Staff members of Akagera Business Group (ABG) on Tuesday, March 8, joined residents of Jali Sector in Gasabo District to celebrate International Women’s Day.
They donated construction materials to residents whose houses were destroyed by natural disasters which are attributable to climate change.
During the ceremony, Senthil Ganesh Shanbagamoorthy, the Managing Director of ABG, said that empowerment of women is an empowerment of society which is why women should be empowered at all cost.
"ABG is always happy to be part of women empowerment especially in the community that surrounds us,” Ganesh said, adding that, "Gender equality should be reflected in all sectors of the economy and levels of society. It is time that the world sees what women are capable of doing if not restricted.
Claudette Ntiyamara, head of administration and human resource at ABG, said that giving back to the community is part of the organisation’s culture to celebrate women.
She said that this year they had a target to help women who were rendered homeless by natural disasters that that struck the sector in the past months.
"It is an opportunity to also celebrate the fact that we have proven to the world that we can be great leaders and excel in diverse fields. It is also an opportunity for us to show our humanity by giving back to society,” she added.
ABG contributed 45 sacks of cement and river sand, that will help renovate houses for 15 families that were left homeless by the heavy rains.
70-year old Stephanie Ubuzukagira who is one of the beneficiaries welcomed the support, noting that it is going to improve their welfare, saying that for almost one year, her family has been living in classrooms.
On the same day, female employees of ABG met at Curry Kingdom Restaurant in Kigali to celebrate their day by dining together and sharing a cake, and used the opportunity to bond.
ABG currently employs over 40 women.
Henriette Umulisa Mandali, who works in the firm’s internal audit department commended the trading company for giving women an opportunity to make a contribution to the development of their nation.
"Being a woman already gives me the strength and power to break the obstacles and challenges both professionally and socially that I face on a daily basis. Serving a company like ABG which encourages gender equality is also an added value that inspires us to work hard,” Mandali added.
Brunette Umutesi, the only female in the mechanical department at ABG said that being the only woman in this field indicates how there is still a long journey to go in awakening and empowering women.
Mutesi who graduated at Tumba College of Technology also urged fellow women to not limit themselves while choosing careers, noting that there is no profession that is exclusively for men.
ABG is a trading company that have different business ventures including in car sales, car rentals, an auto zone, electronics and general trading.