While changes in the environment affect everyone, they affect men and women differently. Women’s and girls’ traditional responsibilities as food growers, water and fuel gatherers, and caregivers connect them closely to available natural resources and the climate, making them more likely to be impacted by environmental hardships.

From the 12th – 16th of November, representatives from 11 political parties were trained on “Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections" – commonly known as the BRIDGE methodology. This training was organized by the National Consultative Forum of Political Organizations (NFPO) in collaboration with the National Elections Commission (NEC) of Rwanda. The training was supported by UNDP under its “Deepening Democracy and Accountable Governance” (DDAG) programme.

To strengthen the capacity of civil society, the One UN Rwanda/ UNDP, and the Government of Rwanda launched a Joint Program called “Strengthening Civil Society Organizations for Responsive and Accountable Governance in Rwanda,” in 2014. To date, 26 CSOs working in a wide range of areas have received support under the programme. In 2016, the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) joined the programme as a partner, providing funding to 3 CSOs.

Life can be challenging for single mothers anywhere in the world, more so if they are teen mothers and living in poverty. In many parts of Rwanda, single teen mothers face financial challenges, and the majority of them that hail from rural areas usually lack specialized job skills, as well as the education required to get proper employment.The story talks about a civil society organisation named Tuvuge Twiyubaka that is transforming there lives for better.

Representatives of Fourteen African countries met in Rwanda from 27th to 29th September 2016 to discuss the best practices of Rwanda’s YouthConnekt initiative and how it can be applied in their respective countries and on the continent. The three day Regional YouthConnekt was co-organised by the Rwanda Ministry of Youth and ICT and UNDP with the aim of sharing Rwanda’s experience and supporting the development of YouthConnekt initiative in those African countries.

The Social Good Summit is an annual event where social activists, university students, innovators, politicians, journalists and NGO representatives meet up to discuss big ideas and find solutions for a sustainable world. This year’s Social Good Summit event in Rwanda themed “Connecting Today, Creating Tomorrow” was held on Monday 26th September 2016 at the University of Rwanda-College of Business and Economics- Gikondo Campus.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Rwandan Government, media houses, media associations, development partners and other media partners, joined hands with media practitioners to celebrate the World Press Freedom Day.