HUYE - Ruhango district has been chosen as the venue for this year’s Women’s day celebrations at the provincial level. As part of activities to mark the day, outstanding women and other individuals who have advocated for the cause of women will be recognised, the president of the National Women’s Council in the province has said.

Talking to The New Times, Anonciata Kambayire said that a number of activities will be carried out in the period preceding the March 8 celebrations.

"Women have been organized at cell level where they will carry out different activities meant to reflect on the special occasion,” she said.

Kambayire added that women in the province have taken big strides in empowering themselves economically.

"We have so far equipped 24,000 women with weaving skills and they have managed to generate Rwf 32million from the sale of their products,” she said, "we have also given out  40 sewing machines to women groups in Huye and Muhanga districts while women have developed 10 hectares of cassava crop in Gisagara district which is ready for harvesting. Clearly this calls for celebration among some of us.” The women council president said that despite the achievements a number of challenges still remain. She cited the women guarantee fund as one of the initiatives that have been under utilized.

"Women do not seem to understand how the fund operates and the reluctance by the fund management to make it more accessible to all women regardless of their financial situation has not helped,” said Kambayire.

The council president lauded the decreasing cases of gender based violence, a trend she attributed to the success of awareness campaigns at the lower levels.

"A bigger number of people are now actively involved in fighting the vice, we now have a special gender desk in  the National Police while other initiatives within the society is paying off,” she said.

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