After attaining 90 percent of its action plan in the development of women, the National Women Council (NWC) has said this year it will embark on educating illiterate women across the country. In its annual congress held on Friday, Dr. Diane Gashumba, the president of the council, said that the emancipation of Rwandan women has been achieved in the last seven-year mandate, but illiteracy among women is still a challenge, due to previous regimes that did not value women education.
After attaining 90 percent of its action plan in the development of women, the National Women Council (NWC) has said this year it will embark on educating illiterate women across the country.
In its annual congress held on Friday, Dr. Diane Gashumba, the president of the council, said that the emancipation of Rwandan women has been achieved in the last seven-year mandate, but illiteracy among women is still a challenge, due to previous regimes that did not value women education. The meeting drew over 150 members.
"Some development projects have not been effectively achieved in communities due to illiteracy among women,” said Gashumba, adding that literacy lessons will help women, especially in rural areas, effectively develop themselves.
"Most of the women don’t know how to read and write, and this has been a hindrance to some women development programmes. But we have already started working with the religious sector and local authorities in setting up literacy classes for them.”
Gashumba added that NWC seeks to embark on funding several needy women to set up small projects that will sustain them. These women include commercial sex workers, street beggars and widows.
The meeting also resolved to support women in the rural communities to acquire loans to start income generating projects to improve the standard of living.
According to the council, this year’s women development action plan was budgeted at Rwf391.835.138 million.
Speaking at the meeting, Jean d’arc Mujawamariya, the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, hailed the council for what it had achieved and urged it to create more development ideas for women in the country.
"The work you have done is recognized, you just need to perform better in this seven-year mandate so that all women development programmes are achieved by 2017,” said Mujawamariya.
Among the achievements in the last mandate was establishment of a law that enables both husband and wife to have equal rights to their property if officially married, reduction of gender violence in the country and promoting unity and reconciliation.
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