Rwandan returnees to undergo civic education
All Rwandan returnees will undergo Civic Education before they are reintegrated into their communities, effective from this January 2013.
This program starts with those who have returned this month with the great majority from the Democratic Republic of Congo
According to United Nations High Commission for Refugees, Rwanda has received over 10.000 returnees by January, 2013 and hosts more than 43.000 refugees from the DR Congo.
Statistics indicates that more than 90% of returnees had fled the country in 1994. Therefore, after 19 years in exile, returnees find that the society has been fundamentally transformed especially in terms of development and Governance.
The program will be implemented in partnership with the National Civic Education Program (Itorero ry’igihugu), the Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugees Affairs, who are developing practical modalities framework through which the civic education for returnees will be started as soon as possible.
The program is aimed at enabling the returnees to have a common understanding on national programs regarding Economic Development, Good Governance, Social welfare, Justice; to familiarize with fundamental changes that happened in the country in the areas of decentralization to enable a smooth assimilation of the local government system and collaboration with local leaders in order to facilitate their reintegration once in their community.
Through this training the returnees are expected to understand their fundamental responsibilities and rights as Rwandan citizens, know various developmental programs aiming at fighting against poverty like joining cooperatives and associations, banking as well as working with micro-finance institutions so that they may be able to create their own income generating activities, and getting relevant and useful information in the areas of social welfare, education, health, sanitation, nutrition among others.
The Ministry of Disaster Management and refugees Affairs (MIDIMAR) took this decision with the aim to explain to returnees various Governments’ programs and provide them with relevant information about positive changes that have occurred regarding developmental programs and social welfare of Rwandans, during the long period they spent in exile.
The civic education program is therefore expected to facilitate effective reintegration of returnees and enable them to adapt themselves to the rhythm of working of other Rwandese they find in their communities.
During those trainings, returnees will be introduced to the overview of the national values and programs as offered through the National Civic Education Programs (Itorero ry’Igihugu) to different categories of the Rwandan population.
These programs will be also an opportunity to identify the main challenges that can impact on the effective reintegration of returnees and find out suitable solutions.
