NYAGATARE – The Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Dr Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, has expressed optimism that Rwanda will achieve her gender promotion targets well ahead of African Union’s recent 10-year campaign target.

Addressing hundreds of women who had gathered in Karama Sector, Nyagatare District, to celebrate Rural Woman’s Day, the Minister said that the Government has recently put in place a 10-year programme of empowering rural women.

"Recently African Union set a ten years target to promote African women, but for us in Rwanda, we already have measures in place to promote women,” she said.

Reiterating the need to promote women in the country, Dr Mujawamariya said that there have been a number of targets and programmes in the country through which women are promoted.

"We have programmes such as Vision 2020 under which women are given significant attention…we shall build on these targets to ensure that rural women are promoted well ahead of the continental targeted time,” she added.

The Minister commended the progress made by rural women but reminded participants that there is still a long way to go. "A lot has been achieved in promoting rural women but we still have a lot to add on that progress,” said the Minister.

Beatrice Busasa, the coordinator of rural women development union, said that, on top of promoting rural women, they should also get involved in business that generates more income. "Rural women need to develop and reach the highest level where they can export their products and participate in decision-making processes,” she said.

Beatrice Mushimiyimana, one of the women entrepreneurs in Gatunda Sector, said that through support from the National Women’s Council, she has registered a tremendous progress. "I was trained on how to generate income and currently I have a banana plantation and four exotic cows.

I also have some considerable amount of money which I deposited on my bank account,” she said.

Rwanda celebrated rural woman’s day for the first time in 1997, two years after the United Nation’s inauguration of World’s rural woman’s Day. 

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