The story of a girl activist - Rwanda
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Version 0 of 1. In Rwanda, we have one of the most encouraging governments when it comes to empowering women. However, the ties that keep women down are mostly cultural. There isn't a lack of opportunities for women in Rwanda; there is a lack of will among Rwandan women to use those opportunities. That's what I fight to change. I started getting interested in women's rights when I realised that I was facing cultural stereotypes about my inability to work in the sciences. The government does a lot to change that, but traditions that have held on for years can't be changed overnight. <strong>Biggest challenge:</strong> I knew something needed to be done but nothing I could do seemed meaningful enough to change anything. That's when I read many books about challenges that women face worldwide, such as Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and A Thousand Sisters by Lisa Shannon. I started to see the problem as more global, but it made me feel more helpless. Then I heard of the UN foundation Girl Up. After seeing a global problem, I saw that there might actually be a global solution coming from people of my age. This was the encouragement I needed to start working in my community. <strong>Proudest moment:</strong> After that time, with the help of a friend, I opened a girl empowerment organisation. Our goal was to give seminars to younger girls to give a voice to the younger students and to form a united front of young girls ready to fight for every single other young woman who can't fight for themselves. Even if it's a small change, I know that small change will bring a big change in some people's lives, and that's all I hope for. <strong>This content is brought to you by </strong><strong>Guardian Professional</strong><strong>. To get more articles like this direct to your inbox, sign up free to become a member of the </strong><strong>Global Development Professionals Network</strong> Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |