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] Page 2 of 45 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 Page 3 of 45 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