Contribution of “Umugoroba w’Ababyeyi” Programme (UAP ) or Parents’ Sunset M eeting to the Reduction of Family Conflicts in Rwanda: Case Study of Cyanika Sector, Nyamagabe District (2016-2019)

— The research was dealing with the topic entitled Contribution of “ Umugoroba w’ Ababyeyi ” Programme (UAP) or Parents’ Sunset Meeting to the Reduction of Family Conflicts in Rwanda: Case Study of Cyanika Sector in Nyamagabe District (2016-2019). This period of time has been chosen following two major reasons. Firstly, a 4-year implementation of “Umugoroba w’Ababyeyi” Programme was long enough to record meaningful results within this local community. Secondly, to investigate into the recent results of UAP in the field under study. The study has intended to answer the research question like: Did “Umugoroba w’ Ababyeyi ” Programme (UAP) or Parents’ Sunset Meeti ng contribute to the reduction of family conflicts in Cyanika Sector of Nyamagabe Contribution of increased participation of local community members in enhancing improved outcomes of UAP; and impact of well-designed sensitization approaches on reducing the resistance to social change within the rural local community.


I. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
From times immemorial the family is considered as the foundation of any human society that appears to be a collection of these basic small-sized social units. In this research the nuclear family that includes the father, mother, and children was specifically discussed. Many frequent experiences throughout the world have shown that within these small social units, conflicts might occur as a result of divergent interests related to, among others, extramarital affairs, financial difficulties, communication failure, and parenting issues (Mukashema, I. and Sapsford, R. ; Fish et al. 2012;Pancare 2019). In addition, other social situations are likely to cause severe conflicts harming individuals, families or entire social groups. Likewise, as a consequence of a discriminatory colonial domination, Rwanda-an East African country-has been for long victim of a distorted national history that eventually has strongly opposed the two major social groups namely Hutu and Tutsi. For decades this social discrimination supported by a bad political leadership has led to the extremely horrific 1994 Genocide against Tutsi where over one million Tutsi and tens of moderate Hutu politicians were slaughtered ruthlessly. As heavy results, thousands of Tutsi survivors were left disabled, traumatized, greatly impoverished, and thousands of girls/women violently raped and deliberately infected with HIV/AIDS (AVEGA Report 2011; IRDP 2017). Furthermore, at a large scale the country was socially and economically devastated by the civil war where all the population has been chaotically displacing either inside or outside the country. However, since over two decades Rwanda has achieved tremendous progress in all sectors of national life (World Bank Report 2018) but segments of the population keep today lasting effects of the tragic events that they have experienced in 1994 and afterwards. According to Ministry of Health (MoH) currently 14% of population and 35% survivors show at various extent real signs of depression (www.moh.gov.rw>fileadmin>templates>Docs-Posted-National-Mental-Health-policy-in-Rwanda, Retrieved on September 15, 2020.
Therefore, according to many local observers increasing family conflict rates countrywide today are perhaps to be associated with the disastrous social and psychological situations that most people have experienced in the recent Rwandan history. Indeed, the post-genocide Rwanda has been undergoing for around three decades family conflicts that have become one of the challenging social concerns.
A recent study has revealed that "family conflicts have become a major problem to security and are threatening the welfare of Rwandan families. In the last two decades following the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi, the Rwandan society has witnessed quarrels of family members who reached the extent of killing one another, this despite ongoing peace-building efforts conducted in Rwanda" (IRDP 2017

II. RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND OBJECTIVES
The researchers wanted to find out mainly the solutions and strategies to the following questions related to challenges and conflicts faced by some families of Cyanika Sector of Nyamagabe District in the period of 2016-2019 though "Umugoroba w' Ababyeyi Programme". 1) What are the causes and the consequences of family conflicts in the area under study? 2) What are the strategies used to reduce family conflicts in the local community selected as the area of study? Did "Umugoroba w' Ababyeyi" Programme (UAP) or Parents' Sunset Meeting contribute to the reduction of family conflicts in Cyanika Sector of Nyamagabe District in the period of 2016-2019? In line with these questions, the study was guided by the following objectives: 1) To explore the root causes and the consequences of family conflicts in the study area in 2016-2019. 2) To identify the strategies used by "Umugoroba w' Ababyeyi" Programme (UAP) to reduce family conflicts in Cyanika Sector. 3) To determine the outcomes and the challenges to UAP and

III. LITERATURE REVIEW
This part attempts to explore the findings already worked out by social researches in the matter of family conflicts-a disturbing social reality identified in many households across the world. As studies have shown "family relationships-between wife and husband, parents and children, brothers and sisters or between distant relativescan be warm and fulfilling. But they can equally well contain the most pronounced tensions, driving people to despair of filling them with a deep sense of anxiety and guilt" (Giddens 2002:193).Two major themes are considered in the following discussion such as: causes and consequences of family conflicts; and objectives, strategies and outcomes of "Umugoroba w' Ababyeyi" Programme (UAP).

Investigating into the causes and the consequences of family conflicts
Family conflicts appear to be a disagreement or a friction within nuclear/extended family members resulting from divergent beliefs, viewpoints, goals or interests. Researchers claim that family conflicts are a pervasive human reality identified throughout the world. The nature of family conflicts consists of various aspects that should include fights, injuries, refusal/reduction of domestic cares, sexual harassment, temporary leave from home, causing anxiety or depression, separation, divorce, murder, and suicide. Giddens (2002:193) puts that "the home is in fact the most dangerous place in modern society. In statistical terms, a person of any age or of either sex is far more likely to be subject to physical attack in the home than on the street at night. One in four murders in the UK is committed by one family member against another". To end this section it is worth noting briefly that family conflicts should result in positive effects. Although most of consequences of family conflicts generate damaging effects, many studies have indicated some positive consequences of family disruption. Indeed, many children who have supportive systems outside of their family are exposed to positive influences and role modeling. Support systems may be an after-school program, a friendship with a teacher or mentor, social support systems, and inclusion with extra-curricular groups. These children tend to be able to adapt well to change because they have eventually positive support during transitional stages in their life (Sroufe 2005 Umugoroba w' Ababyeyi Programme (UAP), a creation of NAWOCO, is a platform that brings together male and female parents to discuss strategies to be taken by family members to enhance their relationships, to prevent/reduce conflicts that can arise in their households or neighborhood. UAP has started as a small idea in 2010 working as a forum bringing only women together to share life experiences and support each other. As UAP has eventually produced interesting results, in accordance with the Government of Rwanda through Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF), NAWOCO has decided to launch officially countrywide the programme that was developed and broadened further to include also men and sometimes young people living in the same Village (Umudugudu)-the smallest administrative entity of the country.
As established by NAWOCO in 2013, UAP is intended to reach the goals as follows: To enable the parents to discuss their relationships and welfare; To help parents to improve education in children; To listen and provide advices to parents or children victims of violence in the local settings; To discuss the implementation of national development programmes in their local community; and to share life experiences and various testimonies on how others have succeeded to manage household issues and family conflicts. The present study has mostly focused on family conflicts that have consisted in open conflicts within the couples because these ones were perceived as the cornerstone of family life.
In order to reach the goals planned, some efficient strategies have been set up and NAWOCO explained in 2013 that UAP operates its activities at the Village (Umudugudu) level and is composed of the general assembly comprising all the male and female members living in the same Village. UAP gathers at least once a month and whenever necessary for an urgent case. NAWOCO further points out that UAP is headed by a Coordination Committee (CC) elected for two years renewable once and made up of president, vice-president, secretary, and two advisors. This 5 person team is required to have some undoubted ethical values such as integrity, wisdom, good skills in solving social conflicts, ability of high confidentiality, and good reputation. CC is given periodic trainings by trained social workers on how to handle social issues occurring in the local community. In a well-organized manner, CC leads the working of the gathering. Members of conflicting families are requested to present their respective problems as more openly and frankly as possible to the parents' assembly. For more clarification of the issues under discussion, CC uses a well-structured democratic approach in sharing opinions and life experiences between conflicting parties and the general assembly. To solve the family conflicts, CC uses in general the techniques like negotiation, mediation, and reconciliation. Through negotiation, the parties are encouraged to formulate themselves the issues under dispute and find a satisfactory solution to all of them in win-win conditions.
The goal of mediation is creating by CC the process of dialogue, breaking destructive cycle and leading parties to agreement. The reconciliation appears to be the crossing point of truth, justice, mercy, and peace. Reconciliation occurs when the relationships severely broken are definitely restored. Along with other local community leaders and to ensure a long lasting solution to family conflicts, CC continues to conduct a regular follow-up and support to reconciled families. In this gathering a lot of advices are provided and, when necessary, reasonable punishment is proposed to the wrongdoer(s). In addition, citizens of Kicukiro District in Kigali City/Rwanda told the media that "the initiative has made a big difference in the wellbeing of the society at large. When we meet we discuss about family, parents discuss issues concerning their children, matters of domestic violence, child abuse, and parents' conflicts are also debated on" (en.igihe.com>news> umugoroba-wababyeyi-reuniting-broken…). On the other hand, a female citizen of Kigali City expressed about UAP: "Oh yes! It means a lot to us. It has yielded unity and reconciliation where several women who initially couldn't see eye to eye can now sit and talk. It comes to teaching people how to put conflicts aside and work towards a common goal" (www.newtimes.co.rw>section>read...).
Although the outcomes of UAP are convincingly appreciated by the public institutions like MINALOC and MIGEPROF, Village leaders/sensitizers indicated that these forums encountered a series of obstacles that impede their projected performance. To IRDP (2017) some three (3) major barriers to UAP have been identified such as: 1) Lack of sufficient ownership at grassroots level. The participation of the local population in the community gathering was moderate. Indeed, in some places lots of efforts by local leaders were needed to mobilize citizens to attend UAP meetings as some of them were busy in their ordinary daily occupations. 2) Financial means and logistic challenges: Absence of meeting room especially in rainy season. And there was no budget to support operational costs in relation to basic materials like notebooks, pens, files and communication tools like telephone and airtime. CC was obliged to work in volunteerism approach. 3) Resistance to change: Inability in some parents to adapt their views to easily adopt change. Especially in the matter of gender equality many male parents still support traditional beliefs and attitudes that cause family conflicts. The diagram below summarizes how UAP works.

UAP: An indigenous knowledge-based approach to reduce family conflicts
And training

IV. METHODOLOGY
To conduct the research in the field the period of 2016-2019 has been chosen for two major reasons. Firstly, an implementation of four years was sufficiently long for UAP to record meaningful results in the study area. Secondly, to investigate the current results of UAP in the field under study. The study has used the qualitative method since the findings have included numerous individual testimonies and many sections related to the interpretation of the results. The research relied also on the quantitative method where the answers collected from a sample of respondents were translated into statistical frequencies and percentages. In addition to primary data collected from questionnaire and interview, the secondary data were also used to track information from books, reports, journals, and electronic documents so as to explore relevant findings of different researches related to the study. The total population (N) of the Sector under study was made of 9,254 adult people aged between 21 and 50 years old and above. To represent this large population 'N' under study, a random sample 'n' has been calculated by  And a vast range of 36% up to 92% respondents in Cyanika Sector have pointed out some major consequences of family conflicts like: wasting family resources; conjugal infidelity; lack of trustfulness and confidentiality; divorce or separation; teenage pregnancies, delinquency, and drug addiction in children; sexual transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS contamination; low school performance, school dropout and increased absenteeism in children; and imprisonment. As indicated by most respondents, the consequences of family disruptions were sometimes severely damaging the good working of the households concerned and were impeding to some extent the socioeconomic development of the local community.

Umugoroba w'Ababyeyi (UAP) in Cyanika Sector: outcomes and challenges
Since its beginning, UAP has intended to make Rwandan family become a constantly safe place where the family members live in harmony and direct cooperation to promote better conditions of life within the households. In close cooperation with the local community and the Village leaders, UAP has conducted various activities in the field. A very significant range of 81% to 99% respondents have attempted to identify some major activities performed in UAP framework like: creation of favorable conditions for sharing family life experiences and testimonies; achieving reconciliation in many conflicting families; securing reconciliation between neighboring conflicting families; organizing frequent follow-up to support the families recently reconciled; visiting and advising in confidentiality families still in conflict; and discussing different topics related to socioeconomic development in their local community like domestic violence; children abuse; drug addiction; teenage pregnancies, school dropout; adhering to cooperatives of marketable production; ensuring security in the Village; and so forth. According to Executive Secretary of Cyanika Sector, UAP "was very beneficial to the population for different reasons such as being allowed a free talk; ability of listening to and critically analyzing a problem; opportunity of self-evaluation and adopting new behavior".
In addition, a very significant range of 78% up to 97% have attempted to indicate some important challenges impeding UAP such as: moderate participation of the Village members mainly because of being busy in daily occupations; repeated individual absences due to paid job constraints; and resistance to change ("hari abantu bananiwe guhinduka"). Some male parents have still resisted to gender policy and supported traditional beliefs

VI. RESULTS DISCUSSION
The research has intended to demonstrate how Umugoroba w' Ababyeyi Programme (UAP) or Parents' Sunset Meeting has contributed to the reduction of family conflicts in Cyanika Sector during the period of 2016-2019. To evaluate the significance of the field results and to understand their implications, some major root causes of family conflicts have been selected in order to be discussed in depth namely: conjugal infidelity; mismanagement of family property; lack of frank communication; and misunderstanding of gender equality.

Conjugal infidelity
Eighty-five per cent (85%) of respondents stated that conjugal infidelity in either male or female partner was identified in some families and consisted in having one or more sexual partners outside the couple.

Lack of frank communication
According to most respondents, the lack of frank and frequent face-to-face communication within couples was perhaps one of the major causes of many family

Misunderstanding of gender equality
According to a high percentage of respondents, the concept of gender equality appeared not sufficiently understood.
Since the late 1990s until now Government of Rwanda, especially through Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF) and its unit of Gender Monitoring Office (GMO), has been committedly engaging in raising awareness of gender policy within the population and has implemented different activities of regular sensitization in the local communities. Most respondents in Cyanika Sector stated that there still were in many couples a high imbalance in decision-making process for instance in family planning initiatives. Although big efforts have been made and tremendous successes registered in Rwanda in the area of gender equality, it remains a long walk to go, as said a woman Rwandan official: "the path to real equality is a long and at times a difficult one. We shouldn't forget that we still live in a patriarchal system. There are still some people who don't have a full understanding of gender issues" (Parliament Speaker, 2018; www.newtimes.co.rw>section> read..). And as the study by IRDP (2017) has also observed, in Rwanda gender equality laws seem to be operating in a non-conducive environment where the mindset and attitudes of some couples are still guided by traditional gender practices. As a result, this misinterpretation of gender creates tension and instability in households.

VII. CONCLUSION
The study has attempted to reach its specific objectives that in turn led to respond the research question: Did Umugoroba w'Ababyeyi Programme (UAP) contribute to reduce family conflicts in Cyanika Sector of Nyamagabe District in the period of 2016-2019? Field findings have convincingly shown that Umugoroba w' Ababyeyi Programme (UAP) has recorded significant benefits to reduce family conflicts such as: achieving reconciliation in many conflicting families; achieving reconciliation between neighboring families in conflict; organizing frequent follow-up to support the families recently reconciled; and discussing various obstacles impeding the socio-economic development in their local community such as: domestic violence, drug addiction, teenage pregnancies, school dropout in children, wasting family resource, and misunderstanding gender policy. Apart from these UAP advantages, there were hard challenges that have impeded a good working of UAP including a moderate attendance of the Village members in UAP, financial and logistic challenges, and resistance to social/cultural change. To lead to a higher performance of UAP, further research should be conducted such as: Contribution of increased participation of local community in enhancing improved outcomes of UAP; Impact of eradicating/reducing the resistance to social change on promoting socio-economic development within the rural local community, to name a few.