Civics and Governance
Primary 6 · Social and Religious Studies
Civics and Governance
Lesson 3 of 5
15 min
Mutesi's mother sells Rwandan coffee to shops in Kampala and Nairobi. "Years ago," she says, "every border meant more papers and more taxes. Now Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya belong to the same community, so trading is much easier." Mutesi wonders: which communities does Rwanda belong to, and what do they do?
Regional cooperation is when countries in the same part of the world work together, for example on trade, roads, electricity, health and peace. International cooperation is when countries from all over the world work together.
| Organisation | Members | Headquarters | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| East African Community (EAC) | 8: Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda | Arusha, Tanzania | Rwanda became a full member on 1 July 2007. Somalia is the newest member (2024). |
| Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) | 21 countries, from Tunisia to Eswatini | Lusaka, Zambia | Formed in 1994 to make trade easier across a huge area. |
| Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL) | 3: Burundi, DR Congo, Rwanda | Gisenyi (Rubavu), Rwanda | Created in 1976. It helps goods and people move between the three countries. |
| African Union (AU) | 55 African countries | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Founded in 2002, replacing the Organisation of African Unity (1963). |
| NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development) | AU members | Midrand, South Africa | Created by African leaders in 2001 to plan Africa's development. Today it is the African Union's development agency. |
Cooperation is not always easy. Conflicts between members, closed borders and members who do not pay their share can slow it down.
The United Nations (UN) was founded on 24 October 1945, after the Second World War, to keep peace and help countries cooperate. Today it has 193 member states and its headquarters are in New York. Rwanda joined in 1962, the year of its independence. Rwandan soldiers and police officers serve in UN peacekeeping missions in other countries.
The UN has special agencies, each with its own job:
| Agency | Main work | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| WHO (World Health Organization) | Health: fighting diseases, vaccines | Geneva, Switzerland |
| UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) | Children: health, education, protection | New York, USA |
| WFP (World Food Programme) | Food for people in hunger and emergencies, school meals | Rome, Italy |
| UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) | Education, science and culture | Paris, France |
Tip
Match the letters to the job: WHO = Health. WFP = Food. UNICEF = Children. UNESCO = Education and culture. For the headquarters, remember the two big "A" cities: the EAC is in Arusha and the AU is in Addis Ababa.
Answer: Arusha, Tanzania.
Answer: Burundi, the DR Congo and Rwanda.
Answer: The World Food Programme (WFP).
Answer: Any two of: a bigger market for Rwandan goods, easier travel, shared projects like Rusumo, peace and security, solving shared problems.
Answer: 193.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
EAC membership was checked against the EAC's own list of partner states (eac.int), and the Rusumo project against the Nile Basin Initiative (link only). The rest of the lesson is written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
Match each organisation to the city of its headquarters.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
