Women’s Day: Confidence key towards empowerment

The world tomorrow will celebrate the International Women’s Day. Rwanda is one the success stories in gender and women empowerment.In Rwanda, it’s no longer the old story of men in government spearheading women empowerment; instead, women have owned the whole process and have effectively succeeded. They are not only driving the economy – working on construction sites, in factories and as truck and taxi drivers – they are also filling the ranks of government.In an interview with The New Times, Rwandan women in various sectors believe that Rwanda is actually ahead of many African countries but accepts the fact that it is now upon them to bridge the gap of building confidence in themselves. According to Zulfat Mukarubega, the proprietor of Rwanda Tourism University College, it is now time for Rwandan women to step out, think big and invest in major projects. “We have a firm ground as women; it’s now our role to believe in ourselves that we can. Married women have the opportunity of partnering with their spouses for family development while those doing business have to think big, confront the risks and invest in big projects,” said Mukarubega. Mukarubega is considered as one of the very many Rwandan women who have prospered highly through innovation. She started a mini restaurant with only Rwf 5,000 but now owns a multimillion project. “For a nation to develop, there is need to invest in education, we are the mothers of this country, we need to be very confident and invest in education for the good of our nation,” said Mukarubega.Singer and songwriter, Josiane Uwineza, commonly known as Miss Jojo, has joined the campaign of women empowerment but mainly focusing on building confidence in the girl-child. According to the star, a girl should try to achieve her dreams regardless of the risks along the way. “For a girl to achieve her dreams, she needs to be committed, confident and take advantage of any opportunity to convince the world,” she noted. Uwineza added; “As an artiste, I have a strong cause for women, and I believe that it is our turn, the youth, to participate in activities that will empower the woman and liberate her from all the stereotypes and traditional beliefs.” So much so that the lioness of R&B Miss Jojo has pulled her weight by enthusing young women to support the national activities that promote gender equality and the empowerment of women.She is one of the most successful R&B stars of her generation and fast spreading to the rest of the region.MP Connie Bwiza, told The New Times that a legal framework for women empowerment had already been established with support from the Executive. She however believes it’s time for the Rwandan women to maximally exploit the opportunities they have. “We now need to work collectively as women, maximise our potential and ensure that we empower each other more,” said Bwiza. “Rwandan women not only have to enjoy the benefits they currently have, but must also ensure that they lead the transformation of the coutry through innovation.” The Rwandan Parliament is a leader in gender parity worldwide. It has 56% of the seats occupied by women, making it the world leader in female democratic representation.Currently, a large percentage of Rwandan women survive on agriculture, however, as the country shifts to a middle class income status, women have been encouraged to make major investments . The recently released Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index” (WEAI) revealed an impressive performance of Rwandan women.According to the Deputy Chief Gender Monitor in the Gender Monitoring Office (GMO), Ramathan Barengayabo, although more women were involved in agricultural activities, they earn less than their spouses when it came to sharing profits from their produce.Emma Marie Bugingo, the Executive Secretary of Profemme Twese Hamwe, an umbrella association of women associations, noted that over 88 percent of women in the country were engaged in the agricultural sector.She added that there was need to train women in modern farming techniques in order to increase their output and improve their living standards as well.According the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Aloisea Inyumba, a women and girls month will be launched on Women’s Day. “We have dedicated one month to building self esteem among young girls in which we will award girls that have excelled in education,” said Minister Inyumba. In the pursuit to promote gender equality, promotion of girls’ education is one of the strategies that have been employed. There is a policy on girls’ education in place. This is an achievement to be celebrated. However, there is a need to see a progressive increase in female participation in Technical and Vocational Training (TVET) and science and technology subjects. Information on the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion website indicates that the target of this week will be to create awareness on the importance of TVET and mobilise women and girls to participate. Efforts will also be directed to reducing illiteracy among women by providing basic adult literacy skills.

National

Women’s Day: Confidence key towards empowerment