bosnia, and Rwanda? Doesn’t my education fail me if I learn only about the times we as people have done valiant things, and if I don’t learn about how we have done terrible, terrible things?

I cannot ignore my duty as a fellow human being when I look through tears at the picture of a little boy, 8 years old, whose last words before he was hacked with a machete were, “The UNAMIR will come for us.” The faith of a small child in the goodness of humanity is incomparable. What about the sisters, who were 6 and 7, and their favorite toy was the one they shared together, and probably lost, when they were massacred in their own church, betrayed by their own pastor, led like sheep to the slaughter? I doubt that they would have given up on each other. And how can my heart not break when I stare into the eyes of the 15 month old child who died by being smashed against the wall? I refuse to believe that anyone can justify themselves for doing such a thing.

But even in the midst of that, I know that the children that managed to survive bring such hope. One the sign before the children’s hall, it read, “To the children who would have been our bright future.” But there are children who are fulfilling that today. I heard the words of my friend echoing in my mind as I walked through. He and another friend started a center for a bunch of children living in a village built by Uyisenga N’Manzi when they were 17 and 21, respectively. When I asked him why he started it, he said that he promised himself, after surviving the genocide, that he would do something about it, that he would help people. How many of the children then were thinking the same thing and did not live to carry out that promise?

The whole time that I walked through the museum, I did not see the faces of people I had never and could never meet, but I saw only the faces of the people who I have come to call my friends in the past two weeks. That 2 year old girl who was shot dead, she could have been the precious 2 year old girl, Jolie, who I met last night. And that 8 year old boy whose favorite food was chips (fries) with mayonnaise could this very day be the same age as my friend Vincent. The woman who was made to kill her own child might have been the age of my host mom. The faces became those of the ones I have come to love and cherish and I will not forget them. If there is one thing that I can do for those children and those people, it is to talk about them, to tell everyone about them. I will do what I can to make their suffering worth it and I will tell their stories. Only through learning about the past and understanding it can we be actually sure this time: Never again.

I still have a lot of questions though that are unanswered. It is really hard to articulate them so bear with me. For example, where does that forgiveness come from? Is there something that must be done first in order to get to that place in your heart, or is it personalized? How do you really ensure that it never happens again, is remembering really enough? How do the Rwandese really feel about gacaca courts? Do they execute the justice that the survivors want to see? How does something like this shape one’s perception of God? What is the role of survivor’s guilt? How do you begin to trust anyone ever again? There are many others but those are just the few that I can squeeze out of my brain right now.

So there we are, at the end of the day that I have been waiting for this whole trip. We, as a group, debriefed for a few hours this afternoon. It was incredibly special hearing the Rwandese address some of what they had been thinking about during the memorial. It was just as important to me to hear my own feelings validated by the other members of the delegation. At the very end, we closed by singing a few songs, just to relax and capture the moment. We sang one that said, “Hold my hand, cuz I don’t want to fight in vain” or something along those lines. Then we finished up with some good old-fashioned, “Lean on Me.” But it was really powerful, being with all of those people and knowing that we are here 16 years later and so, so much farther along.

 

Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment
of the Crime of Genocide

Adopted by Resolution 260 (III) A of the United Nations General Assembly on 9 December 1948.

Article 1

The Contracting Parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish.

Article 2

In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

• (a) Killing members of the group;
• (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
• (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
• (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
• (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

Article 3

The following acts shall be punishable:

• (a) Genocide;
• (b) Conspiracy to commit genocide;
• (c) Direct and public incitement to commit genocide;
• (d) Attempt to commit genocide;
• (e) Complicity in genocide.

Article 4

Persons committing genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in Article 3 shall be punished, whether they are constitutionally responsible rulers, public officials or private individuals.

Article 5

The Contracting Parties undertake to enact, in accordance with their respective Constitutions, the necessary legislation to give effect to the provisions of the present Convention and, in particular, to provide effective penalties for persons guilty of genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in Article 3.

Article 6

Persons charged with genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in Article 3 shall be tried by a competent tribunal of the State in the territory of which the act was committed, or by such international penal tribunal as may have jurisdiction with respect to those Contracting Parties which shall have accepted its jurisdiction.

For Articles 7 – 19, see http://www.hrweb.org/legal/genocide.html

Mubuga Sector, Karongi District

January 3, 2011

Prepared by LAC Participants Julia Lurie, UMUHOZA Zawadi, and Kaitlyn Allen with input from NDAGIJIMANA Lyhotely, UWAYEZU Charles, and Jesse Hawkes

On January 3^rd, in line with previous LACs’ visits to Mubuga, a small delegation from our LAC had the opportunity to visit Mubuga Sector and the Potter village nearby.  The group included 5 North American delegates, 5 Rwandan delegates, Jesse Hawkes (GYC Executive Director and Rwanda Program Director), and MUDAKIKWA John (Executive Secretary of AJPRODHO). From Kibuye, we drove about 1 hour to Mubuga in a mini-bus on roads that were challenging to say the least.

We had arranged a meeting with local politicians, representatives from the Mubuga community, and representatives of the Potter community. This was the first meeting that the LAC had arranged with the greater Mubuga community (in the past, the LAC had met only with Potters living in the government forest in Mubuga). The meeting was motivated by the fact that on the previous two visits, the Mubuga community had expressed jealousy at the delegation only visiting (and presumably providing money to) the Potter community, and also by the marginalization that the Potters had experienced in the past from the Mubuga community. The purpose of the meeting was to begin a conversation between the Potter community, the Mubuga community, and local politicians to better understand the relationship between the two communities, the challenges that the Potter community is facing, and what steps can be taken to improve their situation. We hope that this is the first of many meetings between the two communities and government representatives.

Aside from the LAC delegation, the following people were present at the meeting:

i.            4 representatives of Potter community (3 female, 1 male; the main leader was named Agnes),

ii.             The Chargée d’ Affaires Sociales of Mubuga sector Mukarugema Dative,

iii.            The Mudugudu village chief, Mabyarimana Francois,

iv.             The head of development of Murangara cell, Mazimpaka Aphrodis,

v.             The pastor of the evangelical church, Hakizimana,

vi.            Western Province Coordinator for COPORWA, Munyanziza Faustin,

vii.            About 20 (or more) Mubuga inhabitants.

The meeting took place in an administrative office in Mubuga, and lasted for about an hour. We were seated on benches in a structure that had no doors or windows, and so there were at least 40 people (of all ages–infants, toddlers, adults, etc.) looking in and listening at any given time. There were a lot of distractions—kids crying, cows mooing, people walking in and out and talking on cell phones, etc.—but overall, it was a very productive meeting and a good first step in developing a stronger line of communication between the communities.

The meeting started with Mukarumega Dative, the government Social Affairs Officer, giving a summary of what the government is doing to help Potters currently. There are 23 families living in Mubuga, 4 of which have permanent housing, and 19 of which live in the forest with no permanent housing or land. There are 78 Potters in total. In addition to giving three houses to Potters (presumably two families share one house, and the evangelical church built two of the houses), the government is also trying to keep Potters in school by giving them school supplies. They have helped two pregnant women to give birth safely by driving them to a community health center and providing prenatal care, and have rented one hectare of land (total) to the Potter community to grow maize. Agnes confirmed that the maize was growing well.  She said that the community now has health insurance for 2011, paid for by the government, and two families have been included in the One Cow One Family Program, which is meant to provide one cow per Rwandan family. The government has also provided mosquito nets to the community.

Agnes then spoke, first expressing genuine thanks to the delegation for visiting and to the sector-level politicians for providing help. She said that the Potters were beginning to consider themselves as Rwandans with their own rights. She reported a few main problems: the kids were unable to stay in school, though things were improving a little; and the Potters had no land, and as a result no houses and no clay from which to make a living.

After these two representatives spoke, the meeting opened up to a question and answer session. Below is a summary of the discussion:

• HOUSING: There are 555 grass roof houses in the Karungi District (19 Potter houses), and under the government’s modernization policy, these houses will be destroyed (or at least have their roofs destroyed/dismantled, to be replaced by iron sheeting). For those who have land (and houses) the sector will provide sheeting for new roofs by March. For those who don’t have land (i.e. who are squatting, like the potters in the forest), the district leaders are still working at the district level to figure out what to do, and have not yet given the order to destroy the houses yet.  Habyarimana, the village chief, said that houses would not be destroyed without providing a housing alternative, but neither a timeline nor an official confirmation backed this up. One of the Potter representatives asked if the North American delegates had any advice to give regarding the destruction of their grass houses. This caught us a little off guard, and we emphasized the importance of communication and representation: if the government didn’t know what the Potters wanted (or was ignoring it), then Potters had to make their voice heard by staying in regular contact with local politicians and the Mubuga community. Regarding the houses that have already been built for the Potters, one does not have a bathroom, and Dative said that the government would look into this.
• LAND/CLAY: The Potters currently have no land, and thus no clay from which to make pots. In the past, Potters have taken clay from other peoples’ land. They no longer do this because it is prohibited. When asked how they Potters were supposed to survive while they were waiting for their crops to grow (and couldn’t make pots), Dative said that the government never stopped them from making pots and recommended forming a cooperative and modernizing pots, which now only sell for 50-100 RWF. One Potter responded they already make modern pottery (and brought out a clay pot of a gorilla to support this) and went on to say that while Potters can start cultivating land, they cannot stop making pottery because it has been their profession/identity for years.
• HEALTH: One of the female Potters said that Potters use the Carte Mutuelle (health insurance card) without a problem, and the male Potter representative said that when there are more serious problems (pregnancy, illness) they collaborate with the community to take the patient to the clinic. This shows major progress from what the LAC has seen in the past, when the Potters didn’t use the Mutuelle because they were discriminated in town and didn’t have money with which to buy photos for their cards. When asked about malaria/HIV campaigns, Dative (Social Affairs Officer) replied that the Potters are provided with mosquito nets and can get free HIV testing, and they are working on campaigns to spread awareness on public health issues. This was confirmed by a community health worker. This can be noted as an area where the previous LAC’s donation of photos seems to have garnered additional governmental support – even without explicitly asking for it.
• COMMUNICATION/REPRESENTATION: Potters currently have no political representation, though the government has encouraged Potters to make campaigns and run for office. Agnes said that she had been afraid previously to campaign, but now that she was aware of the opportunity, she would run for a political position.

VISIT TO THE FOREST DWELLINGS

After this meeting, we walked up the nearby hill through the forest to see the living conditions of the Potters and meet with the rest of the Potter community. In addition to the LAC delegation, the pastor, the head of the development of the sector, the Mudugudu chief, and about 20 other members of the Mubuga community (including many children) came with.  The fact that these representatives walked with us to the community was a big change from the last time we visited, when only the local agronomist was present. We also felt that if the Social Affairs officer had not been called out of the community meeting to go deal with the grass-roof crisis in the area she too would have come with us to the forest village.

Living Conditions:

As we had been told, the living conditions were truly abysmal. The houses were made of branches and plantain leaves, and would easily be destroyed in a rainstorm. Children and adults alike were dressed in rags, and most didn’t have shoes. On a positive note, there were small patches of land on which cassava and maize were growing, which was an improvement over the last time the LAC had visited. This increase in agricultural production near the homes seems to be related to spill-over from the hectare that the government had loaned to them (in the valley near-by)  – and the hoes that they were given (arranged by the previous Agronomist – who no longer works in that Sector according to our sources – which means that all of this agricultural advance needs to be monitored carefully by the incoming agronomists with care since he/she may not have a relationship to the Potter community).

The Meeting in the Forest:

After seeing a few houses, we sat down on the ground with the rest of the Potter community and had a meeting for 1.5-2 hours on the current living conditions of the Potters. The meeting started with John emphasizing the importance of taking cultivation seriously. Many of the cultivation areas hadn’t been weeded, and even as we were sitting in the meeting, a child walked into one of the patches and ripped out a cassava plant.

Jesse then asked the Potters if they had experienced issues of marginalization recently, and the Potters said that one Potter was beaten several weeks before and the police had still not looked into the case. However, the Potters then said that the man was an abusive husband, and that he had been harassing a family where his wife had been seeking safe-haven, meaning that he may have deserved some punishment. They noted that it was good that the police had taken him to the hospital where he recovered quickly from the beating. The marginalization issue seemed to be less prominent than in the past, but one of the most outspoken Potters’ on this issue was Agnes who was someone who had been selected to live in one of the houses given to Potter families, and who now appeared to be more integrated into the community. Several of the other Potter members from the forest dwelling appeared to be less enthusiastic about praising the connection and reconciliation with the neighbors, so this issue should continue to be watched.

On the way up the hill, the LAC members were moved to wish to do something now to assist the forest dwellers. One of the Potter representatives from the first meeting had told Jesse and John that the Potters had been offered a hectare of land to be rented for ten years for only 50,000 RWF ( $90 total), for clay extraction or anything they wished to do there.  This seemed like a good opportunity to make a difference with a relatively small amount of money, which is all that the LAC had to offer. After the conversation about marginalization, John then asked what the Potter community would do if they were given 50,000 RWF. This resulted in a very long debate among the Potters. They came up with three options from which they were attempting to choose:

1) Rent the hectare of land to use for cultivation

2) Rent the hectare of land to use for digging for clay

3) Buy two goats, and distribute the offspring throughout the community

The decision-making process highlighted two of the major obstacles/issues that illustrate the Potters’ situation. The first is that the process took a very long time because there is no internal leadership among the Potter community. Agnes is the unofficial leader of the group (and the person who the government is most familiar with), but there were many others with strong opinions. From an outsider’s perspective, it seems that having designated leaders among the community is crucial to making progress. The second is that despite John’s emphasis on the importance of cultivation, many Potters still advocated using the money to dig for clay. There are clearly cross-cultural differences here—as much as the government/outsiders may emphasize cultivation, it is clear that the Potters will not follow this advice unless the government recognizes what Potters want and agrees to implement gradual change. This issue came up again in the meeting with the mayor (see below).

After discussing for about a half hour, the community was leaning towards buying the land to dig for clay until the pastor brought up the fact that even if Potters had access to clay, they still wouldn’t have wood with which to heat it.  The debate then started again. After another half hour, it was decided that three Potter representatives would put the money in a collective bank account and would decide later on what to do with the money. Jesse then announced that the LAC was going to give the Potters 50,000 RWF on the condition that when the LAC came back, the Potter community would be able to show tangible results from whatever project they had decided to implement. The Potter community was clearly very happy about this—many women began to dance—and there was a brief ceremonial handing over of the money.

GUSAMBIRA : SHARING — THANKFULLY INTERRUPTED BY A CHANCE TO ADVOCATE

After this, we walked back down to Mubuga with most of the Potter community, where a sharing of food and drinks had been planned to take place. However, when we arrived, we received word that representatives from the government had just arrived to do assessments of the grass-roofed houses. The Potters were understandably very interested in going to the meeting, and the snack was canceled so that they could go immediately to express themselves in front of the government representatives. While it wasn’t good news that houses were close to being destroyed, the fact that the Potters were so enthusiastic about making their voices heard shows progress in itself. It was a great coincidence that they were coming down to the local office with us when that meeting was announced.

At this point, the LAC delegation drove back to Kibuye. The next day, John reported to us that the Potters had met up with the government representatives, who had not given much information other than that the houses would be destroyed at some point. Neither a timeline nor an official promise for alternative housing was given.

Report of Visit to Karongi District Mayor

Jan. 4, 2011

INTRODUCTION

The day after our encounter with the Potter’s community, the delegation in its entirety regrouped to visit the Mayor’s Office of the Karongi District and report our observations from each field site. Mayor Kayumba Bernard received us with appreciation and listened attentively to each group’s presentation. He noted that many groups do site visits in the field and simply return to Kigali, and expressed his gratitude that this group stopped to communicate our observations to the district government: “It is important to have one vision, one understanding,” Mayor Kayumba stated. “Your visit is very important for me, very appreciated.”

After each group presented, during which the Mayor took copious notes, he spent about fifteen minutes responding to the respective findings. He spent the majority of that time on the issue of the Potters: “The Potters are a priority. The problem is very big.” He has visited the community and has tried to find and construct houses for them in several sectors within the District, yet “the mindset of the people is a big problem. Some members think that they are not able to do anything and they wait for help. This is not a bad thing considering their situation, but it is not enough. The government can help them, but cannot replace them [as solvers of their own problems].”

LAND AND HOUSING

The Mayor noted several specific instances in which he tried to negotiate with the Potters to move or accept housing. First, he tried to get them to move to another area where there was land and housing. He said that they refused, explaining that they could not move because their current area was close to the market. The second time the Mayor tried to get them to move, they scattered when they learned of the plans. In one area, the government gave 50 or so houses to Potters. After a few months, the houses were “destroyed”—the people had removed the internal walls to have a large, communal space. Finally, he noted another experience in which three Potters had asked the Mayor for jobs. He got them jobs at a tea plantation. They worked 3 days and then left because their families lived in another district. The Mayor then found them houses to live in near the tea plantation, and they refused to move. These examples reflect the government’s apparent frustration with the community for its lack of conformity to “modern” norms and ways of life.

The Mayor also clarified that the Mubuga group used to have land, but no longer does. Either the land was taken by “bad citizens,” or the Potters themselves sold the land at below the fair market price. According to the Mayor, one reason that the government has not given them land is because they are not sure if the Potters will be able to manage it. Once they show they can manage it well and not sell it quickly, he said, the government will help them get land.

Regarding the Mayor’s visit to Mubuga that overlapped with our visit the day before (Jan. 3), the Mayor stated that he asked them to move again. He also told them that the government has not yet made a decision on whether to destroy these particular grass-roof houses. He stated that the Potters replied that if he would return again, they would move. Given that there are only about 20 families, it would not be impossible to move them all, the Mayor expressed. He plans to visit them next week to follow up on this visit.

CLAY AND MODERNITY

It was apparent that the government regards the plight of the Potters through the perspective of modern concepts of wealth and poverty. The Mayor stated that the government wants to change their kind of living—digging for clay, making traditional pots—because it is impossible to “become rich” living that way. In a good faith desire to see this group prosper according to modern concepts of capitalism and independent business, the Mayor expounded on the values of personal and business development: “If you don’t look in the future and see what you can do, see what business you can have, make money…I think they will stay in that problem. It’s a problem for the development of that people. We must help them to have confidence and know that you are able to do something, you can change. We must do everything possible to develop ourselves in that way.” Overall, the Mayor expressed that the duty of the government is to help them mobilize and change their mindsets.

HEALTH AND MUTUELLE DE SANTE (HEALTH INSURANCE CARD)

The Mayor confirmed that the Potters will definitely receive help from the government to pay for their mutuelles de santé (a price of 1,000 Rwandan Francs per year for comprehensive health insurance) next year as well. But they want to distinguish between people who can pay and who cannot pay. Those who can pay for their own cards will be expected to do so.

GYC/AJPRODHO’S DONATION

On the 50,000 Franc donation we made to the Mubuga Potter’s community, the Mayor expressed appreciation. He added, “But you can do more. It is a small amount—small in that it is a beginning, but not small in the heart where it came from. Yet there is so much more to be done.”

CONCLUSION

The Mayor confirmed that he would visit the Mubuga community again next week, and after the meeting he exchanged contact information with COPORWA and GYC in order to continue working together. COPORWA plans to send a representative to Mayor’s next meeting in Mubuga.

Our group of AJPRODHO representatives composed of Rwandese and American participants went to the Bwishyura Police Station in Karongi District.  The police chief granted us unlimited access to thirteen detainees including two women with their children.  The day started with Muhoza Mutoni Alice, a project coordinator for AJPRODHO, giving a presentation on the mission of AJPRODHO and detainee’s rights.  The detainees asked many questions about their rights and gave suggestions on how AJPRODHO could better serve the community.   One detainee expressed a concern that community members only become aware of the work of AJPRODHO once they are detained at the police station.  He wanted to see more proactive work done by the local NGO.

Following the introductory presentation, the volunteers broke into two groups to interview the detainees.  The major questions asked were:

1.       What is your name?

2.       How old are you?

3.       What is your occupation?

4.       Where are you from?

5.       Where were you arrested?

6.       How long have you been detained?

7.       Have you been informed as to the reason of your detention?

8.       Have you talked to a prosecutor, legal advisor, or attended a court hearing?

9.       Had you been informed of your legal rights prior to detention?

10.   Based on your knowledge of human rights, have your rights been violated?

11.   Do you have any pre-existing health conditions?

12.   Do you have any concerns about the living conditions at the police station?

13.   Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your arrest, detention, or trial?

We then asked specific questions related to each detainee’s case.  For instance, two women had toddler-aged children with them.  We asked these women about their other children and if they had concerns about having their babies with them in detention. In addition, others expressed concerns about the wellbeing of their families, many of whom are unaware of their detention. Detainees also worried about their job security because of missed work due to detention.

Upon conclusion of the interviews, we observed many positive conditions.  First the detainees received information regarding the reason for their detention. All but one had been before the judges while many had received their sentences.  Moreover, there was no evidence of police brutality.   In fact, many of the detainees said the officers would bring food to the station when they could.  Furthermore, the police chief showed concern for the detainees, and he expressed frustration at not having the resources to improve the situation.  The detainees also had access to drinking water and showers.  Lastly, there seemed to be a good deal of cooperation amongst the detainees.  Many detainees ate only because of the generosity of their peers.

On the other hand, some concerns were also raised.  Food is a major issue in the detention center for two reasons. First, the station lacks a budget to provide adequate food for the detainees. Second, detainees are dependent upon family and friends to bring food to the police station. Many detainees lived in other districts, so obtaining food from their families is difficult if not impossible.

Every detainee expressed concerns regarding health and hygiene. Most individuals possessed pre-existing health conditions such as asthma, HIV, and eye or gastrointestinal problems, which complicated their detention. The police chief expressed that individuals needing ARV treatment for HIV, or those with serious health problems, had access to medical facilities. Moreover, the living conditions of the detainees are poor. All individuals slept on the floor without mattresses, blankets, or mosquito nets. Consequently, the threat from insect-borne illnesses is significant. The detainees also lacked access to changes of clothing, with one individual wearing the same set of clothes for six weeks.

Overall, the visit was successful because we discussed with the police chief future steps for AJPRODHO and GYC. The issues present at Bwishyura are systemic, with similar problems throughout all detention centers in Rwanda stemming from a lack of funding. We were impressed with the level of care provided to the detainees given very limited resources. The relationship with AJPRODHO and the police station is also encouraging, especially with regards to the efficient due process provided to the detainees.

The last step in our work for detainees involved a conference with the mayor of Karongi District.  We presented a report on our activities and findings to him.  We then asked him two key questions: 1. How can AJPRODHO help facilitate collaboration between the Karongi District and the Bwishura Police Station to create a better budget to provide for detainees needs?  2. What can the mayor’s office do to improve conditions at all police stations within the district?  The mayor replied that there were severe budget issues, which confirmed the views of the police chief.  He stated that the district did not have the means to provide for the detainees.  He suggested that AJPRODHO appeal to other organizations to meet the needs of the detainees.  He also advised AJPRODHO to advocate to his superiors and to work to reduce crime.  The team left the conference glad to have taken the next step in working for the human rights of detainees, but we were slightly disheartened by the mayor’s responses.  In all societies, people will need to be detained for one reason or another; however, they should always be afforded basic rights regardless of their guilt or innocence.  It is clear that the strategies employed by AJPRODHO at the ground level are meeting with success but a lot of work still needs to be done at the upper levels of government.

Next Steps:

1. Per our conversation with the Mayor, a version of this report, as well as the other reports from Mubuga and Kiziba, will be prepared for his review.
2. On Saturday, January 15th, the LAC will host a mini-conference on “Advocacy Strategies for Civil Society.”  During the course of this day, we will engage with other civil society actors on the issue of conditions in detention centres throughout Rwanda and we will discuss the possibilities for and limits of change from higher levels of government.  We will also strategize collaboratively how to advocate for feasible improvements.
3. Global Youth Connect and AJPRODHO have committed to maintaining the LAC’s involvement in Karongi District.  As such, the two LACs hosted in Rwanda over the course of Summer 2011 will revisit the detention centre.  As a team, we will strategize the most effective ways to use these visits to be advocates for the rights of detainees in Karongi and throughout Rwanda.