Over 400 land-related disputes were peacefully resolved in Kayonza and Nyagatare districts of the Eastern Province in just 18 months. This was announced Wednesday, during a workshop organised by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Kigali to mark the conclusion of their two and a half year project tagged ‘Promoting Peace through Land Dispute Management’. Jean Garland, USAID’s Office Director for Democracy and Governance, said the successful completion of the project will inform their future work in the area of land-dispute resolution. “USAID will continue to engage with development stakeholders, and we will share relevant lessons and recommendations from this project to reduce land-related conflicts in Rwanda.” The Rwf821 million initiative was funded by USAID through the Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation (CMM) and implemented by Landesa, an international NGO, in partnership with the National Women’s Council, Haguruka, and Search for Common Ground. It aimed at contributing to a more peaceful society by increasing awareness of women’s land rights and mitigating land-related conflicts. The project, which started in May 2014, concentrated on resolving land disputes in the Eastern Province through its representatives across all 26 sectors of Kayonza and Nyagatare districts who visited villages to provide information about women’s land rights and help resolve land-related disputes. Preliminary evaluation data and findings included discussion of relevant lessons and recommendations for development stakeholders. According to Karina Kloos, a research and evaluation specialist from Landesa, more than one-third of local authorities surveyed in Kayonza and Nyagatare reported that land disputes between spouses occurred very often with 40 per cent reporting that the disputes severely affected their communities. The project team focused on building local capacity for dispute resolution by training National Women’s Council members to serve as Community Resource Persons (CRPs) who facilitate the peaceful resolution of land-related conflicts through giving advice and informing the citizens about the land law. Rose Mukantwali, one of the beneficiaries of the project, said it not only helped them to settle land disputes but also stabilised their families through solving property related disputes. “The project has helped my family. I and my husband had disputes since he would lease out our land without my consent. This resulted into hunger in the family. When I complained, he would reply by beating me. Then I approached CRP, who advised my husband about my rights as a wife as regards our property. My husband understood and I am now part of the decision making process,” the mother of nine said. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
