Leaders from PICO's new affiliate in Rwanda – Congregations Rebuilding Community in Rwanda (CRCR) – made history recently by being the first grassroots organization in the country to drive a major decision about the government's allocation of resources.

In December, CRCR leaders from the rural community of Mumeya won 11 million Rwandan Francs (approximately $20,000 USD) from the Rwandan Government's Ministry of Health for the construction of a health clinic in their community. They also won a commitment from the government to include the clinic in the national health plan. CRCR's successful organizing has created a spark of curiosity in this central African nation.

After their successful action, CRCR leaders organized community members in Mumeya to assist in the actual construction of the hospital. Now, every Tuesday, over 300 community members from Mumeya gather to break stones, mix cement, and help build the clinic.

In the coming year, CRCR will continue to organize to secure the funds needed to supplement their own labor to complete the clinic. This interfaith effort has Lutheran, Catholic, 7th Day Adventist, Anglican, and Baptist representation where more than 60 percent of the leaders are women.

A second CRCR organizing effort is being seeded in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. Word of this successful model is being spread throughout the region, as Pastor John Rutsindintwarane, director of CRCR, is being invited by church and government bodies in Central Africa and Europe to describe how it is working in Mumeya.

The PICO model of organizing has been a good fit for the people of Rwanda. In a country that was devastated by genocide 13 years ago, the government is committed to breaking the shackles of colonialism and rebuilding an inclusive civic society dedicated to empowering people and removing corruption.

The challenge has been to find a way to teach people the practices necessary to make this kind of development real. As the Minister of Health says, "I have not seen anything like this. Where did you learn this?" According to Pastor John, the leaders of Mumeya are "the yeast in the dough of Rwanda," causing the rise of a community and a country destined to be a model of empowerment and change.

Click here to watch a video of community members in Mumeya building the hospital >>