GLOBAL YOUTH CONNECT REPORT

Rwanda Program Report Human Rights Learning and Action Community for Young Activists and Grassroots NGOs  December 28, 2009 – January 11, 2010 Co-Organized with the Youth Association for the Promotion of Development and Human Rights (AJPRODHO) Front left, GYC Delegate Anuj Gurung (Ne

CIMS – Center for Social Mobilization – (www.cims-rwanda.org) or email Damien Mwarambiri at mwambari@cims-rwanda.org. -- CIMS mediates land disputes and helps the government to register land equitably in several targeted areas of the country, including Karongi.

In the center of Kibuye, CIMS has been focusing on tracking individuals who are victims of land scarcity and who therefore have a variety of related problems that CIMS feels it is uniquely positioned to understand and assist with. GYC has worked with CIMS before (see Summer 2009 report). CIMS OBSERVATION TEAM in KIBUYE: Members: Angelique Maombi (CIMS Focal Point), Oliver Wyckoff, Khaled Fayyad, Andrea Niehaus, Gabin MBANJUMUCYO Objectives: Our objective for Kibuye was to meet with the president of CIMS, Damien Mwarambiri, and to listen to the testimonials of the beneficiaries of CIMS‘ programs in Kibuye, in order to better understand CIMS‘ work in the region.

 We met with single mothers, a former street-child, at-risk youth, and historically marginalized populations. We listened to their testimonies and their experiences with CIMS and the impact it has had on their daily lives. CIMS’ Beneficiaries in Kibuye: Single Mothers: Single mothers in Rwanda are often left in desperate situations. Their families may choose to disown them for having a child out of wedlock, and the fathers abandon them, inhibiting them from inheriting land.

Abortion in Rwanda is illegal and contraception is still a taboo subject. These young new mothers are then forced to fend for themselves and their children. CIMS assists single mothers through programs that educate them on the 2005 Organic Land Law; CIMS mediates between single mothers and the children‘s‘ fathers; and CIMS educates single mothers on family planning and reproductive health. During our Kibuye visit, CIMS arranged for GYC delegates to meet with five single mothers. Each mother shared her story and explained what effect her involvement with CIMS has had on her life.

Mother Two was 20 years old when she became pregnant. She no longer had the means to study and was forced to drop out of school. She told us, ―Life was hard. I didn‘t have the means to raise a child and to study.‖ She told us she would like to return to school so that she might have the opportunity to give her child a better life. CIMS is helping Mother Two with income-generating projects, and has also counseled Mother Two on reproductive health and the resources available to her, such as free contraception methods available at the local hospital. Street-Children: Because street-children are often orphans, or have been forced out of their households, CIMS provides education pertaining to land inheritance, and investigates on behalf of street children to find their land.

 CIMS also acts as a conduit, connecting street children to families with available resources. CIMS arranged for us to meet a 14 year old boy who formerly lived on the streets. He has a mother, but she was too poor to properly take care of him, and he would often return home from school to find nothing to eat. After he dropped out of school, his family was still unable to provide him with enough food to survive, so he left home to fend for himself on the streets. Soon, he was abusing drugs to distract himself from his situation. He told us he was angry about his situation and that ―everyone was his enemy.‖ CIMS found this boy living on the streets and was able to place him in a family with enough resources to care for him. He is now excited about returning to school. He attends meetings with CIMS everyday at 3 pm and tries to bring his friends so that CIMS can assist them as well. At-Risk Youth: Mostly comprised of orphans, children living with HIV, and children unable to afford school fees. CIMS seeks out at-risk youth, assesses their challenges and problems, and provides counseling. CIMS also educates at-risk youth on their civil rights and links them to social services that may be available to them through the Rwandan government and/or other NGOs. We met with over 20 at-risk children that CIMS has brought together for counseling.

 One such child, a 12 year old orphaned girl living with HIV, told us that she receives medicine and counseling from the local hospital, however, the pills often make her fatigued and sick because she has no choice but to take them on an empty stomach. She wanted to find an organization that would bring together other children in her situation to share ideas and ―to make life better.‖ She has been meeting with other children through CIMS. Historically Marginalized Populations: Mostly comprised of the indigenous population, widows, and the homeless, CIMS assists these groups to organize into effective coalitions, educates them on effective land use (how to produce the largest yield from small amounts of land), introduces them to the social services available, and advises them on effective political advocacy techniques. We met with a group of 16 historically marginalized peoples that have been working with CIMS for two months.

 One woman spoke on behalf of the group: ―I am a woman living in a bad situation. Some of these women are homeless. Some have turned to prostitution; some are HIV positive; some are illiterate. We have turned to CIMS, which is giving us hope.‖ When asked how CIMS is giving them hope, the woman told us CIMS has brought them together and now they know they are not alone. They are working together through CIMS and are hoping to institute income-generating projects. In addition, CIMS has taught them how to plant small gardens to help feed themselves and their children. Challenges: The main challenge that we faced in Kibuye was the language barrier. Fortunately, CIMS volunteer Angelique, and other GYC delegates Gabin and Germaine assisted us with translation in addition to contributing to the work. Conclusion: We observed that CIMS‘s most important role in the community was networking and acting as a conduit for social change, specifically related to land issues. Because CIMS is such a trusted community leader, they are able to expand their services beyond the specific legal dimensions of land reform and the 2005 Organic Land Law.

 CIMS cultivates a strong sense of community through their emphasis on the use of volunteers. Back in Kigali with CIMS: We documented testimonies from various groups of people who were benefiting from the work of CIMS on the ground. These groups included single mothers and at-risk youth. We created bios for, and took pictures of, these individuals. We also laid the foundations for a monthly newsletter to be added to a CIMS e-mail list-serv. This template will serve to inform CIMS contacts on their current achievements and challenges. EN ROUTE TO KIBUYE Muhanga (Gitarama) Stadium By Brannon Miller On our trip to Kibuye, the delegation stopped by several sites of historic significance. Amongst these was the soccer stadium in Muhanga (formerly Gitarama). It was here that in 1959, Rwandans declared themselves independent from their Belgian colonizers. One would expect that the site of such an important event in the history of Rwanda would be designated a national monument; however, when we arrived there, what we found was an old, abandoned soccer stadium. There were no gift shops or tour guides. Not even a plaque or a sign to show that this was in any way a place of cultural or historical significance could be found. This was because the first post-independence government had a Hutu-power ideology, which ultimately led to waves of massacres and the 1994 Genocide.

Many Rwandans feel uncomfortable with anything that could be seen as a celebration of that government; most Rwandans do not even celebrate Independence Day (July 1), choosing instead to celebrate Liberation Day (July 4), which marks the end of the 1994 genocide. As one Rwandan delegate stated, to celebrate the old government would be to celebrate their beliefs, which they do not want to do; instead, they celebrate the new government, which they feel better represents Rwandan society as a whole.