Women mentors target family harmony

The Young Women Mentors Network (YWMN) has formed a partnership with the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF), to help create harmony and strengthen bonds among families.

Sunday, November 04, 2012
Female students need encouragement from peers. The Sunday Times / File.

The Young Women Mentors Network (YWMN) has formed a partnership with the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF), to help create harmony and strengthen bonds among families.YWMN is a group of over 20 Rwandan women graduates from various universities across the region, whose aim is to mentor girls through school. "As we mentor our sisters, we realise that among other problems they face and can easily lead them out of school is related to challenges in their families,” said Rose Mutesi, the network`s Coordinator. Ms Mutesi noted that their findings indicate that misunderstandings in various families lead to divorce and have adverse effects on the children.As part of the campaign, the network yesterday visited and had an interactive discussion with residents of Gahanga Sector in Kicukiro District. The discussion that took place at the Sector`s office mainly focused on how residents can have peaceful families.Some of the residents who contributed to the discussion observed that parents who don’t give time to their children and families are responsible for the problems within homes."Some parents don’t consult their partners on issues that affect the families and this has led to adverse effects,” said Alice Uwamahoro, one of the residents.She observed that Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the area is mainly based on the misconception about women rights urging that more sensitization campaigns about rights are still relevant. Alfred Mukiza, Gahanga Sector Executive Secretary urged parents to take on their responsibilities, promising to take strict measures against parents who do not play their respective  roles to guide their children.