Sobanukirwa was launched to help people in Rwanda get access to information by allowing anyone to post requests for free via a website and to receive email alerts once information is released.
But as our team have carried out training sessions for citizens, government officers, NGOs, civil society groups and journalists across the country, we’ve found that very few people in Rwanda are aware of the existence of the country’s 2013 access to information law and the rights that it gives them.
So to help make sure everyone knows about their right to information in Rwanda, today we are launching an awareness campaign featuring two short videos in English and Kinyarwanda made by Rwandan animators.
The video aims to show how anyone in Rwanda from farmers to mothers to rural families all now have the legal right to ask questions to public and private bodies and to get answers within three days.
And because we know that the majority of Rwandans do not have access to the internet, we have also established 4636, a toll-free phone hotline that anyone can call or text if they have questions.
Our team will then submit those questions online and will call people back when their questions are answered to convey information to them. All you need to do is use this service is to call or text 4636 (‘INFO’ on your phone’s keypad).
We hope that this campaign will help spread awareness about access to information in Rwanda as well as making it even easier for people to ask the questions that they need answers to.
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