The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on Friday awarded Rwanda Demobilization and Reintegration Commission (RDRC) the President Award.
RDRC was chosen due to the sustainability, impact and continued efforts toward peacebuilding and reconciliation activities within Rwanda and the Great Lakes region, according to JICA.
Presented annually, the JICA President Award goes to individuals and organisations with outstanding achievements in socio-economic development in developing countries.
"Even though our projects with RDRC ended in 2014, they (RDRC) continued working and also the work being done at Mutobo was applauded by Japanese teachers who were visiting the centre to learn from Rwanda about the peacebuilding process,” Maruo Shin, the Chief Representative of JICA in Rwanda.
After completing the monitoring and evaluation, he elaborated, RDRC emerged as the most partner with great sustainability of its projects which are increasingly showing great impact even beyond Rwanda.
We think that Rwanda through RDRC should also be a lesson to the whole world, he added.
JICA is a Japanese governmental agency that assists with economic and social growth in developing countries, and the promotion of international cooperation.
RDRC said it whilst it doesn’t work for awards, it takes the award as a source of motivation.
"We really appreciate this award which is positive feedback for our work. This award is a motivation and it’s going to help us to keep working tirelessly for the unity and reconciliation of our people,” said Seraphine Mukantabana, Chairperson of RDRC who received the award in the name of Rwandan Government.
She added that the award goes to Rwanda’s current leadership who chose unity and reconciliation as the foundation for the country’s development and also every Rwandan out there for choosing to walk the unity and reconciliation path.
RDRC has worked with JICA with ex-combatants and other people living with disabilities projects which showed that when put together, they (people living with disabilities) can contribute a lot to society.
RDRC is mandated to facilitate the reinsertion and reintegration of former military members within the society.
Through its programmes, RDRC has worked with 82000 ex-combatants.
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