The Constitution of the Republic of Rwanda guarantees the right to freedoms of association (article 39) and freedom of assembly (article 40). These rights are further complemented by other laws such as, the law regulating national none-governmental organizations. Consistent with these constitutional rights, CSOs in Rwanda have always expressed the desire to collaborate and work as a collective. Indeed, there has been issue-based coalitions working on ad-hoc basis. However, this desire has been imperfected by limited skills set and lack of agility to create connections with likeminded organizations, activists, advocates and allies on a long term basis. In Rwanda, most CSOs are organized in collective umbrellas which are also organized under a single coalition – the Rwanda Civil Society Platform. However, research such as the Civil Society Sustainability Index (CSOSI 2020) revealed that CSOs continue to work individually and do not effectively make use of the formally existing frameworks. They have exhibited limited collaborative and networking efforts which affect their ability to share knowledge and experiences amongst themselves and impend their agility to actively engage in public policy discussions and advocacy.
The SRHR – Rwanda Coalition brings together Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and other registered entities such as think tanks and professional bodies that are willing and committed to promote and advance sexual reproductive health and rights.
Coalition members may from time to time invite individual activists, individual members of professional bodies and influencers as strategic allies to contribute and brainstorm ideas and concepts on certain issues, share lessons and experiences and advocate with the coalition members on a range of issues and themes related to SRHR.
The SRHR-Rwanda Coalition will draw attention to the intersection of SRHR issues in Rwanda with other SRHR issues in the region, and establish collaborative relationship with the objective of strengthening social movements. It is equally strategically important to deepen links between the SRHR activists in Rwanda and other SRHR movements in Africa and globally.
