Category: News

{{In his recent speech to the Young Presidents Organization, President Paul Kagame stated: “Leadership is about galvanizing and ensuring that everyone involved feels part of the process”. }}

He also attributed Rwanda’s progress mostly to the efforts of the Rwandan people.

Today, Rwandans from all walks of life—government, business and civil society—are moving Rwanda forward towards Vision 2020. Literacy is the cornerstone for any knowledge-based economy.

Building literacy is therefore critical if Rwanda is to achieve her Vision 2020. Reading skills build the foundation for all future learning, and it is proven that people who can read enjoy better health, make more money, and serve their communities more effectively.

The Ministry of Education and the Rwandan Education Board recently launched the Rwanda Reads Initiative – a four-year program aimed at creating a culture of reading in Rwanda.

This one-of-a-kind initiative aims to increase the literacy rate to 100% by 2020.

An all-encompassing educational effort, Rwanda Reads provides new materials for schools, innovative teacher training, mobile libraries, improved reading curriculum, and a school mentorship program.

On International Literacy Day celebrated on September 7, USAID awarded grants to the thirty-two winners for its “All Children Reading” Global Competition aiming to recognize innovative projects to advance reading and literacy, and Rwanda was one of the winners!

Representing Rwanda on International Literacy Day in Washington, D.C., Dr. Joyce Musabe of the Rwandan Education Board noted: “a nation can’t be developed without its human capital being well-equipped, and reading is one of the ways to achieve it!

Drakkar Ltd, a Rwandan bookseller and education business, was awarded for its breakthrough “Improving Reading and Writing Capacity in Primary Grades” program – a twenty-month initiative starting in October. Building literacy in the native language is essential yet Rwandan schools are lacking materials written in Kinyarwanda.

As a solution, Drakkar Ltd will distribute 60,000 storybooks in Kinyarwanda to over 300 primary schools in the Southern Province.

Teachers in these schools will be trained on how to use the books to teach reading strategies, and thus increase reading and writing fluency.

In addition to working with primary schools, Drakkar Ltd will also launch a national writing competition for children’s stories written in Kinyarwanda. Finalists will be selected to attend a writing workshop given by notable African authors.

The six best stories—three by children and three by adults—will be published by Pearson – the leading international publisher. This innovative project thus ensures that new stories for children – written in Kinyarwanda by Rwandan authors – become available on the national market.

Rwanda is a world leader in homegrown solutions to her national problems. This must, and will, continue to be the case as we strive to improve our literacy rates in both our native language as well as English.

As Drakkar Ltd. shows, literacy is the business of every Rwandan. You can contribute as well, by taking advantage of local initiatives, visiting a library, reading with your family, encouraging your children, and writing stories for the national competition next year.

Ultimately, Literacy is also the cornerstone of Agaciro: it opens our souls, our minds and our hearts to knowledge to transform our lives, our communities and our country for the best.

By participating, we each become leaders working towards Rwanda’s progress.

{{A member of the Rwanda Royal family Nyetera Antoine Théophile has reportedly died in Belgium at the age of 75 after a long illness which has not yet been established. He died September 14. }}

Nyetera is said to have been writting a book titled {{“De la Lance à la Kalashnikov”. }}

He has been a critic of the Rwanda government subject to several media interviews and commentaries expressing his opposition to the Rwandan government.

Nyetera is said to be a close relative of the {Umwami Kigeli III Ndabarasa}.

Nyetera was born in Rwanda in 1936 and studied at kamonyi and late joined Kabgayi for advanced studies.

{{A road cleaner identified as Nzabamwita 21 has been crashed and dragged dead by a (Coaster)-passenger bus near National Institute of Statistics offices.}}

Nzabamwita was sweeping at the road side when a bus knocked him down and dragged him below the wheels for a distance of about 10 meters. He died instantly from excessive bleeing.

The driver of the bus attempted to run away but was immediately surrounded by people and Police and other security personnel.

Minani Vincent a collegue to the deceased said,Nzabamwita hails from cyangugu where he had been studying before he came to Kigali a few months ago.

Witnesses told IGIHE that the driver of the bus had not noticed that he had knocked a person but was later notified by passengers forcing him to stop.

{{In a July, 2012 report, UN ranked Rwanda at 6th position among the countries which contribute to UN operation across the world Liberia being the least among them.}}

Rwanda is the first contributor among East African countries.

The list of contributors is made of 119 countries. Among African countries, Ethiopia is the 4th and Nigeria the 5th while Asian countries ranked on the firsts three places.

Bangladesh ranked the first with 9,098 of votes. Pakistan is the second and India listed third.

In East Africa, Tanzania ranks 18th, Kenya listed the 29th, Burundi on 62nd and Uganda ranks the 77th among the contributors.

Rwanda has been a major contributor to the UN-African Union, UNAMID, peacekeeping force in Sudan’s Darfur region, and the UN knows that Rwandan soldiers have been reliable.

{{Religious denominations in Ruhango district have pledged their support in advancing government policies through sensitizing faithful.}}

Among the programs to be highlighted include sensitizing the general public on family planning, contributing to the Agaciro Development Fund and embracing the universal Health insurance in all families.

The announcement follows a recent workshop organized by religious groups operating in the district converged under an one umbrella association (AEE).

The workshop attracted both local government leadership in the district, religious officials and other personalities.

Pastor Nyumbayire Gerard the leader of AEE association said it’s the right time religious institutions provide their support to entrance government programs.

Twagirimana Epimaque in charge of Economic Development in Ruhango district, said this will help the district achieve most of its obligations as promised in their objectives.

The training is aimed at equiping the religous leaders with knowledge on various government programs so that they can later help senstise members of various religous congregations in the district.

{{Police in Rubavu District, has detained twelve people for narcotic related crimes.

The suspects were arrested by the night patrol in the area and are currently detained at Rubavu Police Station.}}

Suspects include three women; Epiphanie Mukandanga, 59, Furaha Museminali, 47 and Eudie Nyirangamije, 45, who were arrested on September 14 in Gisenyi Sector with 3500 rolls of cannabis.

They were arrested while attempting to leave Rubavu to Kigali city.

Their arrest was made possible owed to the timely information from the local citizens and Community Policing Committees in Rubavu district.

Rubavu is among the districts where drug abuse, especially narcotics such as cannabis, is still high. Those arrested include dealers and consumers.

Drugs are sneaked into the country from the neighbouring countries, and most of it transported to Kigali.

Spokesperson Superintendent Theos Badege pointed out that Police has put more efforts in combating narcotics by intercepting dealers and supplier.

“We will continue to break the supply chain to discourage dealers,” he said.

{{Genocide suspect, Leon Mugesera is appearing before High Court where his case will be heard in substance.}}

Prosecution Spokesman Alain Mukurarinda was quoted by NewTimes saying, “Mugesera’s case is expected to begin in substance today and his case will be tried by the High Court though not the special chamber.”

However, Mugesera had appealed in the Supreme Court challenging his pre-trial procedure.

He argued that article 162 of the code for civil and administrative procedures on which the Nyarugenge Intermediate Court based its decision contradicts article 18 of the constitution.

Article 18 of the Rwandan Constitution provides that: “Any person who was a party to the proceedings in the first instance may appeal the judgment if he/she has an interest therein, except when the law provides otherwise.”

It adds that: “However, the appeal against an interlocutory judgment shall be made only jointly with the final judgment. In this case, the time limit for appealing against the interlocutory judgment starts running from the date on which the final judgment was notified to the party”.

According to the applicant, if the decision based on article 162 of the procedural code is upheld, it would undermine the constitution and his right to have more time to study his dossier.

The Supreme Court will on September 28 pronounce its decision on whether to hear or reject Mugesera’s application.

{{Piotor Sevinski the head of Auschwitz Birkenau state Museum in Poland has visited Rwanda where he has been taken around the Murambi genocide memorial site.}}

Sevinski who says that although he head a state museum on genocide in Poland, he was shocked by the Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi in 1994.

He said he had been hearing about the Rwandan genocide from media but it was shocking to see for himself the plight of Rwandans then in 1994.

Over a million Lives were lost in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide against ethnic Tutsi.

At the museum he saw weapons, tools and other weaponry used during the genocide. He also saw cloths and victims skulls and other preserved bodies of victims at the memorial site.

Sevinski said he couldn’t find words to describe what he saw at the Murambi genocide memorial site.

He said there should be modern ways of preserving the items and bodies at the memorial site so that future generations can find them in better condition.

{{Driving schools asking for bribes from students risk being shut down in case there is evidence obtained that they have solicited for bribes from students in processing driving permits.}}

The warning was made by the Inspector General of Police Emmanuel Gasana during a meeting with operators of Driving schools which have in the past been accused of soliciting for money from students promising them to quickly process driving permits.

IGP Gasana said the Police will not be patient with any faulting driving school urging the driving schools to adhere to the national anti corruption policy.

The inspector General of Police also said most driving schools are providing poor services to students because most of them fail driving permit exams for they are fraudulently enlisted for such exams.

{{Human trafficking is modern day slavery; victims of trafficking are recruited through deception, force or coercion and then transported to another location, either within the country or abroad.}}

According to Police website Traffickers might convince you to move from your home by promising you a better life, better money, and better opportunities. Sometimes they will promise you jobs, education or marriage.

In some cases victims are abducted or arrangements are made without their knowledge.

Victims are vulnerable to trafficking due to poverty; the lack of opportunities in the home areas and a lack of knowledge about safe migration procedures.

Traffickers are involved because this is a lucrative business to them of making enough money at the pain of the victims.

Demand exits for the services that victims are forced to provide, such as domestic labor, work in factories and farms, and sexual exploitation because it is cheaper than fully paid services.

Once at their destination, victims of trafficking are held against their will, suffer different types of abuse, and are exploited for the benefit of the trafficker

If you find yourself in this situation, it can be difficult to get out because traffickers have ways of controlling their victims. Traffickers can be strangers, or friends, relatives, or neighbors.

They may also pretend to be an employer, a potential marriage partner, or benefactor.

You may think that human trafficking can’t happen to you, but it happen to men, women and children every day, all over the world.

Rwanda National Police advises the public that the trafficking happens in every part of the world, even including in Rwanda.

The trafficking process can start in your own home, school and your community. It can happen in rural or urban areas, and Rwanda National Police urges the public to not fall prey to false promises.

If you are offered a job in a different country, talk to people you trust and other people who have accepted work from this person, verify information from the potential employer, get the address and phone number of your employer and give it to your family and friends; make sure you have plan for stay in touch with friends and family.

If you think you are a victim of trafficking, contact Rwanda National Police on 112. If you are abroad, you can also contact the Rwandan embassy or security organs there.

Don’t be a victim of this criminal business; consult and get as much information as you can on the kind of offer you are being given and the person giving it to you.