Global Grassroots

We wish to thank you for your invaluable support this past year.  Following is a quarterly field report on the work that Kind People has been doing to fight for women's rights:

Kind People has gone to six communities thus far to facilitate trainings about the laws protecting the family and the mutual benefits of legal marriage. By promoting women's rights to property through legal marriage, they are advancing equality and reducing oppression and gender-based violence.  Kind People has trained 105 couples in six cellules so far, including couples from Buhanda, Karambi, Nyakago, Muyunzwe, Rwesero and Munanira cells. Their first training took place in Buhanda and Karambi in July. It was officially opened by the executive leader of the sector. The second training happened in September in Nyakogo and Muyunzwe. The third session of training in Rwesero and Munanira was held in November. This month the team will purchase a motorcycle to serve as a moto taxi to generate revenue for the team's operations, while providing for their own transporation for visiting and assisting women throughout the region.

We at Global Grassroots extend our deepest gratitude for your support in enabling our graduates' venture, Kind People, to do this important work fighting for women's rights. This past year, Kind People was sponsored by a donor, Maura Shaughnessy and her family, and so we will be retiring this venture from the GlobalGiving system.  

We invite you to continue to support our programs for the benefit of other teams of women change agents throughout Rwanda and Uganda.  You can learn more about our core social venture incubaltor, the Academy for Conscious Change here:http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/conscious-social-change/.   

Thank you and warm wishes to your friends and families.

We wish to thank you for your invaluable support this past year.  Following is a quarterly field report direct from the team on the work that the Association de la Promotion de la Femme et l'Enfant Rwandais (APROFER) has been doing to fight gender-based violence and women's rights to property within the family... 

(1) After conducting a baseline survey, we trained 70 people that included 25 couples, 5 widows, 5 future married couples, and 5 local leaders who would spread that knowledge in their neighborhood. 

(2) At the beginning of the training, trainees gave their suggestions about what they wanted to learn, which was incorporated into the training.  The following are the topics on the agenda of the training:

-          Human rights and women’s rights,  in particular

-          Gender equality and couples' relations

-          Responsibilities and rights of legally married partners

-          Domestic violence

 Below are the suggestions from trainees:

-          To talk about the relationship between couples that would prevent domestic violence

-          To have good relationships with neighbors and be patient

-          How a family can work together towards its economic development

-          How to manage family assets and what the law says about succession (property rights after death)

-          To prepare nutritious meals

Then, we met our trainees to see together how to approach families that have experienced violence related to family asset management.

(3) We picked our beneficiaries under recommendations from focal points, local leaders, and churches.

(4) Trained families are being visited by our focal points to measure the impact of the training. Every six months our focal points make a report evaluating how our trainees are implementing what they learnt.

We hold public debates and discussions that lead our communities to work together to improve the well-being of a family. We have in total 60 families that conduct these public debates and discussions, including 30 families that serve as focal points. Focal points are the best couples that have received training. These families train other people in their Umudugudu (village) and cells (neighborhood). There are some who train future married couples in partnership with Nyange Catholic parish.  

(5) The challenges we have faced this quarter include:

-  We did not find all the needed instructional books about family law, but we got six books from “Reseaux de femme”. We are planning to apply for additional books from a local organization called Haguruka.

-  Local people as well as local leaders have asked us to expand our training program in the community; up to the district level, in order to reach more people. We have limited financial means though, but continue to work to raise funds locally.

(6) We are designing a proposal to apply for a grant from INGOBOKA Fund, so that we can continue our work of fighting violence in our community.  INGOBOKA Fund intervenes with fast aid to victims of violence in an emergency, while victims are waiting for other assistance.

We at Global Grassroots extend our deepest gratitude for your support in enabling our graduate's venture, APROFER, to do this important work in educating families, couples and the local community on women's rights to ownership and decision-making over family property, including land, homes and household resources.  This work enables women to care for themselves and protect themselves and their children from vulnerability and violence. 

We invite you to continue to support our work for the benefit of APROFER and other teams of women change agents throughout Rwanda.  Thank you and warm wishes to your friends and families. 

We wish to thank you for your invaluable support this past year.  Following is a quarterly field report direct from the team on the work that Have Pity and Compassion has been doing to fight gender-based violence and women's rights to property within the family... 

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(1) In the last three months, we have served 80 more couples from four sectors Kigarama, Gishweru, Mutara, and Nyabibugu.

(2) As we have finished our training, we are in process of following up and finding out the impact of our training concerning conflicts related to refusing women to have access to family property:

• In Kigarama: We found out that 15 out of 20 trained couples have applied what they learnt from our training. We are still visiting and checking the challenges that they face in order to overcome them.  
• In Gishweru:  We found out that 16 out of 20 trained couples applied what they learnt from our training, and many have made remarkable positive change. We are still visiting and checking the challenges that they face in order to overcome them. 
• In Mutara: Our volunteers in partnership with the National Women Council committee members visited 20 families and there is a great change except in one family. 
• In Nyabibugu: all the trainees live in good relationship, except one family that is still having conflicts. 

(3) We selected couples that experience domestic violence referring to recommendations from local leaders.

(4) In general, the law about having access to family property among couples, gifts, and succession is now well understood in our community. Now, people are approaching us whenever there is a misunderstanding or conflict in relation to this law in order to ask for our advice.

• There is an old widow in the Umudugudu (village) of Ntongwe in Nyabibugu cell whose brother was denying her to have the rights to their family’s land. The woman reported her case to local leaders, and asked for advice from some of our trainees about what the law says about that case. Finally she defended herself showing articles that allow her to access that land and she got it. 
• Mostly, women come to us before going to the leaders in charge, whenever they think that their rights are being violated. We tell them what the law allows them or not. It helps them to understand well whether they need to report their case or not.  
• This spring, our trained youth met and talked about the following two main topics: 
  • The impact of the training that they received
  • How to help their families as well as their neighbors in case there is conflicts

That afternoon, youth gave testimonials about conflicts that they have noticed in their community. Then, they shared ideas on how they can proceed, in order to positively contribute to resolve conflicts in their communities. Some were thinking that it is inappropriate to advise their elders; but they all ended up by deciding that no matter how young they are, they should not stay inactive when there is a social issue in their neighborhood. Our trainees especially youth are working hard in advocacy for people whose rights are being violated in our community.

(5) In the next 3 months we are planning to do the following activities:

• To elect a core committee for households in an additional four sectors, so that we can easily conduct workshops with them.
• We are planning to hold trainings and debates in the children’ committee.
• We also plan to organize public discussions in cellules, before starting to perform sketches.  

 (6) Challenges and how to overcome them:

• When we visited our trainees some couples lied to us saying that they have changed, but when talking to one partner alone we would discover that there was no improvement.
• In some families, violence has strengthened its roots and it will take a long time to change. We have identified some of these families and sent the list to local authorities, so that we can work together to help and prevent those families from tragedies like killing each other, etc.

 (7) Wishes and thanksgivings

• We need more instructional materials about reproductive health, because we figured out that youth want training about that topic
• In addition, we need instructional materials about counseling
• It is so difficult to reach our goal of 100% improvement, as women continue to face violence in our community. Today we would appreciate that in these families women's rights about family property access are being respected, and at the same time we would hear that in other new families conflicts are raised.
• We are still working together to face this issue in our community. Our trainees really appreciate your support, and we also thank you for continuing to help us in different ways.

May peace from God stay with you!

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We at Global Grassroots extend our deepest gratitude for your support in enabling our graduates' venture, Have Pity and Compassion, to do this important work in educating families, couples and the local community on women's rights to ownership and decision-making over family property, including land, homes and household resources.  This work enables women to care for themselves and protect themselves and their children from vulnerability and violence. 

We invite you to continue to support our work for Have Pity and Compassion and other teams of women change agents throughout Rwanda.  Thank you and warm wishes to your friends and families.