Connie Bwiza Sekamana, one of the many Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) women cadres, sits in the Chamber of Deputies in the Rwandan Parliament. Happily married to Jean Marie Sekamana and blessed with three children, and a parliamentarian since 1999, she attributes this to the political support she receives as one of the RPF women cadres. Rwanda has registered remarkable success in gender promotion under the RPF leadership, particularly in the lower chamber of Parliament where women representation stands at 56.3 percent, the highest in the world.However as the RPF celebrates its 25th anniversary today, there’s a lot more Rwandan women have to celebrate that they have achieved because of RPF leadership according to Bwiza.“RPF registered tremendous impact in the lives of many Rwandan women. In the past there were cultural barriers keeping women in the background and portraying men as their superiors in every aspect but today there has been change of mindset. Women are recognised, respected, empowered and involved in their personal, community and national development,” she said.By the time Bwiza joined parliament, RPF had the majority of female representatives compared to other political parties with six seats out of the 13 filled by women.The RPF women were empowered capacity wise with self-confidence and were given equal opportunities with men in leadership positions.However, it hasn’t only been the women leaders benefiting from the RPF leadership but the ordinary women at the grassroots as well.“Women at the grassroots are also empowered and have been brought to the limelight. It has been under the RPF leadership that many women are involved in different income generating activities that were left to the men alone”, MP Bwiza says. “It’s not a surprise to see Rwandan women in top leadership positions and other jobs that were mostly left to men. Even those with little or no education are taking up jobs like building and working as drivers instead of sitting back and waiting for help. This is because they have been empowered under the good leadership,” she continues.She adds that the vast majority of Community Health Workers (CHW), who are involved in meeting the health needs of fellow Rwandans,are women. Women also take up the largest percentage of those in Umurenge SACCO, which is an RPF strategy for poverty reduction and economic empowerment. “Rwandan women, despite differing levels of education, can speak out and are endowed with the capacity and ability to deliver and contribute not only to their development but that of the nation as well. The cultural beliefs and perceptions are no longer because there’s been a change in the mindsets of women”, she adds.Ordinary women have been brought to the level of confidence and despite any level of education; they exploit opportunities to improve their livelihoods. This is something the RPF leadership inculcates among women to work, encouraging them to maximise opportunities, according to her.Many Rwandan women today are enjoying good health, education and other services. They are working to fend for themselves. They have been equipped with resources to contribute to their development and that of the country.However there are still underlying challenges.Rwanda isn’t yet at the desired level of education for women. There’s need to have more girls and women enrolled in school.“Accessibility to health services is there but affordability is still a bit of a challenge for some women. Although a lot has been done to overcome this but there are still a few cases of stereotypes and wrong cultural perception for women who try to access finances,and inherit land. There is also the issue of Gender-Based Violence ,” Bwiza stated.“Early marriages involving young girls were also a challenge but it’s been phased out now as there are few cases. The challenges are there but it isn’t a ground of failure but an area of encouragement to work even harder,” she urges.The sky is the limit for the Rwandan women. The political will is there and almost all that’s needed for them to prosper has been put in place by the RPF leadership. The women just have to be focused and know their purpose as well as tap into the existing opportunities.“We are embarking on intensifying efforts for economic empowerment for the women, a great future lies ahead for Rwandan women under the good governance and RPF leadership,” she ends.
