{The First 2015 Umuganda will predominantly focus on building new classrooms and renovating the old ones, IGIHE reports.}
The Minister of State in Charge of Social Affairs and Community Development Dr. Alvera Mukabaramba says the emphasis was put on constructing and renovating schools to increase the number of school classrooms for Rwandan children.
Umuganda will take place on Saturday the 31st January and will be carried out at village level as the Ministry of Local Government demands the general public to inclusively participate in it by paying attention to core activity which is construction and renovation of school classrooms and cleanliness.
Improvement of cleanliness during Umuganda will consider getting rid of bushes around the residential houses, remove puddles harboring malaria mosquitos, building toilets and supporting vulnerable citizens to improve cleanliness in their houses among other concerned cleanliness activities in general, according to MINALOC announcement.
As per normal every Umuganda Community Work is followed by public discussions where citizens and their leaders discuss the persistent problems in their communities as the best platform to find inclusive solution. In this framework Dr. Mukabaramba requests local leaders to discuss with the residents new social categorization process as core topic.
The following topics will also be discussed: cleanliness issues in community, the 21st Anniversary of National Hero Day to take place on the 1st February 2015 with theme “Rwandans’ heroism, our dignity”, the message of World Wetlands Day which will be celebrated on the 2nd February with the launch of wetlands preservation week in Rwanda under the theme: “Wetlands for our future”.
Umuganda is one of home grown solutions initiated from Rwandan traditional culture, where members of the community would call upon their family, friends and neighbors to help them complete a difficult task.
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. Umuganda community work is implemented under Umuganda law No 53/2007 established on the 17th November 2007.
According to MINALOC report of Umuganda from July 2013 to August 2014, Umuganda participants reached 87.8% and their accomplished activities were worth more than 17 billion Rwandan francs.
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