2014 Kigali Peace Marathon by Eliza F.

Eliza F.
Ruhango District, Southern Province

When I was in 3^rd grade, I was obsessed with Mia Hamm. At the time I was a pretty good soccer player (for an 8-year-old) and was confident that I too would join the U.S. Women’s National Team at age 15. Though by 7^th grade I had a feeling that I would never be as good as Mia Hamm, or that I’d even be good enough to play soccer professionally, I still looked to Hamm as a role model. She had so much talent, and not only was the face of women’s soccer, which at the time was just getting off the ground (their first World Cup wasn’t until 1991), but also, with the help of the 1999 National Team, helped bring attention to women’s athletics and inspire girls throughout the country.

As a soccer fan, I knew that when the Men’s World Cup rolled around every 4 years, the Americans didn’t stand a chance. But the American women always medaled at their Cup the following year. Soccer is far more popular in most other countries, and this goes a long way in explaining why the American men just can’t compete with the Brazilians, the Spanish and the Germans.  So why do the women do so well? Because hundreds of thousands of little girls like me had the opportunity to play on teams like our brothers did, and we had role models like Mia Hamm.

While we still debate and fight over the inequality that exists between men’s and women’s sports programs in the U.S., I think we overlook just how much American girls are encouraged to get involved in sports. They have access to teams, fields, coaches, cleats, and uniforms and a support system that will encourage them to stay involved for years. That isn’t how it is for a lot of girls in this world.

Last weekend. 18 Peace Corps Volunteers brought 38 students from 13 schools to the International Peace Marathon in Kigali. The day before the marathon, students took classes in nutrition, fitness, body image, and HIV prevention. The day of the marathon they ran with over a hundred others in the 5k Fun Run. Half of the students were girls. I don’t know how much we were able to teach them during the short weekend, but I hope that some of those girls were inspired to stick with running, or whatever the sport is that they enjoy, despite the challenges they face. Maybe a girl saw one of the female marathon runners, and thought, "I want to be like her – and I can be!"

They Why and How by Caitlan S.

Caitlan S.

Rusizi District, Western Province 


The other day, some kids came up to my house and asked for food, "Mpa ibiryo." Usually, I say there isn't enough for them or just simply no, but that day I decided upon a different approach. I asked why, "Kureba iki?" Instead of giving me a reason they simply looked confounded and said, "Bye!"

One of the most difficult aspects about teaching and living in Rwanda can be the lack of critical thinking. I'm not sure how cross cutting a lack of critical thinking is across the developing world, Africa, or even East Africa, but it is a striking difference between students in the United States of America and Rwanda. It is also one of the biggest impediments when striving for true gender equality.

In Rwanda's 'Vision 2020' the government has put a large emphasis on gender balance, and every student and Rwanda can spout off the term and describe its meaning. However, the practice of gender balance is much harder to see.

Throughout the past year and a half of my service, I've tried asking my students why things are the way they are. At first it's difficult. As seen by the kids asking for food, it isn't a common question. In relation to gender and the roles of men and women in Rwanda most students have never truly thought about why girls are destined to be mothers and caretakers of the household and why boys are expected to provide money for the entire family. It's a heavy burden on both sexes, and it's the first step in addressing gender equality. Even more difficult seems to be the how. "How can gender roles change?" When I asked this during a lesson, I received blank stares for probably 5 minutes.

As a committee for Peace Corps Rwanda, GAD is trying to put together the materials and resources to help PCVs address this issue. We are trying to create lessons and activities that provide a setting for both boys and girls to look at the "how" and "why" of gender*. It's not an easy task, but I do believe it is the first step towards behavior change. Before there can be true gender balance in Rwanda both sexes must take a hard look at why things are the way they are and make a choice to change for the better. Not all aspects of gender must change in Rwanda, but many should. It is not until boys can understand the effects of violence that they can stop the violence in their homes. It is not until girls learn to speak for themselves that they will be comfortable to change their futures.

We must begin asking the difficult questions. It is the Why and How that will create a paradigm shift in terms of gender roles in Rwanda.

*A curriculum specific to boys will be coming out in the next month and PCVs are welcome to use the International Women's Day Toolkit which is available in the IRC at the Peace Corps Rwanda office.