Rwanda ‘ s Liberation
Left : Munini District Hospital , Nyaruguru Top Right : Gatunda District Hospital , Nyagatare Bottom Right : Kaborogota IMV , Nyagatare
Rwandans would live in similar or better but certainly dignified settlements . Accordingly , IMVs are made up of eleven development pillars split into twenty-four components , namely community leadership development , agriculture development , agro-processing and marketing , cooperative development , access to finance , settlement and sanitation , ecosystem rehabilitation , social development , infrastructure development , ICT and employment , and productivity .
As noted above , liberation celebration activities have been used as an opportunity to improve the livelihoods of households , as families come to live together in organised settlement patterns that make it easy for the government to provide critical services to the citizens . For example , in the social sector , the setting up of early childhood development centres has helped to reduce school dropouts as well as child stunting and malnutrition . In these centres , parents and guardians are taught how to prepare balanced diet meals for their children . Similarly , the provision of biogas digesters has contributed to reducing the use of firewood and smoke emissions , which , in turn , leads to reduced respiratory and other poor hygiene-related diseases .
Moreover , the Girinka programme ( which gifts One Cow Per economically vulnerable family , whose calf is then regifted to a neighbour to create and nurture social bonds and mutual solidarity ) as well as the poultry and the vegetable gardens that have been planted in these model villages help to increase the likelihood of attaining economic independence for the beneficiaries who are able to sell their products to generate revenues . People are helped so that they may be economically self-sufficient but socially bound as a community – Kwigira .
The newly generated revenue is generally used for savings and nutrition purposes and to acquire medical insurance , which many of these vulnerable families critically need . It is worth noting that handicrafts centres have been established within the IMVs , where community members , especially women and the youth , are trained in various skills , provided opportunities and incentives for job creation . In addition , in these
IMVs , cell and village offices that provide decentralised services close to the local communities are constructed .
This , in turn , eases community mobilisation , as people are able to meet , discuss and plan for future collective endeavours , mainly during Umuganda . In brief , the ambition of IMVs is to ensure that all basic needs are catered for . Remarkably , similar programmes are implemented all over the country , all geared towards making liberation meaningful and felt in people ’ s lives .
I am of the view that in all parts of Africa , and elsewhere , this is what was in the minds of the liberators when they urged for the support of the people . The disillusionment that comes in the aftermath of liberation struggles often has to do with the leadership losing focus of this imperative of ensuring that the impact of the liberation is positively felt in the people ’ s lives ._
Dr . Mushaija Godfrey is the Executive Secretary of the Northern Province , Rwanda .
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