Africa

[Visited: July 2024]

After having driven around Akagera National Park in search of wildlife, we are back in the Rwandan capital for something completely different. We have our eyes set on visiting a project run by women, and a short motorbike ride takes us straight to the centre. Local women have started a project which provides education for women, which empowers them, which gives them opportunities to start their own business, and gives jobs to some. Moreover, they fight discrimination, gender-related violence and inequality. We are welcomed in their beautiful shop, and have a good look at all the colourful and creative souvenirs for sale. Then, we walk to the library next door, and get a briefing about our visit. We hear about the history, how women took their destiny in their own hands, and how they strive to improve the living conditions of women in their neighbourhood.
Moreover, the centre has established a library, in which they offer books in Kinyarwanda, English and French. I regret not having taken my own book, as I would have loved to donate that to this sympathetic project, and reading indeed is a very good thing to promote. We hear how many women have already been trained by the centre, and are then invited to follow our guide into one of the workshops. We see a room with tables, at every table a woman sitting behind a sewing machine. They are all producing the souvenirs, some of which we have already seen in the shop next door. We also visit another workshop, where women learn how to cut hair. Some of the ex students indeed have started their own hairdresser shop. After seeing these laudable initiatives, it is time to start our walking tour through the community.
On our walk, we will make regular stops at shops where our guide explains how Rwandan society works by giving us every day examples. We see a milk shop, a car wash, a small mosque, and a street with bars and restaurants. We see a market, and talk to people selling fruits and vegetables. We also see a street full of colourful street art. We see a big painting of a Rwandan man dressed in traditional clothes, carrying a spear and a shield. Some of the art comes with a message: we see keywords like Ubumuntu (Humanity), and Ubugwaneza (Generosity). People in the street greet us, and the beautiful terms painted on the walls. Again, such a positive development in a country with such a dark period only thirty years before. We can only hope that this empowerment will continue, and will further strengthen Rwandas future.

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Nyamirambo community (Rwanda)

Nyamirambo community > Rwanda > Africa

[Visited: July 2024]

Around the World in 80 Clicks