Citizen Voice and Actions (CVA-Rwanda): Promoting Freedom of Speech and Youth Political Participation in Rwanda

Freedom of expression in Rwanda is severely lacking and it is common for the local population not participating in the national political life and fear express their opinion on key political or social issues. Youth in the country has been particularly affected by this culture of silence and feel largely left out of the decision-making process and underrepresented.

Citizen Voice and Action (CVA) launched a transformative project aimed at engaging youth while encouraging them to advocate for accountability and good governance. Running from 2023 to October 2024 in partnership with the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), this initiative, alongside other key projects, has yielded remarkable results. CVA’s comprehensive approach included multiple initiatives to mobilize and empower young people. These initiatives encompassed Generation leadership academy, Policy Youth Dialogue, school dialogues, and Friday Campus Debate, all aimed at fostering democracy and its core principles.

Among the many positive results, the above-mentioned initiatives engaged and mobilized youth while promoting their active political participation and supporting their advocacy campaigns. The campaigns resulted into the implementation of new transparency measures in local governments as well as policy change regarding public access to governmental meetings thus significantly enhancing youth civic engagement and political participation and renewing overall trust in democracy and democratic processes. Youth in the country also honed several new leadership skills while forming new networks and advocating for democracy and for transparent and accountable governance system.