Editor,

RE: "Review Umuganda policy – civil society” (The New Times, October 29).

The best way to motivate urban dwellers to participate more in Umuganda is not just by issuing a fine but by better planning so their hands and intellect are used more efficiently during the important monthly community work.

There should be annual Imihigo for Umuganda for each village (and known to most citizens) for things that are meaningful to that community, otherwise people lose interest if the only activity available for an eye doctor is to pick up some leaves yet there are elders in the village who have blurry vision and don’t know the cause.

That’s just an example.

Or you have a big sports executive in the village yet there is no single football/basketball/volleyball field there. In the same village, a banker also lives there with a budget available for corporate social responsibility yet all they are asked to do is to plant flowers during communal work.

I urge the new State Minister for Community Development to put in place an action plan/Imihigo for Umuganda for the 416 sectors in the country with input from us, the citizens. We will then continue to move mountains in the same Agaciro spirit.

Al