IGIHE

Author: IGIHE

  • USAID hands Rwf2 billion online teaching project to MINEDUC

    The hand-over ceremony took place yesterday during the close-out of the 2.5-year programme in Kigali.

    Dubbed ‘Mentorship Community of Practice’, the project has created an online forum for teachers to share best practices in the classroom and to complete online courses that strengthen teaching skills

    In the event, the Acting Mission Director of USAID/Rwanda, Adriana Hayes handed over key online components of the project to the Ministry of Education, Rwanda Education Board, and University of Rwanda College of Education.

    These components include online community portal, a digital library and an accredited online certification course to teachers to improve their Kinyarwanda-language reading instruction for students in P1 to P3.

    “USAID is extremely proud to be able to turn over these online tools to the Rwandan people. We are confident that these tools, in your very capable hands, will continue to connect, motivate and prepare many excellent teachers,” Adriana Hayes said

    According to USAID, over 1,000 teachers in 1,000 schools and over 400 Sector Education Offices in every district in Rwanda are connected to the online portal. Members of this online community of practice have made nearly 50,000 posts in discussions on over 15,000 topics

    Commenting on the program, the Rwanda Education Board Director General (REB), Janvier Gasana congratulated the teachers graduating from the seven month course, and encouraged development partners to continue supporting Rwanda’s development priorities.

    “As the government, we are committed to transforming education in Rwanda by prioritizing early grade literacy, teacher training and access to educational resources,” he said

  • Nyarugenge night patrol personnel insured against occupational hazards

    Radiant Insurance Company will facilitate community policing patrols agents have access to medical services in case they get involved in job-related accidents.

    Ovia Tuhairwe Kamanzi, the sales officer in Radiant said that they chose to insure community policing agents to facilitate them perform their job peacefully.

    “Launching this service as an insurance company is because we do all that is possible to help Rwandans develop in whatever they do,” Kamanzi said.

    Kamanzi said that the insurance cover will last one year and will provide Rwf1,000,000 to whoever experiences an occupational hazard while on duty. The insurance will also provide Rwf100,000 to every beneficiary who will suffer any job-related sicknesses.

    The executive secretary for Kimisagara sector, Serge Ruziga said that they chose to seek insurance for night patrol agents because their job involves many risks that sometimes cause deaths.

    “One of our personnel was killed by gangs and two more were hit by motorbikes and got disabilities when they were on duty. So we thought of insurance as a response to this problem” he said.

    PatrickRuzindana one of the community policing patrol agents welcomed the initiative saying victims of occupational hazards have been suffering without getting any external support.

    A Radiant Insurance Company's staff
    A Radiant Insurance Company's staff
    Nyarugenge District mayor Kayisime Nzaramba
    Nyarugenge District mayor Kayisime Nzaramba

  • 40 families get houses in Kicukiro model village

    In total are ten houses constructed in four-in-one housing units worth Rwf681,712,311. Each house is valued at Rwf45 million.

    Beneficiaries who spoke to IGIHE welcomed the gesture saying they have been living in dilapidated houses and others in rentals.

    Henriette Uwizeye, a disabled mother of three said that she has been living in a rented house in Gikondo sector but her family’s life will change for better.

    “I’m very happy because I will no longer be upset with monthly rent which was hard to get. Now my children will be secured, thanks to the government that cares for its people,” she said.

    The Minister of State in charge of Socio-Economic Development in the Ministry of Local Governance, Cyriaque Harelimana said that constructing houses for vulnerable people is a countrywide programme that the government has invested much effort in.

    “This is a good programme being implemented countrywide, benefiting the most vulnerable. At the side lines of this programme the government encourages people to relocate from high risk zone,” he said.

    He said that through the vision 2020 of the country, government needs to have well sheltered people.

    Kicukiro District mayor, Dr. Jeanne Nyiransabimana said that they will continue to construct more houses as their target is to have 152 families accommodated in model villages.

    Henriette Uwizeye, a beneficiary of a house in a Model Village
    Henriette Uwizeye, a beneficiary of a house in a Model Village

  • Namibian MPs in Rwanda for study tour

    Namibian MPs appreciated the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) as an institution that the government has established to regulate governance and ensure population’s evaluation towards their leaders (citizen report card).

    Speaking to the media, the head of delegation, MP Hilma N.Nicanorsaid that they chose to visit Rwanda as an exemplary countrythat has high number of women in decision making positionsin the World.

    “For Namibia, in our efforts we are trying to have good number of women in decision making and in the private sector,so we are learningRwanda’s best experiences which we can take back home to improve from where we are.As we speak now, Namibia has got a percentage of 46% in parliamentary house” she said

    Nicanor said that the visit has been very fruitful as they learnthow Rwanda has been successful in attaining women presentation in parliament through having registered laws addressing the whole issue of empowerment of women and resulted in bringing many women in decision making positions.

    “Our impression in terms of governance is that we still have some good examples to learn. Despite having lots to learn inpolicies or strategies, we also have to take into consideration the importance of monitoring and evaluation in order to ensure that these laws and policies are being compliant”

    The RGB Chief Executive Officer Professor Anastase Shyaka said that the team visited RGB to understand the politics and governance innovations of the country and more particularly to understand and how Rwanda is mainstreaming gender equality in its governance structure and systems.

    “They came to RGB to get sense of what we do as a governance board and to get sense of how home grown solutions have impacted transformation in Rwanda. They also want to understand how RGB is monitoring and evaluating the delivery of public institutions and more importantly how we are implementing strategic plansby following up the implementation of homegrown solutions” he said.

    Namibian MPs started their visit in Rwanda on Monday and they will wind up on Friday.

  • Rwanda holds China in high regard

    China has remained a valuable partner for Rwanda over the past four decades in several sectors, especially infrastructure, Uzziel Ndagijimana told a reception here celebrating the 68th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, which falls on Sunday.

    Trade relations between the two countries have also shown significant progress, said Ndagijimana.

    “As Rwanda continues to work towards building the manufacturing sector, we look forward to welcoming more Chinese companies to invest in that area,” said Ndagijimana, adding that Rwanda is also looking forward to promoting people-to-people relations with China.

    Since President Paul Kagame’s successful visit to China in March, the China-Rwanda relations have embarked on a fast track, said Rao Hongwei, Chinese ambassador to Rwanda.

    The governments and people of the two countries will further strengthen cooperation to achieve win-win results and inclusive progress, said the ambassador.

    About 350 people attended the reception which was held at the Chinese Embassy in Rwanda.

  • Kenya’s Methodist Church members visit Kigali genocide memorial

    Arrived in the country on Monday for five-day visit, the group is visiting fellow Rwandans in order to combine efforts to spread Christianity in the East African Community.

    After visiting different parts of the memorial and getting explainations about the history of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, Rev. Ismael Kidengi told the media that they learnt a lot which will help them fight the reoccurrence of the genocide anywhere in the World.

    “God requested us to love one another and construct the nation, but the evil has interrupted our relationship and brought us many problems including murder. So, as Christians we wish that these atrocities would not reoccur anywhere in the World” he said.

    The head of women in Kenya’s Methodist Church, Rev. Yuness Indangasi said that she was very impressed with the development of the country regardless to its past

    “I’m pleased with how the government managed to reconcile people and live in harmony,” she said

    “This country has overtaken others in Africa; together with your good leadership, I hope that you will reach far in ten years ahead,” she added

    The head of Women in Rwanda’s Methodist Church, Rachel Mukamudenge said that visiting the genocide memorial helped Kenyans understand the truth of what happened in Rwanda and lean from that history

    “This is a lesson for them to pray for our countries to keep the journey of development and unity. Churches should also play their role in mobilizing the community to fight against any evil that could cause the genocide occurrence,” she said

  • RDF donates cows, Pays health insurance for poor families in Gasabo

    Speaking at the event on Tuesday, the commandant of the brigade, Lt. Col. Frank Mutembe said that RDF is committed to contribute to the sustainable welfare of population.

    “People should live a good life. They should have good residence, food security and infrastructure and having access to medical services. This is the sustainable security RDF wish to contribute to through supporting government policies,” he said.

    The state minister for community development and social affairs in the Ministry of Local Governance, Dr. Alvera Mukabaramba welcomed the gesture by the army and called on population to continue implementing government’s development programmes.

    “We have witnessed different activities by the army through the ‘army week’, like free medical services, constructing infrastructure and contribution in agriculture among others. We recognize these activities in uplifting welfare of citizens,” she said.

    Marie Mukahirwa one of beneficiaries expressed much gratitude to the Rwandan army saying that her family will not suffer from sickness.

    “I’m thankful to this kind gesture. I have a family of eight and all us are given health insurance, it is very much appreciated ” she said.

    “I have a family of seven; I live with physical disability and of course it is hard to pay life insurance for myself. I’m lucky enough to have these good Samaritans that solved this issue for my family,” he said.

  • Mount Kenya University to train RwandAir Staff

    The move will see MKUR design relevant market driven programmes for RwandAir in order to train their staff at reasonable rates to be competitive in the global aviation industry. The university shall train and award degrees in Bachelors, Masters and other qualifications, as agreed by the parties and in line with local and international standards.

    In a communication to the media, the Chairman, Board of Directors of Mount Kenya University Rwanda ltd Prof. Simon Gicharu hailed the partnership and promised to support the initiative for it to succeed and make it role a model in the East African region.

    “We note with admiration the airline’s ambitious commitment to growth and offering quality service that has made it stand out as the airline of choice in the region. As a university committed to excellence and empowering generations through education, we want to be part of the airline’s continuous growth by offering quality training to its staff,” he said.

    He said that Higher Education Institutions are encouraged to pursue industry linkages in their training programmes which will see the two parties promote mentoring, internship and hands-on learning opportunities for the aviation student.

    “These relationships will assist in establishing career programmes and internships that will lead to well paying skilled jobs as well as economic development for the country,” Gicharu said.

    Prof. Simon Gicharu, Chairman, Board of Directors

    Since its establishment in the country eight years ago, the university has entered into a host of M.O.Us with a variety of companies including Lemigo hotel in support of hospitality training.

    With a state of the art campus in Kagarama, Kicukiro district, the University is aligning its programmes in support of Rwanda’s vision 2020.

  • iPeace trains 30 women in legal affairs

    The training that took place in Huye District on Tuesday was organized as a follow up of the findings of a report by iPeace showing that land issues, child protection and family disputes are the top three issues that Rwandans in these five districts face.

    Speaking on behalf of Huye District mayor, the advisor to the mayor, Joseph Kagabo commended iPeace’s legal aid to population saying that access to justice is fundamental for the protection of citizens’ rights.

    “That is one of the top items on the agenda of the District. I would like to request participants to take advantage of the training provided and to use the knowledge and skills in preventing disputes not only in families but also in neighbors” he said

    The Country Director of iPeacePaulinMuhozi, commended HuyeDistrict and other to facilitateiPeace’sprogramme in providing the legal support to the people.

    He emphasized that it is this kind of support that allowed iPeace to complete more than 82% of all cases they handled.

    He also added that iPeace is discussing with Northern Province districts to expand their programmes from there.

    {{Trainees speak}}

    “I am very happy to take part to this training. I was not aware about many things in the new family Law. For instance, I did not know that the law compels people to declare the deaths of their relatives. This is something that I will have to tell people in my village,” said Nyiranzeyimana, one of the participants

    For Uwizeyimana, it was amazing to see how the government of Rwanda protects children’s rights.

    “I wish such trainings were offered regularly at the grassroots level to inform the whole Rwandan community about some key provisions protecting the child such as the prohibition to give to a child a name bearing characteristics that dishonor him/her such as abuse, immorality, ridiculing or slandering” she said

    Initiatives for Peace and Human Rights (iPeace) is a Rwanda-based organization that strives the enhance the culture of peace in the Great Lakes region through human rights and good governance education.

  • CNLG commends Belgian courts’ decision to try three Rwandans prosecuted for genocide crimes

    The decision follows a request from the Belgian Prosecutor’s Office for a procedural settlement following an investigation by the Belgian investigating judge.

    The CNLG congratulates the Belgian justice for its role in the fight against impunity and calls on other countries to try genocide suspects or to extradite them to Rwanda in accordance with resolution 2150 (2014) of the UN Security Council.

    The resolution says “it is notoriously known that between 6th April and 17th July 1994 a genocide was committed in Rwanda against the Tutsi ethnic group; Emphasizes the importance of drawing lessons from the 1994 genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda; Condemns unreservedly any denial of this genocide, and calls upon States to investigate the facts, to arrest, prosecute or extradite, in pursuance of their international obligations in this matter, all other fugitives accused of genocide who reside on their territories, including the leaders of the FDLR militia”.

    BUSHISHI Mathias, 77, a former state prosecutor in Butare prefecture, is accused of genocide and war crimes, including participation in a restricted security council on 31 May 1994 in the MRND palace in Butare. The council was aimed to prepare the genocide in Butare and to elaborate lists of Tutsi to be killed.

    Mathias Bushishi had a coordination role in the genocide in Butare. He was involved in killings at the Huye Stadium, at the logistics of the Catholic Diocese of Butare, and in three other villages, including Kabakobwa. For instance, on 25 April 1994, cars with loudspeakers crossed the roads of Butare, announcing that the Red Cross had moved to the Huye stadium to provide food and hideout for the population. Thousands of Tutsi went there. It was a trap. The refugees were massacred by the militia and the military.
    Wanted by Interpol since 2002, BUSHISHI Mathias was arrested on 18 April 2011 following an arrest warrant issued by a Belgian judge. He was detained in Belgium until 17 February 2012 when he was released on bail.

    {{Every individual’s case}}

    Ildephonse NIZEYIMANA, a former captain of the Rwandan armed forces, the public prosecutor in Brussels requested the Chamber to take note of his conviction by the ICTR and to declare the case closed on the basis of the non bis in idem principle. The ICTR sentenced Nizeyimana on 29 September 2014 to 35 years imprisonment after being found guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes for numerous murders in and around Butare. At first instance, on 19 June, 2012, he had been sentenced to life imprisonment.

    NDAHIMANA Jean-Marie-Vianney, a former colonel of the Rwandan Armed Forces, also known as Rumende, is one of the military officers serving in the Kigali military camp where ten Belgian soldiers from the UN Assistance Mission (UNAMIR) were killed on 7 April 1994. Ndahimana is accused of having played a leading role in the genocide in Kigali and in Kibuye, his native prefecture. He is also suspected of having ordered the extermination of more than 5,000 Tutsi in the former commune of Bwakira (Kibuye). He was arrested at the end of March 2011 in Belgium where he had fled after the genocide. He was released on bail in early 2012.

    At the beginning of the genocide, Ndahimana was a member of the “Comité de Crise” which met at the military camp in Kigali on the night of 6-7 April 1994 under the presidency of Colonel Théoneste Bagosora, in which was decided the enthronement of Colonel Bagosora as the strongman of the moment.

    KWITONDA Thaddée, was born in 1963 in the commune of Cyeru in the prefecture of Ruhengeri. Kwitonda is a proven extremist who was first a member of the MDR party before joining the CDR. He married the daughter of Maurice Ntahobali and Pauline Nyiramasuhuko, who was the Minister of the Family during the genocide, the only woman to have been convicted of genocide by the ICTR. Kwitonda moved to Butare during the first massacres of April 1994. He was Deputy Secretary-General of the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR), where he organized and participated in the Tutsi massacres. He is also prosecuted for committing acts of violence in Nyakabanda, Gitarama Prefecture.

    After the genocide, he took refuge in Zaire where he headed the Kashusha camp near the town of Bukavu, then in Belgium in 1997. After obtaining Belgian nationality, he worked as a defense investigator at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) from June 1999 to July 2001. He investigated in particular for Arsène Shalom Ntahobali. His contract was broken due to serious indications of his participation in the genocide.

    When the Belgian court opened investigation against him in 2006, he left for Uganda where he took the name of John Tumwesigye. He was arrested in Kampala on 5 July 2012 and deported to Belgium following an international arrest warrant issued against him.

    It should be reminded that the Belgian justice has already tried eight Rwandans involved in the Genocide committed against the Tutsi in 1994: Alphonse Higaniro who was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in 2001, Sister Mukangango Consolate and Sister Julienne Mukabutera (Sister Kizito) sentenced to 15 years and 12 years in prison in 2001, Vincent Ntezimana sentenced to 12 years imprisonment in 2001, Etienne Nzabonimana sentenced to 12 years imprisonment in 2005, Samuel Ndashyikirwa who was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in 2005 , Bernard Ntuyahaga sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in 2007 and Ephrem Nkezabera who had been sentenced to 30 years imprisonment in 2009 and died before his appeal was heard.