Editor's note

Dear readers, For three days, Kigali hosted the Women in Parliament (WIA) 2014 Summer Summit whose main objective was to discuss the role of women in leadership and the need for women empowerment. The conference, that ended yesterday, also served to give participants insight into Rwandan society and also build on the values of gender equality and female social, economic and political empowerment. Also, participants will join Rwandans tomorrow as they celebrate the 20th anniversary of Liberation. Athan Tashobya spoke to the founder of WIA, Esther Silvana Koch-Mehrin, who among other things, would love to see the strong mindset of society changed, including regarding men as the only strong politicians. The Millennium Development Goals deadline is fast approaching, and some goals whose matters relate to maternal and child health might not be achieved given the staggering figures provided by different reports. Doreen Umutesi spoke to women from across the world during the just concluded 2014 Partner’s Forum in Johannesburg to find out their expectations in the coming 2015 Millennium Development Goals agenda. Is pain in the abdomen during pregnancy something to worry about? Or are some women just being fussy or negligent? Find out what our health columnist Dr Rachna Pande has to say about it. Flip through the pages for these and other interesting stories in this week’s edition of Women Today. Happy Liberation Day.