The University of Westminster hosted the Rwanda Land Development Exhibition Launch and Celebration Event on Marylebone Campus on 3 October. This development aims to serve a new local community and include affordable housing for genocide survivors and others.
The event took place in the Orla Gough Lecture Theatre and was opened with an introduction by event sponsor Professor Dibyesh Anand, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement and Employability, and Co-chair of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Coordination Group.
Darrell Kofkin, Senior Lecturer in Social Entrepreneurship at Westminster Business School, told the story of University of Westminster’s sustainability work with Rwanda since 2017. This started with the University’s first project with University of Rwanda, Social Enterprise Rwanda, which received funding of £75,000 from the Quintin Hogg Trust (QHT).
This led to more conversations, research and insights with stakeholders in Rwanda and in March 2020, the establishment of a local NGO, Shibuka, which supported more than 200 young entrepreneurs in Rwanda during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a Sustainable Development Goals education programme with the First Lady of Rwanda’s school Green Hills Academy.
The recent Sustainable Land Development Project was funded by the QHT with a Small Grant of £10,000.
Senior Lecturer David Mathewson spoke about the Rwanda Land Development Project in further detail. This included the reflections of postgraduate students from the School of Architecture + Cities on their trip to Rwanda in June to develop a masterplan vision for a new sustainable community.
Students and colleagues got to learn about the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi while listening to surviving members of the community tell their stories about losing family members. While in Kigali, their particular focus was on the city development plan and urban regeneration of informal settlements, including land tenure issues and best practices.
Mathewson also discussed the University’s next steps with the University of Rwanda and how their faculty and students will be involved in the community engagement phase of the project, now that a renewed and extended Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between both universities. Dr Josephine Malonza, Dean of the School of Architecture and Built Environment and Dr Akram Elkhalifa, Head of Department for Architecture and Design both joined online as a sign of the strengthening partnership.
About the ten-day trip, Chevening Scholar and International Planning and Sustainable Development MA student Kainat Azadzoi, said: “Alongside the knowledge and experience shared with teammates, the Project provided me with the opportunity to learn more about urban initiatives and growth management schemes in the city used for the regulation of the urban population and, furthermore, leading urbanisation through meetings and visits with the urban authorities in Kigali and exchanged knowledge with them. The Project was an instructive experience providing real-world practice, allowing me to apply the theories studied during my course into practice and learn from it.”
The Rwanda High Commissioner to the UK, His Excellency (HE) Busingye Johnston, also delivered a keynote speech addressing Rwanda’s journey towards rebuilding and reform after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
The event concluded with closing remarks from Westminster’s Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Bonfield, congratulating all the students on their work, thanking the team and the Rwanda High Commissioner before guests were invited to attend the opening of the exhibition showcasing the student’s work.
HE Busingye Johnston said: “I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the University of Westminster for inviting me to give a lecture on Rwanda’s progress since the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. It is a testament to the growing partnership between the University of Westminster and the University of Rwanda. I was truly pleased to hear students come forward to share experiences of their study visit to Rwanda, and I look forward to hearing many more of these stories as our collaboration deepens. The High Commission of Rwanda in London will always support and strengthen this important relationship.”
Dr Farhang Morady, Reader in International Development and Academic Director of the Democratic Education Network (DEN), added: “Attending the Rwanda Land Development Project was incredibly inspiring, and I gained valuable insights from my colleagues who have been collaborating to ensure that the development assists the community and the country.”
The Rwanda Land Development Exhibition showcasing the student’s work will be on the Learning Platform on Marylebone Campus from 14-25 October.
The Rwanda Land Development Project directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 10: Reduced Inequalities, 11: Sustainable Cites and Communities and 17: Partnerships for Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about the School of Architecture and Cities at the University of Westminster.
