The Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion has developed a programme to educate spouses to amicably solve issues that have in the past resulted into family break-ups.This is also aimed at enabling parents to fully take on their responsibilities in taking good care of their children as well as providing for their families.The drive is designed to train parents’ representatives at district level who will then pass on the skills to their counterparts at the sector and cell levels.“We are now conducting trainings countrywide for those who will kick start the programme; and one of the strategies we have taken to ensure that we achieve our mission is to have a clear work plan and monitoring team to check on the implementation,” the Director General in the ministry, Alfred G Karekezi, said.The training sessions that started in Kigali are being extended to other districts countrywide. The programme which has already started in the Northern Province targets five representatives from each district.Karekezi explained that the programme is in line with the ministry’s strategy to strengthen and build strong families as well as prepare the youth on how best to handle marriage issues.“Unlike in the past, when people had enough lectures about marriage, especially from their elders, before getting into it, you find that this time, some young people have not got the chance to get such lectures,” he said.This, he said, is one of the major factors that has resulted into family break-ups since partners cannot amicably solve the challenges they face. He said that separation or divorce is not a solution to the problems partners encounter in a marriage. Various modules have been prepared to guide the process. These cover health issues, family planning, Gender Based Violence (GBV), family development work plan strategies and family values, among others.Meanwhile, this year’s “Family Campaign” will among others focus on what families are doing in order to achieve their obligations in the family performance contracts they signed.“Peaceful families that coordinate and work together are more likely to achieve their goals and this simply means that the performance in their “Performance Contracts” have much to tell about the family situation,” Emanuel Nzaramba , the Director of Family Promotion Unit in the ministry of Family and Gender Promotion said on Tuesday during a preparatory meeting.Last year, the ministry launched the campaign with the aim of strengthening family values as one of the key strategies to encourage heads of families to take on their responsibilities in building strong families.This year, the campaign will be held under the theme, “Promote Rwandan cultural values to strengthen families”. It will be launched in Ruhango District, Southern Province. The month long campaign will see various activities carried out from national to cell level.
