The project objectives are:
1. Increased citizen participation in local government decision making and problem solving
Citizen interest and participation in local government remains weak, despite the recent moves towards decentralization. Taking into account the upcoming elections, CARE proposes to strengthen CSOs with institutional support and also to carry out a civic education campaign. A greater awareness of civic education issues will result in increased direct citizen involvement with local government and also increased opportunities for CSOs to better represent their constituents.
2. Assist in mobilizing popular participation through the development of a supportive environment for civil society
Through increasing interaction between the state and civil society, following community-level civic education, local government will have developed stronger links with provincial and district CSOs, thus helping to develop mutual understanding. Citizens will also be able to participate themselves in the town hall meetings and to see how CSOs can represent their interests. These activities will be covered by the mass media, so that larger parts of the population will learn about how state and civil society can interact more effectively.
Expected results are:
ï‚· Increase of 50% of citizen's knowledge of democratic processes and behaviors
ï‚· Increased turnout at town hall meetings over the two-year period
ï‚· Increase of 30% in citizen's awareness of national government issues and activities
ï‚· Increased use of CSO services
ï‚· Increase of 10% of membership dues (or annual budget) within each organization as a result of expansion of membership base
ï‚· Increased indirect contact between national, provincial and local government official and their constituents.
ï‚· Increased in number of successful actions taken by citizens trained in civic education or in local government affairs
C. Project Design and Approach
This project supports civil society groups that aim to increase citizen participation in local decision making. By mobilizing citizen participation around local problems and then engaging with Community Development Committees (CDCs), women and youth councils, and elected officials, CSOs will encourage citizens to overcome their traditional passivity and, at the same time, will invite local government to begin to demonstrate its commitment to respond to citizen demands. The CSOs will have increased contact with grassroots organizations and communities, that they claim to represent, and more opportunities to represent these communities during discussions and negotiations with other CSOs and government representatives.
As shown in the figure below, CARE’s approach to strengthening civil society has three key elements :
ï‚· Building organizational capacity and strengthening institutions and increasing the effectiveness and synergy between these institutional actors for the benefit of individual citizens;
ï‚· Promoting the inclusion of poor disenfranchised and marginalized citizens in CSOs and their relations with government and the private sector.
ï‚· Supporting mechanisms for dialogue and advocacy between the three sectors of society.
Each component of this civil society strengthening project is key to the success of the others and reinforces each other:
ï‚· Institutional support to partner organizations underpins all the work carried out through this project. Umbrella organizations and their member organizations must have the capacity to advocate on behalf of their constituents and to represent the concerns of their members during discussions with government.
ï‚· Civic education will be used as a tool to educate and motivate the Rwandan population. Without active, informed and engaged citizens who know how to exercise their rights and responsibilities, CSOs will lose their legitimacy, and governments will lose their commitment to accountability.
ï‚· Mechanisms for dialogue and advocacy will bring together the government, civil society and citizens. While the project can physically create opportunities for dialogue and increase media coverage, citizens will need to feel it is their right to attend, CSOs must be able to contribute at a provincial as well as national level, and government officials will need to feel its their duty to attend and meet their constituents.
