Families have a fundamental role in dealing with far-reaching implications of COVID-19 on society. This was highlighted by Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, Assumpta Ingabire ahead of the International Day of Families. The day is observed on the 15th of May every year with the purpose of reflecting the importance of international community attaches to families. It also provides an opportunity to raise awareness of issues relating to families and to increase knowledge of the social, economic and demographic processes affecting families. This year, the day is celebrated globally under the theme- ‘Families in Development: Copenhagen & Beijing + 25’ while in Rwanda, celebrations are to be held under the theme of ‘Let’s build a resilient and safe family.’ In Rwanda, there will be no national celebrations by officials from the ministry and other stakeholders will use the media to discuss issues affecting families in the country. Ingabire stressed that the family is the foundation for a country’s development and hence should possess the foothold in the fight against the current pandemic. She noted that whereas the country has put measures in place to deal with the current situation, families remain at the centre of this fight. “It all starts from families but they need to be firm enough to contribute towards development, they need to be in a healthy environment. This is why we carried out campaigns such that we fight vices like gender-based violence. If we are to win this fight against COVID-19, families need to be stable,” she said. To ensure resilience and safety of families, the ministry has carried out continued awareness through the media mobilising communities on the need to stay safe as well as maintaining peace and harmony in families. The Permanent Secretary advised families to make the most of this time to care for their children and build strong relationships with them. “This is the first time for many families to be together 24/7, so we encourage them to take advantage of spending time together, and work on having good relationships with their kids.” Clement Kirenga, a gender activist and programme manager at the Swedish Embassy in Rwanda, said such a time calls for special attention for vulnerable families especially those affected by extreme poverty and those being affected by calamities such as floods. “COVID-19 is a world pandemic and everyone is facing it but not everyone is affected the same. Poor families are more prone, some lack resources while some have lost their jobs and this increases vulnerability,” he said. He also highlighted the need to focus on the gender aspect seeing that the virus has affected more men than women, according to information from the World Health Organisation. Kirenga is of the view that what needs to be done is to strengthen the fight against gender-based violence noting that this is the biggest issue that tends to destabilise families. He said that though the government has so far done a lot in this regard, more needs to be done. “Families need to be kept safe, let us support children, those with disabilities and need special help. Let us create strategies for those who lack access to virtual learning.”
