INZIRA NZIZA ACTIVITY Award No.: AID-696-F-17-00001

Quarterly Report

Quarter 1I: 1 January -31 March 2019

Submitted by Never Again Rwanda

Contact Person:Page Dr. 1 ofJoseph 45 Nkurunziza

Executive Director

Email:[email protected]

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Contents

1. Project Description/Introduction ...... 4

2. Executive Summary ...... 6

3. Activity implementation progress/ Accomplishments ...... 7

3.1. Meet your Member of Parliament (MYMP) in Nyabihu District ...... 7

3.1. Radio and TV programs on youth participation in decision making processes and development ...... 9

3.2. Roundtable discussion in Gisagara District ...... 13

3.3. District exchange meetings in Nyamagabe and Nyabihu Districts ...... 16

3.4. Joint trainings for youth and local leaders in Nyabihu and Ngororero Districts ...... 19

3.5. Public Forum Debate Competitions in Nyabihu and Ngororero Districts ...... 32

3.7. The Face to Face Portal ...... 36

4. General Conclusion ...... 41

5. Planned activities for Quarter 3 ...... 42

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1. Project Description/Introduction Inzira Nziza is a three year activity funded by USAID Rwanda and is being implemented by Never Again Rwanda in 5 Districts of Rwanda (Nyamagabe, Gisagara and Huye from southern province, Nyabihu and Ngororero from the western Province). Its overarching goal is to contribute to the promotion of peaceful dialogue and democratic values through human rights based approaches influencing the understanding of the rights of the most vulnerable groups in Rwanda.

This goal of the activity is based on the theory of change that „if youth capacities are improved and oriented towards independent thinking and a given space for engagement, then they will develop self-confidence and influence communities, local authorities and government decision-making in policy formulation and implementation.”

The specific objective is to support young people to express and debate their views on democratic values, to take on leadership roles as part of their wider political participation, to effectively promote and protect human rights, and to celebrate their diversities.

The objective above will be achieved through the following results:

(1) Improved level of debate about democracy, inclusion and respect for human rights between young people, local communities and local authorities;

(2) Increased electoral engagement among youth to appropriately engage their constituencies and

(3) That government decisions are informed by youth‟s perspectives and priorities.

The activities leading to the above results are being implemented through a two-fold approach aimed at enhancing the capacity of youth in self- confidence and building stronger partnerships for improved collaboration/engagement with local government, the electoral commission and political parties.

The activity engages a number of approaches, mainly participatory and critical thinking approaches to help youth increase participation in decision making and democratic governance in their communities and at the national level. It engages youth at grassroots as well as the local leaders in open dialogues, and

Page 4 of 45 supports youth-led initiatives to mobilize the community and play a forefront role in advancing the values of democracy, participatory governance and respect for human rights.

The activity builds on inclusive dialogue, creating a safe space between youth and youth and, between youth and government, political parties and the electoral commission. These encounters emphasize opening up “spaces” for dialogue through trust building joint sessions and connecting all societal levels for a significant and sustainable impact on governance and peace-building in Rwanda.

Inzira Nziza activity engages constructively with local and national government officials to ensure they not only understand the purposes of meaningful youth participation but also support the project efforts. It helps raise the profile of youth and builds trust between the local government officials and youth groups. Ensuring gender equality is a complementary approach within the implementation, so that at least forty percent of participants are female.

The prevailing political environment is seemingly favoring efforts contributing to building strong human capital and readily conducive to an inclusive society. Even the President of Rwanda H.E Paul Kagame believes in building an inclusive society. He demonstrated this when he was in Huye district on 25 February 2019 addressing leaders from the Southern Province and said:

“Addressing poverty is not a favour you are doing for our citizens. When the well- being of our citizens is affected then we are all affected. People who misuse public resources think they will be better off, but you cannot be better off if our citizens are not. If you open a shop, you want citizens to be able to afford what you sell. If everyone is living in poverty, who will you sell to? You want a viable market. Where will it come from if you have left everyone impoverished? You will end up being just as poor”.

President Kagame also emphasized that building the country would not mean physical infrastructure, but building the ability of citizens, enabling them to improve their own life.

This message sets a paradigm shift for young people who, in past, used to think that politics correlates to corruption, inflexible bureaucracy, and their limited power to change the environment around them. The same message also open

Page 5 of 45 more windows for youth participation and engagement in socio-economic and political affairs once they are equipped with right skills and opportunities.

2. Executive Summary The activities implemented under Inzira Nziza Activity in the second quarter, which ended on March 31, 2019 aimed to increase the participation of youth in local government, thereby engaging an essential demographic in the function and development of Rwanda. Conducted activities also aimed to improve the collaboration between youth and local decision-makers as well as building the trust between community members and youth to activate their mutual support in development of their communities.

Below are the implemented activities:

- Meet Your Member of Parliament

- Sector Roundtable discussion in Gisagara

- Radio and TV shows on youth participation

- Hold Roundtable discussion with sector and cell officials

- Public forum debate competitions

- District exchange meetings

- Hold a joint training session for youth and local authorities from sector and district, on human rights and social justice, building an inclusive society and preventing violent extremism and radicalization.

All the activities contributed to the increased confidence of youth in their interactions with local representatives, and increased youth capacity to challenge local leadership on issues relating to youth needs and priorities. Educational components persisted throughout all Inzira Nziza activities as youth have displayed some gaps in knowledge, skills and techniques on issues regarding democracy and human rights.

Throughout this quarter, youth were introduced to the principles of equality, inclusion, the importance of political participation and their role in preventing violent extremism and radicalization through trainings, public forum debate competitions and roundtable discussions. Group work and peer collaboration was facilitated in brainstorming exercises, seeking solutions to the lingering issues

Page 6 of 45 that challenge youth. All activities served to build confidence and inspire youth to improve civic engagement in community and political life.

Local government leaders and other opinion leaders such as church leaders, representatives of people with disabilities and teachers responsible for students clubs participated in various Inzira Nziza activities. Participants exposed gaps in policies, including existing citizen participation frameworks, and spoke about youth-centered issues that are not being given enough attention in more mainstream forums. Youth even highlighted the ineffective functions of youth representatives at various levels of government, to which the local leadership responded and promised to address all the complaints. Commitments to collaborative leadership were made and both youth and local leaders pledged to work together to translate those commitments into actions.

Additionally, implemented activities did not benefit youth alone, leaders learned from the youth about common practices both active and passive that inhibit youth participation, and provided thoughtful discussion on such matters. Finally, leaders used Inzira Nziza sessions to remind youth about existing resources in community forums and local government and emphasized the importance of youth taking charge of their own lives.

3. Activity implementation progress/ Accomplishments During this quarter, the following activities were implemented:

3.1. Meet your Member of Parliament (MYMP) in Nyabihu District Engaging young people in politics is indispensable for strengthening democracy, peace and the sustainable future of the country. Citizens have consistently complained that members of parliament do not consult them on legislation processes and parliamentary system does not encourage constituencies. Although youth have two representatives in parliament, they feel underrepresented and their needs and priorities are not adequately taken into consideration by policy-makers.

It is in this framework that Inzira Nziza facilitates youth engagement with members of parliament to increase their understanding on legislation processes and create opportunities for direct interaction between youth and MPs. Meet Your MP sessions also creates avenues for advocacy through individual

Page 7 of 45 petitioning and provide opportunities for members of parliament to participate in open interactions with youth.

Within this realm, Never Again Rwanda under Inzira Nziza conducted the “Meet Your Member of Parliament” session at Bigogwe playground in Nyabihu district on January 29, 2019. The MYMP brought together around 100 participants including local leaders and youth champions from Bigogwe, Mukamira, Jomba and Karago sectors who interacted with Hon. Eugene Barikana on different issues affecting youth. Hon. Eugene Barikana explained the duties and responsibilities of lawmakers namely lawmaking, representing the people, examining and holding the Government to account for its policies and actions.

Observations/Outcomes

The session was an open discussion where youth talked directly to the MP and shared their views and opinions. In his intervention, MP emphasized on the need for youth to put more efforts in influencing decisions at community level as well as other positive opportunities for participation and experiencing community engagement such as receiving information that facilitates opportunities for collaborative partnerships.

Youth utilized the opportunity and asked questions related to lawmaking processes and shared their expectations regarding the role of MP in promoting democracy in general and youth participation in particular.

The use of soccer game as a convening approach provided a free and open environment to interact.

In his speech, the Member of Parliament, Eugene Barikana, underlined that something which youth should focus on is having information on what is going on in their communities because lack of information hinders them to reach their full potential. He said: “As the young generation, you have responsibilities to

Page 8 of 45 voice your ideas and opinions before certain laws are published since being uninformed doesn‟t take away your responsibility to implement them”.

Women /Girls Engagement

Looking at women engagement in this session, young women contributed their views and opinions about youth participation, integration of women‟s concerns in decision-making processes as well as identifying drawbacks faced by young women such as unwanted pregnancies and drug abuse.

Joselyne Mugwaneza said: MPs should improve their efforts in advocating youth issues because we are not very close to our representatives. We need to see more MPs in our communities so as to get informed on the issues that affect our lives.

Munezero Alphonsine noted: From this dialogue with MP, I have learnt how laws and policies are made since MP informed us that citizen consultation part of it. I would suggest if they should mobilize more young voices in making laws and policies.

Honorable Barikana urged young girls to participate in the political decision- making processes as well as to contribute in addressing traditional barriers and gender stereotypes within their communities.

3.1. Radio and TV programs on youth participation in decision making processes and development

On January 28, 2019 Never Again Rwanda recorded a radio discussion on youth participation in decision-making and national development. The debate was held at Bigogwe Football playground at Kijote cell, Bigogwe sector of Nyabihu district and brought together 11 participants including youth champions and local leaders at the district, sector and cell levels. The radio discussion aimed at tackling issues hindering youth participation in the decision making processes and devise strategies to address them.

The radio show was aired on a popular, Musanze Community Radio, on January 29, 2019. Through the radio show, youth and local leaders debated issues hindering youth participation in the decision-making processes and development. Issues raised include local leaders who neglect youth concerns and also youth who do not participate in community activities.

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Also on 22nd January, 2019, the Executive Director of Never Again Rwanda was featured in the Royal FM talk show #Kigaliinthemorning where he discussed youth empowerment, with more focus on identifying the positive role models.

Observations/Outcomes

The radio show was an opportunity for the youth to showcase how Inzira Nziza improved their level of participation as well as issues hindering their meaningful participation.

Youth argued that although there is a political will of engaging the youth in governance matters, they are most of the time left behind by local leaders who think their ideas are worthless. In this radio show, youth pointed out that they are affected by various issues such as drug abuse, unwanted pregnancies and unemployment.

MUNEZERO Arafat: Since Inzira nzira project intervened in our sector I have understood my right and duty to actively participate in government policies and programs formulation, implementation and evaluation processes and being accountable

NDAHIRIWE Pacifique: The strength of youth once isn‟t used in a good way/Inzira Nziza it will be manipulated and used on interest of bad politicians as it is been done during 1994 Genocide against Tutsi, You will find often times youth are motivated by entertainment activities only whether their strength could be managed to contribute in development of their country such as umuganda and other platform constructive to engage youth and be part of decision making processes as responsible youth. Attending such existing citizens consultation processes and platforms youth do not attend they think is appropriate for Adults citizens, we need to change our mind as strength of the country and start participate.

SERUGENDO Janvier: If leaders engage youth in government politics and programs we youth we feel we are considered and we own the programs for development, in construction of our country as stated by Youth slogan “Imbaraga z‟Igihugu zubaka kandi Vuba” youth need to use its strength to construct their country with positive values in collaboration with local leaders we can achieve more. Youth participate in different aspects for development of our country such as youth volunteers in supporting vulnerable and weak citizens by planting kitchen gardens and fight against malnutrition in our community. So

Page 10 of 45 exchange with local leaders increase our confidence and responsibilities. Therefore youth are benefitting a lot by meeting with local leaders, it encourages to use our skills and knowledge to build our country and it really demonstrate other youth that their strengths is key to country‟s development as today and tomorrow leaders of the country. Parents need to talk to their children/youth about civic education and encourage them to actively participation in Government politics and programs.

Active participation of youth in decision-making is not innate. In order for young people to develop a sense of citizenship and increase their participation, they must first be empowered and inspired to realize the positive role they can play through active civic participation. However, it takes efforts and support from various actors in this journey because young people cannot achieve this alone. It is in this line that Inzira Nziza Activity, invited youth members of NAR clubs to the Inspire Me TV show to discuss how to effectively use critical thinking skills as a tool for meaningful youth participation in political processes.

Inspire Me show aims to inspire, motivate and engage and expose youth to various information and opportunities to meaningfully exercise and enjoy their political, economic, social and cultural rights. Hosted by the Rwanda Television‟s Andrew Kareba, Never Again Rwanda‟s Youth Coordinator Mr. Omar Ndizeye interacted with youth from various NAR clubs and associations on the issues related to youth political participation.

In many parts of the country, they may be perceived as apathetic or disengaged, but this is largely inaccurate. Youth have repeatedly demonstrated willingness and an ability to contribute to the national development process from identification of issues to implementation and monitoring.

Never Again Rwanda brought together selected youth leaders from Kigali and districts of Ngororero, Nyabihu, Nyamagabe, Huye and Gisagara where the Inzira Nziza project is implemented. It convened in Gasabo district on January 17th, 2019 and focused on “Critical thinking for meaningful political participation” and enable young people in the studio to share experiences related to their initiatives around democracy and youth participation at local and national levels.

“Let me repeat to you that if Rwandans are to realize the future we want, Youth must understand the history of our country and be involved in all decision-

Page 11 of 45 making processes that impact their lives and governments should shift „from formal to transformative participation of youth” Omar said.

During the TV show, discussants underscored that democratic societies are built by opening opportunities and creating structures to involve all segments of society in matters that affect them.

In the TV debate, young people pointed out that the gap between youth and political systems as a serious challenge they face they endeavor to participate. The invited speaker concurred with the audience that he reads various reports which repetitively show that young people are not meaningfully engaged in traditional political processes, and they do not feel represented in political institutions. They therefore do not have access to the right to participation. This lack of participation in formal decision-making creates an ever-growing gap between young people and political systems, and consequently, little priority is given to young people and policies targeting them, as well as the obstacles they face in accessing their human rights.

While explaining the impetus of youth inclusion, Omar reminded the audience that it is important that all interventions in the post-genocide should take care of the disadvantaged youth they target.

In the same line, it was noted that young women are often doubly disadvantaged because of their age and their sex. Social norms and inequitable access frequently require youth employment interventions to make a special effort to reach out to and include these participants. Youth as critical stakeholders, they are the center of reconstruction and sustainable development of Rwanda. However, they still lack meaningful engagement to play this role and exercise their right to political participation. There is also the problem of lack of access by the youth to information as an empowering tool for participation. Whatever information is available for youth is not communicated in a youth-friendly way.

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Mr. Omar referred to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the participants that recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace everywhere in Rwanda.

He added that the ideal of free human beings enjoying civil and political freedom and freedom from fear and want can only be achieved if conditions are created whereby everyone may enjoy his civil and political rights, as well as his economic and social rights.

It was observed that youth of today have zeal to participate and are demanding political inclusion because they believe they are not viewed as key stakeholders. Participants underscored that economic and educational inclusion are indispensable to prevent violence and forms of extremism; and youth clubs and associations were appreciated as key platforms for bringing forth social cohesion and alignment. Gender inequality was highlighted as a major concern susceptible to, and a contributing factor of gender-based violence. It is a barrier to peace and contravenes the grounds for basic human rights and justice. Therefore youth expressed in the TV show that they‟re going to put more efforts in their activities to mitigate and address root causes of gender-based violence.

3.2. Roundtable discussion in Gisagara District

On March 29, 2019 from 2 pm to 5 pm Never Again Rwanda collaborated with National Youth Council and youth champions in Nyanza sector of Gisagara District in organizing the roundtable discussion which centered on the

Page 13 of 45 collaboration of the youth and local leaders in the fight against teen pregnancies. Before the community meeting to raise awareness on the issue of teen pregnancies, NAR staff held a roundtable discussion between youth leaders from cell and sector levels, representatives of the security organs, the executive secretary of Nyanza sector, executive secretaries of all cells of Nyanza sector as well as the administrators and teachers from primary and secondary schools operating in Nyanza sector. During the discussion, the participants shared their ideas on the topic: “Enhancing the collaboration between youth and local leaders in addressing teen pregnancies in Gisagara district.” The participants discussed the status of teenage pregnancies in their sector, causes and consequences. They also devised potential strategies to address this rising issue in their communities.

At the end of the discussion, the participants joined the crowd of around 2000 community members at Nyanza sector office garden to discuss in-depth the same topic with them and collect feedback on the strategies emerged from the roundtable discussion. In his opening remarks, Mr. Jean Baptiste Kayinamura, the Executive secretary of the sector reminded the community members that it is their duty and responsibility to protect the children from any kind of violence and sexual abuse. He reiterated that preserving the rights of the children and youth is the only way to empower the generation that will contribute to the national building and shape its bright future. As he concluded, he urged parents to responsibly teach their children key Rwandan values which will keep them away from the negative influences in their communities.

Speaking on behalf of Never Again Rwanda, Mr. Theoneste Ndungutse invited the participants in general and youth in particular to be confident and participate in the governance processes of the country: “Almost 60% of the population in Rwanda are youth. Youth who are sexually abused lose their confidence to meet with other members of the community as the stigma imposed to them by the society prevents them from leaving their homes.

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Therefore, they are deprived from their right and responsibility to attend community-based consultation platforms to raise their needs and priorities to the attention of local leaders. Consequently, they don‟t feel concerned with the politics of the country, can‟t take leadership roles and are not aware of the government policies and programs affecting them. We all have to involve youth in the whole political life of the country to ensure they understand their own role and confidently participate in the governance processes in order to empower the generation that is able to shape a bright future of Rwanda.

Observations/outcomes of the roundtable discussion

The roundtable discussion provided all the participants with a safe space to openly share their views on the collective responsibility to prevent teenage pregnancies in their communities to enable meaningful youth participation in the democratic processes at different levels. The youth engaged in Inzira Nziza Activity used various creative performances (sketches, songs and poems) to convey their messages on youth participation in politics, fight against sexual abuse, corruption and social injustices.

The session offered an opportunity for the youth champions to interact and exchange their views with local leaders and their stakeholders on the factors contributing to the rising teenage pregnancies, explore its consequences and devise strategies to address them. Later on, they discussed with the community members key strategies to address the issue. The core message was calling parents and community members at large to uphold sexual and reproductive health, rights and services because they are very important for everyone.

Men and boys often suffer from a lack of sexual and reproductive rights through inadequate access to information, services and care, but women and young girls of childbearing age are generally more vulnerable to sexual assaults and reproductive ill- health.

Here are some of the quotes from participants during the discussion:

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Aimable Mbonigaba said: Irresponsible parenting and family conflicts are among key factors contributing to the rising teenage pregnancies in our community. A good number of the parents have failed to teach key values to their children due to different reasons including excessive alcohol consumption, day-to-day businesses, modernization and new technologies, just to name but a few. As children don‟t find time to interact with their parents, they end up finding ways to cope with life. They found themselves surrounded by their peers who are sometimes using them for their own interest.

Regis Tuganumugabe added: I strongly believe that extreme poverty contribute hugely to the issue of teenage pregnancies. Some of the young girls accept the gifts from adults because they find life difficult for them as parents can‟t satisfy their basic needs. Consequently, they end up being impregnated.

Olive Nyinawimana said: I know some of young / single mothers who decided to stay in their homes because they are scared to meet with other community members. This has been the result of the inaccurate words said by the community members when they were still pregnant. This shows how one‟s stigma hinders them from meeting with the other community members. Without this interaction, their needs and priorities are left out of the decisions made at the community level and their participation to the democratic governance of the country is nowhere to be seen.

Community members called on local leaders to organize capacity building sessions for the young and single mothers with an aim to boost their confidence to participate in the community-based activities, thus they will meaningfully sustain the achievements registered by the country so far and contribute to building their communities.

3.3. District exchange meetings in Nyamagabe and Nyabihu Districts

Young people make the majority of the Rwandan population, yet majority of them feel excluded in the democratic process, especially when it comes to formulating policies that concern their rights and those of their communities.

Having empowered youth leads to the creation and development of a peaceful, sustainable and responsible society. It is within this context that Never Again Rwanda, under the Inzira Nziza Activity hosted exchange public meetings for youth and local leaders from four sectors of Nyamagabe on February 19th

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2019 at the Nyamagabe youth center on February 19th 2019. The similar public exchange meeting was convened in Nyabihu District on February 21, 2019 at Karago sector meeting hall.

The public exchange meeting centered on the theme of “Tackling youth participation challenges to achieve self-reliance”. It created a space for district officials and youth representatives to exchange views on the current framework of Ubudehe and possible adjustments that could be made as a way to ensure youth participation in all stages of decision making and national development is upheld.

Vice Mayor of Nyamagabe district Kabayiza Lambert seated The meeting in Nyamagabe district next to Eric Mahoro as he gives introductory remarks engaged district officials and youth champions in a discussion on the ongoing reform of Ubudehe categorization in order to achieve self-reliance of Rwandans. It was attended by 23 participants including the vice mayor in charge of Economic development Mr. Lambert Kabayiza, representatives of youth councils, heads of non-schooling youth associations and cooperatives from Buruhukiro, Cyanika, Kaduha and Kibirizi sectors as well as NAR staff led by Mr. Eric Mahoro.

In Nyabihu district, the exchange meeting brought together 50 participants including 10 youth champions from 4 sectors of project areas, 10 local leaders from district level and local leaders of the host sector.

The government of Rwanda has recently made a move to review Ubudehe Categorization through a participatory process in order to ensure all Rwandan voices and inputs are captured as to realize Rwanda‟s commitment to leave none behind in all efforts to eradicate poverty and achieve self-reliance of Rwanda.”

In his introductory remarks Mr. Eric Mahoro reminded the youth representatives that they were there on behalf of other young people and that their roles enable them to have access to certain platforms and important information. He also made reference to the government policy of enhancing dialogue between citizens and decision makers that; “it would be difficult for any government

Page 17 of 45 policy to be successful without the participation of citizens. The information we‟ll get from here will be very important, ensure to speak exhaustively and well on behalf of those who elected you.”

Speaking to the participants, the Vice Mayor Mr. Lambert Kabayiza urged them to not only raise issues but also propose informed solutions. “Sometimes citizens do not understand Ubudehe categorizations because they do not participate in government programs.” He also called out field workers who only go to some areas and leave others out assuming the conditions are the same everywhere to ensure they reach all areas of their jurisdiction in order to get accurate data. He added that one of the challenges of using Ubudehe categories in service delivery is that people want to remain in category one in order to continue receiving government support, hence hampering the goal of attaining self- reliance. “How can you get pulled out of a pit only to go back and wait to get pulled out again?”

Observations/Outcomes

During the exchange meeting in Nyamabe, the vice mayor emboldened the civil society to work with local government in order to enforce a holistic approach in uplifting Rwandans from poverty; “NGOs need to report to us how they have supported the citizens so that we can know the gaps left to fill, otherwise we risk duplicating each other‟s efforts.” Mr. Lambert also expressed his belief that Ubudehe categories need to be revised, giving an example of citizens in Ubudehe category 2 who can afford basic needs but can‟t afford to pay RWF 600,000 to 1,000,000 of university tuition for their children saying that such people need access to student loans. ”In my opinion there should be 3 categories of Ubudehe whereby; level 1 is comprised of the most vulnerable citizens in a state of destitution that need lifetime support, then level 2 be for those with potential to develop themselves and can be assisted to move from level 2 to 3, and finally level 3 for those that do not need any support whatsoever.”

During the public exchange meetings, participants discussed a range of topics including issues hindering youth participation in the decision-making processes at community levels, collaboration between youth and local leaders as well as approaches to addressing absenteeism of youth in political life. In Nyabihu, youth champions showed how the acquired skills from Inzira Nziza trainings have helped them to transform their communities, by supporting their peers to

Page 18 of 45 deepen their understanding of the need to participate in government processes and also taught them about human rights and their role in democracy.

In all districts where public exchange meetings were conducted, they provided local leaders with a space to openly share their views on their collective responsibility, on their contribution towards national development. Local leaders could also listen to issues hindering youth full participation in the decision-making processes and were open to advise on how they should work together to address them. Local leaders acknowledged that there are still some gaps, in regards to youth‟s needs in the decisions made at the community level. Therefore, they committed to improving decision-making at local level to ensure youth‟s needs are considered among other priorities.

In addition, young people shared challenges facing them in their District: “The District built hotels and guest houses, however, they employ young people from other places while majority of youth in Nyabihu are facing acute unemployment.” – Jean de Dieu Kamenyero from Mukamira sector pointed out. His peer from Jomba sector, Mr. Nsabimana Venuste said: “The youth here are given too little time to voice our opinions in the existing governance spaces."

On that point, Mr. Nsengimana Jean Claude; the Director of Good Governance in Nyabihu District guaranteed that he had noted all the issues voiced and requested them to send him written reports of their activities and the challenges they face so that he can assist in addressing them. He commended them for their efforts and for helping the district by solving some of the lingering human security issues in the District.

3.4. Joint trainings for youth and local leaders in Nyabihu and Ngororero Districts

For the third year of its implementation, Inzira Nziza Activity organized the joint training for youth champions and local leaders on the following three main modules:

-Human rights and social justice

- Building an inclusive society

- Preventing violent extremism and radicalism.

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The training themes in those modules were developed based on lessons learnt throughout the activity implementation experiences and the prevailing political environment in Rwanda. Some of those lessons indicated that the transition from youth to adulthood marks a key period characterized by the need for greater economic independence, political involvement, and participation in community life. Such engagement not only impacts the individual and community, but enables young women and men‟s involvement in the development and formulation of youth-related policies.

Another important lesson is that young people‟s ability to effectively engage relies heavily on the socio-economic and political environment in which they live. While access to free and open internet, political participation can confer long term benefits to both the individual and community, a lack of decent jobs, limited access to labor rights and social service spending, inadequate access to social and political rights, lack of proper mentorship, poor education and critical thinking, lack of voice and a feeling of rejection, lack of self-esteem and lack of link between youth and local leaders were identified by youth champions among key factors hindering their participation.

Regarding the persisting issue of low level of youth engagement, local leaders cited many contributing factors including: the fact that elected youth leaders do neither have training nor the capacity building opportunities, thus fail their roles and responsibilities and lack responsive projects because their youth constituencies are not effectively consulted.

At Never Again Rwanda, we observed that if those identified issues remain unaddressed, they may impose long-term negative consequences on a young person‟s life-long ability to engage and can potentially cause long term negative consequences on development and social inclusion more broadly.

To respond, Never Again Rwanda under Inzira Nziza Activity organized the above-mentioned trainings with the following objectives:

- To build the confidence of the youth and boost their meaningful engagement

- To improve awareness of youth and local leaders about Human Rights

- To explore the different issues facing youth in their communities

- To understand the link between Human Rights and democracy

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- To enhance skills for youth engagement in economic, political and community life

- To deepen participants‟ understanding on building an equal and inclusive society.

During this quarter, the training were organized in Nyabihu and Ngororero Districts respectively from March 18th to 20th 2019 in Mukamira sector at Lacorniche Motel and March 25th to 27th, 2019 in Ngororero sector at RUFRABU Guest house.

While officiating the training in Ngororero District, Mr. Janvier Kuradusenge, the Vice Mayor in charge of social affairs commended NAR for positive impact brought by Inzira Nziza activity in Ngororero emphasizing that it is time for young people to grab this opportunity and improve their participation in all governance related matters. He urged participants to be patient during their learning period. “Be patient, start by small and little by little, you will become bigger, do not seek immediate success because this can only lead you to your self-destruction. I started as teacher, and later a Head Teacher but today I‟m vice Mayor of the District. Do not hesitate to take little responsibilities because these are the ones that actually help you to grow as individuals to become mature leaders that can be given huge responsibilities” He concluded.

In his opening remarks on behalf of NAR, Jean Baptiste Hategekimana stressed on the role of citizen participation in good governance as the basis for all aspects involved in the socio-economic welfare of the community: “Sustainable peace and development cannot be achieved without good governance.” He also noted that the reason this training gathered not only youth and local leaders but also representatives from different social groups is that collective efforts from all spheres of society are required to realize the positive behavioral change leading to social justice, democracy and respect of human rights. He therefore urged participants to be active and to voice their ideas, questions and recommendations for the efficacy of the training and also share the knowledge acquired in their respective communities.

In each district, the training attracted the following participants:

- 80 youth leaders (National Youth Council on the cell level, prominent youth association members and youth volunteers)

- 5 representatives of people with disabilities from sector and district levels

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- 5 church leaders

- 10 school representatives/ Focal point for student clubs in Secondary schools

- 20 local leaders (District youth officer, District National Youth Coordinator, Director of Good Governance, Itorero leader (Umutahira), Sector advisory council, Sector officer in charge of social affairs, Sector National Youth Council coordinator and National Women Council Coordinator).

The logic behind selection of these participants is that, each category mentioned above has crucial roles to play in advancing effective youth representation and participation in decision-making processes.

Use of participatory approaches

The training was conducted through a variety of participatory strategies and techniques which enabled participants to develop more participatory and effective ways of transferring their learning back into their own communities. Training facilitators undertook different methodologies for increased engagement and contribution of participants and ultimately the effectiveness of the training. Among these approaches, brainstorming, group discussions and presentations, debate sessions, reflections and plenary sessions were largely employed.

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Interactive sessions: participants holding group discussions in Nyabihu district

Training Observation and Outcomes

As it was observed, the training was an open space for interaction between youth, local and opinion leaders on prevailing human rights issues that hinder youth active representation and participation in decision-making processes. On the other side, local leaders shared their experiences and improved commitment to engage youth in civic activities so they become agents of democracy process.

Here are some experiences shared by youth on how Inzira Nziza has positively impacted their life individually and on a community level during reflections sessions.

Mugenzi Jean D’Amour from Kageyo: “The present training of Inzira Nziza helped me to realize the role I can play in my community in a bid to contribute to finding solutions for human security issues at hand in my community”.

Exchanging ideas on inclusive society with focus on disability inclusion

During the review of the training manual, Never Again Rwanda included a section on disability inclusion inside the module on building Inclusive Society,

Page 23 of 45 which aims at sensitizing the youth on the rights of People with Disability and engaging the community members and youth specifically to advocacy for better respect of their rights. The participants discussed on disability rights and suggested some important steps to be taken to address challenges faced by people with disability and thus building an equal and inclusive society.

Below are some quotes form the participants:

Tuyisenge Nehem, who represents the National Commission for People with Disabilities: “I was much honored to participate in this training where I have gained skills such as human rights and social inclusion useful in advocating for rights of people with disabilities.”

Dusengimana Thadee, School Patron: “Throughout this training I learned that we use social inclusion in teaching but without adequate expertise, and on my behalf this training has deepened my skills and knowledge on social inclusion”.

Abizerimana Jeannette, Gatumba: “People with disability face sexual violence, there are many cases whereby they have impregnated by unknown men, the fact that children will never know his father it is sexual abuse”.

Munyembabazi Theodomir: “In Kabaya sector, there was a case of a disabled woman who got married to a normal person whereby local leaders decided to withdraw her social protection. I advocated for it but it is still ongoing. He also raised the case of some leaders who arrested when there is a visit from senior officials”.

Emmanuel Tuyishime who represented people with disability at the district level said: “After setting up their representation, many issues of youth recognized at all levels. He also called upon the youth to point out people with disabilities who have specific issues so that they can advocate”.

Niyonsaba Clementine, Kageyo: “There is an issue of infrastructures which not facilitate people with disability. In many buildings it is not easy when they want to go upstairs”. To complement her, Mugiraneza Christian from Ngororero sector: “in all public transport buses, there is nothing that facilitates people with disabilities, they struggle to enter those vehicles. Lawmakers should make a requirement for all buses to have a special pathway for people with disabilities”.

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Abizerimana Jeannette, Gatumba: “People with disability face sexual violence, there are many cases whereby they have impregnated by unknown men, the fact that children will never know his father it is sexual abuse”.

Munyembabazi Theodomir: “In Kabaya sector, there was a case of a disabled woman who got married to a normal person whereby local leaders decided to withdraw her social protection. I advocated for it but it is still ongoing. He also raised the case of some leaders who arrested when there is a visit from senior officials”.

Mukagatare Honorine from Gatumba: “Establishing our institutions has contributed to reduction of issues facing people with disabilities. After being disabled I had no hope and self-confidence but now I realized that I can contribute to the social and economic welfare as other Rwandans do”.

While participants were discussing about an equal and inclusive Society, they were divided into groups and given questions to work for better understanding the concept. During presentations: One group said, “Inclusive society is where human rights are respected without any discrimination based on race, religion, and age but also it applies in different programs such as education for all, gender equity and equality as well as equal opportunities”.

In group discussions, participants also developed guarantors of an inclusive society such good leadership, gender equity, and equality, as well as measures to combat favoritism and nepotism.

While discussing political engagement of youth, participants highlighted major existing challenges which mainly the persisting low youth participation in decision-making processes as demonstrated in the following youth viewpoints:

Umunyana Liliane, said: “This training surely made us realize our role as youth in the development of our country but we have a problem. Youth are only seen as implementers and not those with constructive ideas. This is a discouragement for most of us to participate.”

Pierre Celestin added: “The community perceives youth as children whose interests are only music, sports and entertainment. This bias is the reason as to why our ideas are not valued.”

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Female Youth Participant: “Honestly, youth find meetings like umuganda, akagoroba k‟ababyeyi and the likes, very boring to them. They discuss mostly about family issues, or other matters that don‟t attract the interest of youth.”

Mukamujeni Alliance: “We would not be having issues hindering our participation if we have had effective youth representation. Out of 80 parliamentarians there are only two youth representatives whom I doubt they can speak for all of us. I suggest that youth have more representatives.”

Regarding the session on Youth Participation Electoral Processes, youth have shared factors hindering their participation in electoral processes and their experience in their respective village.

A Representative of motorcyclists in Ngororero district: “The role of youth in the election is still limited, other adults community members are the ones who elect even youth representatives at grassroots levels”.

Nkundimana Elisa, Kabaya: “Youth only take part in large elections, but when it is at the grassroots levels, they become underrepresented; being honest to ourselves youth are still not interested in elections at the local level because positions are not paid for”

The following are youth views on their representation and participation in the decision making organs:

Rukundo Vedaste, Gatumba: “I’m a member of advisory council at the cell level, when in the meeting youth are allowed to give ideas toward the end of the meeting where some participants are tired, start to receive phone calls the time seized by the so-called experts who can be a director of school at the sometime chairman of election, mediator, advisor and so on. Youth issues are actually not on the agenda of local leaders. They can only consider them in A.O.B”.

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Muvandimwe Pascasie, Gatumba: “We should put local leaders to account so that they can understand the importance of involving young people in the designing, implementation and evaluating the decision making processes”.

Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalism Session

In each district, security officers were invited to shed light on the trend of youth radicalization and violent extremism. In her presentation on violent extremism and terrorism, CIP Theresie Mushimiyimana DCLO in Nyabihu District urged youth and local leaders to play their role in preventing, detecting and reporting signs of radicalization and extremism in their communities.

Violent extremism was explained as the product of historical, political, economic and social circumstances, including the impact of regional and global power politics. Growing inequalities are one of the consistently cited drivers of violent extremism but unemployment or poverty alone is not the only push factor inciting violence and extremism: perceptions of injustice, human-rights violations, social-political exclusion, widespread corruption or sustained mistreatment of certain groups, are also considered important push factors. When all these inequalities come together for a particular group, radical movements and violence are more likely to erupt.

A State‟s failure to provide basic rights, services and security not only contributes to growing inequality, it also creates a vacuum that allows non-state actors to take control over State sovereignty and territory. There is a risk that failed political transitions, with weak institutions, law enforcement and checks and balances provide a fertile ground for violent extremism.

In Rwanda, due to the history with the Genocide Against the Tutsi in 1994, the government with the assistance of civil society, have been working together to create a narrative where violent extremism can no longer take place. This has been done through the development of the country, the strengthening of the Rwandan identity through Ndi Umunyarwanda dialogues and creating a common purpose.

In Ngororrero District, trainees were joined by SP Alphonse Mayinga, Ngororero District Police Commander to interact with the youth on Violent Extremism and Radicalism.

In his presentation, the police commander pointed out that Extremism means the ideology of belief in and support for ideas that are very far from what most

Page 27 of 45 people consider correct or reasonable. Extremism thus refers to attitudes or behaviours that are deemed outside the norm.

He further demonstrated that when Extremism becomes violent, terrorism also comes and this is a time when international peace and security are compromised.

In Rwanda‟s Context, the DPC revealed to participants that Rwanda is located in a volatile neighbourhood, which is prone to potential cross-border security threats.

With insecurity to the west across the border in Democratic Republic of Congo, an ongoing political crisis in Burundi to the South, and growing threats of violent extremism in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, all present risks to Rwanda‟s hard- earned stability that need to be considered and addressed.

He advised youth to avoid manipulators who attempt to engage them in violent extremism and terrorist acts. “You should avoid all kinds of conflicts including violent extremism. The people who indulge themselves in these activities don’t want any good for you and other Rwandans in general. It is within this context, you should avoid everyone who intends to engage you in such activities. Recently, there have been some terrorist groups who openly declared armed conflict against our country. Don’t let anyone for any reason attract you to join such groups”.

Plenary Discussion on Violent Extremism

After presentation from the officer, participants were given time for suggestions, among them:

Pastor Kabanda Aimable, Gatumba Sector: “Throughout the presentation, I realised that unemployment could one of the factors that can lead our youth to violent extremism. Here, I pledge that the pension age should be reduced to 50

Page 28 of 45 years of age so that more adults go into pension and new young people come through ranks”.

Mukandayishimiye Emerithe, Kabaya: “Recently, there have been groups created by negative forces on social media and youth were understood to be mobilized to join these groups. When these groups are not countered, they could result into violent extremism...”

Women/Girls Engagement

Female participants were very active in both group discussions and plenary sessions of the trainings. In terms of numbers, women participants, represented beyond 48% of all invited trainees. The quality of their participation is below demonstrated through their interventions:

Igiraneza Charlotte from Kageyo: “When you attend community dialogue, youth come and go without saying anything, after attending this training I will mobilize my peers to voice on their concerns and propose possible solutions”.

One female participant from Bigogwe sector: “My biggest take out was that politics cannot be avoided and youth should not shy away from participating as they have a right and duty to contribute to good governance.”

Umulisa Sonia from Mukamira Sector added: “This training awakened me to use my time and energy productively because idleness can expose one to violent extremists and other dangerous engagements.”

Ingabire Devotha from Kageyo: “Leaders don’t want to give us information when they have opportunities they call their old friends and relatives even where the contribution of youth is needed”.

During the training, it was surprisingly observed that young women do not find themselves as members of National Women Council. The representative of National women council in Ngororero District acknowledged this gap and attributed it to the limited time for raising awareness on the law governing the functioning of national women councils. However, she promised to work closely with National Youth Council at the district level and devise strategies to engage young women in activities of the National Women Council in order to well manage the transition of young late to the adulthood and ensure effective continuity of women engagement in political life of the country.

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USAID Mission Director’s Visit to the Joint trainings in Ngororero District

On March, 26th, 2019; the second day of the training was graced by the visit of Madam Leslie Marbury, the Head of Mission for USAID Rwanda. She was welcomed by Dr. Joseph Ryarasa Nkurunziza, the Executive Director of Never Again Rwanda (NAR) and other USAID staff members.

In his welcome remarks, Mr. Godefroid Ndayambaje, the Mayor of Ngororero district started by commending the role NAR played and that of Inzira Nziza in particular. “I commend NAR for their contribution to training our youthful population in Ngororero District. I can proudly tell you that some of the youth you trained come regularly to my office and ask me to avail time to meet them. When I meet them, they always ask relevant questions which I personally realized that they contributed partially to the recent best performance countrywide in Youth Imihigo. Nowadays, our youth are planning meaningful projects in almost all sectors of economic live such as agro-processing and farming whereby poultry, pigs and rabbits farming projects were all initiated by these young people and their peers. It all starts by here because when youth begin to understand that they can financially support themselves.

In his remarks, Dr. Joseph Ryarasa Nkurunziza commended the District Mayor for the relentless collaboration between the organization and the district. “I commend Ngororero District authorities and the Mayor in particular for their continuous collaboration”, said the Director. “The visit aims at observing whether what takes place at field meets the program goals and objectives. This is why the USAID Mission Director is here. To welcome her in Ngororero is a clear sign that we recognize our excellent partnership with the District leadership in fulfilling this activity” he continued.

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In her keynote address, Mission Director for USAID Rwanda, Leslie Marbury appreciated NAR‟s work under Inzira Nziza activity for continuing to empower youth as an important segment for achieving an inclusive and sustainable peaceful future of Rwanda.

She also reiterated the need for young people to acquire skills to communicate their views. “Young people must be empowered and prepared to become the future leaders. Developing their communication skills and abilities to reach-out to their peers, will help them achieve that goal.”

She later pointed out that at USAID, they will keep supporting similar activities hoping that Inzira Nziza will open up space for youth for more participation in democratic and political processes in Rwanda.

Conclusion

The conducted trainings enabled participants to deepen their understanding on youth engagement, human rights issues facing youth, right to life, understanding of non-discrimination, gender equality, inclusion and democracy.

The training served as an avenue to deepen the understanding of participants on human rights, social inclusion, youth civic engagement and violent extremism and radicalism. Having gathered youth, local leaders and representatives of religious and academic institutions as well as the disabled, this training not only exuded social inclusion but also called for partnership amongst them for the political, social and economic development of their community.

The session on political engagement focused on sustaining the achieved political stability by involving youth and responsible use of social media outlets, while the session on Community Engagement made trainees take youth engagement at all levels within the development agenda a vital democratic ingredient.

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The trainings took three days in each district and have involved the youth, local leaders and representatives of vulnerable groups. The first two days of the training brought together the youth and representatives of vulnerable groups, on the rights and how to advocate for them. The third and final day was a joint training for the youth, representatives of vulnerable groups and the local leaders. The training engaged local leaders only on the third day in order for them to understand their rights and duties, bridge the gap between the two sides, build partnerships and collaboration opportunities between youth and local leaders in addressing issues affecting their communities as they foster democratic governance.

3.5. Public Forum Debate Competitions in Nyabihu and Ngororero Districts

In a view to enhancing youth civic engagement, Never Again Rwanda under Inzira Nziza Activity hosted a public forum debate in Nyabihu district on March 21st 2019 and Ngororero on Thursday, March, 28th. The theme of the debate was: “Effective Youth representation for socio-economic transformation”.

The Public forum debate were organized with the following objectives:

1) To encourage wide participation of youth in governance, take up leadership roles and enable their engagement in electoral processes.

2) To empower youth to raise their voices in public forums, discuss their involvement in electoral process and effective youth representation.

3) To build the confidence of youth to be able to voice their views in the political arena and enable them to tolerate divergent political views.

4) To educate community members and local leaders on how to make more informed decisions and support the role of youth in governance and national development.

While officiating the debate in Mukamira sector of Nyabihu District, Jean Baptiste Hategekimana called upon youth and community members in attendance to embrace a culture of debate as they help to identify issues lingering in their communities as well as opportunities to envision possible solutions. He also urged youth to assume their role in decision-making especially by conveying ideas on which leaders can base in decision-making processes.

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Observations/Outcomes

The public forum debate was observed as an organized argument or contest of ideas in which debaters discuss a topic from two opposing sides which provides a platform for youth to practice critical thinking, articulating their thoughts confidently and respectfully, embracing diversity and most importantly resolving conflict. In the public forum debate some participants could defend their ideas while others refute them.

Participating members of the audience were also engaged in the forum debate by asking questions about what should be done to improve youth representation in their community. Other audience members voiced their opinions through short speeches to support or refute some ideas of debaters. To enable effective participation of many members of the audience, no member could be allowed to speak more than once.

Youth voices are vital for healthy democracy. The public forum debate have provided an opportunity for youth to exchange ideas on how they may take leadership positions and mobilize local leaders and other people of influence to come forward and advocate for increased youth political participation in electoral processes and decision making in Rwanda.

The public forum debate proved to be a safe space for debaters and the rest of participants to exchange their views on youth representation; opportunities, challenges therein as well as mitigation measures.

While members of the proposing side emphasized that youth are adequately represented in legislative processes because they have a youth representative from the village level to the parliament, the opposing side strongly disagreed saying that having youth representatives does not imply effectiveness and meaningful representation of youth.

Below are some of their ideas:

Mugenzi Jean D‟Amour, Kageyo: “Youth are represented everywhere, in all decision making institutions. Either in cabinet, parliament, local Government, Youth are part of these institutions”.

Nkundimana Elisa, Kabaya who was on opposing side intervened and asked the endorsing side whether even the Minister of Youth is Youth. “If youth were

Page 33 of 45 represented, I think it would start with our very own Ministry. Is it headed by a youth? I don‟t think the answer is yes”, said the young man.

Abizerimana Jeannette from Gatumba interjected “I do not agree with you. I, myself, am in advisory council of my sector as Youth representative. After I realized that citizens had a big issue of latrines, I raised it in the middle of the council. I suggested what we had to do starting by my constituent‟s contribution. I can assure you that my idea was heard and the latrines were built, all from my commitment as a youth representative in the local decision making organ”, she proudly inserted.

Opposing side further asked their opponents to elaborate on why they commend effectiveness of youth representation yet it has not resolved or at least evidently reduced the lingering human security issues such as: stunt growth, unemployment, teen pregnancies and the like. The proposing side replied highlighting that youth have the key charge in reducing and even eradicating human security issues where they gave examples of how youth have already made steps in realizing this change. These examples included; saving cooperatives as a solution to poverty/unemployment, kitchen gardens that are gradually solving the issue of stunt growth and more.

Muhire Dieudonné from Gatumba went even further to assert that he does not even know a young village leader where he demonstrated that if it can‟t start with the village, he did not see how cabinet position can easily be given to a youth. He even stated “when the elections are close, the electing quorum may be given instructions of whom to elect and whom not to elect. This results into electing leaders without competence at the expense of the young people‟s choices who could advance their needs and priorities”.

One male member of the audience in Mukamire intervened: “We agree that youth participation in democratic process is still low but our concern is if youth leaders are effective, why don‟t they rebuke us and even inspire us to change our ways of decision-making?” A debate from the proposing side then responded saying that: “Raising awareness requires collective efforts including those of the youth to reach the entire community and thus realize an impact.”

At the end of the debate in Mukamira sector of Nyabihu district, two debaters namely Sayiba Jacques (proposing side) and Umulisa Solange (opposing side) were awarded smartphones as best performers of the debate. These were

Page 34 of 45 nominated by the representative of the office of Mukamira sector who chose them for best articulation of their views with clarity and conviction.

While in Gatumba sector of Ngororero the winners were Elisa Nkundimana from Kabaya and Jeannette Abizerimana from Gatumba. They were selected by the public audience and coincidently agreed with the panel of judges that the two had been the best debaters of the day. They receive their prizes and pledged to go on organizing debates in their respective communities to enable citizens learn how to discuss and agree on community priorities to feed in the government plans and programs.

In his closing remarks, Mr. Isaac Maniraguha, the National Youth Council Coordinator in Ngororero District, reminded youth that they have opportunity under Inzira Nziza to acquire knowledge that can help them to develop as youth but also to meaningfully participate in political affair in Rwanda. He underscored the importance of debate in a constructive manner whereby he commended the role NAR plays under its Inzira Nziza Activity and reiterated that as representative of Youth in Ngororero, he will keep working collaboratively with their constituency to address youth issues and concerns.

Conclusion

Viewpoints of debaters all contributed to the awareness raising among citizens and local decision makers that were present at the public forum debate. However, most of citizens in the audience revealed that they agreed with the opposing side to affirm that youth are not provided with effective means to meaningfully participate in civic and political processes in Rwanda.

For instance a male citizen in the audience in Nyabihu said that he agreed that youth ideas are neglected and/or undermined due to the fact that youth are generally considered as persons without enough experience to voice community issues so they can be properly addressed. For him, the opposing side had won because he thought their ideas were right and more convincing.

Succinctly, the debate stirred up a discussion in the community which exuded that the blame game must stop and instead called on concerned leaders and citizens to assume their specific duty in enhancing youth civic participation; youth to engage more in civic activities and especially share their ideas and therein prove their potential to be good and reliable leaders. Local leaders were also called upon to provide a conducive environment that encourages youth

Page 35 of 45 participation in decision-making processes by involving them not only in implementation but also in planning and evaluation of government programs.

3.7. The Face to Face Portal

As a way to provide more spaces for the youth to express their views, NAR created a website called Youth for change with the address of www.yfcrwanda.com where the youth from Inzira Nziza Activity express their views by writing and sending articles to NAR for publication. The portal also provides an opportunity for the youth to comment on various topics and make suggestions that reflect NAR‟s advocacy efforts. In total 14 articles engaged over 1000 youth in the past quarter.

Furthermore, a twitter handle and Facebook page were created in order to engage and reach out to more young men and women even beyond Inzira Nziza areas of implementation.

WRITING AND POSTING ARTICLES ON THE WEBSITE

1. MEET YOUR MP: YOUTH URGED TO BE AWARE OF LAWS AND POLICIES http://www.yfcrwanda.com/meet-your-mp-youth-urged-to-be-aware-of-laws- and-policies/

2. INZIRA NZIZA CHANGED MY LIFE: UMUGWANEZA CLEMENCE http://www.yfcrwanda.com/inzira-nziza-changes-my-life-umugwaneza- clemence/

3.” INZIRA NZIZA BENEFICIARIES ASSISTED US TO DEAL WITH HUMAN SECURITY ISSUES” - ES BURUHUKIRO, FURAHA GUILLAUME, http://www.yfcrwanda.com/inzira-nziza-beneficiaries-assisted-us-to-deal-with- human-security-issues-es-buruhukiro-furaha-guillaume/

4. I CAN NOW STAND UP AND FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION AND OTHER SOCIAL INJUSTICES - HAVUGARUREMA http://www.yfcrwanda.com/i-can-now-stand-up-and-fight-against-corruption- and-injustices-havugarurema/

5. DEBATING CULTURE HELPED TO RAISE YOUTH VOICES IN NGORORERO DISTRICT

Page 36 of 45 http://www.yfcrwanda.com/debating-culture-helped-to-raise-youth-voices-in- ngororero/

6. INZIRA NZIZA CREATED THE PLATFORMS FOR YOUTH IN BURUHUKIRO - HABIMANA FELICIEN, http://www.yfcrwanda.com/inzira-nziza-created-the-platforms-for-youth-in- buruhukiro-habimana-felicien/

7. SUCCESS STORIES| YOUTHS IN MUKAMIRA| “REALIZING THAT THE SOLUTION IS WITHIN US.”

http://www.yfcrwanda.com/success-stories-youths-in-mukamira-realizing-that- the-solution-is-within-us/

8. ASSIEL NDAYISENGA: “NO LONGER THE VICTIM IN MY OWN STORY” http://www.yfcrwanda.com/assiel-ndayisenga-no-longer-the-victim-in-my-own- story/

9. I NOW FORMED A GROUP OF 15 YOUNG MOTHERS - IRADUKUNDA OLIVE BIJOUX http://www.yfcrwanda.com/i-now-formed-a-group-of-15-young-mothers- iradukunda-olive-bijoux/

10. AFTER THE TRAINING, YOUTH REALIZED THEIR ROLE - ISAAC MANIRAGUHA YOUTH COORDINATOR, NGORORERO DISTRICT

http://www.yfcrwanda.com/after-the-training-youth-realized-their-role-isaac- maniraguha-youth-coordinator-ngororero/

11. “HUMAN RIGHTS SKILLS INSPIRED ME TO OWN 600 CHICKENS”MUSABIREMA CYPRIEN http://www.yfcrwanda.com/human-rights-skills-inspired-me-to-own-600- chickensmusabirema-cyprien/

12. JEAN MARIE VIANNEY NIYONKURU: “INSPIRED TO USE MY TALENTS FOR A GREATER CAUSE” http://www.yfcrwanda.com/jean-marie-vianney-niyonkuru-inspired-to-use-my- talent-for-a-greater-cause/

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13. EMMANUEL HABAKURAMA. “BECOMING THE CHANGE I WANT TO SEE IN MY COMMUNITY.

http://www.yfcrwanda.com/emmanuel-habakurama-becoming-the-change-i- want-to-see-in-my-community/

14. USAID RWANDA MD URGES INZIRA NZIZA TO BOOST YOUTH COMMUNICATION WITH GOVERNMENT http://www.yfcrwanda.com/usaid-rwanda- md-urges-inzira-nziza-to-boost-youth- communication-with-government/

III.UPDATING OF TWITTER HANDLE: Youth Voices-Rwanda

-Analytics as of 11th April 2019

Twitter Feedbacks

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IV. FACEBOOK PAGE:

After every Inzira Nziza activity, an article is posted is on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Youth-Voices-Rwanda 1550979141789996/. As of 11 April 2019, Inzira Nziza Facebook page had 989 likes and 995 followers, majority of them are young men and women.

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4. General Conclusion

Inzira Nziza Activities organized during this second quarter have made strides in challenging those who used to doubt young people‟s capacity to lead the positive change. During the training session on preventing and countering violent extremism, DPC Alphonse Mayinga told participants that terrorism has become an unprecedented threat to peace, security and national development. This training session resolved to engage various sections of the population on the trend of radicalism and violent extremism so that community members can forge together mechanisms to prevent and counter terrorism in Rwanda. Tackling inequalities and ensure sustainable development for all should be the primary focus to change this trend because participants have reached on a consensus that poverty, inequality, unemployment and poor service delivery in public institutions feed resentment and thus feed despair which finally leap up to radicalism and terrorism.

Group discussions on the session of preventing violent extremism have shown that preventing and countering violent extremism requires the collaboration of government agencies, security organs, civil society, and church leaders to be effective. As the Rwandan Government has developed the National Action Plan on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, the conducted sessions have also underlined the need for more programs of positive youth development (PYD). These programs are needed in Rwandan society to engage youth along with their families, communities and/or the government so that youth are empowered to reach their full potential. Local leaders engaged during this quarter renewed their commitments to establish platforms and other initiatives supporting Youth and adults to become partners through regular intergenerational dialogues. This is highlight important because it was proved that when young people and adults are working together, it creates the necessary conditions for the successful development of themselves, their peers, their families and their communities.

Effective youth engagement requires that young people have the supports, opportunities and services needed to prosper and contribute where they live, learn, work, play and make a difference. Both the roundtable discussions and the district exchange meetings have insisted on this element of continuously equipping youth with the requisite skills and opportunities to engage and lead the change in their communities.

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Organized public forum debate competitions emphasized on the importance of parents and community members in supporting youth initiatives of promoting human rights and democracy in their communities. Leaders of tomorrow should start exercising their leadership role today because to effectively face the challenges ahead need preparation and rigorous training opportunities.

To boost their voices, youth have called for increased transparency, greater inclusion, and enhanced engagement. The existing policies are often inadequately responding or face delays in implementation, leaving young people disappointed, disillusioned and frustrated. For example, young people in Ngororero District expressed their frustration for being asked to plan actions that do not require the budget. They said that it is high time for the government to allocate budget to fund youth projects and activities because they need to improve their socio-economic status.

Through the radio and TV programs, youth have committed to engaging at the grass-roots and community level in order to contribute in addressing structural and systemic problems through volunteering in governance related activities. Similarly, through various entrepreneurial endeavors, youth committed to actively creating their own employment opportunities because they believe this changing nature of employment may bring benefits for youth when it comes to internships and engagement in income-generating activities. NAR will continue supporting innovative youth initiatives in order to nurture a potential generation of leaders of tomorrow.

5. Planned activities for Quarter 3

The following are activities planned for the third quarter of 2019

Planned activities/Month April May June

Joint training for youth champions and local leaders in each of the five districts

Conduct annual debate competitions on human rights, democracy and citizen participation

Hold quarterly roundtable discussions with sector and cell officials in the five districts

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Hold one TV and Radio show debate on youth involvement in politics

Hold quarterly roundtable discussions at the district-level

Conduct the assessment to identify local youth oriented CSOs

Posting articles to Face 2 Face Youth portal

Conduct trainings for local and national CSOs members in policy analysis and advocacy

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Annex 1: Indicator Tracking Table for Q2FY3 (Jan-March 2019) Overa ll FY1 FY 2 FY 3 Total FY3 Overall Ind No. Target Total Total (FY3 Total Cumulativ Indicator Name Baseline (2017- (FY1) (FY 2) Oct-Dec Q1) Jan- March 2019 (FY3 Q2) e (Feb- Sept 2017) Oct-Sept 2018 2020 2018 M F M F M F M F

2.3.2.6- Number of youth participating in 64 53 0 2600 505 401 906 451 278 729 78 46 124 117 1,876 Z01 democratic processes Number of youth in the target 2.3.2.3- districts who understand their 0 4250 612 575 1187 1090 796 1886 114 68 182 292 230 522 3,777 Z01 role in politics Number of individuals receiving 2.3.2-12 voter and civic education through 0 1400 228 172 400 262 218 480 0 0 0 82 66 148 1,028 USG-assisted programs C-1.1.3 Number of individuals with increased skills in human rights, critical thinking ,civic participation, electoral laws and citizen 0 1120 214 162 376 233 193 426 0 0 0 82 66 148 950 participation as a result of participating in USG-funded capacity building sessions C-1.1.4 Number of local authorities trained on role of youth in democratic processes, 94 26 120 60 28 88 55 31 82 0 210 0 0 0 290 participatory approach, gender equality and practices for inclusive democracy GNDR- Percentage of participants 4 reporting increased agreement TB 60% 77% 74% 75% 90% 80.5% 85% - - - 96% 98% 97% 88.5% with the concept that males and females should have equal access to social, economic, and political 840 169 130 299 180 161 341 0 0 0 640 resources and opportunities 82 66 148 C-1.1.5 Number of persons participating in USG-funded roundtable 0 750 120 132 252 185 153 338 0 0 0 33 37 70 660 discussions C-1.1.6 Number of persons participating in USG-funded confidence building 0 360 139 101 240 145 101 246 0 0 0 39 29 68 554 sessions C-1.1.7 Number of youth participating in 0 1300 48 57 105 69 51 120 0 0 0 412 USG-funded debates competitions 117 70 187

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Number of USG- funded awareness-raising campaigns and 3 5 5 C-1.1.8 0 16 11 11 12 0 12 3 30 events organized

Number of copies of human 300 C-1.1.9 rights handbook/manual and 0 3200 655 655 1473 1473 300 586 586 3,014

educational materials distributed Number USG funded participatory 0 0 C-2.1.2 theatres on the role of youth in 0 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 2

elections conducted Number of people attending

C-2.1.3 USG-funded policy dialogue 0 450 23 20 43 135 146 281 32 26 0 0 0 382 58 sessions Number of articles published on 4 4 14 14 C-2.1.4 0 105 10 10 42 42 56 Face 2 Face Youth portal Percentage increase of youth with increased confidence to influence

C-3.1.1 government’s decisions as a result 43% 20% 49% 55% 52% - - - - - 50.3% of participating in USG-funded 51.4% 45.9% 48.6% activities Number of human rights promotion and protection initiative/activities organized by C-3.1.2 0 39 12 12 45 0 45 22 youth in their communities/school 22 47 47 127 as a result of participating in USG-

funded activities] Number of youth engaged in USG-

C-3.1.3 funded youth parliamentarians 0 220 55 67 122 76 84 160 0 0 0 21 28 49 310 exchanges (MYMP) Number of Radio programs locally 0 12 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 6 C-3.1.4 aired /broadcasted Number of TV shows on youth C-3.1.5 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 involvement in politics organized 1 1 C-3.1.6 Number of local and national 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 CSOs members trained in policy 0 31 analysis and advocacy (new) C-3.1.7 Number of journalists and young 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 22 0 reporters trained( new) C-3.1.8 Number of youth advocacy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 network established ( new)

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