REPORT ON THE RWANDA LNB LOCAL DIALOGUES

INTRODUCTION

Due to the rise of cases of lack of service acquisition by some citizens, due to discrimination based on tribe, age and social status among others, the Nsindagiza organization in partnership with other concerned organizations put together a team to investigate these cases, their causes and come up with the most appropriate solutions. They were allocated one month, starting from 1^stDecember 2016, in which they were to have made a report of their findings.

The full time members of the team were:

Abewe Mukesharugo Bienvenue.
Iranejeje Shema Shekillah.

We were helped by the staff of the Rwanda LNB network member organizations in their respective zones.

METHOD USED.

We used questionnaires and local dialogues in cases of illiteracy which high in rural areas.

FINDINGS.

MOST DISCRIMINATED AGAINST GROUPS

We found out that the groups that receive least services in most areas include:

REASONS FOR THEIR DISCRIMINATION

The reasons we got for their discrimination include:

Their tribe
Their economical state
Level of education
Age
Mental health
Income generating activities (Potters)

IN WHAT WAYS THEY ARE DESCRIMINATED

SERVICES THEY LACK

Food
Shelter
Training
Electricity
Jobs
Pension money

SERVICES THEY GET

Water
Education
Security
Transport and communication
Freedom of voting
Right to join any organization
Medical

MOST NEEDED SERVICES

THE ROLE THEY MAKE IN MAKING LAWS CONCERNING THEM

Most of the victimized citizens take no part in making the laws that concern them.

CONCLUSION.

The first place we did our research was among the historically marginalized people, commonly known as the Batwa group. Most inhabitants, being potters, face great discrimination based on both their tribe and their occupation. They live in underdeveloped areas, since even the most educated among them do not take steps towards developing their home area, due to the discrimination they face whenever they try. Although they got help from well wishers, like a donor who built a school for their children, some do not attend due to lack of the money required for lunch by their parents. This affects them tremendously. About only four homes out of a hundred have electricity, hence the need for improved electricity in the region.

Another place we visited nearby experienced issues of lack of freedom of expression. Despite the government’s good will, policies and sensitization, whenever one of them succeeded in achieving a leadership position, there would be cynical comments from the community asking how a person from clay (based on the occupation) would bring about development, or how one who had no food for her family would feed a whole village.

In another area, the main problem faced was lack of jobs. There are too many jobless people around and without any hope in finding jobs, mainly due to lack of proper education.

The elderly do not receive nearly enough pension money. The little they get is sent through banks, which deduct over half of their fee, leaving them with next to nothing. Adding the transport fee to get to the banks, the aged end up without any benefit from their prior services to the government. Some of them however do not get any help from the government, because the local authorities claim that if an elderly has a child over eighteen years of age, they need not get any more help since their child will care for them. However, when the children grow up, most leave their homes, leaving their aging parents alone with no one to care for them. Some of the diseases they suffer from are unknown to health professionals since they do not specialize in that field, hence are not treated. Some doctors even have the nerve to discourage the aged by asking them why they are struggling yet they are just awaiting death. There is an urgent need of geriatric services, training of health professionals on how to work with older people

In another region, the citizens have small pieces of land but have little or no fertilizer and they lack enough money as down payment for the fertilizers loaned to them by the government. They also have very poor shelters as shown below

We would recommend more awareness to be created since it was so saddening to find out that over 99% of the people we talked to have no idea what the Sustainable goals of the United Nations are.

RECOMMENDATION.

We would recommend more awareness to be created since it was so saddening to find out that over 99% of the people we talked to have no idea what the Sustainable goals of the United Nations are.

Another idea would be to build homes for the aged and appoint people to care for them since they are neglected, and also establish training colleges in caring for the aged and treating their diseases.

The pension money allocated to the aged should be increased as the value of money reduces since they get the same amount as forty years ago, yet value changes. Ways to get the money to them should also be come up with, since they are weak.

When registering those who are alive, the person is required to be present in person. However, some of the elderly have nobody to take them there.. The local authorities, therefore, should appoint individuals to go from home to home where the aged live to confirm their presence, so that they may receive the services they are due.

Discrimination should be greatly discouraged and equality promoted among all, irrespective of age, gender, tribe, mental and physical health, for a better tomorrow.

In areas where people need fertilizers, less money should be asked for in order to loan it since the higher the amount is, the less people who can afford it. Public awarance and training should also be carried out more often and to wider audiences.

Since some children suffer due to their parents’ poverty, the schools set up with free education should also provide food to promote equality.

Challenges

The main challenge we faced was that the overall coordinator , Abewe Mukesharugo Bienvenue, got involved in an accident and lost consciousness. All the data, report and all the supporting documents for the money used during the research we had conducted was stolen, and we were unable to recover them. This report, as a result, is all from what I can recall from our research.

Another challenge was that due to the poor transport facilities, we mostly used motorcycles, the drivers from whom we could not get invoices, hence no clear evidence of how the transport expenses were consumed

SUMMARY OF NUMBERS

DATE	DISTRICTS	NUMBER OF DIALOGUES/FGD	NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS	NUMBER OF FACILITATORS
6^th-8^thDecember 2016	Kamonyi Nyaruguru Huye	1 1 2	6 7 12	IRANEJEJE Shema Shekillah ABEWE Mukesharugo Bienvenue
12^th-16^th December 2016	Musanze Rubavu Bugesera Nyarugenge Gasabo	1 1 1 1 2	7 8 10 5 13	IRANEJEJE Shema Shekillah ABEWE Mukesharugo Bienvenue
20^th-21^st December 2016	Nyamagabe	7	140	IRANEJEJE Shema Shekillah ABEWE Mukesharugo Bienvenue GASHUMBADamascene Olive
22^nd-23^rd December 2016	Ruhango Kicukiro	2	36	Alex Drocella
		19	244