Why the Agaciro Fund could be our path to inspiration

Agaciro Development Fund is a noble idea. One cannot miss good intentions even in the name given to the fund (‘agaciro’ loosely translates to ‘dignity’ in Kinyarwanda). Its time has come. No wonder Rwandans and friends of Rwanda have all joined in enthusiastically without much persuasion. Just the other day Kenyans started their kitty to fundraise for agaciro during their national day celebrations.There are many benefits that accrue from this way of doing things. Let us group them into four batches for simplicityDirect benefits: the immediate benefit is that we get to have the much needed funds right away. This is huge for obvious reasons. Then there is the coming together of Rwandans towards a common cause. This solidarity can never be underestimated in nation building. It is the very engine that builds the nation, synergistically but sometimes even literally. Indirect benefits: These tend to be more psychological and thus intrinsic. Nonetheless, you ignore matters of the head (psychological) at your own peril. Everything begins with the mind. The way the mind is conditioned is crucial to success of failure. Agaciro Development Fund, going forward is a good way to nurture chutzpah (‘can do’ spirit). We need a dose of audacity. You can only do something if, in the first place, you believe that you can. People tend to believe more in what they see (remember the phrase seeing is believing?). Through proper management and prudent usage of Agaciro funds we might just get our people fired up. The most important lesson we get from Agaciro is that we are ultimately responsible for our destiny. And this goes beyond sloganeering, you get to put your money where your mouth is. This is a truism that we have tried to run away from through foreign aid – grants and loans. However, the beauty of this truism is that it is the basis of dignity and independence. We need to walk this path.Short/medium term benefits- Like most developing nations, we are encumbered by the demon of aid dependency. In the short to medium terms, Agaciro Development Fund reduces dependency on aid as it helps fill in the funding gaps. Hopefully, there will be room for innovation along the way. More work will be needed to, as Colin Powell would put it, ‘win hearts and minds’. Everyone needs to be clear about the fund. This is something that should not be presumed. Hopefully, when agaciro projects and programmes are in place, this education will be easier to conduct and there will be more ownership by abaturage (citizens). There is the temptation of coercion by the local administration in the process of facilitating voluntary contributions for quicker results. It must be resisted; coercion would be counterproductive and actually sabotage this noble cause. Perhaps going forward, districts, sectors and cells could also identify projects and apply the agaciro spirit at such basic levels. It would definitely be a big boost to the fund.Long-term benefits- Agaciro has the capacity to nurture and sustain being dreams. It could be the springboard we need to be able to dream bigger and be inspired. This is because it sets a new normal. It is going to change what we think is ordinarily possible. With the arrival of the new possibilities – the new normal – ntabwobishoboka (it is impossible) might just fly out of our lexicon. Birashoboka (it is possible) might as well be the buzzword from now on. Be fired up!By the way, maybe it could be just me, but don’t you think that the rondpoint (roundabout at Remera-Kisimenti) is a little too plain? It could accommodate a clock or something. In fact, we could use more clocks around the city given our rather atrocious time keeping.