ALL ROADS led to the Intare Conference Arena on Saturday, March 19, for the grand finale of Miss Rwanda 2022 beauty pageant. One of the big winners on the night was history-maker Jeannette Uwimana, who became the first ever Miss Rwanda contestant with a disability. Ms Uwimana, who has speech and hearing impairments, was named Miss Innovation after her business idea emerged as the most innovative project. As with other beauty pageants around the world, Miss Rwanda platform is built around the concept of ‘beauty with a purpose’. This idea is informed by the understanding that beauty pageants should be more than just physical appearance; it’s also about empowering girls to impact their communities as well as empowering them individually, intellectually, financially and career-wise. For the second-year running Bank of Kigali will be funding the most innovative project, having supported the inaugural winner, Hense Teta Musana, to the tune of about Rwf40 million in funding. Besides the funding, the winner also receives business development coaching as well as a monthly allowance of Rwf500,000. This significantly increases the project’s chance of success. The addition of the Most Innovative Project category to the list of prizes that are up for grabs in the annual contest is indeed a game-changer. Not only does it change the life of the winner but it also helps address a particular issue in society while creating badly needed jobs. In addition, investing in the financial independence of women will always have a positive impact on their families and communities, as well as on the financiers themselves. For instance, last year’s winning project sought to create eco-friendly coffee cups, an important contribution toward efforts to make Rwanda a greener country, while this year’s winning project is about pig farming, which should impact the swine industry and the economy. Indeed, we applaud BK for throwing their weight behind this girls’ empowerment initiative and urge other financiers and stakeholders to initiate or support similar programmes. Empowering girls and women to achieve financial independence and career success should be an integral part of all women-empowerment programmes.
