Category: Social

{ {{Next year Rwandans will just tap on their mobile phones to make consultations on their particular medical situation.}} }

Babylon health, a Europe based firm has this morning announced intentions to expand its services to Rwanda saying its “a priority country in Africa”.

The company integrates ICT solutions to health services.

Subscribers using these applications can just tap onto their phones to get expert medical advice, consultant referrals or prescriptions without leaving their homes or offices.

The client will only interact with the doctor or medic through the phone.

For example with a simple headache or stomach pain, one will be able to get prescription through a mobile enabled application from any of the doctors on the platform.

Tracey McNeil, the Chief Clinical Officer at Babylon Health told KT Press ; “We have already started talking to the government and various telecom companies before we start business here”.

According to the Babylon Health officials, the already existing 4G internet, the services are expected to attract many users in addition to over 100,000 users in Europe.

Entry of Babylon Health into Rwanda is expected to improve access to health services and cut on time spent to get a medical consultation.

Babylon combines the latest technology with the knowledge and experience of the best doctors to make health care simpler, better, and more accessible and affordable for people everywhere.

Dr. Ali Parsa, Founder and CEO Of Babylon Health said, “When we see how much can be done with existing technology, to improve access to healthcare for people everywhere, we ask ourselves two simple questions: if not us, then who? If not now, then when? There is no excuses for not trying.”

KT PRESS

{A Middlesbrough, UK man caught a lucky break when a woman emailed him seeking the password of his stolen laptop.}

Getting robbed is a terrible experience, especially if the thieves make off with highly personal property—like a laptop. Under normal circumstances, the chances of getting your stolen goods returned to you are relatively slim. But one man near the Middlesbrough area of the United Kingdom caught a lucky break when a woman emailed him, seeking to know the password for his stolen laptop.

The victim said that the burglary had affected his partner, who now refuses to stay in the house alone when he works a night shift. But the couple can take some solace in the fact that the likely culprit of the robbery has been identified and brought to justice, thanks to the work of police and a local woman who purchased the stolen laptop from a cornerstore.

After buying the laptop, presumably believing it was legally available for resale, the woman found herself locked out of the computer. It is unknown how she obtained the original owner’s information, but she took it upon herself to contact him and get the password. Police got involved, and identified the person who took the computer to the cornerstore for resale as 35 year old Lisa Hanratty, who has had previous trouble with the law for drug related offenses. In fact, her rap sheet includes 34 convictions out of 64 offenses.

“The Crown would say that she was obviously close to the offence of burglary.” Said prosecutor Rachel Masters, who also noted the defendant had some of the victim’s other stolen property on her when she was arrested.

Hanratty was given a sentence of six months in jail, suspended for two years if she undergoes drug treatment and testing for 12 months.

{{Source: Social News Daily}}

{Ababerarugo is a saving group formed of twenty mothers that live in the sector of Jabana in Kigali city. This saving group has three main objectives: saving and borrowing; talking about health and life issues; and promoting a strong friendship among its members.}

The 4th July is the international day for cooperatives. The theme for this year 2015 says: “Choose cooperative, choose equality”. Also in the month of July on its 30th day, the world celebrates the friendship day. The message that the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon delivered to the world says: “On this international day of friendship, let us cultivate warm ties that strengthen our common humanity and promote the well being of the human family.”

ABABERARUGO is one good example that can inspire different individuals that cooperating doesn’t take a lot.

Despite the small capital you may start from, any profit made is a source of pride to those who achieved it. Therefore it doesn’t matter how small the capital is; it is the outcome from the capital and how beneficial it will be to the investor that count.

In the beginning, when all of these mothers met, they had a similar problem. They met in an organization called Gardens for Health International that works from Rwanda where it supports malnourished children in eighteen health centers in Gasabo and Musanze Districts. Usually, this organization puts mothers together, provides them with health and agriculture trainings to empower them so that they can seek and find solutions to malnutrition within their households.

Ababerarugo is a saving group that has set a functioning system and that is where it is grounded.

Mukamana Jeanette owned the idea when she was in the Gardens for Health International.

Jeanette joined the program after her son Cyusa Iranzi Irené was identified as malnourished. Had her idea not been supported by other mothers to the point of taking it as their own idea, however, it would have not been a success.

This saving group has a president, a vice president, a secretary, a treasurer and two advisors. Each time they gather, they collect savings and benefits which they lend to the members in order to generate more benefits to be shared later.

These mothers gather twice a month, and each saves five hundred francs at each meeting.

They lend the savings to the members so that they can be able to meet their basic needs but most of all to sustain them. When one among them needs the capital to start sell avocadoes, tomatoes, bananas, or to start other small businesses; they receive it with a condition to pay 10% interest for a period of two weeks.

Every six months, each receives their savings plus their share of profits they made out their savings. The last past six months, the members saved with a target to save Rwf 2000 more; so that they can be able to pay medical insurance for their families.

Ababerarugo is one good picture that proves that togetherness can upgrade people from one economic level and take all of them together to another one.

When the mothers are gathered, they don’t only collect savings. The mothers also talk about life as it is in general, their personal challenges; are any of them going through hardship? Here a mother doesn’t feel alone because she knows she has their support. Frankly speaking, who doesn’t need such friends?

Back in the years, a wife was considered only as the heart of a household, and the husband was its head. She had to care about household, children and husband. With development and equality, the Rwandan woman came to understand that heart works along head in everything. A wife and a mother understood that she has to work along husband to provide for their family.

We also observe mothers head of families. In these situations they are required to meet each single need. The World Bank statistics show that between 2010 and 2014, 52.4% of women in Rwanda were involved in the workforce to sustain themselves.

Such group saving activities can be compared to cooperatives since both have similar objectives. It doesn’t only increase their members’ economy but also increase the economy of the country.

The savings also help less wealthy mothers to obtain capital on easy terms at affordable interests; this enables them to provide food to their children on daily basis. For ABABERARUGO, to feed their children with nutritious meals is crucial because all of them have experienced malnutrition in the past. Any imprudence on their part therefore breaches the similar problems they faced.

As their name highlights, ABABERARUGO works for the well being of families. Family is the first place where friendship is rooted because being part of same family requires being friends. Friendship also is the base to able to cooperate and grow economically together. Working and prospering and enabling those around you to prosper build the development of a nation and of the world in general.

{Is it not sad how much time we spend scolding and putting ourselves down? A very interesting analogy is that if we had a nickel or even a penny for every moment we felt down, inferior, unconfident, unworthy, not deserving, or unattractive, we would have all been millionaires and had lots of money and assets. However, even then, what would be the use of having a lot of money but a life filled with sadness and melancholy?}

With enough practice and experience, along with strong reinforced group of true friends we get good advice on how to change to the better and compliments on our already awesome features. On the other hand, with enough negativity around us, we start to develop a habit of thinking poorly of ourselves and seeing only our failures and flaws. Everything else (positive things) fade away in the background and seem like they never ever existed and affect our self-esteem greatly.

So, if we have been trained and have the habit of feeling bad about ourselves, is it possible to turn the tables around and start feeling good for whom we are? Can we start unlearning old beliefs about ourselves and direct our beam of focus to see our beauty and worthiness? It is possible for sure as our bodies and minds change and are used to adaptation. A positive self-esteem can impact positively our well-being and attitude.

Do you think you have reached a point where you cannot improve anymore? Or do you think there is always room for development, improvement, and feeling better about yourself? It is certainly true that there is always room for more and more development. We can always find an area we need to feel better about ourselves in such as self-esteem and efficiency. Improving in terms of these aspects can have an overwhelming impact on the way we feel about ourselves.

There are a lot of different strategies an individual can make use of to help better them and feel better about their life and themselves. Let us go back a bit. Imagine how it would be if our minds and hearts could not readjust and once you have a bad look on life, you cannot change it. Fortunately, our minds are able to learn to love and accept ourselves if we choose to.

Let us have a look at some of the ways you can feel better about yourself.

{{1. Live With Hope}}

Are you a hopeful person, regardless of the situation? Or are you a person that is hopeful, depending on the situation and whether it is a bad or good situation. One of the things that could really help with its power and impact is staying hopeful. It is one of the tools we should apply to our daily lives and in all the different situations. If it is a bad situation that you are not proud of, just put it aside or behind you and move forward, staying hopeful for the future. Moreover, if it is a good situation that induces hope, then try to have many more situations as such. In both cases, hope can help you feel better about yourself.

Anticipating that something good is about to happen provides this sense of delight and excitement. Life as we know it is not perfect; we have our ups and downs in life and in our daily schedules, but we all need to stay hopeful as this does make a difference.

Let us say you are looking for work and have applied everywhere you could or new of; you have uploaded your resume on multiple sites and racing between job fairs to increase your chances of landing an interview. Anyone evaluating this person’s effort and hard work seeking a job would agree this person is doing everything possible and exerting a lot of effort to get what they want.

Moreover, this person continued waiting patiently for a few months or a year, but still did not land any interviews. If you were placed in such a situation, would you give up easily or would you fight until you get what you really wanted and dreamed of? A lot of people in such a situation would give up and feel like there is no hope and that they will never land a job. However, even in such a situation where you put in a lot of effort but still did not work, be positive that you will sure find a solution or a pathway to your dream.

{{2. Call A Parent Or Both}}

Did you ever think of calling your mother and/or father to help you go through your tough times? Or maybe you are an individual that dedicates part of your time to make sure you communicate with your parents and family. Parents are the people that love us the most and have our back whenever we need them. Ask them for some positive advice and listen to benefit from their huge experience.

{{3. Remember Your Accomplishments}}

All of us have had accomplishments of some kind during our life and careers, regardless of how big or small they were. However, the question is: Do you still remember them? Maybe it has been a long since you have accomplished something you are really proud of, but always remember your accomplishments as this could help you feel better and less harsh on yourself. List your accomplishments and achievements, everything from spending this many hours with your family to being the employee of the month.

{{4. Exercise}}

Are you someone that takes good care of their health and make sure you get enough hours of exercise per week? Or are you just lazy and have the intention of exercising but are just put down every day by a voice telling you that you can exercise tomorrow. Exercising can be as short as 15-20 minutes. This will get the ball rolling and boost your energy and possible be the beginning to a good habit that you will live with. You can exercise early in the morning before going to work or go for a quick jog around the house.

{{5. Meditation/Praying}}

Meditation could be something that could help with getting an individual out of an uncomfortable situation. Start by breathing in and out a few times while closing your eyes. Go within and visualize something positive, trying to forget an issue or a bad situation. Stop the self-judgement for a small while and take a neutral standpoint. Something else that might work, which is also spiritual, is praying. Some people when facing trouble or not, resort to praying to relieve themselves from all the stress they are facing in life.

{{6. Lift Someone’s Spirits}}

Have you ever been in a situation where you faced difficulty in your life and were desperate for someone to come and lift you from the trench? I’m sure you had someone lift you up and make you feel better in your low points. How did that feel? Felt amazing, right? If you know what it feels like to help someone and lift their spirit, you would do it all the time.

Being able to help someone else is a blessing and a very nice trait to have. You could turn away bad feelings and situations when you channel your energy into a positive one to make someone feel great about themselves. It is crazy how helping someone else could help you get rid of your problems, at least temporarily.

{{7. Change One Thing At A Time}}

Sometimes we fail to notice that all we need to do sometimes in bad situations is change a small thing in our daily routine and things get much better in no time. If there is something bothering or irritating you about yourself, choose one small action and start applying it in your life. Over time you would be able to maintain this change and then even perhaps add more positive changes gradually, one at a time. This would help you to feel better and more pleased with yourself.

{{8. Call A Friend}}

Just like you might call a parent or both parents for some advice or just to relieve yourself from the everyday pressure, phoning a true friend can be your second option. A true friend is always there for you to help lift your spirit and share their personal experiences in an attempt to solve your issue and help you feel better about yourself. Did you ever think of friends in a funny way as walking, talking antidepressants? This is really funny, but does describe real friends and how they can really turn your day around. In the same context, one dose of this antidepressant (your friend) and you are good to go.

{{9. Overcome Your Fear(s)}}

Most people have a fear of a certain kind that they will do anything to stay away from it and not face it. Are you one of these people or do you feel like it is important to confront and face your fear? Fear is something that provides a sense of discomfort and insecurity, but the only real reason to remove the fear is by facing it and overcoming it.

Whether it is fear of risk, fear of uncertainty, fear of public speaking, or any other fear, they keep us in the same position and not allow us to grow. We need to recognize that our fears are our areas of improvement. Those are the areas where we need to improve and make sure we take the initiative for change. Overcoming your fears can certainly make you feel better about yourself.

{{10. Identify Your Blind Spots}}

What are blind spots? Think of a car for example; blind spots are the areas we cannot see by looking through the mirror since they are not within the mirror range. That is why we need to shoulder check every time we want to change lanes. Moreover in personal development terminology, blind spots are areas or aspects about ourselves that we are not aware of.

Gaining awareness of our blind spots helps us gain insight and discover the area we can improve in and grow. One way to discover your blind spots is looking at what happened in your day as well as what triggered you in specific. We are talking about people, situations, and events that made you feel annoyed, affected, or awkward perhaps.

Those can be things that represent our blind spots. Every time you do this exercise, you could learn something new about yourself and thus have a greater chance of improvement and feeling better about yourself. You could also be surprised to learn that you were short of identifying all your blind spots before doing this blind spot exercise.

Now, you have done most of the work. All you need to do next is address these blind spots by sitting with yourself and advising a way to fill in these gaps. You may not be able to fill in all the voids, but the more you try and identify more blind spots, the more spots you will fill. This in turn helps you and increases your improvement and feeling good about yourself.

{{11. Ask For Feedback}}

This is a very good way to learn more about yourself and any possible flaws or areas of improvement. We have to know that the way life works is that there is no perfect person; no matter how much we try to improve, we will always have blind spots. However, that does not mean that it is not worth trying. You do not want to spend all your life with a low self-esteem and a poor thought of yourself.

Asking for feedback gives an extra angle to the situation. Try to approach someone with no pre-set bias is important because you want a true opinion that will help you eventually feel better about yourself.

If you look closely, you will realize that there are a lot of ways you can probably improve to help you feel better about yourself, some of which did not cross your mind. Just be open to changes and do not be afraid to go outside your comfort zone to try new things. Also try different things before you decide on the technique or tip that would really make the difference.

So, are you ready to grow and make the best of your life and begin positively believing in yourself? Start as soon as you can and do not let anyone let you down for whatever reason.

{{Source: Inspower}}

{Water is a powerful dream symbol that holds deep messages to the dreamer and shouldn’t be over looked. Water as a dream symbol represents your current emotional state of mind. Depending the context of your “water dream” can hold a different meaning all together. Sometimes when we are unable to show our emotions in our walking life our dreams tend to bring them out in different forms. Recognizing the events in your water dream can benefit you in many ways mentally and physically. Water dreams can be both positive and negative so take the time and recall as many objects as possible.}

{{ How To Analyze A Water Dream:}}

Water dreams are quite common but what makes them unique to the individual are the events that take place. To get to the true meaning of what you dream represents you need to write down as much detail as possible. Get a pen and a paper and write down the answers to the questions below. Answering these type of questions would help differentiate your dream from the next person.

{What was the colour of the water?

Explain the mood in your dream.

Was the water rough or calm?

Where you alone or with people?}

Did you sense danger or where you feeling safe?

{{Types of Water Dreams:}}

Splashed by Water – This is a dream symbol where you unconscious is telling you to wake up! Get back on track with your life and stop stalling.

Water is Boiling/Hot – Means your emotions are running high and you need to let of some steam. You might have reached your boiling point in a current situation. If you are burnt by the water it means that you are going to suffer if you boil up your emotions. You must relax and take your time.

Unclear / Muddy or Dirty Water – Suggests that your dwelling in your own negativity. You need to take a break and clear your mind. It is likely that your thought process is clouded and needs some sort of cleansing. Muddy water is not a good symbol, it suggest that you need to remove all the heaviness in your life in order to see clear.

Listening to Water – To listen to water in your dream denotes time for reflection and peace with your thoughts and emotions.

Walking on Water – Means you at the top of your emotions and you have complete control. You might also have some hidden qualities.

Tsunami – This scary dream means you are unable to deal with a powerful force that’s out of your control. Tsunami dreams indicate that your at your emotional capacity and something is going to let loose.

Rivers – Rivers symbolize your journey in life whether its physical or spiritual one. If the river water is flowing fast it can mean rapid changes might occur soon. It is also possible that you feel out of control in your life and need to slow down. If the river is calm and peaceful it means being comfortable with the changes in your walking life.

Waterfalls – Dreaming of a waterfall is a great dream symbol. It means cleansing and a new beginning. You might be getting a fresh start on life.

Water Storms – Storms in dreams can represent a deterioration of the past experiences or relationships. Storms represent a bad situation that we are in emotionally. It doesn’t necessary mean its a bad symbol because every storm will pass and there will be sunshine ahead.

Ocean Water – Depending on where you are in the ocean has different ways of interpreting the dream. If the ocean is dark or deep it represents your emotional state in your walking life. If the ocean water is turbulent it means that there might be rough time ahead. If your crossing the ocean water with ease means that you show a great ability to experience freedom and independence.

Sea Water – Sea like the Ocean symbolizes your emotional state, but unlike the ocean dreaming of the sea is the connection between the conscious and unconscious mind. De-coding the dream you can come up with “I See Now” or “See It Coming”. If your lost at sea it relates to you floating around in life with out any sense of direction.

Holy Water – You might need spiritual cleansing. Whatever you put holy water on in your dream you may want to bless that certain item that hold significance.

Ship Wreck In Water – Depending if your stranded or not makes a big difference. If somebody is there to help you means that people support you during tough times. If not means you need support and someone to talk to.

Water Fights – Water fights mean that you are open about sharing your emotions.

Swimming or Pool – Swimming in a pool alone means that you are looking for relaxation. If you are swimming in a pool or ocean with somebody means that you are connected in more ways than one. .

Drinking – It might be your mind telling you your dehydrated.

Under water – When you are deep under water you are exploring deep into your unconscious mind. What you find might be a hidden treasure.

Electrocuted – If you are Electrocuted in water suggest that your going to get some shocking news that you might not be expecting.

{{dreamdictionary.org}}

{One UK man is receiving an unusual gift after an embarrassing moment. Known by his Twitter handle, DenzelMichaelUK was enjoying some “alone time” and was visiting popular online porn site, Pornhub. Suddenly, he heard his mother’s footsteps coming up the stairs. He panicked as he realized the website had froze, leaving the adult entertainment on the screen. As the footsteps get closer, he does the only thing he could think to do. He completely demolished his laptop by smashing it with his fists.
}

Mum was walking up the stairs and Pornhub decided to freeze, I had no other choice.

After posting his tragedy to Twitter, his story immediately went viral. Immediately, people began to question the validity of his story. While the story seems crazy, DenzelMichaelUK claims he wasn’t thinking clearly and all he thought to do was destroy his computer.

@LowkeySmokey yeah wasn’t thinking at the time, rather broken screen than mum catching me

The story has gone viral and eventually reached the heads of the porn website, Pornhub. The company decided to help out one of their most loyal customers by sending him a brand new computer, free of charge.

Pornhub Vice President, Corey Price explains, “We got wind of what happened to Denzel and his laptop over the last few days, and realize that this is a common, yet tragic modern day mis-FAP of the average Pornhub fan. It’s also a serious blow to everyone who enjoys the privacy of a good wank within the security of their rooms. We appreciate Denzel’s loyalty, as well as his clear sense of judgment in picking our site as a digital destination for some adult oriented R&R. As a result, we would like to send him a brand new laptop alongside some awesome Pornhub swag to use for his continued pleasure.”

With the popularity of the story, it seems as if DenzelMichaelUK’s actions will be a little hard to hide from his mother now…

{{Social News Daily}}

({{AP}}) — {An Indian bride walked out of her wedding ceremony after the groom failed to solve a simple math problem, police said Friday.}

The bride tested the groom on his math skills and when he got the sum wrong, she walked out.

The question she asked: How much is 15 plus six?

His reply: 17.

The incident took place late Wednesday in Rasoolabad village near the industrial town of Kanpur in northern Uttar Pradesh state, local police officer Rakesh Kumar said Friday.

The groom’s family tried persuading the bride to return, but she refused. She said the groom had misled them about his education.

“The groom’s family kept us in the dark about his poor education,” said Mohar Singh, the bride’s father. “Even a first grader can answer this.”

Local police mediated between the families and both sides returned all the gifts and jewelry that had been exchanged before the wedding, Kumar said.

Last month, another bride in Uttar Pradesh married a wedding guest after the original groom had a seizure and collapsed at the wedding venue.

The groom’s family had not revealed that the groom was epileptic. While the groom was rushed to a hospital in Rampur town, the bride asked one of the wedding guests to step in and married him.

Most marriages in India are arranged by the families of the bride and groom. Except for brief meetings, the couple rarely gets to know each other before the nuptials.

I am writing this a few months after breaking up with my beloved. I am not seeking any revenge; my feelings are only of regret, sadness and heartbreak.

Heartbreak feels like mourning. With my brain and reason, I said goodbye to my Mukiga man, but not with my heart and feelings.

It all started in 2008, when I travelled to Uganda with my ex-husband. The 24 days I spent in Uganda, felt like I was in a different world. I felt only warmth around me, in every meeting I had with the Ugandans. I cried like a baby when the plane finally brought me back to the Netherlands.

At the time, I was married and lived in a small European village. I had a steady job and lived my life. I had been in an unhappy marriage for years, but saw no way out. My husband was addicted to alcohol.

It was in Africa, the womb of the world, that I realised I could not go on living like that. But it would take two more years before I finally took the step. My Ugandan love had everything to do with that decision.

{{Blossoming love}}

In the summer of 2010, we returned to Uganda. My brother-in-law had conceived a special sports project, which he wanted to launch in Uganda. That is when I met my Mukiga man, got to know him better and I realised he had everything I admired in a man.

He could give a speech like no other. He paid attention to his surroundings and was interested. He was, clearly, a man with depth.

During one busy week, when we went from school to school to promote the sports project, the relationship between him and me became more intense. We seemed quick to understand each other and shared the same vision and mission.

When I returned to the Netherlands, I needed him to help me tune up a few things. So, our mail contact started. The closer we got with my Mukiga man, the greater the distance became between me and my husband. The situation became so unsustainable, and, on one Monday night in October 2010, I took a decision to leave my husband of 23 years.

{{New life}}

With my bag and laptop, I fled the hopeless marriage, hoping to find freedom in Uganda. In December, I celebrated Christmas in my second homeland, Uganda, with the Mukiga man, whom I loved so much. The physical attraction was mutual and thus began our three-year romance.

He was married and had just become a father and was the family’s breadwinner. While everyone’s hope was fixed on him, he set his on me. I still wonder if he actually loved me or had made his calculations. Was I the financial gateway?

{{ Made to pay lots of bills}}

Before I knew it, our conversations became centred on money, career and investment. I had a good network around me and used it well. First, I helped him buy a large piece of land, which cost me 30,000 euros (sh105m).

Then I started paying fees for his two brothers in a reputable school. His cousin went to college and I made sure he got a laptop. I paid his father’s debts, bailed out a relative, paid hospital bills for relatives ..the list is longer.

For my Mukiga man to come to Europe, I had to pay for his air ticket. I also made sure his family enjoyed a reasonable quality of life while he stayed with me in the Netherlands. I wanted him to migrate and give him a new start in my country. My friends ensured that he succeeded, got business connections and became comfortable.

{{U-turn}}

When plans were getting more formal, my Ugandan love suddenly complained that his family back home needed a proper shelter. The house he wanted cost me 40,000 euros (sh140m). I tried my best and did everything I could to make him appreciated, in the hope that he would offer me his heart. Most of this was at my own expense.

Besides my busy job, I started working in the evening, I sold my expensive car and took a personal loan to support him. And every time, he assured me that we were almost there and I believed him.

In January 2013, things suddenly took a wrong turn. We were talking about our progress when, suddenly and out of the blue, my Mukiga man started complaining that I treated him like “a burden” and so, it was over. He picked his bags and returned to Uganda.

I was totally shattered and destroyed financially and emotionally. I was broken and did not know where or whom to turn to.

Thank God, I have very nice friends around me, who are helping me through this difficult time. Everything people had warned me about African men who have relationships with European women, had come to pass.

{{Picking up pieces}}

I cannot believe that my Mukiga man did not love me, but acted out of self-interest. Every day, I think about him and the thoughts are causing me pain. Uganda is still in my heart. I love the country and the people, although memories of my Mukiga man have clouded the picture I have of Ugandans.

Someday, I will return to Uganda, but not now, because it hurts too much.

That he has finally taken my blind faith in the sincerity and goodness of human beings away from me, I take him to blame. I hope I can finally forgive him for what he did. To forget is impossible. I would have loved him for a thousand years and probably a thousand more.

But he deceived me. His wife was expecting a third child and he did not tell me. I found out from friends who attended a meeting with him that he was only talking about Uganda and about his pregnant wife. Not a word about me! My friends thought it was very strange not to talk about me. And when leaving Holland, he did not even say goodbye!

Back at home, he did not get in touch for three weeks. I do not think that is how you treat a person you love. Now, he wants to us to meet! I simply can’t.

{First Published in New Vision/Uganda, 2013}

{As part of efforts to reconstruct Rwanda and nurture a shared national identity, the Government of Rwanda drew on aspects of Rwandan culture and traditional practices to enrich and adapt its development programs to the country’s needs and context. }

The result is a set of Home Grown Solutions – culturally owned practices translated into sustainable development programs. One of these Home Grown Solutions is the community dialogues where citizens sit together and discuss different topics including regularizing land matters.

Land in Rwanda is one of the primary livelihood assets of rural citizens. Yet, with Rwanda’s population density the highest in Africa land is extremely precious for communities and oftentimes a source of conflict. As such, land in Rwanda has emerged as one of the most pressing issues facing the government of Rwanda and Rwandan citizens, heralding a need for broad information sharing about land matters coupled with solid research on land issues that can feed an adaptive policy environment.

It is against this background that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is funding different initiative aiming to solve land issues in a peaceful and effective way as well as empowering and contributing to the socio-Economic development among local communities.

On Friday, 5th December, 2014, the USAID has visited local communities in Huye District of the Southern Province where it held discussions centered to the wellbeing of citizens as well as supporting good governance and women empowerment among other initiatives.

During the visit, citizens were given time to recount their success stories among them Mukamparaye Anastasie, 55, explained how dialogue Groups through land committee helped her ends a long land disputes that she had with her own brother.

It was on Friday, 11h00 A. M in Nyakibanda Cell, Kamabuye village in Gishamvu Sector of Huye District.

Residents were sitting under the Tree called “Igiti cy’Amahoro” loosely translated “Tree of Peace” where they were addressing different issues that negatively impinge on their communities.

This is becoming their routine as the sector’s Executive Secretary says “It is the typical and effective way where local communities come together and hold a constructive dialogue on community level” to help each other addressing some challenges the majority of them being land conflicts.

Residents commend these kinds of dialogues affirming that they are effective while at the same time contributing to the peace-building and unity among their communities.

As an example, Mukamparaye said she had land wrangle with her own brother who, she said, denied her to inherit her land portion saying that a woman has no right to inheritance.

Mukamparaye says that land conflicts made her go searching a witch who can help her to end his brother’s life.

In her own testimony she says “I asked my brother to give me my rights and he replied that the woman does not have any right to heritage. After that I chose to seek a witchdoctor who can help me to solve that problem.”

Mukamparaye explains that “I travelled long distances from Gishamvu to Nyaruguru District to meet a witch in an area called Rusenge.

However, “When I reached there for the first day the Witch was not there and I without more ado returned to my village.” “May be I can confirm that my brother plays a real God who saved him from that witch”

{{How Mukamparaye Joins Dialogue Group rather than believing in Witch}}

“When I came back in my village I met several people whom I told the problem I had with my brother.”

Mukamparaye says that “After telling them my problem they advised me to address it to the Dialogue Group which requested me to go and come with my brother to be able to address our problem and mediate us.”

She says “When we came, the dialogue group and land committee educated my brother and I. We all agreed to solve the issue and my brother agreed to give me my heritage and today we are living kindly. He visits me and I visit him.”

“I think this Group and land committee for the role they played in mediating and solving our problem.”

In addition Mukamparaye said she can no longer waste her time looking for witchcrafts for that reason she advises people with the similar cases to join dialogue and land committees in their respective community in order to help them finding long lasting solutions.

The USAID/Rwanda is likewise committed to these efforts and is impressed by the work already being done in this regard by the women and men of Rwanda.

You can also Watch this Kinyarwanda Video:

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