NUDOR, the National Union of Disability organizations in Rwanda, as an umbrella has 13 member organizations of persons with disabilities which have, as NUDOR, their structure of leadership and management from the Board to the secretariat and projects management. Any of these organs need to know what are their responsibilities to not confuse their tasks and obligations. It is in this regard that the National Union of Disability Organizations in Rwanda under the project “PROMOTION OF ANTI-DISCRIMINATION PRACTICES FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN RWANDA” In partnership with CBM Germany and BMZ, NUDOR organized a two days training on leadership to the board member organizations to teach them about their responsibilities and the responsibilities of their organizational management teams.
Starting the Training, the facilitator Mr. BIZIMANA Dominic helped the participants to deffer from leaders and managers and their different responsibilities and how close they need to work to make sure none of them enters the responsibilities of others. A leader was defined as someone who give the guidelines and and evaluate their implementation, while managers are the ones to practice and implement activities in accordance to the lines established by leaders.
Mr BIZIMANA Dominic said ” Everyone needs to know his responsibilities. Board members including president, vice president, Secretary general, counselors and different committees need to define and know what are his or her responsibilities and work accordingly”. He added that this is the same to other organization workers. They also have their responsibilities from the executive secretary to the staff helper. there should be no confusion and confrontations about their responsibilities. He condemned some leaders who turns the organizations they are standing for as their proper fields. He also condemned nepotism where some leaders and managers directly give jobs to their close relatives regardless their capacities and responsibilities. He also asked them to give time and space to the people they are standing for, the general assembly and others to provide their views and ideas and to be considered.
The second facilitator trained participants on Advocacy and Lobbying where he asked them to prepare the advocacy and at the end evaluate the impact of the advocacy done. Advocacy is used to influence policy change for their lives, specified or general others’ lives.
After the course,Rémy Paul AYINSHUTI, vice president of OIPPA asked about the challenges that are affecting persons with disabilities especially in transport. he asked if is a problem of poor advocacy or another challenge.
The facilitator Claude (not real name) responded that sometimes we are doing advocacy that is not well prepared and some times we do not well evaluate the impact of the last advocacy to prepare for the next Advocacy. Most of times we do advocacy basing on our projects and our donors not what we think is the most relevant needed advocacy”. He added that sometimes this results in poor advocacy and when the project is over there is no way to go back for evaluation of done advocacy, and of course there is no plan for the future advocacy.
closing the training, participants appreciated the acquired knowledge in terms of leadership that is going to make changes for their organizations.
