The United Nations resident coordinator for Rwanda this week called on civil society organizations to provide meaningful contribution toward the country’s sustainable development. He urged them to up their game and serve as reliable partners in the nation-building process.

Speaking during the same event – the closure of a two-day training workshop for civil society leaders in Rwamagana District – the chief executive of Rwanda Governance Board, Prof. Anastase Shyaka, cited a damning survey which showed a near-absence of civil society groups in the countryside.

The survey, conducted by society organizations themselves about a year ago, indicated that only least than 30 per cent of these organizations had a presence in rural areas.

It is indeed telling that more than 70 per cent of civil society organizations in the country limit their operations to urban centres, yet at least 75 per cent of Rwandans live in rural areas.

With nearly 1400 nongovernment and faith-based organizations operating in Rwanda, it is fair to say that if their activities were evenly spread, they would be reaching a large number of citizens, if not all.

However, the current situation leaves a lot to be desired as so many citizens hardly benefit from the work of CSOs.

Civil society organizations are not only vehicles for advocacy but also influence policy and impact on the general well-being of the population.

But they can hardly do meaningful advocacy if they are unaware of the real challenges facing the ordinary folk, especially in the remote countryside, let alone lobbying decision-makers and subsequently influencing policy.

The Government of Rwanda and the One UN – with support from several other development partners – mobilize an estimated $1 million every year to finance CSOs with sound project proposals to help uplift the living conditions of the people and thus deliver on their core mandate.

Rather than sit back and assume that they are doing advocacy on behalf of the people – over matters they are hardly informed about – civil society organizations need to leverage the evident goodwill from government and development partners to build their own capacity, roll out relevant projects and reach out to the people.

Anything less will only serve to make them less and less relevant.