Rwandans living in the Netherlands celebrated International Women’s Day
The ambassador of Rwanda in the Netherlands, Olivier Nduhungireye, expressed that the fact that Rwanda is at the forefront in the development of women is not an accident, but depends on good policies established by the government.
In this ceremony attended by Rwandans and their friends, from parts of this country and neighboring countries such as Belgium and elsewhere, Ambassador Nduhungirehe said that what Rwanda has already achieved in the development of women is to be happy.
He said, “Rwanda is known as a country that prioritized women’s rights. Having a woman in technology and innovation is also very important, but the journey is still long, mainly based on the history we went through where women were oppressed, that is why Rwanda has put efforts in politics to solve this problem.
Amb. Nduhungirehe returned to the evidence showing how Rwandan women have been developed, where they currently hold 61% of the seats in the Parliament, the establishment of laws that protect women and girls, etc.
He said, “In the past, it was known that only boys inherit from their parents and girls’ duty was to get married and go to other families, now things have changed
The number of girls in primary and secondary schools is still high, but when you get to universities there is a problem, this is a problem we have to deal with, if the numbers show that there are many in the country they should dominate everywhere and what we are doing about it will be possible.”
Ambassador Nduhungirehe said that in a world led by technology, women deserve to play an important role.
He said, “Without the participation of women in the development of technology and innovation, we would not achieve sustainable goals. “They are very important people in education and in the workplace in the field of technology.”
He gave an example of how currently women owning a phone in Rwanda are at 55.6% while men are at 71.4%. In urban areas, women own 79% of phones while in rural areas it is 46%.
He said, “We still have the problem of closing this gap in terms of technology, but the Government of Rwanda has started the process to solve this problem, we hope that this will be solved before long.”
Kamali Hilda, who heads the Department of Women’s Development and Equality in the Rwandan Diaspora in the Netherlands, in her speech of the day praised that Rwanda has done a lot in the development of women and girls.
He said, “Our country has done a lot in promoting equality between men and women. Rwanda is among the top ten countries that have reduced inequality between women and men. “Rwanda is the country that has the most women in administration, in schools, women are allowed to register property even though there are still obstacles.”
At the event, we had women who gave lectures on equality and harmony in technology and innovation […] There were also those who showed what they are doing, including books they have written to teach children growing up in Rwanda or anyone else who doesn’t know it but wants to start learning it.”
Lisette Neza Ntukabumwe wrote a poem about the value of women, where she shows that being a woman is a great gift and that is why she deserves to be remembered.
In his poem, he said: “Womanship was given to me and I will give it to you, which means that being a woman is like a gift that should continue to be a chain among people living on Earth.”
He continued, “Every story begins with a mother, a man is born of a woman. Today we want to honor her because everything we have came from her. Feminism is a story that begins with us and will not end with us.”
This ceremony was marked by giving time to Rwandan women and girls to shine light on what they do, and also have a chance to socialize after 3 years of not seeing each other in this annual event, due to the Covid-19 epidemic.
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