Swachh abhiyan and smart city projects in India could take some tips from a small city Kigali, in Rwanda, which has emerged as a model metropolis and earned the tag of the cleanest city in the African sub-continent. This small country, which offers stiff competition to Indian cities, is known as 'the land of thousand hills and million smiles'.
Kigali has been engaging its people in cleanliness drives for years.
“The country has made an amazing turnaround in 15-16 years. We need to learn from their local government model and how they are implementing it. Initiatives like smart city project and swachh bharat abhiyan are something Rwanda is already engaged in. So when we talk of partnership in development, there is so much we can learn from them,” said Amar Sinha, secretary in the ministry of external affairs. A delegation headed by the vice president is currently visiting African nations Rwanda and Uganda.
It is a task made easy by the people of Kigali who come out on the last Saturday of every month for 'Umuganda' which means 'coming together to achieve a common goal'. “It is just another name for swachh abhiyan,” says Aniket Ukey, an Indian-by-origin hailing from Delhi, whose family migrated to Rwanda more than a decade ago.
For a city with a predominantly young demographic, the cleaning exercise is received with much enthusiasm. “It is compulsory to participate in Umuganda. So community leaders, even ministers and local leaders come out and start cleaning the area around their house,” says Aniket, who is a Bachelor of Science student in Kigali.
Sinha said the visit had in fact increased New Delhi's interest in taking tips on methods of waste management, renewable energy, agriculture and banning plastic bags. The airports in the country scan all luggage to replace any plastic with bio-degradable material.
However, its not just the cleanliness drive that sets Rwanda apart. The political participation of Rwandan women, who constitute nearly 64 per cent of its parliamentary strength, also gives India a run for its money.
As vice president Hamid Ansari engaged with the Rwandan government and presented a copy of the Indian constitution to the President of Senate, DMK MP Kanimozhi met some of the women legislators.
"The Indian delegation apprised them about the steps being taken by the Indian parliament to give 33 per cent reservation to women,” Sinha said.
Rwandan women have much to cheer about. Last Friday, a Rwandan cricketer, Cathia Uwamahoro, set a world record for the longest time spent batting in the nets. Cathia batted for 26 hours continuously, taking her name to the Guinness book of World Records.
The government of Rwanda is also investing heavily on the health of citizens — the hinterland of this small country still battles challenges from diseases like HIV/AIDS.
It has become a norm for men and women to play sports as soon as its Friday, says Afsar Hanif Abdullah, who is on a student visa in Rwanda and is studying travel and tourism.
Afsar's parents hail from Kerala, but migrated to Dubai years ago. He was visiting his brother who stayed in Rwanda and decided to stay back to pursue his studies here.
The people of Kigali work five days a week. Moreover, Friday is a half day for them.
“The government makes sure its people are in good shape. Come Friday, people will be playing cricket, football, basketball and golf, some of their favorite sports. The weekends are rest days and they are back at their jobs on Monday,” says Aniket.
For some, Kigali is like Mumbai of Maharashtra or Ahmedabad of Gujarat. The capital city stands out among the others for its development, law and order enforcement. “Women are safe here. We can walk the streets and night and not be worried about anything,”says Binu, who is a teacher in a pre-primary school. The situation is different for Rwanda's neighbor Uganda, which has gained notoriety for surging crime statistics. But this small African nation is showing the way.
