Tag: HomeNews

The Joint United Nations Office for Human Rights (UNJHRO) expressed concern Wednesday about the security situation prevailing in the territory of Kalehe, in the province of South Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Attacks by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) armed group “Nyatura” causing the displacement of many civilians. This insecurity is always, according to the UNJHRO, a serious threat to the civilian population and the situation of human rights.

In Lubumbashi, Katanga province, from 14 to 16 February 2012, the BCNHDH trained 15 representatives of NGOs on Human Rights and civil society in monitoring and investigative techniques on sexual violence.

Madnodje Mounoubai, civilian spokesman for Monusco indicates that this training is part of the project supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation and was to fight against impunity for sexual violence in a region where many rape cases are “arranged” in an amicable and many victims do not report incidents to the authorities.

Police in Remera, Kigali City, is holding five men in connection with theft of sixteen computers stolen from La Colombiere Secondary School. The recovered computers are valued at over Frw5m.

The arrested suspects have been identified as; Eric Kaneza, Theonest Nizeyimana, Emmanuel Nshimiyimana, Agustin Nzaragira and Jean Pierre Munzege.

According to Police in Remera, they received a tip off from a motorcycle taxi operator (names withheld for security reasons) about the stolen computers that were hidden in Batsinda village at Kagugu cell.

The witness told Police that, he saw several fellow Motorcycle taxi operators in the night of 21st while carrying computers. “They asked me to help them carry the computers”.

The witness agreed to be part of the activity on motive to find out where they store the computers and later report the matter to Police.

Asked how the computers were stolen, Agustin Nzaragira and Jean Pierre Munzege the Garsec security guards also among the arrested suspects said they had no idea how the door was forcefully opened.

Speaking to journalists at Remera Police Station, the Head Mistress Françoise Nyirantagorama lauded Police for helping recover the lost school computers.

“As usual, we locked the classrooms however, the following day, we found the door of the computer laboratory destroyed and discovered that some computers had gone missing”, Nyirantagorama said.

She accuses the security guards to have connived with the thieves to break into the school premises and take off the computers.

Police Spokesperson Superintendent Theos Badege attributed the arrest of the five men to the good collaboration with citizens.

Badege advised the youth to opt for income generating activities rather than engaging in unlawful activities that usually invite trouble.

He advised security guards proprietors to employ trusted people with more integrity.

Roman Catholic Father Juvenal Nsengiyumva, a Rwandan catholic priest in Montreal,Canada will be deported reportedly due to driving under the influence of Alcohol, IGIHE.com has reliably learnt.

The Montreal court ruled that Father Nsengiyumva be deported after finding him guilty of driving under the influence of Alcohol.

Father Nsengiyumva from Musanze District was accused of charged with complicity and inciting violence in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

He was later cleared of all charges after a tough legal battle that extended to his choice of writing to the Vatican seeking help and denouncing the post Genocide government.

Nsengiyumva was ordained in 1992 and served at Ruhengeri Diocese until July 1994. He fled to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) together with several other Catholic priests.

He however, seems to have launched another battle against being deported claiming that his life will be in danger once deported to Rwanda.

members of the Rwandan community in Montreal say that Nsengiyumva is known to give sermons that denounce the current Rwanda government.

In his most recent speeches, Nsengiyumva tells a different story of the genocide in which he blames RPF for the massacres in 1994 that claimed over one million lives.

He arrived in Canada in 1999 where he claimed refugee protection but his claim was rejected.

Rwanda President Paul Kagame has urged world leaders to support smallholder farmers if the world is to achieve sustainable agriculture productivity and environment protection.

Kagame made the call on Wednesday during the 35th session of the Governing Council of the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) held under the theme, “Sustainable smallholder agriculture: feeding the world, protecting the planet”.

He was among the key speakers at the inaugural ceremony of the two-day meeting held at the headquarters of IFAD in Rome, Italy.

“If the world is to meet the twin objectives of feeding the growing population and protecting the environment we will have to do what we know works.” Kagame said. “And that is targeted support and investment in smallholder farming to raise agricultural productivity, contribute to food security and reduce poverty, while protecting our planet.”

Using Rwanda’s experience, the President said that the world’s growing population can get enough food only if smallholder farmers have access to basic modern farming tools including fertilizers, improved seeds and professional advices.

“Over the last five years, a significant increase from smallholder farms has had a noticeable impact on the lives of our citizens. Agricultural GDP has grown at an average of 8 percent ensuring food security and higher incomes for farmers,” he added.

“This has directly resulted in one million Rwandans moving above the poverty line in the same period.”

FAO estimates that 525 million farms exist worldwide, nearly 77 percent of which are small-scale (less than 2 hectares) and occupy about 60 percent of
the world’s arable land.

President Kagame elaborated the importance of smallholder farmers, especially in developing countries, noting that smallholder agriculture remains the source of livelihood and food supply for the majority of the population.

“In that sense every farmer counts none is too small to be ignored,” the President emphasized.

The Head of State told representatives of IFAD member countries that Rwandans are assuming ownership of the agriculture transformation thus working to move away from subsistence farming to market oriented farming.

He singled out a number of home grown initiatives that have turned out to
be important tools for Rwanda’s Development.

The one cow per poor family programme, land consolidation and the crop intensification programme, Kagame pointed out, have contributed to increased agricultural productivity.

“For example between 2007 and 2010, production of maize tripled and that of both wheat and cassava more than doubled.”

The Head of State further stressed that Rwanda’s programs to increase agricultural productivity go hand in hand with environment conservation because it is one of the benchmarks of governance for which leaders at all levels are held accountable.

Despite the progress, President Kagame warned that there is still a long way to go and called for increased investment in “research and new technologies to raise production and productivity and for value addition, especially to staple food crops.”

The President added that there is a need to make available sufficient resources to strengthen rural financial systems for farmers. He also emphasized that policies that ensure the participation of citizens and close cooperation of development partners can make things better.

President Kagame thanked IFAD, FAO, WFP the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for backing Rwanda’s development programmes.

Later in the day, President Kagame and IFAD boss Kanayo F. Nwanze a joint press conference, during which the Rwandan leader stressed that international institutions should listen more, dictate less and should align their support to national priorities.

Looking ahead, the IFAD boss outlined his institution’s priorities.
“We will also be expanding our partnerships with the private sector, making smallholder farmers more visible business partners in their efforts to feed the world.” Nwanze said.

“The Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme will make IFAD a leader in climate-smart funding for smallholders.”

“And we will expand our presence in fragile states and the remote areas of developing countries where IFAD has always worked.” he pledged.

President Paul Kagame held separate talks with the Kanayo F. Mwanze the President of the International Fund for Agriculture Development and Mrs. Ertharin Cousin the Upcoming Executive Director of the World Food Programme.

Talks focused on relations that Rwanda has with IFAD and PAM. The President thanked the two organizations for their continued support to Rwanda.

Police in Kicukiro district yesterday destroyed more than 400 liters of illicit local brew commonly known as muriture.

The activity took place at Kigarama sector; Nyarurama cell after police mounted a search operation and found the illicit brew from the houses belonging to Solange Marie Grace and Martin Ntakirutimana respectively.

According to Police sources in Kicukiro district, some residents in Nyarurama cell who had identified constant selling of such illegal beer called on Police to help apprehend the wrong doers expressing concerns that criminality had increased in their community as a result of the illicit local wine.

The illicit brew is made by mixing sorghum floor, sugar and yeast which makes it toxic to turn the taker drunkard in more than fifteen minutes.

Solange, one of the arrested suspects, denies any role in the crime adding that, the business belonged to her husband whom she disclosed had gone for buzzing.

“My husband had always physically abused me especially after taking the brew”, Solange said adding that she had even advised him to get away with the illegal business and embark on other lawfully and productive businesses.

Ntakirutimana another suspect admitted to committing the crime conceding that this was the second time Police arrested him while running the same illegal business.

Shukuru Bizimingu, the Rwanda Bureau of standards (RBS) personnel in charge of industries noted that, the brew was not fit for consumption because it did not conform to RBS standards adding that the hygiene levels were also so poor.

Bizimungu reiterated that RBS is planning to educate local leaders on the dangers of such illicit brews. After getting sensitized, local leaders will be required to share information that will lead to apprehension of illegal brewers in their localities.

Police spokesperson Superintendent Theos Badege urged citizens to stop consuming products that have not been certified by RBS as they can lead to health hazards.

Badege further asked Rwandans to report other areas where such illicit brew is made and sold to police and other relevant authorities so that necessary measures are taken.

Last year, police destroyed more than 5000 liters of the same illegal brew in Kicukiro district.

A deep survey into the quality of Hotels by the Guardian has classified Rwanda’s Inside Africa Hotel among the best 7 Boutique Hotels in Africa depending on its particularity.

A hotel is named Boutique after taking wasted items or ignored places and turn them into the best Hotel.

Inside Africa, located in Kiyovu, was made from the collection of different rejected materials around the country which is among the criteria that gives it the rank.

The hotel was built from the idea of the 2 young men who are Maurice Bagaragaza and Ghislain Ibariza and it now contain Rwandan ornaments.

Bagaragaza said that particularity of the Inside Africa Boutique Hotel is that it contains items particular to Rwanda and uses talented artists.

He said, “the place is mostly loved by white people due to the strange artistic ornaments and a building as well which they don’t have in their countries of origin.”

Apart from Inside Hotel from Rwanda, the Guardian also highlighted Villa Margherita (Swakopmund, Namibia), Cape Cadogan (Cape Town, South Africa), Mashariki Palace (Stone Town, Zanzibar), Souimanga Lodge (Fimela, Senegal), AfroChic (Diani Beach, Kenya) and Benguerra Lodge (Mozambique).

The Inside Hotel started in June 2011 at Kiyovu in Kigali City at Rue du Lac Mpanga street. It has 9 rooms and they expect to expand it to have a big hall.

Tharcisse Shamakokera a member of Rwanda Parliament of the Chamber of Deputies has died of lung disease on this Wednesday 22nd February 2012.

According to a communiqué from the parliament, Shamakokera,68, was being treated at King Faisal Hospital and got to his last hour around 9AM this morning.

Shamakokera was in the commission in charge of Education, Technology, culture and Youth in the Rwanda parliament, chamber of Deputies.

He performed many activities before arriving in the parliament including teaching while in Uganda and Burundi and different others.

He started working in the parliament since 2008 when RPF-Inkotanyi in which he was employed, asked him to submit his candidacy.

He was in charge of social affairs in the office of the President, in office of the prime minister and then worked in the secretariat of RPF-Inkotanyi.

He has been resident at Kimironko sector Gasabo District in Kigali city and is survived by a family including wife and four children: 2 sons and 2 daughters.

IGIHE.com will update you on any new information about the burial arrangements.

PART 1

The Frequently Asked Questions about US Scholarships

Can I win a University Scholarship to the US?

It’s very difficult to win a scholarship to study at a university in the US. You need to be an outstanding student, both at school and with high marks on the necessary international exams (TOEFL and SAT, for students finishing secondary school; or TOEFL and GRE or GMAT, for most master’s degree programs in the US).

To get a great score on the international exams, your English needs to be excellent. And not only that, you need to make your way through an application process that is unfamiliar to you and very complicated!

But the good news is, if you ARE a truly outstanding student, IGIHE.com and Bridge2Rwanda Scholars want to help you win the best scholarship you are qualified for. We will do this by giving you as much information and advice as we can about what you will need to do to succeed.

There are already hundreds of Rwandans who study in the U.S. and we want to add more, to help Rwanda develop its economy and provide its best students with the quality of education they deserve.

If you are an outstanding student – one of the best students in your school, with great English as well – it is possible to win a scholarship to the US. Here is our first set of frequently asked questions and answers on how you can succeed:

1. How do I need to prepare to apply to universities in the US?

This is a very important question, and to help us give you the most complete information possible, we will make this the subject of next week’s column.

2. What difference does financial ability to pay make?

It is easier to gain admission to a university in the US if you can pay something each year. But this should not discourage you, if you are brilliant and hard-working, because if you can get into the best schools in the US, these schools guarantee that they will give you the scholarship you need.

However, as you will see, it is not easy to qualify and apply to these schools! But if you can qualify (through great English and grades) and show you are qualified by writing the applications correctly, then you may be able to win a scholarship regardless of your ability to pay.

Please check back next week for more information on what you will need to do to show schools you are qualified.

3. I want to apply to a school that will give me a full scholarship. What are the most important steps in this process?

By far, the most important step is the first one: you have to be qualified to study in the program you are applying to. Very few Rwandans study in the US, because very few Rwandans show the universities they are qualified in terms of great English, great international test scores and completing the applications correctly.

Different schools and programs have different requirements which you can see on their websites (click on “Admissions” and then “International Students”), but in general US universities want to see that the student applying from Rwanda is ready to come into the same classes as their American students.

This means that you have to speak, read and write English almost perfectly, as measured by a score of 550 or 600 or more on the TOEFL exam and a decent score on the verbal sections of tests which are written for native speakers of English (SAT, GRE, GMAT). For the SAT, for example, the best schools want you to score around 600 out of 800 on the test’s Critical Reading section.

This is a very difficult mark for most students to attain, but if you can get at least a 500 or 550 on the Critical Reading section of the SAT, you should be a competitive applicant.

By the way, if you already have outstanding test scores – an official TOEFL of more than 605 and an SAT of more than 1650 – you should contact Bridge2Rwanda Scholars for a free college counseling appointment, to make sure you succeed at your university applications.

If you are close to these scores, check back on this page next week for more advice on how to attain them!

4. How are university applications and scholarships organized in the US?

Before you can start to apply, you need to understand the process you are trying to win a scholarship from. But this is really a series of questions:

5. Do public or private universities have more scholarship money for international students?

In the U.S., students apply to public or private universities, depending on the students’ grades, SAT (or GRE or GMAT) scores and ability to pay. For Americans, public universities (such as the University of Colorado) are usually less expensive, but for international students they often cost similar amounts as private universities (such as Harvard or Columbia University).

But there is one important difference between public and private universities that will help international students. Public universities have very little scholarship money for students from outside their region. Private universities, on the other hand, determine their own budgets and give much more scholarship funding to international students.

This means that the best 30 to 60 private colleges and universities in the U.S. can give generous and even full scholarships to students who apply and whom the universities decide to accept. To be clear: in the U.S., it is the individual universities that give students their scholarships.

Before a student can get a scholarship, they have to show the university they are so good the university should accept them and invite them to come to their school!

What does this mean in practice?

If you need a full scholarship, you will also need to have some of the best marks in the country on the TOEFL and SAT. In other words, in order to be a good applicant for the schools that give full scholarships to the best qualified international students, you need to be one of the best Rwandan students who applies.

6. How do universities decide which students to admit?

If you want to apply to the universities in the US which can give you a great scholarship, you should know that the best schools don’t take everyone. Most of the best private colleges and universities will accept between 10 and 30 percent of the students who apply.

Therefore, in order to get in, you have to 1) have the grades and exam results that show you are qualified, and 2) you have to write the applications for each school correctly, so that the universities where you are applying can see you are qualified.

7. What is the timeline for applying to university in the U.S.?

Please check our column next week for more information on this subject.

8. What is the importance of showing universities that I am a qualified student?

This is a very important part of the process of applying to universities in the US, along with making sure you are well-prepared by the time you apply. If the school cannot see you are qualified, they are unlikely to admit you to their university, and even less likely to offer you a scholarship.

The private universities which give great scholarships only need to accept 20 or 30 percent of the students who apply. If it is not clear to them that a student is qualified, then that student is unlikely to be part of the 20 percent who they will accept. And this is especially true for international students, whose qualifications, preparation and credentials are harder for schools to evaluate.

9. So what does it mean to be a qualified student?

It depends on the school. Different schools all have their own standards. But to apply to the best schools, students will usually need to have very good secondary grades and exam results, plus great English as measured by a score of more than 600 on the TOEFL and as high a score as possible on the SAT.

We will give you more information on this subject in part 2 of this FAQ.

10. I attended a technical school, such as mechanics or electricity. Can I apply to universities in the U.S.?

We’re sorry, but it is not possible for students who attended technical secondary schools to apply to universities in the U.S. The American university system does not permit this.

11. I’ve already started university at an undergraduate or master’s degree level. Can I leave the program I am in and go to the US?

That will be very difficult to do. Once you have started a program, you are considered a transfer student at similar programs in the US, and international transfer students usually can’t receive scholarships or financial aid. So you will be expected to pay the full cost of the program, if you get in.

The best solution is to finish the degree you are already working on, and at the same time prepare for the next degree you want to apply for in the U.S., so you can show you are well-qualified. This will make you more likely to get into the program you want to attend and to get in with a scholarship!

12. I’m 22 years old or more. Can I still do my undergraduate in the US?

The older you get, the harder it becomes to study as an undergraduate in the U.S. When you are older than 22, it becomes unlikely that an elite school will take you for an undergraduate program, because most of the other students in your first year of the program will be only 18 years old.

However, universities sometimes make exceptions and accept older students.
What will be easier is to do your undergraduate university in Rwanda, and then do a master’s degree at an international school. If you are 25 and have not started university, it’s unlikely you will be able to do your undergraduate in the US.

If you finish your undergraduate degree in Africa, though, you will be 29 or 30 – and most students in master’s degree programs range from 22 to 35 years old!

13. Okay, I will get a TOEFL exam score of more than 600 and an SAT score of 1700 or higher. What are ten schools where I can apply in the U.S.?

If you get these scores, you won’t need to choose among ten schools in the U.S. – there are about 60 schools where you can apply that will give you a scholarship, if they decide to admit you.

But here are ten schools you could look at to start – schools that guarantee that if they admit you, they will give international undergraduate students as much scholarship as they need: Colby, Middlebury, Amherst, Williams, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, MIT, CalTech.

Don’t see an answer to your question?
Send us your question and we’ll ask our U.S. University Counselor! Each week, if you send us your questions, we will respond with a few answers and give you the information or advice you need.

Links to consult:

Three university scholarships you should know about:
http://en.igihe.com/business/three-university-scholarship-opportunities-you.html

Website with up to date news of partial scholarship offers to universities in the U.S. – note that these are usually not to the same private schools that offer full scholarships:
http://www.educationusa.info/financial-aid

Great site with resources for African students who want to apply to the U.S.:
http://www.helpforafricanstudents.org/english/index.php

MTN Rwanda has announced that it has sourced from other different service providers to address network disruptions caused by fibre cable cuts.

During the press conference held at MTN Head Ofice this Tuesday 21st February 2012, KhaledMikkawi, the MTN Chief Executive Officer revealed that they have doubled their bandwidth and increased 3G sites by over 30%.

He said, “As a growing telecommunication company we are doing all our best to expand infrastructures and better serve our customers and increasing 3G sites.”

He added that once they are conducting tests and optimization exercise, clients and subscribers are to be affected as they want to keep them on-line while optimizing.

“It’s like upgrading the road to make it wider without interfering with the traffic,” said Khaled.

Khaled Mikkawi revealed that not only the upgrading process but also MTN has faced the challenge of the EASSy fibre cable between Djibouti and Port Sudan which was cut and affected all the telecom operators depending on EASSY cable mainly in the sub-Saharan region.

Khaled said, “We have currently re-routed all our traffic through TEAMs and have sourced for additional capacity from different providers.”

He added that according to the test conducted, the full network is expected within this week.

The CEO encouraged subscribers with 3G handsets to set their network to automatic to avoid interruptions in voice quality as the headset will select the signal with regard to the customer’s location.

He said that MTN ambition is to remain on top with regard to better service delivery, the reason why the process has been reported to the Rwanda Utilities and Regulatory Agency (RURA).

“We consider competition as a challenge not as a threat, that’s why we are improving our services to remain on top of the other competitors,” Khaled explained.

MTN Rwanda fibre cable depends on two cables for the international capacity which are EASSy where MTN drives 80% through undersea cable and TEAMs through which it gets 20%.

As the EASSY cable was cut, MTN remained with only 20% from TEAMs of its international bandwidth capacity.

MTN Management promised to handle the blackBerry network problems like e-mails and security which happened about 3-4 weeks ago by adding capacity in its connectivity though it is not a property of MTN 100% but to a Canadian based company called Research In Motion (RIM).

MTN thanks all their clients and subscribers for their patience and their good collaboration promising them all the best MTN can to be sure they are enjoying good and quality services.