Paul Kagame | When Rwandan women learn from the best

The year 2010 was an extraordinary time in many ways. But most importantly, it was not only a time to celebrate President Kagame’s achievements over the past seven years, but also presented an occasion to enjoy a people’s victory as the president entered a second term on a strong pledge to succeed seven fold. It’s during one of those parties that President Kagame voiced his sincere wish to have a female predecessor to the presidency. Just imagine the ovation he received from an audience full of Rwanda’s top of the crème female politicians, top officials and well-wishers

First forward to 2012: This week opened with more great news about Rwanda, but this time regarding the inclusion of Rwanda Development Board’s own Clare Akamanzi on the list of Younger Global Leaders for 2012. Most probably, youthful Akamanzi was still at school when the country was liberated in 1994, opening the door for opportunities for the youth to be mentored into young responsible citizens on whom the countries relies for growth. Younger Rwandans like Akamanzi are a product of a new Rwanda that President Kagame has helped to shape for a brighter future

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg of greater things and recognition that Rwandan women continue to enjoy. Earlier on, Minister Inyumba Aloysia raised the Rwandan flag high as she won “Women Have Wings Courage” Award. Minister Inyumba is a statistic among Rwandan women that are assured of 30% of all administrative positions that the government reserves for women. In ministries, women occupy 50 percent of all permanent secretaries, according to a recent media survey. This is a milestone and an indication of what Rwanda is celebrating now as the world marks the 2012 International Women’s Day.

And remaining true to his good intentions for women, President Kagame appreciated role of women through this tweet on IWD: “[I’m] Recognizing Rwandan women for their indispensable contribution(as well their right) to our country’s development!!# Women’s Int’l Day Bravo,…. Contribution to Nation’s Devlpment and over-all well-being!!!!”  With every reason to be thankful the gender ministry reply the president’s twit thus: On behalf of the women of Rwanda, we thank you Your Excellency for giving us reason to celebrate! That says it all.

What Rwanda is going through can be summed up in Mandela’s words that “A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones”. Fruits of the struggle to empower women are felt not just at the top level where they make up 42% of the Supreme Court judges and 70 percent of the High Court judges, 62 % of executive secretaries of national commissions. The rural woman, who is most often wrongly regarded as a liability to development in some less developed nations, is now Rwanda’s pride as she steers the nation to recovery. These women are being empowered and have joined or lead associations, self-help and credit schemes where they generate income and sustain their families and communities.

The common Rwandan woman has also been a prime beneficiary of initiatives like Gir’inka (One Cow per Household), Ubudehe (Communal) activities, among others. Whenever you see Agaseke traditional basket hanging in any US chain store, think of thousands of women whose lives, families and communities have been transformed by engaging in the basket weaving industry.

And more battles are being won to improve the lives of Rwandan women through policies to improve maternal mortality, literacy, income status, among others programmes targeting women.  Looking at recent statistics, Rwanda has also reduced its poverty rate from 57% to 45%, which means that close to 1m Rwandans (out of a population of 10.6m) are out of poverty. Since women make up slightly above 51% of the population, it’s likely that a sizeable number of those relieved from poverty are women.

What is more outstanding is that transforming Rwanda has not been magical – The nation has not recovered just by chance. Behind all this dramatic change lies sleepless nights of critical thinking to improve the life of Rwandans. Under this entire milestone lies hard work to bring back a smile on the faces of millions of women whose lives were previously shattered by the aftermath of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. One cannot praise this development without unmasking the truth and understanding the character and person behind Rwanda’s women empowerment and recover.

There is no doubt that Rwanda’s recovery is strongly hinged on the political will of its leadership – on the direct support of President Paul Kagame. It’s out of this resolve for feminism that women are ready to learn the ropes and impact on the lives of those they lead. Such positive trends assure Rwanda of generations full of prominent women in sectors like business, politics, sports, academics and health. Yes, Rwandan women are learning from the best.