PICO RWANDA: 2016 HIGHLIGHTS – MUMEYA

Rwanda is held up as a model of economic development and empowerment. That is true. It is also critiqued for its top-down approach, where falling in line is the norm. PICO Rwanda embodies a different, bottom-up approach that demands space for ordinary people to determine their own priorities and hold government officials accountable. When leaders persevere, they can make government work for them and undertake projects for the common good.
In 2016, water flowed for the first time in rural Mumeya. “After building our clinic, we realized we could not have a good life without water. We used to fetch water from far away. Kids and old people were suffering diarrhea from drinking that water,” says Poline, a long-time Mumeya leader. It took five years to pressure government and secure funds for pipes and tanks, which community members installed. ”Now, our clinic and our villages have water and electricity. All of us are happy.” This year, Poline and other leaders will open a welding school to provide training for young people of their villages.