Mainstream Advocacy

Advocacy is about influencing people, policies, structures and systems to bring about change. It is about communicating with those in power and persuading them to act in more just and equitable ways. At the core, it is about building relationships. It is about tackling the root causes of poverty and promoting justice. Advocacy can be done by, with, or on behalf of, those affected by injustice. Anyone can carry out advocacy work – it should not be left to professionals or experts.

Advocacy involves action or processes that can complement other development work. It is critical in relation to environmental issues because many environmental problems cannot simply be addressed by good development practice within communities.

For example:

• If a community is suffering because of environmental pollution by a local factory, it may be appropriate to address the problem through advocacy work. Advocacy work at the local level would involve influencing the decision-makers in the factory through showing them the impact of the pollution and asking them to stop the pollution. This can be done positively by explaining the health benefits of no pollution. At the national level, advocacy might involve asking for changes to the laws related to pollution by industry.
• As climate change is a global problem, governments around the world need to work together to find a solution. Development organizations can support national governments by carrying out research and collecting data related to local impacts of climate change. There may be opportunities for some organizations to attend international meetings to talk to delegates from many different countries about the problem of climate change.

Green for Life Rwanda will continue to work on a wide range of advocacy issues in Rwanda, often policies in place are in direct contradiction to the efforts to preserve and protect critical forest watersheds. GLR identifies key policy issues to develop advocacy campaigns. Such campaigns would facilitate successful implementation of programs. Green for life Rwanda has an extensive experience in advocacy, implementing community-based projects, conducting community awareness and supporting participatory governance.

The goal is to mobilize public support and scale up our advocacy work in relation to environmental conservation and protection of public spaces i.e., wetlands, parks, forests etc. to ensure sustainable development.