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{{Felipe Bizimungu a vendor and teenager was rewarded Frw25,000 for returning valuable items in a bag belonging to a French visitor Yannick Belfour 42 that had travelled from Burundi to Rwanda on urgent business. }}

Belfour told our reporter what had happened and his reasons to why he decided to give the vendor a large sum of money as a reward.

Belfour arrived in Kigali in the afternoon, Tired and in a rush for his evening appointment he quickly got off the bus to rush and make arrangements for a place to stay. In the rush to alight from the bus, he forgot his carryon bag underneath his seat.He realized the bag was missing after arriving at the hotel.

The carryon bag contained his cash, passport, and laptop, and on him all he had were his bag full of documents. The hotel management advised Belfour to call the police and report his property stolen, while on his way to the police station.

He later received a call from a man speaking to him in Kinyarwanda, but Belfour says was preoccupied with his own affairs on hand hang up despite the phone kept ringing.

He finally decided to ask the taxi driver to help translate, as soon as the driver hang up the driver pulledover and explained to Belfour that his belongings were safe and the man who had them was the one calling on phone.

As they arrived back at the Virunga bus park, and searched for the man, they instead found a young man around 15 years of age, moving through the crowd yelling out prices of his goods, sticking his head through windows of the buses while holding in his right hand, his small payphone and cards and on his left shoulder Belfour’s carryon.

Belfour was so shocked that he gave the boy a reward of Frw 25, 000.

“it wasn’t only because I was so relieved but because it also meant that the boy had looked in my bag in order to find my card, so he must have seen the Frw100,000 in an envelope in the bag and still didn’t steal it, I think he deserved every franc.”

“not only that when i asked him how he knew which number to call, he told me he looked for a card that had Burundian and Rwandan numbers on it, he used his own credit to call me, and even if I hung up various times he insisted, it is the initiative that counts.

Belfour concluded by saying “I knew that Rwanda was a safe country, but this has just blown my mind”.

{{A ten Year old boy only identified as Joshua crashed his father’s car this morning while attempting to reach school early. The father of the boy Bizimungu Samuel is a resident of Kabuga.}}

He found his son had crashed his car into another vehicle early morning in attempt to get to school early.

“I was afraid that If I get to school late the teachers will beat me, so I thought I could take daddy’s car, because I realized that If I crashed daddy’s car, I would not be beaten for that at school, so I preferred to go to school and tell the teachers that I was late because daddy had a car accident.” Said Joshua.

Joshua’s routine is to take the bus to school every day, but since he was late this morning his father decided to drop him off instead. Bizimungu told his son to get in the car and wait for him to drive him to school.

However, as Joshua waited for his father who was finishing getting ready suddenly heard a crash outside the family gate. He later found his car rammed into a neighbour’s car that is always parked outside their house.

As Bizimungu ran to the car he realized what had happened he ran to check on his son and to his astonishment Joshua wasn’t in the car. There was no one person in the driver’s seat.

After the initial shock and seeing that his son was nowhere to be found, Samuel apologized to his neighbour who was more curious about who was trying to drive the car in the first place then the damage to his car.

The house boy finally confessed to seeing the little boy in the front seat of the car but did not think the boy would try anything.

He said when he came to check on the boy he saw him getting into a bus and didn’t suspect he would have been responsible as it was routine that Joshua uses the bus.

But when he saw the car accident he realized what had happened and confessed that he was afraid of owning up because he thought they would blame him and he would lose his job.

When 10 year old Joshua came home and was asked to explain his actions.

{{A three-day follow up meeting about Post-Durban Dialogue on climate change and agriculture held in November-December 2011 in Durban, South Africa, opened today at the Mt. Meru Hotel in Arusha, Tanzania.}}

It is aimed at examining the outcome of the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP 17).

The Dialogue, which has brought together climate change and agriculture experts from nine Eastern Africa countries of Burundi, DRC, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda is expected to focus on decisions of agriculture with a view to propose activities that would be considered under the agricultural work programme of Parties (members of UNFCCC).

Addressing the opening session, Tanzania’s Minister for Agriculture Hon. Prof. Jumanne Abdallah Maghembe informed the experts that Governments in the region and other Regional Economic Communities were fully committed to respond to the impacts of climate change collectively through policy and practical measures since the impacts had no boundaries.

Prof. Abdallah, who was represented by the Director General of Tropical Pesticides Research Institute (TPRI) Epiphania Kimaro, recognized the technical support that COMESA and her partners were providing to ensure developing countries fully benefit from the negotiations through providing necessary skills and information to the technical experts and negotiators to effectively negotiate and argue the case for Africa.

She added that the experts dialogue is an important opportunity for member States to reflect on the outcome of the Conference with the aim of preparing how to implement specific decisions that are of priority to the region and specifically to identify key issues relating to agriculture with a view to prepare a common position for consideration by the subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technical Advice (SBSTA) during its 36th Session schedule for May 2012.

The EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sector Mr. Jean Claude Nsengiyumva disclosed to the participants that EAC had already considered the outcome of the COP17 during the Extra-Ordinary Meeting of the Sectoral Council on Environment and Natural Resources that was held on 1 to 3 February 2012 in Arusha.

Nsengiyumva, who was represented by EAC Climate Change Coordinator Mr. Brian Otiende informed the meeting that EAC was in the process of implementing three critical policy documents approved by the EAC Heads of State Summit in April 2011 namely; the EAC Climate Policy (2011); the EAC Food Security Action Plan (2011-2015) and the Heads of States Summit Declaration on Food Security and Climate Change.

He reiterated that the EAC, COMESA and other strategic partners were committed to working with stakeholders in Eastern Africa with a view to developing a common position on issues related to agriculture for consideration by SBSTA and other bodies of the COP.

The Dialogue is being organized jointly by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community, (EAC) in collaboration with Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS-EA), a global programme of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

{{Construction of Maize Factory is underway in Nyamagabe district, in Gatare sector.
Philbert Mugisha, the district mayor has announced that a mini maize factory will be built very soon in the district. }}

Mayor Mugisha says, “The factory project will not delay for we already have basic materials including machines and we are looking for the right place in which to install it.”

He added that the factory will be built within this year’s budget as it was included in the plan of action regarding the budget.

Jean de Dieu Karemera in charge of planning and follow up in Nyamagabe district said that the factory is valued at Frw 20 million with Frw15 million from Nyungwe National Park production and other Frw 5 million will be contributed by citizens cooperatives.

The factory news comes after citizens have been requesting for one saying that they have not been able to manage the maize harvest since they don’t have a factory to process maize into flour.

Agnes Nibisekere a maize farmer says that she harvests 8 tones and insists that the factory would help her in the good management of the harvest. “Sometimes we are unable to keep our maize otherwise we sell at a low price; so, it would be very advantageous if we get a factory.”

According to an Agronomist of Gatare sector, the factory would facilitate farmers maize harvest. “Maize was cultivated on 1,400 hectare in the previous season, and 4 tons are supposed to be harvested from each hectare.”

The agronomist insists that if they get a factory, they are likely to increase maize production. The factory is supposed to be completed in June 2012 as it will keep being expanded slowly by slowly.

Gatare sector is one of the sectors making Nyamagabe district and is known of having a big production of maize.

{{Eighty People have this morning been injured when a bus they were travelling in overturned and slid into a roadside trench.The Bus belongs to Onatracom Transport Company.}}

The passengers were heading to a meeting involving President Paul Kagame and Ngororero residents in the Northern Province.

Badege highlighted that accident took place in Kinyanda area located in Gakenke sector after which the driver failed to stop the bus alleged to have been over speeding.

“We are aware that the breaks got loose that’s why the bus overturned when he tried to stop, but we’re yet to get more details from the driver when he recovers,” he said.

The police spokesman further pointed out that out of the 80 injured people only 28 of them were seriously wounded. “6 people were taken to CHUK hospital and other 22 were taken to Kabaya hospital.”

{{Leaders from districts with areas entangled in poverty want government to give priority in responding to some of their requests meant to enhance progress in their territories.}}

The concern was raised amidst unanimous approval by leaders from districts including, Muhanga Kamonyi Ngororero and Rutsiro during a capacity building session held in Muhanga town.

suggesting solutions on how leaders can improve the welfare of vulnerable people, Alexis Rukundo an expert from Rwandese Association of Local Government Association (RALGA) and also one of the organizers, noted that competence is essential especially in planning and good management of government funds.

“Another solution is the involvement of concerned parties in decision making since it enables leaders to indentify some of the weak areas,” he advised.

However, both Tharcisse Niyonzima and Samuel Majyambere in charge of good governance in Kamonyi and Rutsiro districts respectively, argue that government has been reluctant towards responding to some of their proposals meant to address issues affecting people living in poverty.

Majyambere further notes that instead their superiors overload them with assignments which most of them are not relevant to their tasks.

“Too much work makes us lose focus in solving some of these matters hindering development.”

Faustin Minani an expert on good governance and also an organizer of the training from GIZ, pointed out that as far as competence among local leaders is key, more support from government and donors would compliment initiatives of local leaders meant to improve the welfare of vulnerable people.