General
- Social Studies for ECLPE Y2 SB File Uploaded 2/11/21, 14:01
UNIT 11 DIGNITY AND SELF-RELIANCE
Key Unit competence: The student-teacher should be able to critique how thehome-grown solutions contribute to self-reliance.
Dignity: It is a condition of being worth of respect, esteem or honor.
Self-reliance: This is a state of being independent in all aspects.
Home Grown Solutions are Rwanda’s brainchild solutions to economic and
social development. They are also practices developed by the Rwandan citizens
based on local opportunities, cultural values and history to fast track their
development. Being locally-created, Home Grown Solutions are appropriate
to the local development context and have been the bedrock to the Rwandan
development successes for the last decade.
11.1.1. Girinka
The word “Girinka” (girainka) commonly known as GirinkaMunyarwanda (One
Cow per Poor Family Programme) can be translated as ‘may you have a cow’
and describes a centuries’ old cultural practice in Rwanda whereby a cow was
given by one person to another, either as a sign of respect and gratitude or as amarriage dowry.
Contemporary Girinka was introduced in 2006 against a backdrop of
alarmingly high levels of poverty and childhood malnutrition. The program is
structured in two phases. First, a community member identified as someone
who would greatly benefit from owning a cow is given a pregnant dairy cow.
That person benefits from its milk and manure production. Beneficiaries are
then obliged to give the first born female calf to another worthy beneficiary
in their community. This is known as the ‘pass on’ principle, or kuziturirana/kwitura.
Girinka has been described as a culturally-inspired social safety net program
because of the way it introduces a productive asset (a dairy cow) which can
provide long-term benefits to the recipient. Approved on 12 April 2006 by
Cabinet decision, Girinka originally aimed to reach 257,000 beneficiaries;
however, this target was revised upwards in 2010 to 350,000 beneficiaries
by 2017. The Government of Rwanda was initially the sole funder of the
Girinkaprogram but development partners have since become involved in the
program. This has led to an increase in the number of cows being distributed.By September 2014 close to 200,000 beneficiaries had received a cow.
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11.1.2. Ubudehe – Social categorisation for collective action and
mutual support
Ubudehe refers to the long-standing Rwandan practice and culture of collective
action and mutual support to solve problems within a community. It is one
of Rwanda’s best known Home Grown Solution because of its participatorydevelopment approach to poverty reduction.
The origin of the word Ubudehe comes from the practice of preparing fields
before the rainy season and finishing the task in time for planting. A community
would cultivate clear the fields together to make sure everyone was ready for
the planting season. Once a community had completed Ubudehe for everyone
involved, they would assist those who had not been able to take part, such as
the very poor. After planting the partakers gathered and shared beer. Therefore,
the focus of traditional Ubudehe was mostly on cultivation.
Ubudehe was an inclusive cultural practice involving men, women and members
of different social groups. As almost all members of the community took part,
the practice often led to increased solidarity, social cohesion, mutual respect
and trust.
Colonisation and the introduction of a cash-based economy weakened the
practice of Ubudehe as some members of the community were able to recruit
some people to perform agricultural works for payment. While this trend
occurred across the country, in some places Ubudehe was still practiced until
the 1980s.
• Contemporary Ubudehe
Contemporary Ubudehe is a poverty reduction initiative by the Government of
Rwanda which provides communities with the skills and support necessary
to engage in problem solving and decision making for their development. It
is a culture of collective action and solidarity to solve problems of poverty by
people themselves. This is done by categorizing Rwandans into different income
groups according to self-sustenance. The poor are given priority in terms of
health insurance, education, electricity, water supply and even accommodation.
From the independence of Rwanda, Ubudehe was reintroduced into Rwandan
life in 2001 as way to better involve communities in their development by setting
up participatory problem solving mechanisms. Ubudehe creates opportunities
for people at all levels of the society, especially the village level, to interact
with one another, share ideas, create institutions and make decisions for their
collective development.
11.1.3. Akarimak’Igikoni (Small field of kitchen)
This is one of the government’s home grown solutions for fighting against
malnutrition. It consists of small field of vegetables cultivated near the house.
The field is enriched by enough manure to increase production of vegetables.
A variety of vegetables are grown there and careful supervision is ensured
by family members. The Akarima k’Igikoni has played a significance role in
combating malnutrition mainly in rural areas. It helps people to get balanced
and varied diet hence good health and increase in production and life expectanceof Rwandans.
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11.1.4. Kuremera
It is an initiative created by the government of Rwanda. It aims at solving the
problem of unemployment especially among the youth. At the start, the Rwandan
government gave Rwandan Francs 200 million to youth. They were given this
amount to start self-help projects. This has gone even to local levels. Members
of a given community can join hands to help the needy in their community. For
example, they construct houses, avail water for the aged and provide food.
11.1.5. Umuganda
Umuganda was created to help supplement the national budget spent in
construction and the repair of basic infrastructure. The work done is organized
by community members and is done voluntarily and without pay. The projects
completed through Umuganda include the construction of schools, feeder
roads, road repair, terracing, reforestation, home construction for vulnerable
people, erosion control, water canals, etc.
Today, Umuganda takes place on the last Saturday of each month from 8:00 a.m.
and lasts for at least three hours. Rwandans between 18 and 65 are obliged to
participate in Umuganda. Those over 65 are welcome to participate if they are
willing and able. Expatriates living in Rwanda are also encouraged to take part.
Those who participate in Umuganda cannot be compensated for their work –
either in cash or in kind.
11.1.6. Agaciro (Agaciro Development Fund)
This is solidarity fund that has been initiated by Rwandans. The fund seeks
to improve the level of financial autonomy of Rwanda. It is a government
programme. It was started by his Excellency the President of the Republic of
Rwanda in August, 2012. It was started as a way of increasing self-reliance
rather than relying on foreign aids.
11.1.7. Imihigo– Performance contracts
The word Imihigo is the plural Kinyarwanda word of umuhigo, which means to
vow to deliver. Imihigo also include the concept of guhiganwa, which means to
compete among one another. Imihigopractices existed in pre-colonial Rwanda
and have been adapted to fit the current challenges of the Rwandan society.
Imihigo were re-initiated by Rwanda’s President, Paul Kagame, in March 2006.
This was as a result of the concern about the speed and quality of execution of
government programs and priorities. The government’s decentralisation policy
required a greater accountability at the local level. Its main objective was to
make public agencies and institutions more effective and accountable in their
implementation of national programs and to accelerate the socio-economicdevelopment agenda
Today, Imihigo are used across the government as performance contracts and
to ensure accountability. All levels of government, from the local district level
to ministries and embassies, are required to develop and have their Imihigo
evaluated. Members of the public service also sign Imihigo with their managers
or head of institution.TheImihigo process ensures the full participation and
ownership of citizens because priorities are developed at the grassroots level.
11.1.8. Itorero
Traditionally Itorero was a traditional institution where Rwandans would learn
rhetoric, patriotism, social relations, sports, dancing, songs and defence. This
system was created so that young people could grow with an understanding of
their culture. Participants were encouraged to discuss and explore Rwandan
cultural values. Itorero was reintroduced in 2009 as a way to rebuild the nation’s
social fabric and mobilise Rwandans to uphold important cultural values.
In the aftermath of the Genocide against the Tutsi, the Government of Rwanda
reintroduced Itorero in view of societal transformation. This Home Grown
Solution was adopted following the 4thUmwiherero (National Leadership
Retreat) in February 2007.
Contemporary Itorero includes physical activities along with classes on
Rwandan history that reintroduce some of the cultural values lost duringcolonisation. Training is adapted for the group participating in Itorero.
Source:http://paulkagame.com/?p=3551
Itorero is designed for all Rwandans. Children of seven years and above take
part in their imidugudu, villages, to help them grow up to become responsible
citizens. Compulsory National Service (Urugerero) is designed for those
between the ages of 18 and 35 who have completed secondary education.
Others keen to participate are given the opportunity to do so according to their
professional backgrounds.
Rwandan citizens living abroad also join Urugerero and a number of young
Rwandans have organised Itorero in cities including London and Brussels.Nonnationals
desiring to participate and provide service to the country can also do
so.
11.1.9. Community policing
Community policing or community oriented policing is a strategy of policing that
focus on building ties and working closely with members of the communities.
Community policing was adopted in Rwanda to encourage citizens to participate
in crime-solving.
Community policing encourages the Police to increase the means by which
citizens can report incidents or the use of volunteers to provide timely reports
that help us in anti-crime operations.
This strategy has been very successful in increasing Police response to crime,because many reports are now provided by community members.
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Home Grown Solutions, culturally owned practices have been translated into
sustainable development programmes and have contributed a lot in helping
getting some socio-economic solutions that were not possible to get otherwise.
Dignity and self-reliance through Home Grown Solutions have positive
contributions on the Rwandan society. Some of them are:
-- They have brought, among Rwandans, a sense of togetherness and love
for one another. The love is not based on any other string but Rwandans.
-- Dignity and self-reliance have played a big role in the economic
development of Rwanda. Every Rwandan feels that it is their duty to
develop their own country.
-- Dignity and self-reliance has led to promotion of peace and stability
among Rwandans. People learn to respect and live in harmony with each
other.
-- Rwanda has been able to fight the bad history of tribalism of 1950s and
early 1990s. Rwandans now work together towards the development oftheir nation.
They have also helped to reduce income inequalities among Rwandans.
Rwandan society looks forward to dignifying every member, that is, the
rich help the poor.
-- Dignity and self-reliance reduce the dependency ratio on the
government. Some issues are addressed by the citizens through various
campaigns such as ‘bye-bye nyakatsi.’ Campaigns such as kuremeraand
AgaciroDevelopment Fund have enabled the government to finance up to
66% of its budget.
-- Rwanda has been able to provide basic services to its citizens. For example,
under the Ubudehe, the vulnerable Rwandans are given priority in terms
of education.
-- Dignity and self-reliance are very important in Rwanda. They promote
growth and development of Rwanda. They bridge the gap between the
poor and the rich. They enable provision of basic services, and helping theneedy and disaster stricken people. They also help in poverty eradication.
11.3.1. Challenges of Girinka.
In some cases, the distribution of cows has not been transparent and people with
the financial capacity to buy cows themselves were among the beneficiaries. This
issue was raised at the National Dialogue Council (Umushyikirano) in 2009
eventually resolved through the cow recovery programme. This program
resulted in 20,123 cows given to unqualified beneficiaries (out of a total of
20,532 wrongly given) redistributed to poor families.
A lack of feed factories in the country has hindered efforts to properly feed some
of the cattle affecting their health and productivity. The Ministry of Agriculture
worked with investors who have shown interest in building feed factories in
Nyagatare, Kayonza and Kicukiro. In some instances, the cost of management
inputs has been high and in some districts there has been a delay in utilisation
of earmarked fund. Decentralisation of the programme has helped address this.
Provision of additional services (especially veterinary services and artificial
insemination) has been limited in some cases due to shortage of skilled staff
with relevant training. This has affected the cows’ milk production and the
‘pass on’ system.
Poor management by inexperienced farmers has increased the mortality for
some cows. To address this, beneficiaries now receive training about modern
farming practices prior to receiving their cow.
11.3.2. Challenges of Ubudehe
In some cases, village members have preferred to be classified into lower
poverty levels as a way to receive support from social security programs such
as health insurance and Girinka. To overcome this, household poverty level
categorisation takes place publically with all heads of households and must be
validated by the village itself.
In the project implementation, the major challenge lies in the choice of a project
by the community and its completion. Actually, communities sometimes have
difficulty defining the problems affecting their development and struggle to
know how best to prioritise the projects and select the most crucial project to
execute. Challenges also sometimes arise when communities are required to
choose one household to act as a model for the village. This can be a point of
contention because that household receives significant resources to carrying
out its Ubudehe development plan.
11.3.3. Challenges of Umuganda
The challenges faced by Umugandafall into two broad categories:
-- Planning and participation. In some areas of the country, poor planning
has led to unrealistic targets and projects that would be difficult to achievewithout additional financing.
-- In urban areas, participation in Umugandahas been lower than in rural
areas. To address these challenges, the team responsible for Umugandaat
the Ministry of Local Government has run trainings for the committees
that oversee Umugandaat the local level. These trainings include lessons
on monitoring and evaluation, how to report achievements, the laws,
orders and guidelines governing Umugandaas well as responsibilities of
the committee.
11.3.4. Challenges of Itorero
During its implementation, Itorerofaced a series of challenges including:
-- Inadequate staff and insufficient logistics for the monitoring and
evaluation of Itoreroactivities;
-- Training modules and internal regulations and procedures governing
Itoreroprogrammes not yet refined;
-- Low level of understanding the important role of Itorerory’ Igihuguon the
part of partners;
-- Districts lack sufficient training facilities;
-- Some Itoreromentors lack sufficient capacity to train other people;
-- The National ItoreroCommission does not get adequate information on
partners’ commitment to Volunteer Services;
-- A number of various institutions in the country have not yet started
considering voluntary and national service activities in their planning.
-- Low understanding of the role of Itorero especially at the village level;
-- Existence of some partners who have not yet included activities relating
to the promotion of Ubutore culture in their plan of action.
11.3.5. Challenges of Imihigo
There is a planning gap especially on setting and maintaining logic and
consistency: objectives, baseline, output/targets and indicators.
Setting unrealistic and over-ambitious targets by districts was common. Some
targets were not easily achievable in 12 months; for example, the construction
of a 30 km road when no feasibility study had been conducted or reducing
crime by 100%.
In some districts low targets were established that would require little effortto implement.
The practice of consistent tracking of implementation progress, reporting and
filing is generally still weak.
Some targets were not achieved because of district partners who did not fulfil
their commitments in disbursing funds - especially the central government
institutions and development partners.
There is a weakness of not setting targets based on uniqueness of rural and
urban settings.
Setting targets that are beyond districts’ full control was observed: For
example, construction of stadiums and development of master plans whose
implementation is fully managed by the central government.
There was general lack of communication and reporting of challenges facedthat hindered implementation of the committed targets.
