Over this August holiday break, I've been visiting the beaches and some other natural attractions, like the Diggity Trace mud volcano in Barrackpore and some of the hiking trails. What I am finding as I visit these sites really has me bothered. There is garbage strewn everywhere! Charlie is running wild once again!
People seem to have lost pride in the beauty of their country, and believe me, we are blessed with a truly beautiful country. Also, as I am driving on the roads, I am seeing the incidences of people indiscriminately tossing garbage out of the vehicles increasing. What myopic behaviour!
As simple as it may seems, these acts show that we have lost a sense of connection to the country we all call home. Most people would not throw garbage in and around their house, so why do it in the public spaces? Is it the feeling that no one gets reprimanded for committing the act that gives one the boldness to litter?
And how do we police such an action? Do we have police stationed on each and every corner waiting for perpetrators to litter so we charge them immediately? Or maybe have closed-circuit TV cameras placed throughout the country to capture these acts? All highly ineffective and improbable solutions, not to mention very costly.So how do we police such an action?
Maybe the solution lies not in waiting for the act to be committed and then taking action, but instead working to engender a sense of pride in our country so that we do not litter in the first place. I turn to the African country of Rwanda to give an example of this at work. The same Rwanda that was recently ravaged by civil war is now experiencing one of the highest economic growth rates in eastern Africa.
There is a mandatory community service day from 8 am to 11 am, on the last Saturday of each month, called Umuganda, which means community service. The day is called umunsi w'umuganda, meaning "contribution made by the community," which is designed to be a day of contribution and building the country by citizens themselves. By law all able-bodied people above the age of 18 and below 65 are expected to participate in volunteer community work. The start of this practice goes back to colonial times and is still practised today.
Participation in Umuganda is usually supervised by a manager, or Umudugudu chairperson, who oversees the effectiveness and efficiency of community participation. On this day, business activity halts, public transportation is limited, and people are seen everywhere working.
People participate in cleaning streets, cutting grass and trimming bushes along roads, or repairing public facilities or building houses for vulnerable persons. People with particular skills offer their services for free on this day. For example, doctors may offer free medical examination.
The benefits of Umuganda are not merely economic. The day is intended to build community involvement and strengthen cohesion between people of different background and levels. The labour cost from Umuganda also contributes to national development programmes. By reaping the rewards of the volunteer labour and by having more capital to invest in the country, Umuganda has contributed to the growth and development of Rwanda.
Today close to 80 per cent of Rwandans take part in monthly community work. Successful projects include the building of schools, medical centres and hydro-electric plants as well as rehabilitating wetlands and creating highly productive agricultural plots. The value of Umuganda to the country's development since 2007 has been estimated at more than US$60 million.I ask, could this be implemented in our country?
Kenneth Lee-Pow
Maraval