Rwandan Police and military peacekeepers serving in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), on Saturday, conducted a voluntary community cleaning exercise–Umuganda–to promote hygiene and sanitation.
Umuganda, a Rwandan voluntary communal tradition that brings people together in a common purpose to achieve an outcome.
Rwandan Police contingents; Formed Police Unit (FPU) Two and Three, and Rwanda Battalion Three (RWABATT-3) deployed in Juba took part in Umuganda.
During the exercise, the peacekeepers cleared shrubs in the vicinity of their camps.
According to the contingent commander for Rwanda Formed Police Unit Three (FPU-3), Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jackline Urujeni, the clean-up exercise will be maintained with the aim of promoting cleanliness, hygiene and environmental protection.
“The Camp Cleanliness Campaign is meant to help make the surroundings cleaner, greener, healthier and more environmentally efficient,” SSP Urujeni said.
Sports for networking
Rwandan Police contingents also took part in volleyball and ‘Tug of Peace’ sports activities, which brought together UN Police teams.
Tug of Peace is a local sport in South Sudan where two sides pull each other with a rope
The sports activities were officially opened by UNMISS Police Commissioner, Madam Unaisi Vuniwaqua, who was also among the players in volleyball discipline.
Present was also UNMISS Chief Of Staff, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Bartheremy Rugwizangoga, among other officials.
Rwanda’s FPU-3 beat Nepal FPU in the finals to win the Volleyball Cup.
“The purpose of coming together as peacekeepers in sports is to network and team building, with emphasis on the role of women in peace building and gender promotion,” SSP Urujeni said
SSP Urujeni heads a female dominated contingent, one of the three Rwandan FPUs deployed under UNMISS.
Women also constitute about 30 percent of the six Rwandan FPU contingents deployed in South Sudan and Central African Republic (CAR), making Rwanda one of the leading contributors of female peacekeepers.
UNPOL Chief of Staff, ACP Bartheremy Rugwizangoga applauded the peacekeepers’ teamwork and reiterated the importance of engaging local communities in such activities to increase the “good cooperation between the UNPOL and civilians so as to implement our UNMISS mandate in protection of civilians, efficiently.”
The Express News
