Page 33 - 15 years of TI-Rwanda experience : citizen engagement as the driver to fight against corruption

32 Transparency International Rwanda Transparency International Rwanda 33

Raising awaReness Raising the Voices of

citizens: Outreach programs in rural areas of Rwanda

itizens who live far away from our ALAC listen to their experiences and personal stories Today, 26th May 2018, around Through our research at TI-RW,
centers might not be aware of our anti- and specially to create a platform where local 7 am, my colleague from we always find new evidences
Ccorruption movement nor of the possibility authorities and citizens have the opportunity to In 2017: GIZ and I are heading north of corruption related issues and
to report corruption in our ALACs. Therefore, meet and discuss. to Musanze District, Busogo major gaps of awareness’s and
TI-RW organizes outreach activities in remote 5100 Sector. Around 20 000 citizens take them up in our Outreach
areas on a regular basis. The day following the One week before the outreach, we have live in Busogo, a district just at activities. Today it is the first
outreach activity, citizens have the opportunity already prepared the materials for the outreach, the foot of the volcanoes and time that we will talk about it
to report corruption or cases of injustice to one informed our volunteers in the villages (CCCs) participants about 4 hours away from Kigali. at Sector level and I am already
member of the TI-RW team during the so called and ALAC coordinators in the sectors. One We have just left Kigali and I curious to see reactions of
“Legal Mobile Clinics”. important preparatory task is to write a letter to am calling one of our ALAC citizens and whether we can
the Mayor of the District and copy the Governor coordinators to confirm that initiate a discussion on this
An outreach activity is more than standing in of the Province and Executive Secretary of we have left Kigali on time. She topic.
front of people and talking to them! Here, we Sector, informing them about the activity and informed me that in Busogo,
take you with us to one day of outreach activity: to make sure in advance that no other activities they have started to prepare the After picking up our ALAC
are planned at Sector level which may limit sound system and benches in Coordinator from our Musanze
“It is just at the end of the rainy season, the first the attendance of citizens. We want to make an open space for community Office near the market, we are
time in the year when my colleagues and I from our activity as transparent as possible and also meetings. heading to Busogo Sector, it is
TI-RW spread out to various Sectors in Rwanda involve the local governments in this activity. 1970 3130 cold but the sun is just coming
for our outreach activities. It is in this period of We are entering the District of out – perfect for gathering
the year, when we reach out to the citizens to Musanze and I have finished to citizens outside. The Sector
inform about the consequences of corruption, go through my notes again. This officers are there, the CCCs
existing mechanisms to report corruption, to 188 complaints year, we have a new and very have started to play some music
received in 12 sensitive topic on the agenda: to attract citizens who have
Gender-Based-Corruption.
not arrived and to entertain
Sectors those who have arrived. This
time, about 1500 citizens
participated!

Together Against Corruption Together Against Corruption