EXECUTIVE Secretaries from Nyarugenge, Nyanza and Karongi districts were yesterday sensitized on achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

This comes at a time when world leaders will be meeting in New York, September 20 – 22, to review and accelerate the progress towards achieving the MDGs, ten years since they were set.

This MDGs awareness campaign was spearheaded by the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) Rwanda chapter.

GCAP is an international non-governmental organisation that works on anti-poverty campaigns as well as campaigns related to MDGs.

Speaking to The New Times, the Campaigns and Communications Assistant in GCAP, Antoine Niyitegeka, said that the campaign involving local leaders is aimed at raising public awareness on the MDGs.

"We want local leaders to understand and fully own the progress of MDGS in Rwanda, and to remind local leaders about their accountability and responsibility in achieving the MDGs and implementing government development programs,” said Niyitegeka.

Speaking to the local leaders, the GCAP country coordinator, Rene Niyonteze, said that the achievement of the goals has to begin with the leaders at the grassroots level who will, in turn, teach them to the people.

"You cannot implement something you don’t understand, so local leaders need to know what MDGs are, so that they can be able to accelerate their implementation with the help of the people they lead.

The eight Millennium Development Goals, whose achievement was set for 2015, form a blueprint agreed to by all countries and the world’s leading development institutions.

The Eight MDGs include; eradicating extreme poverty and hunger,  achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing child mortality rate, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS e.g. malaria and other diseases,  ensuring environmental sustainability, developing a global partnership for development.

These have stimulated unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world’s poorest.

Rwanda has been hailed for her progress in the areas of health, gender promotion, environmental protection, education for all and poverty reduction.

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