NELSAP Rusumo Project mitigates negative social impacts on surrounding communities.
Development of a hydropower infrastructure can bring along some social outcomes resulting from labor influx in the construction area and can bring pressure on persons living in the surrounding. The construction of Rusumo 80MW Power Plant took necessary precautions to mitigate related negative impacts namely Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Protection Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA).
The Project built institutional capacity to address Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) issues in Rusumo Project using external specialized services of Young Lawyers Foundation. Rusumo Project through YLF expertise developed a Gender Based Violence and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) system that guides the Project on how to prevent and best respond GBV and PSEA related incidences.
Young Lawyers Foundation engaged local government to be able to sensitize communities on importance of observing GBV and PSEA among Rusumo communities surrounding construction areas in both Rwanda and Tanzania sides. YLF established a GBV liaison office in Tanzania near Rusumo border and associated with Umubyeyi Initiative a local non-governmental organization specialized in GBV and PSEA respectively using Swahili and Kinyarwanda languages for better communication and use of social approaches.
Various Project’s stakeholders were consulted discuss on the available GBV services and how to improve prevention and response on GBV issues with practical tools and actions. This enabled the improvement of Project’s Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM), one of the very instrumental social tools used by the Project to address GBV related complaints. This reduce negative social impacts that may arise during preparation and implementation phases in Project’s and neighboring areas including local communities, schools, contractors, workers camps and relatively casual workers around the work sites in Ngara District in Tanzania, Kirehe and Ngoma Districts in Rwanda and in Busoni and Giteranyi Communes of Burundi. Series of awareness raising initiatives capacity building including formation of Project GBV policy and trainings of Project stakeholders were held since 2019 to date.
Recently on 14th to 16th April, 2021, Young Lawyers Foundation in association with Umubyeyi Initiative conducted a GBV and PSEA training to 20 participants who included high level employees of Rwanda Investigation Bureau, Isange One Stop Centre, District Hospital, Nurses from Rusumo Health post and Nyakurazo health post, a teacher from Kiyanzi, cell leaders, social district welfare officer, district police Commander, workers representative from Project Electromechanical Contractor (CP2) to name but a few.
The recent training was opened by NELSAP Project’s Leads Environmental Social Safeguards Specialist, Mansur Hamdun on behalf of the Project Manager. In his opening remarks, Eng. Mansur highlighted his appreciation to the training participants for their good attendance and their usual consideration to GBV matters.
During the training Young Lawyers Foundation and Umubyeyi Initiative among other things facilitated on how to provide quality assistance to GBV survivors considering technics on how to deal with GBV traumatized survivors, also to report GBV and PSEA incidences in safely and confidentially for persons submitting complaints in the Project’s context and outside through the GBV/PSEA improved project referral pathways.#
The training also provided information, education and communication (IEC) materials which, some were disseminated and displayed at different strategic places near construction area in public places including schools, health posts, shops, workers camps and CP1 and CP2 sites for the construction workforce, NELSAP offices and at bus stops to enable people to read and understand referral pathways and incidences related to GBV in their communities. The IEC awareness materials distributed in both English and Kinyarwanda in order to reach target audience.
Mr.Jacob Mogendi (Adv), admired the dynamism of participants during the GBV training; “during the training, we tackled sensitive questions and concerns and participants were guided on how to address them diligently” he added.
Dissemination and display of GBV/PSEA IEC materials in Rusumo areas by YLF and Rusumo community representatives. 