UNIT 3 NATIONAL SERVICES AND SELFRELIANCE
Key Unit Competence:
To use language learnt in the context of national services and self-reliance
3.1. National services and self-reliance rationale
Read the texts below and answer the comprehension questions that follow:
• Text 1: Home Grown Initiative
Home Grown Initiatives (HGIs) are Rwanda’s brain child solutions to economic
and social development. They are practices developed by the Rwandan
citizens based on local opportunities, cultural values and history to fast track
their development. Being locally created, HGIs are appropriate to the local
development context and have been the bedrock to the Rwandan development
successes for the last decade.
After the 1994 genocide against Tutsi, Rwandan economic structure was
devastated none was hoping that the county should be rebuilt and continues
its development process. After this period, Rwandan government has adopted
several programs and policies to boost Rwandan economy and to promote the
general welfare of the population.
HGIs had a significant impact on recipient households and the community. In
terms of social impact, Home Grown Initiatives have contributed to beneficiary
households through the increased access to health and education services,
shelter, improved nutrition, social cohesion and sustained participation in
decision making at community level.
HGIs include community work, truth and reconciliation traditional courts,
mediators, performance contracts, community-based and participatory effort
towards problem solving, solidarity camps, national dialogue, National Leadership
Retreat and One cow per Family program. They are all rooted in the Rwandan
culture and history and therefore easy to understand by the communities.
(Adapted from History for Rwanda Schools senior six. Rwanda Education Board)
• Comprehension questions
1. What does HGIs mean in full?
2. When were HGIs thought of?
3. Who are to execute the HGIs and who benefit from them?4. Discuss the HGIs contribution to social and economic development.
• Text 2: The contribution of the youth national services
In most countries, the youth represents the future of their countries; therefore,
they have a vital role to play in the development of each country by participating
in national service.
The training and participation of the youth contribute to the increase of national
army, where some become soldiers permanently or part time after accomplishing
military trainings. The youth is the manpower provider because they participate
in national service by offering their physical force in order to accomplish national
service goals like construction of houses for the poor families, repairing the roads,
construction of vegetable gardens for family consumption. In environmental
protection, the youth in national service construct terraces and plant trees in
order to fight against soil erosion.
In Rwanda, the youth at Urugerero have contributed in making data collection.
Most data collected were about the number of illiterate people in their area of
operations, the cases of school dropout and children of school going age who
are not yet in school, of local population who have not yet registered for health
insurance, number of family living in illegal marriage and vulnerable groups.
Through Urugerero, the graduates of senior six secondary schools also
perform different national duties in line with the Government’s notion of selfreliance and dignity. The most activities the students are engaged in include
awareness campaigns on development projects, HIV/AIDS, gender balance,
family planning, adult literacy and community work among others. Furthermore,
the youth contribute in fighting and preventing people against the genocide
and genocide ideology, fighting against the drug abuse and sensitizing and
mobilizing local population about credit – saving through micro-finances likeUmurenge SACCO
The youth also contribute in national service by contributing in service provision
and delivery to local population at sector and cell levels. Services delivered
including distribution of official documents namely identity cards and land
registration certificates. Data entry in computers and customer care are also
done by national service participants. This boosts the service delivery to the
local population.
Adapted from history for Rwandan schools senior six, student’s book. Rwanda
education board.
1. Why do you think the youth present the future of the country?
2. Discuss the contribution of “urugerero” program in national services
delivery.
3. Assess your contribution to the national service delivery. Share it to yourclass.
Vocabulary, sentence and composition writing
I. Vocabulary: use dictionary and thesaurus to check the meanings
of the following words and phrases. Practice spelling them correctly
1. Track
2. Devastated
3. Boost
4. Leadership Retreat
5. Manpower
6. Sensitizing
7. Self-reliance
8. Dignity
II. Construct meaningful sentences with the above words and phrases
III. Write a 250 word composition appreciating the contribution of theRwandan youth in the national services.
3.2. National services that encourage unity, peace and
reconciliation
Read the following texts and answer the questions that follow:
• Text 1: Establishment of the mediation committees
In 2004, the Government of Rwanda established mediation committees as an
alternative dispute resolution mechanism.
Established at the cell and sector levels, mediation committees primarily address
family disputes, such as those relating to land or inheritance. By institutionalizing
mediation committees, low level legal issues could be solved at a local level
without the need to be heard in conventional courts. Citizens experiencing legal
issues are asked to first report to mediation committees, cases not exceeding
3,000,000 Frs (for land and other immovable assets) and 1,000,000 Rwf (for
cattle and other movable assets). Cases of these types can only be heard in
a conventional court if one party decides to appeal the decision made at the
sector level by the mediation committee.
As the mediation committees system gained recognition as a successful
method to resolve conflict and deliver justice, the importance of providing
more structure and formality to their work increased. Consequently, the
mediation committees started receiving trainings on mediating domestic conflicts
and support from both governmental and non-governmental organisations to
improve the quality of their mediation services.
The mediation committee, at the cell and sector level, is headed by a bureau
composed of a president and a vice-president elected by their peers. Claims
made to the mediation committees are received by the Executive Secretary
who in turn forwards them to the mediation committee. If the Executive
Secretary is unable to receive the claim, the request is delivered to the
chairman of the mediation committee. The relevant council (cell or sector level)
is then notified.
The mediation committees that make up the mediation committees operate at a
cell level in the first instance (initial cases) and at a sector level in the event of
appeal (appeal cases). According to the law establishing the structure of
mediation committees, the committee is composed of twelve people known
for their integrity, who reside respectively in the concerned cell and sector andwho are recognised for their ability to reconcile differences. These mediators
are elected by the Cell Council and the Sector Council respectively for a
renewable term of five years.
In order to initiate a case, one of the parties must first submit a complaint
to the Executive Secretary of the cell verbally or in writing so that it can
be registered by the mediation committee. The applicant must provide a
brief outline of the case to inform the proceedings, after which the mediation
committee can summon parties and decide on the venue, as well as the date
and time for hearing the case.
(Adapted from history for Rwandan schools. senior six, student’s book. Rwanda education
board)
• Comprehension questions
1. Give examples of some conflicts solved by the mediation committees.
2. Describe the structure of a mediation committee.
3. After reading the above passage, assess the function of your local
mediation committee referring to their responsibilities. Share it to your
class.
4. Explain the process that citizens follow to have their cases dealt with.
• Text 2: Civic Education Program
In the aftermath of the Genocide against the Tutsi, the Government of Rwanda
reintroduced civic education program in view of societal transformation. This
HGS translated as Civic Education Program, was adopted following the 4th
National Leadership Retreat in February 2007.
Contemporary civic education program includes physical activities along with
classes on Rwandan history that reintroduce some of the cultural values lost
during colonization. Training is adapted for the group participating in civic
education program. For example, health workers have been trained on activities
relevant to their profession, while local leaders have been trained on service
delivery and good governance.
The Government of Rwanda established the National civic education program
Commission with the objective of mobilizing Rwandans to uphold important
cultural values and the culture of intore. The commission was entrusted with
developing a program that allowed Rwandans from diverse backgrounds
to undertake personal development and contribute to the wellbeing of the
communities where they live or that they serve. The civic education program
provides opportunities for participants to enhance positive values build a sense
of responsibility through patriotism and gain professional knowledge.The values at the core of contemporary civic education program are unity,
patriotism, selflessness, integrity, responsibility, volunteerism and humility.
Civic education program is designed for all Rwandans. Different curricula have
been developed to suit the program’s varied participants. Children of seven
years and above take part in their 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.
Rwandan citizens living abroad also join Urugerero and a number of young
Rwandans have organised civic education program in cities including London
and Brussels. Non-nationals desiring to participate and provide service to the
country can also do so. University graduates and retired people who participated
in Urugerero before and wish to do so again are also given the opportunity to
join civic education program. Participants come from each administrative level
across the country.
(Adapted from history for Rwandan schools. senior six, student’s book. Rwandaeducation board.)
• Comprehension questions
1. What are the civic education program values?
2. What is the relevance between the civic education program and peace,
unity and reconciliation?
3. Explain the contribution of the civic education program towards societal
transformation.
4. Justify the activities carried out in the civic education program that youappreciate?
Vocabulary, sentence, summary and composition writing
I. Vocabulary: use a dictionary and thesaurus to check the meanings of
the following words. Practise their spellings.
1. Notified
2. Instance
3. Appeal
4. Reconcile
5. Mediators
6. Aftermath
7. Retreat Contemporary
8. Uphold
9. Undertake
II. Make meaningful sentences that are related to peace, unity and
reconciliation with the above words.
III. Summary and composition writing
1. Summarize the text “civic education program” in not more than 10
lines.
2. Write a composition of 300 words explaining the contributions
of mediators, community health workers and election process
managers to Rwanda nation building.3.3. National services in Rwanda
Read the following texts and answer questions that follow
• Text 1: One Cow per Poor Family programme
The programme 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 a marriage dowry.
The contemporary programme was introduced in 2006 against a backdrop
of alarmingly high levels of poverty and childhood malnutrition. The results of
the Integrated Household
Living Conditions Survey 2 conducted in 2005 showed rural poverty at 62.5%.
The Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis (CFSVA) and
Nutrition Survey showed that 28% of Rwanda’s rural populations were food
insecure and that 24% of the rural populations were highly vulnerable to food
insecurity.
The programme is based on the premise that providing a dairy cow to poor
households helps to improve their livelihood as a result of a more nutritious and
balanced diet from milk, increased agricultural output through better soil fertility
as well as greater incomes by commercializing dairy products.
Since its introduction in 2006, more than 203,000 beneficiaries have received
cows. One cow per poor family programme has contributed to an increase in
agricultural production in Rwanda - especially milk products which have helped
to reduce malnutrition and increase incomes. The program aimed at providing
350,000 cows to poor families by 2017.
The programme 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.
One cow per poor family programme is one of a number of programs under
Rwanda’s Vision 2020, a set of development objectives and goals designed to
move Rwanda to a middle income nation by the year 2020.
(Adapted from History for Rwanda Schools senior six student’s book. Rwanda Education
Board, Kigali January 2019)
• Comprehension questions
1. Describe the above mentioned surveys that indicate the vulnerability to
food insecurity.
2. How does the program assist in eradicating malnutrition and poverty in
general?3. Describe the one cow per family programme phases
4. How is this programme executed in your community?
• Text 2: Contemporary performance contract
Performance contract 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
decentralization 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 socioeconomic development agenda as contained in the Vision 2020 and
Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) policies as
well as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Today, performance contracts are used across the government to ensure
accountability. All levels of government, from the local district level to ministries
and embassies, are required to develop and have their contracts evaluated.
Members of the public service also sign performance contracts with their
managers or head of institution.
While performance contracts are now widely used across government, it
first began at the district level. When developing its performance contracts,
each local government administrative unit determines its own objectives (with
measurable indicators) taking into account national priorities as highlighted
in the national as well as international strategy and policy documents such
as the MDGs, Vision 2020, EDPRS, District Development Plans (DDPs)
and Sector Development Plans (SDPs). The performance contracts, at both
planning and reporting phases, are presented to the public for the purpose of
accountability and transparency. The mayors and province governors also sign
the performance contracts with Rwanda’s President committing themselves to
achieving set objectives. The performance process ensures the full participation
and ownership of citizens because priorities are developed at the grassroots
level.
Between 2006 and 2009 a limited evaluation process took place whereby the
best ten performing districts from across the nation were reviewed (two from
each province and the City of Kigali). Each province and the City of Kigali would
rank the performance of their districts with the top two then communicated to the
national evaluation team. This team then conducted their own review and ranked
them from 1-10. This approach suffered from significant limitations including
the fact that it was not possible to objectively compare the performance of all
districts because while one province may have had better performing districts
than another, this system did not allow that to be discovered. Due to these
shortcomings, a nation-wide district performance contract evaluation exercise
was conducted in 2010 for all the thirty districts. A national evaluation committeewith technical expertise and experience conducts this process
(Adapted from History for Rwanda Schools senior six student’s book. Rwanda Education
Board, Kigali January 2019)
• Comprehension questions
1. What was the reason of re-initiating the performance contract by H.E
Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda?
2. What were the shortcomings in the former performance contract
evaluation process?
3. What are responsibilities of national evaluation committees?
4. Is this program applied in your district? How far do you know this? Explainwith clear examples
Vocabulary and composition writing
I. Vocabulary and sentence construction: use a dictionary and thesaurus
to check the meanings of the following words and use them to make
meaningful sentences related to national services in Rwanda. Practise
their spellings.
1. Alarmingly
2. Vulnerability
3. Households
4. Millennium
5. Grassroots
6. Transparency
7. Shortcomings
II. Composition writing: write a 300 word composition evaluating how
“the one cow per family program” is conducted in your community.3.4. Scope of national services worldwide
Read the text below and answer the questions that follow
Text: Concepts of Judicial Systems
The judicial or court system interprets and applies the law on behalf of the state.
The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes.
In some nations, under the doctrine of separation of powers, the judiciary does
not make law (which is the responsibility of the legislature) or enforce law (which
is the responsibility of the executive), but rather interprets law and applies it to
the facts of each case.
In other nations, the judiciary can make law, known as common law, by setting
precedent for other judges to follow, as opposed to statutory law made by the
legislature. The judiciary is often tasked with ensuring equal justice under the
law.
In many jurisdictions, the judiciary has the power to change laws through judicial
review. Courts with judicial review power may annul the laws and rules of the
state which are incompatible with a higher norm, such as primary legislation, the
provisions of the constitution or international law. Judges are responsible for the
interpretation and implementation of a constitution, thus charged with creating
the body of constitutional law in common law countries.
For a people to establish and keep the rule of law great care must be taken
in the appointment of unbiased legal experts who are truthful and cannot be
corrupted. For the law to be accepted courts must stick to justice and the lawsmust be culturally relevant.
The term judiciary is also used to refer collectively to the personnel, such as
judges, magistrates and other adjudicators, who form the core of a judiciary
(sometimes referred to as a “bench”), as well as the staffs who keep the systems
running smoothly.
In some countries the judiciary includes legal professionals and institutions such
as prosecutors, state attorneys, ombudsmen, public notaries, judicial police
service and legal aid officers. These institutions are sometimes governed by
the same administration that governs courts. In some cases the judiciary also
administers private legal professions such as lawyers and private notary offices.
(Adapted from history of Rwandan schools. Senior 5, student’s book. Rwanda EducationBoard
• Comprehension questions
1. How far do you know the judicial system in your country? Share your
ideas to class.
2. Compare the judicial system in the second and third paragraph.
3. What personnel are involved in the judiciary within some countriesaccording to the last paragraph?
Vocabulary and sentence writing and survey
I. Vocabulary: match words with their meanings in the above table.
Spell the words correctly
II. Make meaningful sentences with the words in the table pages 55-56.
III. Conduct a survey about some national services in a country of your
choice and write a composition about it.3.5. Language structure: Coordinate connectors
• Notes
These connectors join two independent clauses together. Their purpose is to
show the connection between two words, actions, ideas, items in a series and
complete sentences. The most common examples are: and / or/ nor/ so / but/
for/yet. The following table summarizes how coordinate connectors are used.
Exercise
Choose the best answer from the brackets to complete each sentence.
1. Would you rather have cheese ………honey on your sandwich? (For,
nor, or, so)
2. His favorite sports are football……….tennis (or, and, nor, for)
3. I wanted to go to the beach, ……… Mary refused (but, or, so, for)
4. I am allergic to cats, …I have three of them (or, for, yet, so)
5. I am a vegetarian,……. I don’t eat any meat. (so, yet, nor, but)
6. Thomas will be late to work,………he has a dental appointment (but, or,
for, nor)
7. Jennifer doesn’t like to swim,……….does she enjoy cycling. (and, or, but,
nor)
8. Jackson wanted to eat another piece of cake,…………he was on diet. (
for, but, yet, so)
3.6. Spelling and pronunciation
A. Practise the pronunciation of the words below. Pay attention to where you
put stress. You can use dictionary where necessary.
1. Contemporary
2. Programme
3. Sustainable
4. Partnership
5. Household
6. Entrust
7. Successful
8. Doctrine
9. Interpre
3.7. End unit assessment
