Feature: Rwanda in COVID-19 lockdown, but life unlocked by internet

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, April 19, 2020
Adjust font size:

by Lyu Tianran, Frank Kanyesiyge and James Gashumba

KIGALI, April 19 (Xinhua) -- Kigali resident Vianney Musonera purchased pizzas and a birthday cake for his children on the latter's birthday without visiting shops during the lockdown imposed to contain the COVID-19 epidemic.

Although strict measures under the lockdown kept him at home, e-commerce and online shopping opened a door for him.

"It was just one button away and motorcycles of VubaVuba (meaning 'very fast' in Kinyarwanda) delivering the food items was at my house within as little as 15 minutes," said Musonera, who lived in Kigali's Kicukiro district.

The online food delivery service "made it (the lockdown) easy for me, and it was as if there was no lockdown in our country," he said, adding that VubaVuba enabled people to order food from their favorite restaurants or supermarkets.

The orders in Kigali have increased by 10 percent compared to before the lockdown, and the products highly demanded have shifted from women sanitary pads to sanitary products that can be used to prevent coronavirus, such as sanitizers and medicated soaps, said Aissetou Sanogo, Kigali office operations manager of Kasha.

The online store specialized in women's products established a category of COVID-19 prevention products on its website, selling gloves, soaps, hand sanitizers and antiseptic liquids.

Allan Munyakazi, finance student at the University of Rwanda, has been studying through the online learning program since the shutdown of universities and schools.

"My advice to fellow students is to try and accept online learning. They will learn as much as they can," he said.

Rwanda Education Board (REB) put in place a YouTube channel where education contents were uploaded including subjects of mathematics, English and chemistry to help students study at their homes during the lockdown. REB has also introduced an e-learning website for students to learn and receive assessment online.

Rwanda's private ICT sector provided online materials and platforms for home schooling, while telecommunication companies offered free network for students visiting online education websites.

In Kigali's Supreme Court, judges and prosecutors participated in a video trial while the suspects were at Kigali Metropolitan Police Headquarters.

The judiciary launched trial of cases through video last week, and it has been "well embraced", Judicial Spokesperson Harrison Mutabazi told Xinhua.

"The priority has been on urgent cases to address issues of overcrowding at police cells," he said.

The Rwandan judiciary in March suspended court operations countrywide to curb coronavirus spread, but it encouraged citizens to apply Integrated Electronic Case Management System that has been used for years to report cases online.

People seeking other court services from relevant judiciary authorities were advised to use a toll-free line and an online portal that helps the public to send messages via the internet portal.

Reporting cases is "done well online" amid the suspension of courts due to the COVID-19, the spokesperson said.

Stock brokers were able to send orders online and didn't have to go to the Rwanda Stock Exchange (RSE), according to RSE CEO Pierre Celestin Rwabukumba.

"The Covid-19 outbreak has put Rwanda under the lockdown for more than three weeks now, but the power of online technology has prevailed, making life easy for Rwandan residents in the face of lockdown to access essential services and as well perform essential services like work related," Alex Ntale, ICT chamber CEO of Rwandan Private Sector Federation, told Xinhua.

Working from home has been easy in the central African country, which has been embracing technologies, since people are able to use digital tools such as webinar application and Skype calls for online video meetings, Ntale said.

Services like paying water and electricity bills, digital banking services are all running smoothly during the lockdown, and digital solutions have been developed to help the government collect donations and distribute support to those who are economically affected, according to him. Enditem

Follow China.org.cn on Twitter and Facebook to join the conversation.
ChinaNews App Download
Print E-mail Bookmark and Share

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)

No comments.

Add your comments...

  • User Name Required
  • Your Comment
  • Enter the words you see:   
    Racist, abusive and off-topic comments may be removed by the moderator.
Send your storiesGet more from China.org.cnMobileRSSNewsletter