Thesis (MTech (Tourism and Hospitality Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2010 / This study investigated the extent of local community involvement in tourism development and conservation activities in eastern Rwanda by using Akagera National Park as a case study. The study used a structured questionnaire to collect data from local residents, while face-to-face interviews were conducted with key informants from Rwanda National Tourism and Conservation Agency and local government officials as means to obtain deeper insights. Tosun (2000:626) contends that community involvement in tourism can be considered from at least two viewpoints, namely the decision-making process that would involve community participation and the benefits of tourism development such as employment and business opportunities. Results of this research suggest that community participation in Akagera National Park has been recognised by Rwanda National Tourism and Conservation Agency and the government of Rwanda only in the sense of helping local people to obtain economic benefits via employing them as workers within industry [though, still at a low rate], whilst encouraging them to operate small scale businesses such as curio shops, rather than create opportunities for them to have a say in the process of decision making of tourism management and conservation policies. Although Rwanda has opted for a decentralised system in its rural development plans, it is evident that it has failed to do so in the areas of tourism and conservation - at least in Akagera National Park. The researcher believes that in the light of the research results, the decision making system for Akagera National Park tourism and conservation development plans is still highly centralised, which, conversely, work against participatory development approach. The study recommends that local communities in the Akagera area should be consulted and involved in development programmes within their villages from the start, as this process will present a significant step towards ensuring more adequate participation in conservation and tourism. Finally, the researcher recommends that further studies should be conducted to engage in evaluation of impacts and successes of governmental policy of 5% revenue sharing, which should be implemented in communities around Akagera National Park.

Magister Commercii - MCom / This research explored two interrelated issues in development economics. FIrstly, it investigated the importance of secondary and tertiary education for long-run growth of low-income economics. Secondly, it examined possible ways to invest in these higher levels of education. It draws on insights on these two issues to highlight lessons for Rwanda where policy makers have set out plans to build a knowledge economy in which science and technology would form the basis of the modern enterprise. / South Africa

Magister Scientiae (Physiotherapy) - MSc(Physio) / Stroke is the world's third highest cause of death and a major cause of disability. In order to define optimal management for stroke, reliable data are needed. Although Ruhengeri Hospital in Rwanda receives many stroke patients, no in-depth study has been carried out on stroke patients admitted at the hospital. This study, therefore, identified the profile of stroke patients admitted at Ruhengeri Hospital in Rwanda and explored the challenges that they experienced. A concurrent mixed model design was used to collect data. With a data gathering instrument which was developed by the researcher, a quantitative retrospective approach was used to review existing patients’ records to collect information related to demographic characteristics, documented clinical features and risk factors for stroke, stroke onset-admission interval, length of hospital stay and the process of hysiotherapy for stroke patients. In-depth face-toface interviews were also used to collect data regarding the challenges experienced by stroke patients. The sample for the quantitative phase consisted of medical records of stroke patients admitted at Ruhengeri Hospital from January 1st, 2005 up to December 31st, 2008. In the qualitative phase, a purposive sample of 10 participants was selected. / South Africa

This research looks at the process of women’s empowerment in post- 1994 Rwanda, with special focus on twelve cooperatives working in Mayaga region and the way these cooperatives empower women, their households and the community at large. Traditional Rwandan society has been always bound by patriarchy which has not valued the reproductive roles of women as economically productive in their households and the society as a whole. On the one hand, this understanding was reversed in the post-1994 Rwanda by the commitment of the government to gender equality at the highest level of political leadership through progressive policies and legislation. On the other hand, in Mayaga region, cooperatives brought about socio-economic development and changed relationships of gender and power in a patriarchal post-conflict society. The findings from cooperatives in Mayaga region show that to prevent women from reaching their full potential is economic folly. If women are empowered, they can generate important development outcomes such as improved health, education, income levels and conflict resolution. The findings further indicate how women’s empowerment is determined by the livelihood strategies women adopt themselves to respond to their vulnerability, and by the ways in which they express their agency in making a living in a sustainable way, with the available community assets that they have access to (financial, social, human, natural and physical). This research highlights that the accessibility of the community assets used by women in Mayaga region and in Rwanda as a whole is also determined by policies, institutions and processes that are able to influence their livelihoods positively.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / During the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, not only physical assets were eroded but more importantly, human capital were destroyed and left the country living hardly on qualified personnel at almost all levels of the economy to play a meaningful development role. While capacity building is needed in many sectors of the economy, it is especially important in the education sector. This study focuses on one particular issue namely to what extent sending academic staff for training in foreign countries can effectively contribute to capacity building in Rwandan higher education institutions (HEI). Various options exist to improve a strategy to build capacities in higher education institutions; amongst others is the training of human resource which is the most important of all. In order to investigate the above, both qualitative and quantitative methods were used. Techniques such as documentation, semi-structured interview, questionnaire and direct observation were also used in order to reach the research objectives. With regard to the main question of this study, findings reveal that funding academic staff for foreign training is believed to effectively contribute to capacity building in Rwandan higher education. As respondents explain, academic staff sent for training in foreign countries acquires new knowledge that is needed to build the country. This gained knowledge is spread all over the country through teaching at universities where most sectors of the country find their human resources. Being open minded, trained academic staff will be able to update his knowledge and therefore train in turn his students accordingly. However, findings inform also that Rwandan HEI are faced with multiple problems amongst others the problem of defining the real institutional needs for appropriate training. In this regard, findings suggest that for the training to be effective in Rwandan HEI there is a need of putting in place appropriate mechanisms and assessing institutional needs before training a person and training according to those specific needs in order to help the process of capacity building being more effective. / South Africa

Plusieurs études reconnaissent l’importance de l’agroforesterie dans l’amélioration de la sécurité alimentaire et de la qualité de vie des populations rurales des pays en développement. Dans une étude réalisée à Bahimba et Kanama, au Rwanda, nous avons cherché à comparer une zone recevant une aide extérieure pour son développement agroforestier et une deuxième n’en recevant pas, afin de mieux comprendre les facteurs pris en compte par les agriculteurs rwandais dans leur décision d’adopter ou non l’agroforesterie et, d’autre part, de mieux comprendre les obstacles à l’optimisation de la culture du haricot volubile. La triangulation entre les données recueillies au moyen d’entrevues semi-structurées et de groupes de discussion auprès des cultivateurs de haricots volubiles ainsi que d’entrevues avec des experts en agriculture et en agroforesterie a révélé qu’il existait peu de différences entre les deux sites en ce qui a trait aux besoins et aux préférences des cultivateurs en matière de matériel de tuteurage et de culture d’espèces ligneuses. Le niveau de connaissance et d’appréciation de l’agroforesterie semble ainsi très similaire entre les deux zones. La différence la plus significative se trouve à être l’intérêt plus marqué pour la culture de l’eucalyptus à Kanama. Devant la grande dépendance que les deux sites ont démontrée envers les interventions extérieures, les programmes de développement ruraux devraient davantage être tournés vers l’autonomisation des agriculteurs, par exemple en les formant à produire leurs propres plantules d’arbres. / Several studies have acknowledged the importance of agroforestry for the improvement of food security and the quality of life of rural populations in developing countries. The study was conducted in Bahimba and Kanama, in Rwanda, comparing a site receiving external support for agroforestry development and a second receiving none, in order to better understand the factors taken into account by Rwandan farmers in their decision to adopt or not agroforestry and, secondly, to better understand the barriers to optimization of the culture of climbing beans. Triangulation between data collected through semi-structured interviews and focus groups with climbing beans growers and interviews with experts in agriculture and agroforestry revealed that there were few differences between the two sites in relation to the needs and preferences of farmers in terms of staking materials and the culture of woody species. The level of knowledge and appreciation of agroforestry therefore seems very similar between the two areas. The most significant difference was found to be the greater interest for the cultivation of eucalyptus in Kanama. In relation to the reliance that the two sites have demonstrated towards external interventions, rural development programs should be more oriented around the empowerment of farmers, for example by training them to produce their own tree seedlings.

Depuis les années 1970, le Rwanda, a instauré des frais de scolarité dans l'enseignement primaire, parce que les ressources publiques étaient insuffisantes pour assurer un enseignement primaire gratuit et de qualité. Avec l'inflation et l'accroissement des effectifs et des besoins des écoles, d'autres frais s'y ajoutèrent. Cette étude s'était proposée de mettre à jour les dépenses de scolarisation des ménages et d'analyser la volonté ainsi que la capacité des ménages à assumer ces dépenses. Les résultats indiquent que la volonté des parents à payer est réelle, leur principale motivation étant de maintenir, sinon de rehausser la qualité de l'enseignement. Cependant, leurs contributions sont limitées par leurs capacités. Le coût unitaire pour les ménages est égal à celui du gouvernement. Sachant que 60% des familles rwandaises vivent avec moins de 1$US par jour, il importe de réfléchir sur d'autres stratégies afin de rendre l’enseignement de base financièrement accessible pour tous.

Les recherches réalisées sur les pratiques évaluatives soulèvent de nombreuses questions. Ce constat s’applique aussi au Rwanda. Au cours de ces dernières années, de nombreux pays ont procédé à des changements pour améliorer leur système éducatif. Le Gouvernement de l’Unité Nationale du Rwanda (GUN) a demandé en 2003 au MINEDUC d’intégrer dans les politiques éducative et évaluative, l’approche par compétences. Le GUN souhaite ainsi rehausser la qualité de l’enseignement. Parmi les normes formulées par le MINEDUC (2009), une grande importance est consacrée aux pratiques évaluatives. L’objectif de la présente recherche consiste à recenser les pratiques évaluatives des enseignants Rwandais du secondaire à partir de quatre thématiques : (1) politiques éducative et évaluative (2) fonctions et interprétations de l’évaluation, (3) instruments de mesure et d’évaluation, (4) contexte lié à l’évaluation (niveaux de compétence et attribution de la note). Les questionnaires Enseignants (n=106), Élèves (n= 325) ainsi que le canevas d’entrevue pour les Enseignants (n=10) ont été élaborés à la lumière de ces quatre thématiques. Cette recherche est de type exploratoire et descriptif. Les résultats indiquent que les enseignants connaissent pour la plupart les politiques éducative et évaluative du Rwanda. Cependant, peu d’entre eux affirment connaître l’existence des politiques éducative et évaluative à leur école. Les enseignants rwandais évaluent à partir de la fonction sommative visant surtout la sélection à partir d’une interprétation normative. Les instruments de mesure les plus utilisés en évaluation sommative sont : examens écrits, interrogations générales écrites et interrogations partielles écrites. L’évaluation formative est peu présente, voir absente. Quant au niveau de compétence, les enseignants rwandais évaluent surtout les connaissances pour vérifier le contenu du curriculum ainsi que les habiletés. En ce qui concerne l’attribution de la note, les enseignants mentionnent obtenir des points pour le bulletin. Il ressort des discussions que les enseignants ont des difficultés à intégrer la politique évaluative prônée par le MINEDUC. Les résultats de cette recherche pourront permettre de contribuer à l’amélioration des pratiques évaluatives au Rwanda.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Technology Degree: Environmental Health, Durban University of Technology, 2012. / Waterborne diseases represent substantial global burden of disease and children under the age of five are more susceptible to these diseases compared to adults. The aim of this study was to determine the microbiological quality of Nyabarongo River water used for domestic purposes, women’s knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) on water usage and waterborne diseases and its link to the diarrhoea outbreaks experienced in two rural communities: Rusheshe and Ayabaraya of Masaka in Rwanda. A total of 35water samples were collected from Nyabarongo River and from study households which used slow sand filtration (SSF) or Sûr’Eau as treatment methods and analyzed for total coliform and faecal coliform indicators. For household samples turbidity was also analyzed. Retrospective records from Masaka Health Centre were reviewed to determine the prevalence of waterborne diseases from the study areas during 2010. Further, a structured questionnaire was administered to 324 women residents of the study areas to elicit information on their KAP on water handling and waterborne diseases. SPSS Predictive Analytic Software (PASW) Statistics version 18.0 (IBM, Somers, NY) and STATA Release (Version 11.0, College Station, Texas USA) were used for data analysis. Results showed that the mean values of total and faecal coliforms of river and household water samples were above the WHO and Rwandan recommended guidelines. The mean values of total coliform and faecal coliform were significantly lower (p ≤ 0.05) in both filtered and Sûr’Eau treated water than in river water. No statistical differences of means were observed for both total coliform and faecal coliform counts between samples taken from filtered and Sûr’Eau treated water containers (p=0.80 (TC) and p = 0.56 (FC). However, turbidity values were significantly lower in filtered water using SSF than in Sûr’Eau treated water samples (p =0.002). Out of 2814 records form Masaka Health Centre during 2010, 160 cases were identified as having diarrhoeal diseases. Furthermore, respondents who used Nyabarongo River as source of water were more likely to have symptoms of diarrhoea (OR =5.35; CI: 2.12 - 14.46; p <0.05). The frequency of diarrhoea were significantly higher among people who did not wash hands before food preparation (p = 002) and after using a toilet (p = 0.007) than among those who did. There was a statistically significant association of level of education levels and drinking water treatment practices at the household level (p < 0.05). Respondents with primary school education only and those with high school education were more likely to wash their hands after using a toilet (OR= 5.24, CI 1.42-19.38, p =0.01 and OR = 7.15, CI = 1.79 -28.62, p=0.01, respectively) than those who did not attend school. No significant associations were identified between educational levels and washing hands before food preparation. The findings of this study points to the facts that water sourced from Nyabarongo River is unsafe for human consumption even after prescribed treatment, such as the use of SSF and Sûr’Eau, and could increase the prevalence of waterborne diseases and therefore calls for urgent provision of potable water. Women in the study areas had limited knowledge regarding water storage practices for prevention of household water contamination and this; underscore the need for more water handling practices and hygiene education in rural communities. / Durban University of Technology.

The overall objective of the research was to evaluate the achievements of reconciliation process in Bugesera district after the Rwandan 1994 genocide. Bugesera district lost over 62,000 Tutsi during genocide, being the most hit in the country. Today, the survivors and perpetrators are living together in the same district. The study is aimed at evaluating the impact of reconciliation mechanisms in place and how these mechanisms can be enhanced to get better results. The research was conducted in Bugesera district and qualitative research methods were adopted where by thirty respondents were interviewed; ten from the survivors , ten from released perpetrators of genocide, five district officials, three from NGOs and two church leaders. The research was based on both primary and secondary data, but primary data was used mostly. Most of the key concepts used in the research were explained in the literature review. From the research, it was revealed that efforts are in place to reconcile the survivors and perpetrators but people are still suspicious of one another. That a gap between survivors and perpetrators still exists, irrespective of government and patterns' efforts in bringing them together. The research suggested a number of recommendations, which would enhance reconciliation in the district. / Thesis (M.Comm.)-University of Kwazulu-Natal, 2008.