Category: Actualités

Women and youth of the Mahama Refugee camp appreciate the project to improve the lives of refugee women by the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace (CEJP), which comforted them and gave them hope for a new life. They ask for its extension because challenges in the camp are still numerous.

This project aims at helping refugee women to come out from problems they face in the camp and strive for a better life.

As explained by Jean Claude GAKWAYA, who is in charge of the project, the activities of this project include helping teenager women to return to school and deal with the trauma they face after giving birth. This project also establishes a way to monitor and listen to them and helps them to prepare small projects for their survive.

This project started on 01/05/2023, and will end on 30/04/2024, and is implemented by the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace (CEJP) in collaboration with the Commission for Justice and peace of the Diocese of Kibungo with the support of the MISSION AACHEN.

During the six months, various activities have been carried out, including training on small business management and implementation; Training counselors on trauma; Training on sexual education and reproductive health and Training on laws related to human rights, especially laws on children and women rights.

120 people have benefited from these trainings so far. They were divided into 5 groups, including: Women suffering from family and war trauma, youth, Families having teenager mothers, teenager mothers and counseling trainers. The members of these groups, in addition to being trained, continue to meet and discuss on projects for their economic development.

Mss Jacqueline Nduwayezu, in charge of the project in the Mahama camp, said that due to the refugee situation, they were facing a lot of problems causing them depression and drugs consumption. He appreciates this project that has brought various activities that give them hope.

He said, “This project has brought many changes. They gave us trainings in different stages which helped us to regain hope for a better life.”

Niyongabo HUGUE, a member of the youth group, said: “The project brought us together as young people, teaching us to love one another and get rid of bad habits. Some of us have started businesses thanks to the savings and loan they got from the groups we have established.”

Mss Consolate BARANYIZIGIYE, the Project Coordinator in the Justice and Peace Commission, said that they are grateful for all the changes brought by this project in the lives of women and youths in Mahama Camp. On the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace (CEJP), he said that the commission need to expand activities for protection of refugees and migrants. Mss Consolate presented his gratitude to MISSIO AACHEN for supporting this project, and made a call to other sponsors for the cause of refugees because the problems in the camp are still numerous.

Depuis le 25 Octobre 2023, les representants de Secours Catholique Caritas France ont rejoint la CEJP Rwanda pour inaugurer le projet regional de lutte contre les violences bases sur le sexe.

Dans une session de trois jours qui a reunit 12 representants des commissions justices et paix du Rwanda, Burundi et la RDC la Caritas France s’est rejouit de l’aboutissement de ce grand projet regional tant attendu.

This September 21st, 2023 Cejp Rwanda joined the world to mark the 21 st International Peace Day.

Father Valens Niragire, the General Secretary of CEJP participated in the celebration on the national level held in the Parliament house.

To mark this day, CEJP sent a video message to the public to call upon each and everyone to take part in the peace building initiatives.

By its interventions Cejp participate in peace building across the country and abroad through different projects of reconcilliation and resilience, projects of human rights protections,fighting against Domestic violence and working for peace education process.

Cejp thank all the sponsors and call upon each and everyone to take part in this commendable work of building lasting peace.

On this Tuesday, September 12, 2023, coordinators and staff of the Justice and Peace Commission’s project aimed at empowering women and encouraging them to participate in decision-making bodies, met in a training session aimed at assessing the progress of this project and the step forward.

This project will last for five years, working in the areas of Nyamagabe and Nyaruguru in the Diocese of Gikongoro and in the area of ​​Rulindo in the Archdiocese of Kigali.

It is a project funded by Trocaire, and has so far 806 beneficiaries in the areas mentioned above.

Father Valens Niragire, the secretary of the justice and peace commission, who launched this training, said that the target of this project is to promote women and change the attitude that makes them afraid to take part in decision-making, both at home, in the society and in other private organisation.

“The purpose of this project is to educate and empower women in many areas of their lives and help them to be part in decision making bodies.” he said.

Talking on the way this project is implemented and the methods used to educate women, Father Valens said, “When we go to talk to them, we first listen to them to know their position on the issue. We also talk to men so that they know that being a real man is not being crual.”

Karigirwa Annonciata, the coordinator of the justice and peace commission in the Archdiocese of Kigali, who is also in charge of monitoring the programs of this project in collaboration with CEJP Rwanda, said that this project came to answer the problem of women was left behind due to culture and other social ideologies.

“There are women who still have the feeling that there are things that concern men that do not concern them. For example, when you go to a meeting, you find that a woman does not go to the meeting because of a lot of work. You ask her and she replies that meetings are attended by men.” She said.

According to him, in this project, women are also helped to know the laws, including those related to the family and those that promote women.

This project is part of the Justice and Peace Commission’s plan to build lasting peace in the community. As the heart of the home, her development is the development of the whole family. This project is expected to last for three years. Even though it only work in three regions, the Commission for Justice and Peace wants to expand to reach all over the country. For this the commission invites partners to bring their support in this important project for the development and well-being of the Community and the Nation.

From this July 24 to July 26, 2023 CEJP Staff together with Gikongoro and Cyangugu CDJp participated in a 3 day workshop on the establishment of safeguarding policy as a very need for the implementation of Gender Based Violences projects.

This workshop has been organised in order to equip the staff of the needed knowledge on sexual violences cases and management as well as the preventive measures.

The first point of the workshop was about the case of sexual abuses and exploitation. After a presentation on different cases, the participants discussed on the way some people fall into sexual abuses and exploitation unknowingly due to the lack of information on the meaning and types of violence.

The participants also highlighted that some cases may be opposing the culture which can give way to some type of abuses.

After talking about cases, the participants have also trained on safeguarding policy where they got essential information on prevention and management of sexual abuses and exploitation.

The training has been organised in order to prepare the execution  of three years project on sexual violences at home and work place which will be implemented in the dioceses of Gikongoro and Cyangugu from 2024.