Preventing Violence against Children as a way to achieve Sustainable Peace in Africa

EVERY CHILD has the right to live up to their full potential. Children cannot reach their full potential if they are not in good health, if they do not receive an education and if they are not protected from violence. In Africa, one in every four children lives in conflict. 420 million children globally live in conflict affected areas, 14% of whom are in Africa. As wars and conflicts on the African continent and in other corners of the world increase, so too does the risk of recruitment and use of children as soldiers. In 2022 alone, six African countries were reported as conflict hotspots including Libya, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Northern Mozambique, and the North-West and South-West regions of Ethiopia and Cameroon. These conflict situations expose children to becoming both victims and perpetrators of violence.

The International Day of Peace is a great opportunity to recognise the significant efforts that have been made to create frameworks that promote and protect the rights of all children while encouraging compliance with international laws and facilitating an active change of behaviors and attitudes towards this obligation by all stakeholders. At a global level several frameworks were adopted on the subject matter including the establishment of the Convention on the Rights of The Child, and most recently the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the Geneva Conventions and their two Additional Protocols. In the same spirit, the Vancouver Principles were launched in 2017 in an effort to make child protection a priority in UN peacekeeping missions. Despite efforts to encourage and promote the increased prioritisation of child protection in global peace and security, children remain victims of violence.

The recruitment and use of children as soldiers is one of the six grave violations against children in armed conflict for which perpetrators, military commanders and political leaders are meant to be held accountable by the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, national laws, and military codes of justice. Despite efforts to protect children from violence, the UN Secretary General’s most recent report on Children and Armed Conflict reported that 23,982 grave violations were committed against children globally. Reported violations affected more boys than girls affecting overall 19,165 children (13,633 boys, 5,242 girls, 290 sex unknown). The highest numbers of violations were the killing (2,515) and maiming (5,555) of 8,070 children, followed by the recruitment and use of 6,310 children and 3,945 incidents of denial of humanitarian access. Children were detained for actual or alleged association with armed groups (2,864), including those designated as terrorist groups by the United Nations, or for national security reasons. These numbers pose a serious threat to society and the future of our children.

The dynamics of conflict have changed over the course of years making it difficult for communities, policy makers and advocates to keep track of these crimes. The center of these dynamics and tactics is the use of children which is an inhumane activity and extended terror to the African child. The spread of violent extremism, growing transnational criminal networks and intercommunal violence continue to expose children to child labour, human trafficking, sexual exploitation and indoctrination by both armed forces and armed groups involved in terrorism. These dynamics challenge the protection of children.

Rwanda has framed the issue of children in armed conflict, and particularly the recruitment and use of children as soldiers, as a specific priority concern for the security sector. The country has led regional efforts to effectively implement the Vancouver Principles as a major troop contributing country to the United Nations and African Union peacekeeping missions and also as the host of the Dallaire Institute’s Centre of Excellence, which serves as the Institute’s regional hub on the African continent. The Centre of Excellence brings together nations from across the globe to learn about the Dallaire Institute’s prevention-oriented security sector training approach to understand the early warning signs of recruitment and improve their early response to the needs and rights of children. The Centre of Excellence is also a knowledge base and research convenor on peace and security agendas that puts the protection of children at its very core.

The Dallaire Institute has contributed to these efforts through great cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Rwanda on interventions facilitated by the Rwanda Defence Force and the Rwanda National Police. Working with Rwanda’s security forces on preventing the recruitment and use of children as soldiers in armed conflict has strengthened the capacities of the military and police to protect children from armed violence. The Dallaire Institute adopts a multi-dimensional approach to support action plans on the prevention of the recruitment and use of child soldiers through high-level advocacy which we combine with a grassroots, community-based approach. Importantly, our community-based approach to prevention seeks to increase the accountability and responsiveness of security sector actors to the needs of the community they are mandated to protect.

The Dallaire Institute will continue to work with key partners to stress the importance of preventing the recruitment and use of child soldiers. Research shows that we can’t achieve peace without protecting children from violence, an imperative to end intergeneration wars and conflicts but beyond that we need to protect children for humanity reasons to prevent the enormous impact of their participation in violence on their childhood and the adverse effects they suffer in their adult life.

Francisca Mujawase, Dallaire Institute for children, Peace and security.

Rising from a Young Statistician to a Leader

Francisca Mujawase is a Rwandan female statistician. Her score as the best student in high school earned her an opportunity to join the National University of Rwanda in the department of Applied Statistics in 2005. During her time in school, admission to the department was quite competitive with only 40 seats which required undertaking a selection test on top of the student's overall score in the first year at the University. Her performance owned her a seat in the department, which was underrepresented by female scholars. Only less than 10 percent in the 2007-2010 cohort were female. These numbers speak to the United Nations women in science report for 2019 which indicates that only 5 percent of global enrolment in mathematics and statistics are females. The Gender gap was not only visible in the student’s enrolment rates but also among lecturers. For all the academic years in the departments, I remember being taught by only 2 female lecturers. 

The newly established department of Applied Statistics in Rwanda intended to advance the Government of Rwanda's vision to build a comprehensive national statistical system and capabilities to drive the national statistical agenda. Although this was a new department, it is said that before the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Rwanda hosted one of the regional schools in Statistics Engineering representing the great lakes region. This means that the country prioritized the importance of statistics as a key pillar to building a nation for many years.

While we prepared to become statisticians, specialists and researchers, the strategic vision on the statistics development and delivery by our country and the continent was even bigger. At the university we studied statistical methods, data and metadata management and information technology. The areas of study included social, economic, population, labour and environmental statistics. These courses were complemented by leadership skills gained from the ISIBALO capacity building program.

Young statisticians were given many opportunities to acquire scientific skills, enjoyed the benefits of practicing field activities including participating in national surveys and censuses through the existing partnerships between the University of Rwanda and the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda. The same was done in many other African countries. Beyond boarders, the ISIBALO capacity building programme, a continental convener for young statisticians in Africa was established under the Statistics South Africa to empower and facilitate young statisticians to become future leaders.

The ISIBALO programme positioned young scholars to participate in policy discussions and decisions on the Africa's development agenda including at events organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the African Centre of Statistics and their home statistics bureaus. Generally, African leaders who aspired this agenda were sure that building a pool of capable young statisticians was one of the solutions to tackling development challenges faced by the continent which couldn't at any cost be identified, solved, or measured without promoting quality statistics. 

More to the ISIBALO programe was the research agenda which inspired most of us to become young researchers even before we graduated. Participating in those high-level meetings required us to generate an elaborate research paper on development challenges affecting our countries. This approach aimed at sharpening our minds on creative thinking to come up with innovate, localized and strategic solutions to these issues. The activities also instilled in us confidence to defend our proposed actions. I remember one of our colleagues from Ghana wrote a book on statistics with specifics of macro economics and this book gave him a ticket to work as a public servant in the president’s office in Ghana.

At the high-level meetings, we also shared best practices from our individual countries. I remember a story of young statisticians in Uganda who questioned the government of Uganda through a letter on the postponement of the national census in 2010, indicating the implication of the delay on the country and the citizens.

Another excellent arrangement was the transfer of knowledge and study tours organized by the ISIBALO programme. Many of us had a chance to participate in the national census of South Africa and in our specific countries. Pairing us with senior national and international experts in the field enhanced our learning but also left us with best practices to carry back with us home.

Discussing national statistics curriculum used to be one of the heated debates whenever young statisticians gathered especially when it came to comparing curricula from English and French speaking countries. Finally, it became obvious that we had huge gaps in the content taught across the continent indicating the lack of standardization of statistical curriculums. The gaps were identified and reported to our seniors which informed the response to training standardization across the continent and within countries.

Believing in young people shouldn’t be a choice because the youth hold the future of our nations. The leaders of the organizations mentioned above understood this concept better, trusted, facilitated, and gave us all the necessary support required of us to become the best we can be. It had become a practice in the UN system and in our countries that each organized meeting or event considered representation of at least four young statisticians from Africa.

This journey of empowering young statisticians started way back in early 2000. Among the meetings we attended included the Expert Group Meeting on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics at UNECA offices in Addis Ababa, we participated in the process of assessing progress on Millennium Development Goals and at the Conference of Africa Ministers responsible for civil registration among many. We also had sideline meetings at such big events that allowed us an opportunity to present our research papers but also make a voice in the decisions taken by our leaders. Nurturing young statisticians also meant to position Africa on the global scene when it comes to the statistical agendas including platforms like the International Statistical Institute (ISI).

The first meeting I attended in 2007 under UNECA included members of the executive committee of young statisticians nominated by the Secretary General of Statistics South Africa Mr. Pali Lehlola the then President of the African Symposia on Statistical Development included Muhammed Semakula Rwanda, Habaasa Gilbert from Uganda, Gloria Mathenge from Kenya, Akhona Madlamini Nkenkana from South Africa, Aleghen Worku from Egypt, Kodzov Senu Abalo from Togo and Ahmed Maher, Amir Omar from Egypt. We had several other committees over the years to uplift our young sisters and brothers. With the support from ISIBALO, each country created a platform of young statisticians and registered in a central database to keep track the growth of the sector.

As much as governments and international organization invested a lot on us, we young statisticians understood and believed in the agenda as well. This made it easier to attain the goal set by the ISIBALO capacity building program. All the young male and female statisticians who benefited from these programs became exemplary leaders in their countries carrying on key public positions while others have served in international organizations. Many of them have attained their PHDs, others are lecturers in universities. As a young female statistician with a humble beginning, I rose to become a Director of an African Centre of Excellence, a continental hub that advance the Child Peace and Security Agenda on the continent. Being the first female graduate from my family and participating in STEM has inspired my nieces and one of them choose to do statistics at the University of Makerere. Young statisticiand attribute who they are today to the ISIBALO programme and our role in advancing the statistics agenda on the continent speaks for itself.

However, the journey isn’t over yet, young people need to be positioned better to explore their full potentials. Yes, they have the duty to make the leaders uncomfortable, but the leaders also know better what must be done. We want to see a generation of young statisticians empowered even more than we did because the world has changed a great deal since the last two decades. Yes, empowering young people requires huge investments, but the results are even bigger. Thanks to all our governments, the ISIBALO capacity building program South Africa and to all the leaders including former SG Pali Lehlola and his team, UNECA and the African Centre leadership who supported this great idea of empowering young statisticians on the African continent.

 

Preventing malnutrition among children in Rwanda during Covid-19: what has been done?

Despite widespread reductions in child poverty in Africa, malnutrition remains widespread. Rwanda is no exception. Progress has been made but more than one in every three children under five continue to be malnourished.

The recent Demographic Health Survey of 2015 [1]revealed that the prevalence of stunting (low height-for-age) among children under five dropped from 44 percent in 2010 to 38 percent in 2015. On the other hand, the nutritional data from the Rwanda 2018 comprehensive food security and vulnerability analysis report[2] indicated a slight decrease in national prevalence of stunting from 37.9 percent in 2015 to 35 percent in 2018. This report states that since 2015, Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices (IYCF) remain poor as only 17 percent of children under five achieved the minimum acceptable diet (MAD) based on dietary diversity and meal frequency. Only children between 6-23 month eating an average of three food groups per day twice a day. The same report indicates that children from poor households with food insecurity and or with three of more children under five were more likely to be malnourished. Despite the slight drop in the stunting rate recorded between 2015 and 2018, the report presents geographical location of malnutrition. Among thirty districts in the country eleven of them recorded stunting rate above the WHO critical threshold of which majority are found in the western province.

Considering these numbers, malnutrition among infants emerged as one of the vital issues discussed in the 2018 Government high level National Dialogue (Umushikirano) and was captured in the list of meeting resolutions that needed special and immediate attention. Government’s involvement in solving this health problem is a solution to putting an end to malnutrition among young children but also a long-term measure towards ensuring a healthy and a capable adult force that will sustain the economy.

In response, practical measures were adopted to boost low nutrition levels among children under five.

One such measures was the establishment of the National Early Childhood Development Programme, a separate national structure that coordinates efforts on combating malnutrition. It also included piloting and scaling up of programmes such as the Early Childhood Development Intervention Programme, the scaling up of nutrition products and the focus on first 1000 days of life (pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, and children under 5 years). Having nutrition of young children prioritised in the national development strategy with defined national performance targets monitored and reported on an annual basis is a commendable step towards the overarching goal for the Social Transformation Pillar under the National Strategy for Transformation one[3] “Developing Rwandans into a capable and skilled people with quality standards of living and a stable and secure society”.

However, Covid-19 has had a big impact on all aspects of life in Rwanda and the Government must make sure that the pandemic does not derail efforts to improve the wellbeing of Rwandans children. Covid-19 is not business as usual. These are not normal times. Rwanda recorded its first COVID19 case on March 14 2020, the government imposed nationwide lockdown to avoid overwhelming the capacity of Rwanda’s health system. The lockdown put both public and private activities at a stand-still with exception of only essential services. The confinement severed social ties that normally provide a shock absorber in times of crisis. Much of the economic activities in Rwanda are informal, such workers surviving on a daily wage were hit the most and the vulnerable in this situation were children and the elderly. The Government, having noted this challenge, has responded to address the vulnerabilities exacerbated by attempts to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Response measure one: Continued provision of nutritious products and treatment among the most vulnerable groups. 

Despite the national lockdown, Rwanda has set necessary conditions needed to maintain momentum on nutrition-related actions. The nutrition-sensitive direct support program under the childhood development program is among the core categories of social protection programmes in Rwanda. The programme provides healthy diets to children under two years of age, pregnant women and lactating mothers from lower wealth household quintiles – Ubudehe One and Ubudehe Two.

In normal circumstances, these nutritious commodities are distributed at health centres and the early childhood development centres. However, in response to lockdown restrictions, nutritious products have been distributed door-to-door within communities instead. Distribution is managed through decentralised structures of the Ministry of Health represented by the health centres in partnership with local government authorities and community health workers. In addition, the Government also introduced a national programme of providing three eggs per child per week for all children under five years of age. This was initially defined until June 2020 with potential to extend the timeframe. This programme launched In the Northern Province has rolled out across the country and intends to continue beyond Covid-19. By end of June, 250,000 eggs had been distributed to children across to the country costing 14 million Rwanda francs.

Response measure Two: Food Distribution among casual workers affected by Covid-19.

The Government of Rwanda, having recognised that there is a proportion of its citizenry who survive on a meager daily wage, unable to sustain themselves during the forced lockdown, and yet who have families to care for, has provided food rations for vulnerable casual workers. Rations account for household size and categories of household members as unique factors to determine the quantity and types of food to allocate per household. Households with children receive an additional ration of porridge and milk. This intervention has prevented both economic and nutrition crises during the pandemic.

Response measure Three: Securing food supply.

The government has also intervened in other sectors such as the agricultural sectors and some specific food manufacturing industries to keep them in operation, thereby preventing food shortage. These sectors are key stakeholders in the acceleration of nutrition improvement and play a crucial role in ensuring food security in the wake of the pandemic.

It is worthy to recognize the Government of Rwanda’s efforts to design and implement a national food support response plan only a week after national lockdown had been announced. Preventing hunger among children is vital for current and future wellbeing.

According to Evode Micyomyiza a nutritionist and BCC technical advisor, a one-week period of hunger may cause a child to become malnourished and at a certain age, the impact of malnutrition on the development of a child is irreversible. Some studies in Indonesia shows that for every dollar invested in the nutrition of a young child  will be returned about 48 dollars in improvement of health[4], education and economic development where as in the United Stated the returns was found to be 16 dollars for every dollar invested on child wellbeing[5].

The Government’s response during Covid-19 has helped to prevent an increase in malnutrition because of the pandemic. By doing so, the Government remains in a good position to meet its national goals defined under the social transformation pillar in the National Strategy for Transformation one “Eradicate all forms of malnutrition and other global goals on nutrition target for 2025 and a response to key relevant indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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[1] https://www.statistics.gov.rw/publication/demographic-and-health-survey-dhs-20142015-key-findings

[2] https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/WFP-0000103863/download/?_ga=2.224784410.1294625559.1600071161-1625625251.1600071161

[3] http://www.minecofin.gov.rw/fileadmin/user_upload/NST1_7YGP_Final.pdf

[4] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mcn.12080

[5] https://www.unicef.org/earlychildhood/index_69851.html

“Let us all Strive to Give Justice to Children” A Reflection on the Day of the African Child

Every child has the right to live a healthy, protected, and supported life to live up to their full potential. However, in Africa, 1 in every 4 children lives in conflict.  Among the 375 million children impacted by conflict, 14% of them are in Africa.The Day of the African Child is a great opportunity to recognize significant contribution achieved at continental and national levels in promoting and protecting the rights of all children. At global level, a number of frameworks have been adopted on the subject matter including the convention on the rights of children, the African charter on the rights and Welfare of the child and the Geneva Conventions and their two additional Protocols. In the same spirit several UN resolutions, AU summit and peace and Security Council policy decisions and frameworks have been developed to protect the rights of children in conflicts. The Vancouver Principles launched in 2017 on the prevention of the recruitment and use of child soldiers to date have been endorsed by more the 100 countries across the world. The instrument has supported the global movement on raising the voice among member states to essentially commit to engage into actions that end wars on children and find sustainable ways to prevent the recruitment and use of child soldiers. It is important to highlight that Governments and other stakeholders on the continent are working together to achieve this vision.

While there is a lot to celebrate, the African child still face grave violations especially those associated to conflict. Wars are taking away children’s happiness to grow in families but above all children as young as eight years are being recruited and used as child soldiers denying them the opportunity to enjoy their childhood. Many children in Africa are left with no shelter or belonging. Today, the dynamics of war has changed. The center of these dynamics and tactics is the use of children which is an inhuman activity and extended terror to the African child. Recruitment of child soldiers constructs challenges in protecting children. It is therefore our responsibility to join efforts towards the eradication of any forms of violence on children and stigmatize the culture of the recruitment and use of child soldiers. The annual UN CAAC reported, 49,640 cases of boys and girls recruited and used as soldiers from 2005 to 2016. In 2016 alone, the UN new verified cases of child soldiers in Africa was 8,000. Protracted conflicts also expose children to other forms of violence. Statistics shows that between 2014 and 2018, 55,000 children experienced grave violations. In 2016 alone, 12 Million children were denied access to education because of war.  It is also reported that every child who is recruited is not reintegrated. This pause serious threat to the society and the future of the child.

The effects of war on children is insurmountable at individual, society, and the national levels. More so, girls and boys experience these effects differently. Rwanda is the first African country to endorse the Vancouver Principles and thus has certainly contributed to the achievement of the global call on the prevention of the recruitment and use of child soldiers during their UN peace keeping mission but also serves as a regional hub on the continent where nations across the globe gather to learn from Rwanda’s experiences in preventing and protecting children in conflict. Rwanda has framed the issues of children in armed conflict as a specific priority concern for the security sector, and particularly their recruitment and use as soldiers. The Dallaire Institute has had a long standing contribution towards achievement of these efforts through great cooperation with the Government of Rwanda on joint interventions implemented by the Rwanda Defence Force. At the Vancouver Principles workshop held in Kigali, 2019 the Minister of Defence of Rwanda, Mr. Albert Murasira emphasized on the importance of "Protecting children as a key to the future of humanity and attainment of sustainable Peace and Security Agenda on the continent but also domestically”. The child protection development approach taken by Rwanda is a great example to the world. Rtd Gen. Dallaire, founder of the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace and Security during the same occasion alluded in his speech that "Protecting Children builds Hope for the Continent".  

Let us not forget that the extraordinary challenges of COVID19 pandemic has contributed to widening the gap on protecting the rights of children especially in countries burdened by civil wars and unending conflicts. These gaps therefore require global responses which only the re commitment of governments towards protecting of children can bring about a positive change in the lives of children. The Dallaire Initiative is committed to support global efforts that aim at ending violence that harm child soldiers. “We can’t achieve peace without protecting children from violence, and we can’t guarantee them justice if we don't stand up for their rights”, Dr Shelly Whitman the Executive Director of The Dallaire Institute Children, Peace and Security said at the Vancouver Principles Workshop, 2019 in Kigali.

This year’s theme on the Day of the African Child reminds us our common responsibility to give Justice to Children. Any form of violence committed against a child takes away their rights but, in most cases, justice is denied for children because they are voiceless. Therefore, failure to protect and care for children is denial to justice. Justice for children should not be a pre-requisite but a right and each one of us is accountable for not standing out for the rights of children. The national theme on this day encourages every Rwandan to become a Guardian Angel for children, “Malaika Murinzi” so that each child has a family that care for their well being.

Let us all join efforts and commitments towards promoting the rights of every child and make it a reality. For we can only achieve our sustainable development goals if we are able to reduce violence committed to children. We will continue to fight until one day we will make Recruitment and Use of Children Soldiers Unthinkable.

Fancisca Mujawase, Manager of Research and Evaluation for the Dallaire Institute for children, Peace and security. 

ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNANCE, A KEY VARIABLE IN THE EQUATION OF THE RWANDA'S SUCCESS STORY

Authors: Francisca MUJAWASE and Didas KAYITARE

Rwanda is a small country in terms of geographical size compared to many African countries but one of the sub-Saharan countries with a unique development approach which is defined and characterized by citizen oriented rapid economic growth that is designed and driven by Rwandans themselves. A country that faced unspeakable devastation of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi which caused loss of a million lives and left the nation in shambles. The post conflict story of Rwanda remains an exceptional success in history of the world. Many people are intrigued by the magnitude of resilience and the level of social cohesion among Rwandans and their urge for development.

My friends from all over the world ask me to lament the story of Rwanda and how the country managed to achieve remarkable development success in the last two decades and how the state managed to overcome all the challenges of reconstructing a fragile state that was left with nothing after the 1994 Genocide. My answer to them is relevant and driven by facts around three drivers of success shared in this paper. Rwanda is a country with “A GREAT VISION” which is driven by an outstanding Governance System and Accountability Practices that has shaped the style of leadership and service delivery practices. The new governance system originates from the Rwandan culture and the positive values that defines Rwandans and how they deliver. While speaking about the new approach of governance and the Rwandan culture, another important aspect of the Rwandan success is attributed to the human capital of Rwandans who gathered their experiences and efforts from across the globe and the region with different backgrounds to rebuild a nation that had been completely destroyed. 

In the past, the country had suffered bad governance that led to the killings of innocent Rwandans. The success of Rwanda however has proven that poor governance in not an African style of leadership but rather the theory stands for bad leaders who are self centred and want to own more than they deserve while others carelessly adapt to the wrong theories of governance that leads to conflict and wars. We have also witnessed sustained conflicts in other African countries that is mainly driven and associated to ethnicity and tribalism.

To change the history of Rwanda, HE Paul Kagame the President of the Republic of Rwanda introduced a new model of governance that is driven by protection and rule of law and set ACCOUNTABILITY at the core business of governance. To make sure these mechanisms are fully integrated in the governance system and bring about the significant amount of result the country intended to achieve, all public institutions had to adopt to the new approach of governance that is driven by transparent and accountability systems. Instruments such as Imihigo Performance Contracts, public finance management systems, decentralization governance program and citizen participation approaches were introduced and made functional.

The governance approach in Rwanda is unique in a way that every aspect that concerns the well-being of the people is a priority. The homegrown solutions have facilitated the development evaluation processes to ensure that the national development performance targets are achieved in an efficient and effective manner. The new structure of governance introduced not only reflects public service delivery but goes beyond institutional performance to describe progressive change in behaviour of the leaders and citizens accounting for the overall transformation of the Rwandan society.

In addition to the mentioned above, the new governance approach has shaped the model of development that is visionary, and citizen centred in the sense that all Rwandan citizens have equal access to public services which has never been the case before. It isn't easy to identify a single example of national development project that is outstanding because every sector has recorded its own success which all aligns to the vision of the country. However, some of the remarkable national projects introduced two decades ago that have had significant impact on the lives of the citizens include education and health financing as development priorities; the universal free 12 Year Basic Education and the universal health care services has directly impacted on health and education indicators that were unpleasant in the past. The social protection programmes for the poor households that aims at achieving zero extreme poverty by 2020, the one cow per poor family, massive infrastructural investment programmes have been significant contributors to poverty reduction among others. Other core programmes enjoyed by the citizens include peace and security, the country’s approach to unity and reconciliation after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and remarkable economic growth has remained positive over the years. Gender equality success stories for Rwanda have become a best practice for many countries and child protection programme has been given the attention it deserves. 

“Rwanda has proved to the world that nothing is impossible if you are determined to bring about change especially on developments that touches the lives of the citizens”. The uniqueness about Rwanda is that political will is driven by high level commitment and immediate actions to solve issues that may hinder achieving development results. If the development targets aren’t met as planned, the leaders owe the president and the citizens an explanation on what delayed the process. This system of governance of holding leaders to account both at local and central level is unique, transparent and effective. The practice has changed the way leaders operate and deliver on their mandates. For they know if they don't fulfill their responsibilities, they will be put to account. This keeps them at their toes to deliver effectively. Imihigo and Umushyikirano are national platforms where an honest dialogue is held between the national leadership and the citizens on an annual basis to discuss on what has been achieved verses failures. Leaders who lack explanations for failures recorded at institutional level face the consequences. In the past we have witnessed immediate changes made in public offices after such gatherings are conducted.

Another valued concept of the governance approach on Rwanda is the level of citizen engagement in public programs. The process is positive because the citizens not only learn about their rights but also participate in selecting the urgent needs of the citizens at district level but also participating in the implementation and evaluation process of the development priorities. By doing so the government instils in the people of Rwanda the culture of working and participating in public programs but also improving their readiness to claim for services they are denied by their leaders.

Rwanda has been defined as a success story across the world. Her story is unique and incredible. The credit for the Rwanda’s success goes to the leadership of HE Paul Kagame and the Rwanda people who refused to be held with the bad history but rather came together to build a nation that is peaceful and enjoyed by everyone. Strong institutional mechanisms and individual capacities have been introduced are operational and functioning to ensure the country achieve sustainable peace and economic growth. Having achieved the MDGs at an outstanding level, the country is on the right path to become a middle-income country and the progressive achievement of the SDGs is promising. The current National Strategy for Transformation (NST) feeds the Vision 2030 which comes at the right time where Rwanda has changed the development approach that has embraced globalization with access to the utilization of new and advanced technological, and innovation driven business efforts. Several multi-national companies have been established in Rwanda supporting the great idea of inventing and working in Rwanda but also creating thousands of jobs to the youths. Education institute of sciences that shape the body of knowledge and development of human capital capabilities have been introduced in Rwanda which supports the vision of becoming a Knowledge based economy. some people like to debate about the vision of Rwanda as Ambitious but i like saying, "yes the vision of Rwanda is ambitious but achievable because we set the pace on which we deliver”. with the unique approach of governance and accountability system, there is no doubt the country is yet to achieve more than expected in the new decade.

ADVANCING THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN AND WOMEN THROUGH IMPROVED AND INNOVATIVE CIVIL REGISTRATION AND VITAL STATISTICS IN RWANDA

Authors: Francisca MUJAWASE and Didas KAYITARE

The government of Rwanda (GoR) through the National institute of statistics (NISR) has worked towards improving its national statistical systems by enhancing the capacity of local government institutions to establish functional systems that collects timely and quality data which feeds the national statistical system. Harmonization and linkages plus innovations of new techniques and approaches have been adapted to build reliable vital registration systems. Rwanda’s vision defined in the Civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) strategic plan is to build a modern time, complete and integrated CRVS systems to ensure legal identity for all, good governance and evidence-based decision making for sustainable development. The country aims to achieve the three outcomes of the CRVS strategy that is achieving legal identity and rights for all, good governance and accountability and reliable statistics by 2022.

Rwanda like many African countries was defined by paper based systems for CRVS for many years. In order for the GoR to change the approach, it designed project scale programme with a quick-fix, where a holistic and integration of 27 national systems were merged to have a central data point for easy sharing of information and dissemination. The new approaches facilitated the process of providing legal identification with most easily and quickest means through decentralization of the services incorporating new developments of E-governance and application of ICT. This new trend created an opportunity to enhance service delivery at the benefit of the ordinary citizen and ensure increased efficient utilization of public resources.

Integration of CVRS systems across sectors has been done and data sharing across ministries has been launched. Examples of effective operation systems include harmonization of the health information systems and the local administrative databases at sector level. The merging of these two systems has significantly impacted on the cost and time taken to secure documents such as birth, death and marriage certificates. Ten years ago, it could take someone to secure a birth certificate in a weeks’ time. Today, any citizen can apply or send a request through Irembo online services and collect the birth certificate in less than 24 hours. Another challenge the system has addressed is that an ordinary citizen is able to collect their documents from anywhere in the country which was not the case before. Initially, one had to collect their birth certificate from the hospital they were born and could only collect a marriage certificate from the sector where the civil marriage took place.

The vital events recorded in Rwanda are birth, death and cause of death, marriage and divorce cases and adoptions. Over the last decade, the government of Rwanda has worked on setting standard systems of civil registration and vital statistics to ensure improved coverage and completeness of all vital events to fulfill the rights to legal identification as stipulated in the national constitution of the Republic of Rwanda. The existing governance and legal frameworks on civil registration defines the country’s ownership and political will towards enhancing access to legal identification to facilitate people who need population registration related services such as social protection, education, health and exercise democratic rights to election for both male and females, inheritance and ownership of property, free movement and access to financial services among others. CRVS in Rwanda has also empowered women and girls in the sense that they have full rights to Legal identity and benefit from all public services provided by the access to property and inheritance protects them from gender based violence and early marriages. From the point of Rwandan context, women are the ones who collect birth certificates; they are the ones in most cases who register children to receive health insurance and first time schooling. Women also mostly care for the sick in their families and the community. The system therefore supports their ease to carry out their family and societal responsibilities. 

Improving civil registration and strengthening production and use of vital statistics has been presented as crucial for achieving inclusive in development but also an important reference for national planning and evidence based policy decision making. CRVS also support the efforts towards achieving the national development agenda the national strategy for transformation, the vision 2030, the sustainable development goals and the Africa Union agenda for 2063.

Despite all these opportunities and the call to compulsory CRVS, Rwanda hasn’t yet achieved universal coverage. The current state of civil registration system in Rwanda shows that the country hasn’t fully subscribed to web-based CRVS systems. There remains an unconventional data collection method at the sector level where the registrar still records vital events in books. In 2007, the introduction of the national population registry facilitated issuance of national identity card to all Rwandan citizens. The health information systems estimates 90% of birth in Rwanda take place in a health facility but only 53% of all births are registered each year. Records on death statistics shows that only 40% of the deaths occur in hospitals. All civil marriage engagements take place at the sector level witnessed by the executive secretary and the civil registrar.

The 2016 report on the status of civil registration and vital statistics in Africa shows that only four countries (Egypt, Seychelles, Mauritius and South Africa) have maintained compulsory and universal registration systems that match international standards. In the same report, Rwanda scores 50-64% under the indicator on existing legal framework on CRVS, 35-49% on infrastructure and resources for CRVS, the same score 35-49% was recorded for planning, monitoring and coordination of CRVS. On the civil registration processes, Rwanda scores 50-64%, while vital statistics quality checks and dissemination, Rwanda scores 35-49% below average and on the use if vital registration documents verses data similarly scores <35%. Data suggests that Rwanda’s overall score on the coverage and complete rates are far below the 90% UN recommended standards.

Denied, delayed or complex civil registration is a burden to the ordinary citizen and denial for human rights mostly for children. In addressing the gaps, Rwanda remains visionary and committed towards modernizing civil registration and vital events with the overall goal of enhancing services to its citizens at the same time fulfilling rights of both men and women as obliged by the national constitution of the Republic of Rwanda. CRVS has been integrated in the district performance contracts which is a strategic fit for achieving increased coverage. Districts have a clear mandate to assist the government in recording and reporting on vital events on a timely basis and raising awareness among the population on the importance of civil registration. 

VISION2020 UMURENGE PROGRAMME (VUP) A TOOL TO ALLEVIATE POVERTY AMONG POOR FEMALE HEADED HOUSEHOLDS IN RWANDA

Francisca MUJAWASE and Didas KAYITARE

Rwanda’s social protection floor is established mainly on non-contributory schemes where the state is responsible for financing programmes that benefit poor and vulnerable households. In Rwanda social protection programmes and other developmental approaches target households as a unit entity. Social security schemes exist for a small elite population that directly contribute for their future income security. Only 10% of the population in Rwanda is covered by social insurance scheme. The biggest share of the contributors is public servants followed by a small portion of the private/individual contributors. In 2018, in an effort to extend social security to the informal economy, the government of Rwanda introduced and piloted a new social security scheme that responds to the needs of the informal sector. The long term saving scheme known as “Ejo Heza” intends to guarantee a smooth income flow for the poor Rwandan population in their old age and improving the quality of life during retirement.

Poverty levels and levels of vulnerability in Rwanda vary by region, age, gender and education background. Data shows that young people under 21 years of age and adults beyond 60 years are prone to poverty than any other population group. Gender differences in poverty levels in Rwanda are significant where by female headed households experience poverty more than male headed households. Factors that contribute to this situation include women’s engagement in unpaid care and domestic work, low levels of education which puts women at risk of being disadvantaged in the labor market, sustained effects of Gender based violence, and limited access to and use of productive resources etc. These factors and many others put women at a risk of experiencing poverty compared to their counterparts. Despite the fact that poverty levels in Rwanda tremendously declined in the last decade, a significant segment of the population remains in poverty where majority are women. However, a positive trend in poverty reduction among female headed households was recorded as significant with 4.4 percentage points within a period of four years attributed from a reduction in poverty from 43.9 percent in 2013/14 to 39.5 percent in 2016/17. Similarly, a decline in extreme poverty among female headed households was recorded from 19.5 percent in 2013/14 to 17.8 percent in 2016/17. On the other hand numbers of female headed households categorized under moderate poor declined from 24.4 percent to 21.7 percent.  

VUP is the vast non-contributory social protection programme launched in 2008 to respond to worrying poverty trends reported in the country at the time. The programme is a means tested and financed through domestic taxation. VUP has three components that target different categories of poor household’s depending on their levels of vulnerability. Component (1) is Direct Support (DS) programme eligible for poor elderly household heads with no capacity to work. Component (2) is a public works programme. This is a short-term programme for identified poor households in Ubudehe category 1 and 2 eligible to the household whose household head has the capacity to work. Component (3) is financial services. The programme provides poor households in Ubudehe category (1, 2 and 3) low interest loans to invest in income generating activities.

Existing data shows that there are more female beneficiaries of VUP than males. The number of beneficiaries increased over the years under component 1 and 2 except for financial services which slightly reported a decline on enrollments. Under VUP direct support, female beneficiaries accounted for 60.4 percent in 2013/14. The programme reported an increase in the number of beneficiaries to 64.4 percent in 2016/17. Under public works programme, female beneficiaries accounted for 54.7 percent of VUP beneficiaries in 2013/14 while the numbers increased slightly to 56.4 percent in 2016/17. However, data shows a slight decreased in the proportion of female participants of VUP financial services from 55.9 percent in 2013/14 to 51.2 percent.

Among other demographic variations in VUP beneficiaries, 65.9 percent of recipients of VUP were female headed households in 2013/14. The number slightly increased to 67.8 percent in 2016/17. However, disparities in enrollment under public works remain unpleasant. The percentage of female household head participating in VUP public works was reported as low as 24.7 percent in 2013/14. In 2016/17 however, the number of female headed households participating in VUP public works almost doubled to 45.4 percent as a result of the newly adopted gender inclusion guidelines on VUP programme. Further, data shows gender disparities in VUP financial services. Only 16.6 percent of participants of VUP financial services were females. The numbers were reported as constant in the 2016/17.

In Rwanda, VUP has proved to have positive impact on household material well-being in the short term. According to Integrated Households Conditions Survey 2017 (EICV5), VUP beneficiaries reported that cash transfer enables them to acquire basic household needs such as food, caters for household affiliation to health insurance and financing education for their children. Social protection programmes also advance women’s empowerment in managing resources directly given to them. The programme has also contributed significantly to household asset accumulation such as livestock specifically among VUP direct support beneficiaries. Studies shows that provision of basic social assistance transfer to poor households with young children and a modest pension to the elderly population could reduce poverty incidence by 40%, and the programme was reported as a major contributor towards achievement of the first round of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The EICV5 VUP report shows the breakdown changes in the VUP status on household conditions and poverty transition. 38.9 percent of VUP participants enrolled on (DS) VUP in 2014 were poor. By 2017, only 20.6 percent of (DS) beneficiaries maintained their poverty status after enrolling on the programme for fours years. The results shows that 18.3 percent of (DS) beneficiaries dropped out of poverty within the period of four years. The reported number of beneficiaries who graduated out of poverty is not dis-aggregated by gender but the important aspect in the equation is that 64.4 percent of beneficiaries under VUP direct support programmes are females which mean that female beneficiaries of VUP direct support benefited significantly from the programme. Further analysis reveals change in household consumption expenditure among (DS) beneficiaries. In 2014, 46.5 percent of beneficiaries recorded an increase in welfare in 2014. The number had increased to 55.9 percent by 2017 for all those beneficiaries who enrolled on the programme until 2017.

Among other livelihood indicators reported include acquisition of basic economic necessities such as asset accumulation. 20.8 percent of beneficiaries of VUP direct support owned a mobile phone, 30.8 percent owned a radio, 0.7 percent owned a TV set, while 79.2 percent engaged in poultry farming and livestock keeping and more than 90 percent owned a saving account. Through the multi-sector integrated programmes, the EICV 5 reported that 36.6 percent of female headed households received additional public income support excluding (VUP).  Given the description of (DS) beneficiaries old and unable to work, only 0.8 percent engaged in productive work while 0.1 percent engaged in off-farm jobs. Another appealing statistics is that 57 percent of (DS) supported households maintained the number of their household size between 2014 and 2017 which reduces the burden of spending on family. In the previous section we saw that 18.3 percent of DS beneficiaries dropped out of poverty. The EICV5 VUP report present reasons that justify dropout of beneficiaries from the VUP programme. 43.2 percent of VUP beneficiaries reported to have moved to another  (Upper level of Ubudehe group) as the leading cause. Meaning that the beneficiaries of the programme are no longer poor or they graduated out of poverty.

VUP program presents sound evidence not only for smoothing household income during economic shocks but also presents future investments that tackles inter-generational poverty and inequalities. However, the programme has several challenges among which sustaining poor households from falling back into poverty remains a complex puzzle. In addition, immediate results achieved and reported could be weighed as short term benefits and not sustained solutions to eradicate poverty. However the short term results achieved are so important to the extreme poor households because they gain minimum level of resources to meet their basic needs. In the long run however livelihood support programmes such as education and health may positively contribute to the graduation of poor households from poverty.  The good news is that eradicating poverty in Rwanda is a government priority set out in the current national strategy for transformation and the long term Vision2020 development programme. A minimum package programme under VUP has also been piloted to test a defined package of assistance which is need to end poverty among the extreme poor households.