Changing lives:Households committed to a brighter futureNYANZA – The recently introduced household performance contracts (Imihigo) will go a long way in improving people’s welfare, the Governor of the Southern Province, Alphonse Munyentwari, told The New Times in an exclusive interview. The Governor explained that the idea to introduce the performance contracts notebook (Ikayi y’Umuryango) rose from the need to improve people’s livelihoods. Launched last month in the province, the programme seeks to engage family members in their own development. The idea is that households will sign performance contracts, committing themselves to specific targets to be achieved over a specific timeframe. Under the programme, households will be presented with a performance notebook, which outlines particular targets, out of which they will then choose which targets to pursue.The idea, which will be rolled out countrywide, was introduced by the Southern Province. According to Munyentwari, the family contracts aim at instilling a culture of competition, excellence and proper planning.Some of the targets listed in the performance notebook include building and maintaining good relationships within the family and in the neighbourhood; enrolling children in school, owning a radio and a mobile phone and practicing family planning. Other targets include owning vegetable gardens, subscribing to community health insurance (Mutuelle de Santé), rearing domestic animals, saving through the community-based SACCOs, increasing crop productivity, and protecting soils against erosion. The family contract notebook also allows individual households to add targets of their own.  "We envisage that once people voluntarily commit to these targets, they will work to meet them,” said the governor. "And, ultimately, this will improve people’s economic productivity and speed up their development”.To ensure fast progress, local government authorities will be conducting regular evaluation sessions aimed at helping residents meet and, possibly, better their targets. Speaking to The New Times, the Mayor of Huye District, Eugene Kayiranga Muzuka, observed there was need to ‘localise’ the contracts. "We are encouraging people to set goals according to their areas of residence. There are targets which are possible to achieve in urban areas but unlikely in rural areas, such as owning a TV set,” Muzuka noted. "This will increase a sense of ownership among the population and lead to better results”. In a previous interview, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Cyrille Turatsinze, said that a policy document on the family performance contracts was being developed, saying it will be approved by the Cabinet before the end of June. He observed that the plan is to have the contracts signed by all families in the country, stating that the initiative will begin with the poorest families.