A Spirit of Community

April 28 was the last Saturday of the month. In Rwanda the last Saturday of each month brings the Umuganda - a national communal labour system which has grown into a Rwandan tradition. On that day, everyone in Rwanda is expected to participate in community work.

From early in the morning till about noon no one is allowed to drive their vehicles and businesses are expected to stay closed. Police scan the streets to make sure everyone contributes to the country’s Umuganda. Citizens are given a card to be signed by the authorities to indicate their participation. For the most part, there are no sanctions imposed for absences – the community spirit and the comfort of being part of a larger team appears to be sufficient.

So, people bring their tools and do their share. They sweep the streets, cut the grass, plant the trees or repair the roads. Throughout Rwanda groups of people meet to do their community work. It is said that this practice promotes unity, pride, development and nationalism. On March 1st, residents of Nyankenke Sector in Gicumbi District have even converted their Thursday afternoons dedicated to their recently completed Gacaca

[1] (pronounced Ga-cha-cha) proceedings, into a Umuganda aimed at building shelters for Genocide survivors.[2]

But it’s not all about doing the work. Tuesday May 1st is International Labour Day; a day to celebrate the social and economic achievements of the working class and labor movement. In Rwanda, national celebrations will be held at the Amahoro Stadium[3] in Kigali. It begins at 8:00 o’clock with the arrival of the population and ends at noon with the presentation of certificates and speeches. Everybody is invited to this event. All national celebrations are well attended.

Rwandans value community involvement. It seeds new relationships, ideas and opportunities – concepts that are well understood by the agrarian society. This cultural mindset is well summarized in the country's national motto:

UBUMWE-UMURIMO-GUKUNDA IGIHUGU
Unity, Labour and Patriotism




[1] A form of volunteer based community justice system inspired by tradition to accelerate the adjudication of crimes against humanity arising from the Genocide.
[2] The Times News, Kigali, March 5, 2007.
[3] According to LGen Roméo Dallaire this Stadium held over 12,000 people under his protection during the Genocide.

Photo: Farmland just outside of Kigali, Rwanda. 11.06

Organizational Appetite

According to Webster’s Dictionary the word appetite refers to an inherent craving. We use it mostly to refer to a person’s desire for food but it is can also apply to an organization’s desire for change. Here are a few tasteful parallels about the food we eat and the changes organizations absorb.

.....As in the case of our own appetite for food, an appetite which is too big or too small can result in an unhealthy state or a slow and painful demise.

.....As with the grade of the food we eat, the higher the quality of input, the better the performance.

....As with the taste of the food we eat, the more satisfying the experience, the easier it is to bring others.

...As with the quality of prepared foods we eat, the more it is preprocessed, the higher the risk of crippling absorption.

....As with the timespan for food production, a faster completion cycle does not necessarily contribute to long term sustainability.

....As with the energy in the food we eat, without proper management, the likelihood of energies linking to desired results is next to nil, while the chances of unexpended energies appearing in unwanted places swell

up. Î

Happy Earth Day!

Picture: Shopping mom in Butare, Rwanda 04.04.07

More Rules - or not

Ivan Illich, an Austrian philosopher explains in his work Vernacular Values how society disabled the average person with the emergence of the profession. He argued that in the beginning, people did most on their own, from learning their language to giving birth. Results may have varied but people’s autonomy, empowerment and control saw their best moments.

Principles of quality control, integrity and the protection of individual rights are modern day contributors to the professional specializations. The work performed by about 20 per cent of Canadian professionals has been permanently anchored in a sea of rules.[1] The regulatory framework for professions such as nurses, veterinarian, teachers, electrician, plumber, physiotherapist, medical doctor, engineer including lawyers who write the rules has greatly contributed to the makings of the Canadian workforce, career choices, and human resources practices.

Similarly, legislative policy instruments have a fundamental impact on the way the civil service is organized, controlled and allowed to progress. Since legislation is central to civil service reforms it is absolutely critical that mindful consideration be given to the process, content and long term impact created by proposed changes.

Several elements of a legislative policy instrument are critical to producing desired results. Of importance are:

1. vision led: the rule is clearly linked with the achievement of broader long term outcomes;
2. value rich: the rule is based on values that inspire the implementers to make the change and those affected to support the change;
3. delegation: the framework for decision-makers and decision-making processes relating to interpretation and application of the rule is built to promote the desired change;
4. integration: there is harmony between the rule and what isn’t changed;
5. sustainability: there is sufficient absorption capacity to make the change proposed by the rule;
6. affordability: the cost without rules outweighs the cost with rules plus the cost to make the change proposed by the rule.

[1] Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials , Fact Sheet no. 2 http://www.cicic.ca/en/page.aspx?sortcode=2.17.20#2

Picture: Vientiane, Laos, 2005

A Commemoration

Kigali, April 8, 2007

This week marks the 13th genocide anniversary in Rwanda. Rwandans everywhere in the world commemorate a week of mourning for the victims of the 1994 Genocide. The theme for this year is “Taking Care of Survivors and Fighting for Justice.” This commemoration brings activities planned by the government and several marches displaying banners with the words “Never Again” in Kinyarwanda. Remembering together is comforting and comfort is at the arch of each step forward.

Yesterday I took a very long walk in the city of Kigali. I saw many children. At the top of the list was a fretful toddler sitting on a small rock while the oldest sister poured water over his head with one hand while busily washing him with the other. Preschoolers greeted me with hugs and hand shakes as they crossed my path on the reddish lock stone sidewalks. I saw clothes lay to dry on rocks and cement fences, and several Atraco taxi minibuses filled with people who I am sure appreciate a break from walking long distances on the hilly terrain of Kigali.

Good government, community and business development, sports, dance, arts and crafts, the hands of time and the smiles on people’s faces have all contributed to the healing and the national accomplishments that have gained worldwide recognition. Through it all, these ingredients are but a small visible slice of a formula that created a passion for growth in a nation that had almost disappeared.

Joyeuses Pâques! Happy Easter!

Diane S. Bégin, Kigali, Rwanda

Drape it for Good

Formulas for sustainability provide a window to progress. Here is one draped in a venn diagram:

Ownership: Characterized by stakeholder consultations, bottom up participation, leadership engagement, partnerships, good governance, and pride.

Incentive: Characterized by a pressing need for change, reward and recognition, performance based reward systems, institutionalized reinforcement, empowerment, performance indicators, and value.

Competency: Characterized by multi level change competencies, technical training needs analysis and just-in-time training, blended learning, active lfeedback, lessons learned, and confidence.