HOME GROWN APPROACHES

• Ingando : Taken from the Rwandese verb “Kugandika” that refers to halting normal activities to reflect on, and find solutions to existing challenges. Ingando have been used at various levels of the community enhance citizenship for peace building and economic prosperity.

Ingando for Students going to university

These forums of civic education have facilitated the smooth reintegration of former returnees including X-FAR armies, sexual workers, and provisional released prisoners back into their communities. Ingando have also been organized for a cross section of Rwandan youth, women, students, teachers and community leaders.

Held at grassroots levels have facilitated Rwandans to come to terms with the past by facing history, forging a common vision for a united future, and created a forum for trust building and critical analysis of national challenges with a view to search for solutions to address them.

NURC Executive Secretary at Ingando for former sexual workers

Ingando for released Prisoners constructing houses for victims of genocide

2. GACACA: A traditional Rwandan conflict and disputes resolution procedure designed to be participatory and reconciliatory justice has been renovated and used to deal with a backlog of genocide cases. Inyangamugayo (Persons of integrity) taken from the local community make up the jury of that traditional jurisdiction.

Rwandan Prime minister attending a Gacaca court

The accused standing before the Gacaca court

A witness delivering testimony

3. ABUNZI : Community mediators. They are elected by the population on the basis of integrity to resolve day to day conflicts before referring them to conventional courts. This has reduced the number of cases that would otherwise have to go to conventional court, and has reinforced unity and reconciliation.

Residence in a village participate in the mediation session

4. NJYANAMA (Advisory Council), Elected democratic Councils that promote inclusion, participation and representation of Rwandans of all categories. They are used as forums for articulating interests, concerns in problem identification, planning and implementation of plans, programs and projects from village to district levels. They are a simplified community parliament.  

Advisory Council  

5. ABAKANGURAMBAGA: Community reconciliation Volunteers after a one week training in conflict resolution skills and community empowerment.

6. UBWISUNGANE (solidarity) E.g. Reconciliation, cooperatives, health insurance and micro-credit schemes.

7. UBUDEHE : An approach of community support and solidarity used in poverty reduction.

8. UBUSABANE: Get together festivals aimed at fostering unity, reconciliation and promoting partnership among communities.

8. UBUSABANE: Get together festivals aimed at fostering unity and reconciliation and promoting among communities.

9. GUTARAMA : Entertainment through history, proverbs, songs, dance, poems, intergenerational dialogue between young and old aimed at enhancing unity and learning about Rwandan culture.

10. UMUGANDA: A traditional community support to both individual and national cause has been revived in the interest of national reconstruction. This support comes in form of general cleaning, tree planting, road works, building houses for vulnerable groups, construction of schools, health centers etc.

Residents plant trees

 11. Community and National Dialogue

12. Children pose a photo with President Kagame after a 2 days children’s summit

LESSONS LEARNT.  

• Political will and leadership commitment are very critical to capacity building for peace.
• Analysis of the root causes of conflicts is critical;
• Community inclusion and participation create ownership of national undertaking ;
• Education and popular participation in debates of national interests is empowering in conflict transformation;
• Ownership without capacity is always a recipe for unrealizable dreams;
• Capacity without a clear vision can only be a wasted opportunity.
• Unity and reconciliation is a cross-cutting endeavor, thus requiring holistic action and involvement of every stakeholder;
• Home grown approaches are empowering less cost effective and sustainable.
• Capacity building for human resources and institutional development leads to sustainable peace building;
• National, regional and international enhancement of common front to conflicts resolution and early warning systems is an important tool in sustainable peace building;
• Flexibility of donor support, aid coordination and enhancing local capacities is the key to post conflict capacity development for peace building.

Future perspectives 

• Continue to provide a platform for Rwandans to express their views;
• Document the best practice;
• Advocacy role for social justice;
• Reinforce partnerships & network with different stakeholders;
• Encourage and support reconciliation initiatives and clubs.

KOBUKYEYE Frank

Director – Peace building and Conflict management