tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35717177489972731882024-03-19T10:26:29.867+02:00PC/Rwanda GADA series of blogs by members of the Gender and Development Committee in Peace Corps, Rwanda.
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DISCLAIMER:
The views represented here are our own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Peace Corps, the U.S. government, or the government of Rwanda.PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-73560411000979513722016-08-10T15:34:00.000+02:002016-08-10T15:34:49.899+02:00Nathan's Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b style="line-height: 21.3px;"><u style="line-height: 21.3px;">My Life Story</u></b></div>
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by NTAHUNGA Nathan</div>
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Rukara Sector, Eastern Province, Rwanda</div>
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<i>This is a guest blog post from one volunteer's student. Nathan as you will read in her story, is an inspiration to us all and gives us real hope for the future. Nathan is preparing to go to University in the US, but she needs some help paying for testing fees and other visa fees. If you can donate to Nathan she would greatly appreciate it. Here is a link to her fundraiser: </i><a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=AXYE6G29K97HE" style="background-color: white; color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 21.3px;" target="_blank">https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=AXYE6G29K97HE</a><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #444444; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21.3px;">. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: 21.3px;"><span class="ecxApple-tab-span" style="line-height: 21.3px; white-space: pre;"> </span>I am a girl of twenty-one years old, born of a mother and father, whose father died in 2002. I am the forth child in our family, where we are six. I was born in Rwanda in 1995 and after two years, in 1997, my parents went to Uganda, where my father died. </span></span><div style="line-height: 21.3px; margin: 0px 0px 1.35em; min-height: 13.8px;">
<span class="ecxApple-tab-span" style="color: black; line-height: 21.3px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; line-height: 21.3px;">So I studied my Primary Level in Uganda, where I achieved second in my grade. I continued my Ordinary Level in Uganda, but I sometimes lacked school fees because we had many children at home. My Mommy is a peasant, so she had no money to pay for all six children. So I tried to perform in class and the school gave me a scholarship to study for the remaining three years, from Senior Two to Senior Four.</span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: black; line-height: 21.3px;"> Then, in 2015, I went for Senior Five in Uganda but I lacked school fees. Nevertheless, I sat for the whole year until in Third Term, when I came to Rwanda. So I finished my Advanced Level in Rwanda up to 2015. But in all that life in Rwanda, I lived by renting. I sometimes used to leave school and go for work to get school fees. I sometimes had not much food, but I would use my money to buy candles so I could do my homework at night.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: 21.3px;">After Senior Five, I became the Head Girl at my school, GS Muzizi. I could not pay school fees the whole year, but I remained, struggling with paying my rent and looking for what to eat. I thank God that the Headmaster and Bursar were patient with me and allowed me to continue my studies even when I missed the fees. Somehow, I graduated from secondary at the top of my class.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZo360dF7HjC0jeNJuqCzbCWbLUX3MYUMqGdYfUu_Pa_ROunWaaUsu4SpVD0PP0LmIV8sL1Lu0Fq7ViT9ny-GwcbH9zsJFiljUpT93NCHDZhyB5qFjlipp_IZyvNq7fLBEAokbOds0I8/s1600/IMG_7103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZo360dF7HjC0jeNJuqCzbCWbLUX3MYUMqGdYfUu_Pa_ROunWaaUsu4SpVD0PP0LmIV8sL1Lu0Fq7ViT9ny-GwcbH9zsJFiljUpT93NCHDZhyB5qFjlipp_IZyvNq7fLBEAokbOds0I8/s320/IMG_7103.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: 21.3px;"><span class="ecxApple-tab-span" style="line-height: 21.3px; white-space: pre;"> </span>After graduating, I was still struggling, but I continued my prayers to God to help me go study and continue my education. Recently, I was accepted into a program that can help me on the way to these goals. Africa's Tomorrow is an organization from the United States that offers guidance and funding to aspiring, ascendent girls from rural families. I was blessed to be one of sixteen girls across the continent who was chosen for the 2016 group of candidates. You can read more about all of us here:<a href="http://www.africastomorrow.org/2016-students.html" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 21.3px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">http://www.africastomorrow.org/2016-students.html</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: 21.3px;"><span class="ecxApple-tab-span" style="line-height: 21.3px; white-space: pre;"> </span>Now, I am focused on studying very hard for my Test of English as a Foreign Language. If I can pass, I will be able to move on to applying to different colleges and universities in the United States and then finally reaching my bigger dreams. I have too many goals for why I need education, but I will talk about a few of them here.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: 21.3px;"><span class="ecxApple-tab-span" style="line-height: 21.3px; white-space: pre;"> </span>First, I want to be a doctor, studying and specifying in different diseases that affect both old and young people in Africa. For example, HIV, diabetes, meningitis, and blood pressure. Another goal is to set up medical training institutes in my country, where many doctors and nurses can be trained for the betterment of Rwandese lives and Africa at large. I want to teach other people to do the things I will learn at university.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: 21.3px;"><span class="ecxApple-tab-span" style="line-height: 21.3px; white-space: pre;"> </span>I also dream of writing books and publishing. One part of this is making research on different diseases and looking for some medicines or cures, then publishing what I discover. But also I want to do advertising and public health announcements for teaching people to fight against diseases, such as the ones mentioned above and many others.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: 21.3px;"><span class="ecxApple-tab-span" style="line-height: 21.3px; white-space: pre;"> </span>My last goal is working and supporting the Non-Government Organizations, for example the Red Cross, in helping more damaged and sick Africans. Especially I want to be a job-creator and entrepreneur for Rwandans and other Africans in the domain of health. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: 21.3px;"><span class="ecxApple-tab-span" style="line-height: 21.3px; white-space: pre;"> </span>Of course, I cannot do any of this alone. In particular, I need your assistance with covering my fees for taking tests, sending applications, getting my US visa, and so on. It is astonishing to think about how the cost of taking the TOEFL exam one time is almost equal to the fees for four years of secondary school! You can help me by donating money to the following account:</span></span></div>
<a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=AXYE6G29K97HE" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 21.3px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=AXYE6G29K97HE</a><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: 21.3px;">. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: 21.3px;"><span class="ecxApple-tab-span" style="line-height: 21.3px; white-space: pre;"> </span>I especially ask for your breadth, not depth. If every person who reads this can contribute even a few dollars, it would mean so much and take me so far. For instance, each person can donate the amount that reflects the year you graduated college (like $20.15 for the class of 2015). I have so much appreciation for the people who have donated already. I feel happy and excited to have many people caring about me. It was so surprising to get support from those who I do not know. It inspires me to continue dreaming. Thanks to them and may God bless.</span></div>
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<span class="ecxApple-tab-span" style="line-height: 21.3px; white-space: pre;"> </span>Finally, I would like to offer some advice to other young women across Africa. I hope many of them -- especially from Rwanda and Uganda -- will follow after me with Africa's Tomorrow and other similar programs. I want them to know that they can reach their dreams and visions, as long as they believe in themselves. Always do your best. Have self-esteem, determination, and hope. As long as we wish and work, we can change the world. Thank you for reading my story and supporting my journey.</div>
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PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-47023619201214581522016-07-22T13:59:00.002+02:002016-07-22T13:59:47.960+02:00My Farewell Blog by Grace M.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Grace Mullin</b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Muhanga District, Southern Region</span></b><br />
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The time has arrived for a farewell blog. While I am certainly not done with my GAD work, I am officially closing my Peace Corps Service tomorrow. I have learned many things while on GAD, and have had many opportunities to grow as a person.<br />
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I could not be more grateful to have worked in a country who too is aligned with gender equity. I have learned so much through Rwandan programming, government mandates, and the gender-related programming we have done as Peace Corps Volunteers. Our last post highlighed one of my favorite projects of my service... our Let Girls Work Initiate. In addition, I have seen two Healthy Living Workshops, many camps, and even more trainings. I am humbled and inspired by those I have met in the process. The boys and girls who participated, the men and women who helped co-facilitate, the staff who worked behind the scenes. With the trajectory laid out by the Government of Rwanda, and the many programs here, I can see a very bright future. The students who have attended our programming have already begun to move on to bigger and better things. The staff who helped us teach, have been able to take what they know and learn and spread it farther than Peace Corps programming could ever take it.<br />
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To all those who have helped with GAD programming over the course of my 26 months in Rwanda, thank you. I am truly honored to have met you, learned from you and worked beside you. I will never forget the things that Rwanda has given me!<br />
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<br />PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-45717097036265821582016-07-07T11:25:00.000+02:002016-07-07T11:25:24.084+02:00Let Girls Work! By GraceAnne H.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">GraceAnne Heater</span></strong><br />
<strong>Rutsiro District, Western Province</strong><br />
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About a week ago, the Peace Corps Rwanda GAD Committee wrapped up the project I am most proud of during my Peace Corps service. We started the project in January, called Let Girls Work, in alignment with Michelle Obama's Let Girls Learn Program and Rwanda's Gender and Development Goals. The purpose of the program was to educate girls about the professional opportunities available to them outside of villages and give them the tools they need to reach their professional goals and become active and contributing members to the development of Rwanda. The program was broken into three phases: a series of lessons, a local mentorship day, and a weekend workshop in the capital of Rwanda.<br />
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In the first phase, PCVs taught students a series of five lessons about professionalism. The students learned about career paths, gained important knowledge about applications with CV writing and interview skills, and were given tools for success through goal setting and personal savings. After the lessons, the students who attended these classes wrote essays for phase two, and three girls were selected to continue on to the next phase.<br />
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In the second phase, PCVs took three students to the their regional town to shadow a successful woman in the field of the student's chosen profession. This allowed students to experience the jobs first-hand and learn about jobs available at the regional level - in a larger town than their village. PCVs were in charge of finding a mentor to teach and motivate each student, and after a morning of shadowing, the students and mentors shared their experience over lunch. <br />
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After the mentorship day, students gave a poster presentation at school, and a single girl was selected from each school to continue on to phase three.<br />
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The third phase took place in Rwanda's capital city, Kigali. Sixteen PCVs and one girl from each school traveled to the capital for a weekend workshop with a new set of mentors and guest speakers. These girls were exposed to high-level jobs in their sector of interest and taught lessons to continue their professional development. The weekend started with a dinner meeting between students and their mentors. We worked with the Makerere Alumni Group to secure these mentors, ranging from doctors and authors to bakers and craft makers. The mentors were just as excited about the project as our students, and they insisted the mentorship would be an ongoing relationship, not just a single meeting.<br />
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The next day, the students went off to shadow their mentors. Their activities included checking their blood type in a laboratory, writing a short story, making jewelry, helping operate boutiques and shops, and working with lawyers and accountants.<br />
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After mentoring, everyone met at the Kigali Public Library, where the girls got to debrief about their day and try fruit smoothies.<br />
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The following day, students learned how to tell their own story from PCV Sarah Howard and learned about public speaking from PCV Michael Heater. They then went to the Akilah Institute for Women where they were given a tour of the school and lessons about confidence, growth mindset, career guidance and basic computer knowledge from five young women attending the school.<br />
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The girls were given an American-style brown bag lunch, complete with apples and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.<br />
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After a tour of Kigali, PCVs, students, and the guides from Akilah joined together for a team-building sports activity - bowling! I loved seeing how close the students bonded with each other, the mentors, and the Akilah students and how excited they were for every single pin drop.<br />
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It was incredibly inspiring to show our students role models who have succeeded after overcoming the same obstacles they face, and to be able to bring them to parts of their country they would otherwise struggle to travel to. This event required a lot of work from each PCV involved, and I am amazed at everyone's dedication to the project. With such success, we in GAD Rwanda hope to make this an annual event.<br />
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PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-904483370356275472016-06-13T10:14:00.004+02:002016-06-13T10:39:53.113+02:003rd Annual Healthy Living Workshop<div style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0pt 0pt 10pt; text-indent: 0pt;">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0pt;">Toward the end of May, the GAD Committee held its 3rd Annual Healthy Living Workshop. A total of 15 PCVs were invited to bring one male and one female student to Kigali for the weekend. Throughout the weekend, the students learned about living healthy, both physically and mentally. The students had the chance to compete in an Olympics to develop commradery, practice teamwork, and of course, to have fun. The workshop finished with all the students running a 7k as a part of the Kigalii Marathon.</span></div>
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<span dir="LTR" style="background-image: none; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; text-shadow: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Before arriving at the workshop, each set of students prepared a short skit, lesson, game, or in one amazing case, a gospel song about HIV/AIDS. Their first evening in Kigali, the students delivered what they had prepared and covered topics such as destigmatizing the the disease, preventing transmission, and treatment. The students really showed their creativity in what they came up with and demostrated that they have a rather extensive foundation when it comes to HIV knowledge.</span><br />
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<span dir="LTR" style="background-image: none; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; text-shadow: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We started off Saturay morning with a set of four lessons: Nutrition & Exercise, HIV Myths, Gender Equality, and Self-Esteem. Observing the students during each of these lessons, it was apparent that the students were having fun and taking the information in. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0pt;">During the Nutrition & Exercise lesson, the students learned how to balance their plate in order to prepare a complete diet and discovered creative ways to ensure they are getting sufficient protein. PCV Hannah Gann also showed them some easy ways to work some exercise into their day with wall sits, push ups, and mountain climbers.These quick activities also became a great visual to show the students that girls can be just as strong as boys.</span></div>
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<span dir="LTR" style="background-image: none; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; text-shadow: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With PCVs Grace Ann & Michael Heater, the students played some games from the Grassroot Soccer curriculum that debunked HIV related myths such as 'You can tell someone has HIV/AIDS by looking at them' and 'You can get HIV from sharing a drink with someone who has the disease.'</span><br />
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<span dir="LTR" style="background-image: none; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; text-shadow: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Gender Equality Session, led by PCV Sophie Hart, used another activity from the Grassroot Soccer curriculum called Gender Stadium. In this activity, participants sit in two circles, one inside the other. During the first round, males sit in the center circle with the females sitting in the surrounding circle. The males were asked questions related to their gender, what they like about being male, what they dislike, what they want the other sex to know. During this time, the females are not allowed to respond or react to what the males are saying. Then in round two the sexes trade places and repeat the exercise. This was a rare opportunity for the students to discuss such issues and to hear the perspectives of the opposite sex.</span><br />
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<span dir="LTR" style="background-image: none; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; text-shadow: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The students finished off the morning with a lesson about Self-Esteem. This one was led by the counterpart of PCV Anna Hirt, who told the students to love themselves for who they are and not who they think they should be. They discussed how everyone is unique and equally valuable no matter their skin color, gender, abilities, socio-economic class, etc. By the end of the session, the students stood as they declared that they are beautiful, intelligent, and worthy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0pt;">Following lunch, the students had the chance to hear two excellent guest speakers, one from the Health Development Initiative and the head coach of the Rwandan Women's Basketball team. These two women talked about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, through exercise, eathing healthy, practicing safe sex, and being self-confident.</span><br />
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<span dir="LTR" style="background-image: none; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; text-shadow: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The day was finished off with a Healthy Living Olympics. The students were divided into three teams for the competition. The first round included a series of exercises, including stretching, jumping jacks, pushups, and running. The next event was hygiene focused with teethbrushing and handwashing relay races. And to cap the games off, each team created a fantastic song about preventing malaria.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0pt;">The students headed to bed early that night in preparation for the big race the next day. We headed to the Amahoro Stadium at 7:30am on Sunday morning and joined the crowd of runners. The majority of students successfully ran the 7k Run for Fun Race with four PCVs, but a handful of students accidentally, albiet also successfully, ran the half marathon. All of the PCVs who were not running stayed on the sidelines and cheered on all of the students.</span></div>
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<span dir="LTR" style="background-image: none; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; text-shadow: none; vertical-align: baseline;">All in all, the workshop was very successful. Thanks for all the PCVs and students who participated in the event. And even bigger thanks to the Rwandan facilitators and guest speakers. </span><br />
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PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-49360645833856654072016-04-20T18:25:00.003+02:002016-04-20T22:23:20.825+02:00Teaching Gender and Intersectionality, by Caroline G.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Caroline Golub</span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rulindo District<br />Northern Province</span></span></b></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here at GAD, our focus, and our namesake, is Gender and Development. Our job is to develop gender related resources and programming, plan gender empowering events or activities, and spread awareness about gender news, in regards to both progress and continual struggles. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But GAD efforts go beyond just the committee itself. Within their many GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) and BE (Boys Excelling) clubs and camps, volunteers seek to educate youth about gender, trying their best to convey dense and often abstract concepts in digestible, comprehensive forms. They facilitate lessons and exercises in gender equality promotion, women and girls' empowerment, thoughtful leadership and gendered allyship.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I cannot speak to others' experiences, but in my own, it has been incredible to watch the strides a number of my students have made towards understanding the complex notion of gender, and discussing and devising ways they can promote gender equality in their homes, schools, and communities. I can see many of my girls displaying increased confidence in class, volunteering to answer questions, and thoughtfully contributing to discussions during club or class time. Moreover, I have seen evidence of some of my boys beginning to defy traditional gender roles, proudly telling tales of their efforts to help their mothers and sisters around the house, and actually trying to understand the meaning behind that mysterious phrase "gender equality," instead of simply regurgitating it as a known ideal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Proud as I am of my kids, I do not want to present a false optimism, the idea that these kinds of behavior changes and attitudes have come about quickly or easily during my short tenure at site. Many of my students had been exposed to these ways of thinking long before I arrived, by previous volunteers or teachers, by attending past camps or workshops. Some of the most drastic changes I have personally witnessed have taken over a year to really bloom, aided by frequent encouragement and reinforcement in the form of clubs or personal friendships.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yet perhaps above all, I also recognize that many of these accomplishments, these small triumphs towards our expressed goal of "gender and development," have not, could not have progressed to the extent they have by a merely singular discussion of "gender." After all, gender itself is not solely responsible for a given person's life experience, though no one can deny its tremendous influence. I am approaching now, the thesis of this post, an aim that I try to incorporate throughout all of my teachings on gender, for it has been tried and true that individuals learn and retain best from lessons or narratives they can relate to in multiple fashions. I am talking about intersectionality.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What is intersectionality? It is, quite simply as it sounds, the interconnectedness of many different social identities coupled with their respective social institutions or systems of oppression. It means that you cannot have a discussion about say, gender, without also addressing factors like race, class, sexual orientation, location, or religion, that together heavily contribute to an individual's identity. Even if we are focusing more directly on one of these narratives over the others, each identifier remains a factor that affects each person's unique experience. That is to say, that a more privileged, upper class woman or girl living in the city may view the societal constraints of her gender much differently than her lower class, village dwelling counterpart. </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Intersectionality is important when talking about gender, because gender itself is not a singularly uniform concept. It is of course true, that women/girls and men/boys have many definite shared experiences within their respective genders due to societal gender norms, but these may vary greatly depending on subsidiary factors. While you can promote certain ideals for gender equality or equity, share common goals towards development, it is necessary to entertain a diversity of experiences so as not to invalidate any individual's unique gendered reality.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of course, this undertaking isn't easy, especially for those of us who have no means or counterpart to express the subtleties that intersectionality often requires. Additionally, some identities, such as sexual orientation, prove much more difficult to openly discuss, in a culture that still fraught with prejudice and taboo. However, I absolutely believe, that as much as you can incorporate intersectional thinking into your lessons, your clubs, or even private discussions (even in rudimentary form), your students or colleagues will reap the benefit of better understanding themselves and their societal positions, and can therefore work towards a better understanding and strategy of how to break down those barriers, how to approach those systems of oppression for themselves. And that kind of personal growth, multiplied by hundreds, or thousands, is the real means to which Rwanda can continue to progress on its path of development.</span></div>
PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-13086003907915602622016-03-21T18:29:00.000+02:002016-03-21T18:29:02.156+02:00A Love Letter to America, by Tara S.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_Q_UU3RPINayveAS5jAoABzhjF6xAEISn0tgpUZmcCgocyw0Xfkt12K5e4ExMMmoD4ooW-gE5YrLR0rHW64JgE8pmuTy0PMt8Gq24QYctnSdgMf7ArbkjR2AmBiBHJeiJPFPgq3EWVs/s1600/IMG_5556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7_Q_UU3RPINayveAS5jAoABzhjF6xAEISn0tgpUZmcCgocyw0Xfkt12K5e4ExMMmoD4ooW-gE5YrLR0rHW64JgE8pmuTy0PMt8Gq24QYctnSdgMf7ArbkjR2AmBiBHJeiJPFPgq3EWVs/s200/IMG_5556.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<br />
Tara<br />
<br />
Muhanga District, Southern Province<br />
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<br />
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<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">My Love Letter to America</span></div>
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<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2">Dear America,</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2">This is my love letter to you. You, America, are far from perfect and continue to develop and change but I want to take this space and time to express why I love you. In my opinion, most people love you because of your economic and diplomatic leadership, or for your glory in war and foreign affairs or your global media and cultural domination, but the reasons I love you America I would have never discovered if I had not left you.</span></div>
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<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2">As a young woman from a rural area in America, there are natural factors working against my success and opportunities in life. In many parts of the world, young girls education is not valued and they are not given the skills and opportunities to thrive. Yet even though I am from a town of just<b> </b>5,000 people, I was able to receive a high school that allowed me to go to college and receive scholarships. My education was individualized, pushing for my success while the education system also worked with my peers who struggled, so at the end we were all prepared for the next step. In that education, I was taught skills such as critical thinking, public speaking, and using the resources I had available. As a woman I was never shamed for things I said, but instead encouraged to express my opinions and successes. While to another American, this may seem like a standard, but it is not necessarily so. Around the world children, especially girls, from rural areas struggle to access good education. Girls especially are not encouraged to hold their own opinions or be anything more than a a wife and mother in their cultures. America, I love you because you allowed me to be more and to dream for more. </span></div>
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<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2">When I finished my secondary education, I went to college on scholarships. At college I was not a minority, but part of the greater majority. America you encourage girls so much, that the number of women at colleges and universities outnumbers men. This too is a unique and exciting development in our history, that is only slowly occurring around the rest of the world. At college, I was encouraged to explore my studies until I found what excited me most, and motivated to make friends and discover new things outside of my own background. This appreciation for diversity and individual choice is pretty unique in American culture. By doing so I was able to expand my critical thinking skills because I began to understand how many solutions there can be to one problem. Learning from people who have different beliefs showed me that more often our similarities are greater than our differences and we can still have mutual respect for each other. I love you America for demonstrating this diversity of people and thought through having a multi-cultural population and promoting education for all.</span></div>
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<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2">As I look to our future together America, I know there will be struggles. Gender equality is something we will always be working for in America. You do not pretend to have achieved it, because in reality that would mean we have given up. Your honesty about your struggles allows real grassroots change to happen. Your people feel like they have a voice, and they have the capacity to change. Together we are continuously developing ourselves to be more equitable and supportive. In our future I see more women holding leadership positions, more men stepping up to help in the household duties, and more honest conversations about sex, love, and healthy relationships. I love you America and I embrace your imperfections and look forward to developing together. </span></div>
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<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2">I know I left you America, but I needed space to really appreciate the depth of what you do and the structures you have in place to provide success. I had to leave to appreciate how much despite the struggles and frustrations, you are always willing to change. We will be reunited in the near future, and I will embrace our time together for mutual growth. Until then, I will continue to share the parts of you I am proud of while pointing out that we have a lot of work to do<b> </b>too. Thank you for all you have given me and all the opportunities I have because of you.</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2">Love,</span></div>
<div class="p2">
<span class="s2"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div class="p3">
<span class="s2">Tara</span></div>
PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-75887709878839123242016-03-13T17:43:00.004+02:002016-03-15T16:13:35.750+02:00Trees of Commitment for International Women’s Day by Grace H.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfbDAAo_B_hf_-ikPs56A-ptEdnMwHgmSX2RzHtoPlzh2cBufcO_it8tJ1-0-H-oYR5hz5G468WJ-yI7XfvR0SU0ciw6t7z0u4iRMQqlH7x5Ig58xhzwr57Z2f5BxZ5wL5L-HnBFgu4_4/s200/Grace+Pic.jpg" width="168" /></div>
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;"><b>Grace Heater</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b>Rutsiro District, Western Province</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This year, to celebrate International Women’s Day on March
8, the GAD committee asked volunteers to create a Tree of Commitment with their
community. Volunteers drew a tree, and members of the community filled in the
leaves with messages about how they would personally commit to women’s
empowerment.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; text-align: center;">We wanted to celebrate and commit to the women in our
communities – the mamas who sell fruit and vegetables at the market, the
teachers and doctors and nurses we interact with every day, the young women who
are still in secondary school into their mid-20s, often because of poverty, but
despite it as well, and the old women who we unfailingly seem to meet only when
they are passing us as they go uphill, barefoot, and with something incredibly
heavy on their heads.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">About 15 volunteers participated, and we are proud to
showcase some of the beautiful trees we can now add to our Commitment Forest!</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAV4NxK2c-pFCnbVmQV1R10T93AcgOwOuAIaEd2NrA8KHPX6raq_le_wksvPRMJRBJ-Y5s607vwe-XgC_-_xI1K0MWR2zfJ8wikT_PD0dNmXQi5BoyPVubflXzV36-TlusCF4v0eUnTag/s1600/TaraTeachers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAV4NxK2c-pFCnbVmQV1R10T93AcgOwOuAIaEd2NrA8KHPX6raq_le_wksvPRMJRBJ-Y5s607vwe-XgC_-_xI1K0MWR2zfJ8wikT_PD0dNmXQi5BoyPVubflXzV36-TlusCF4v0eUnTag/s400/TaraTeachers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">G.S Kibangu<br />
Tara Sullivan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQU-y8F49rTru7TYRmFUJdM97gY-mKacw-mCbxrlFWu127DePWAZdwu4zC8VLbxFQG-Put8Opdg88zVQ-0ONlopKNRYyqvBFi6-BRwit2X93F6Y89SIu3Uso5Euy0nCC04q5qzVFrZcOc/s1600/Caroline3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQU-y8F49rTru7TYRmFUJdM97gY-mKacw-mCbxrlFWu127DePWAZdwu4zC8VLbxFQG-Put8Opdg88zVQ-0ONlopKNRYyqvBFi6-BRwit2X93F6Y89SIu3Uso5Euy0nCC04q5qzVFrZcOc/s400/Caroline3.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">G.S. Kinihira<br />
Caroline Golub</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeLGNxTFK5CtyY04v2lOu0UTQdz-bGLgFdRWV4dtuwS6l7MP40Ladn-PbBIEQZpeaiSQdwjklR-KsIFysRunnXtvKQO6olyrEpO7d9ecZzrR_8RlcjOj_3vN-c-aMyTQLvpUn1d4G92mI/s1600/GraceMullin2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeLGNxTFK5CtyY04v2lOu0UTQdz-bGLgFdRWV4dtuwS6l7MP40Ladn-PbBIEQZpeaiSQdwjklR-KsIFysRunnXtvKQO6olyrEpO7d9ecZzrR_8RlcjOj_3vN-c-aMyTQLvpUn1d4G92mI/s400/GraceMullin2.jpg" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mushishiro H.C. <br />
Grace Mullin</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd90K63wK7Klm4MbnjUU8gZt0-zG8Fz2nFZVBay9tVeV4Fg-ztCBbNAlJFiw8GWPKj9mJ9LFDMxEsmf_13MUbWMACgldfVrDZiJFg6Rey_DzO0dmrPMoQLroiqi1nRftJZsGJJvytud2U/s1600/MushishiroAnna6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd90K63wK7Klm4MbnjUU8gZt0-zG8Fz2nFZVBay9tVeV4Fg-ztCBbNAlJFiw8GWPKj9mJ9LFDMxEsmf_13MUbWMACgldfVrDZiJFg6Rey_DzO0dmrPMoQLroiqi1nRftJZsGJJvytud2U/s400/MushishiroAnna6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="border-image: none;">
G.S. Mushubati</div>
Anna Hirt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_rILilFN4uKidghuRc9j1L_mBwGpq3AAbR8LOVeCSQvGb8v2cOPwq43PDSX6C9XRkFQhLMFg3Sv8pHZITuvRhtThGolNx7QroeeRVxV5jLUUBF1z0P72WnUHYJ24ZvTjcnO5mTTE-lNY/s1600/KarynMiller1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_rILilFN4uKidghuRc9j1L_mBwGpq3AAbR8LOVeCSQvGb8v2cOPwq43PDSX6C9XRkFQhLMFg3Sv8pHZITuvRhtThGolNx7QroeeRVxV5jLUUBF1z0P72WnUHYJ24ZvTjcnO5mTTE-lNY/s400/KarynMiller1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mushaka H.C.<br />
Karyn Miller</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB9TuKSIhKeMdD0zWqe551RFPgiiBOpcboHIHs6dXIXaQf_2Sl9qbxtcH_bt_G8rd3BbbvJAgv88ZM9qVfEY_-vrFAQZ3d4G4J6dONIs0FqlXW4RlQxEGB2QE9otangVPmU51j0mM0KEg/s1600/Heaters2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB9TuKSIhKeMdD0zWqe551RFPgiiBOpcboHIHs6dXIXaQf_2Sl9qbxtcH_bt_G8rd3BbbvJAgv88ZM9qVfEY_-vrFAQZ3d4G4J6dONIs0FqlXW4RlQxEGB2QE9otangVPmU51j0mM0KEg/s400/Heaters2.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">E.S. and G.S. Murunda<br />
Grace and Michael Heater </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUhhVJCnGW-k4rmL4zvlYl7xHbnJnaK9lDpMX0pgpeV8zgxWs0NB-MNACBMgpZkVMI-hWYGlu74NQUFBeFTtBe7mP09wxeDDi7tX7nL_21D5xu2Ovwix22I53BDP7jZA-P03WU3e3iJ8/s1600/HannahGahn1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUhhVJCnGW-k4rmL4zvlYl7xHbnJnaK9lDpMX0pgpeV8zgxWs0NB-MNACBMgpZkVMI-hWYGlu74NQUFBeFTtBe7mP09wxeDDi7tX7nL_21D5xu2Ovwix22I53BDP7jZA-P03WU3e3iJ8/s400/HannahGahn1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">G.S. Muzizi Rukara <br />
Hannah Gann</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNkdyKsQVcKmX5wGFhfgVgcB5QFmbpK83vPhXD25szvy6v7d3xQPHPRtIugHaanYGt_mgmisK9qGqEXNRbr5DhBnwlO0WJb7cJpjxYg7-s9_KBPNchbGtMKZbZ2Q5B4jrGogv2C31YWyg/s1600/Shannon5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNkdyKsQVcKmX5wGFhfgVgcB5QFmbpK83vPhXD25szvy6v7d3xQPHPRtIugHaanYGt_mgmisK9qGqEXNRbr5DhBnwlO0WJb7cJpjxYg7-s9_KBPNchbGtMKZbZ2Q5B4jrGogv2C31YWyg/s400/Shannon5.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">E. S. Muhazi<br />
Shannon De Jong</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi29PuqdTQaK1KOfGDZbuO452fVNo9qyfE53fNPsTvZhq7bzkcUapBAwA90TNZzOl1TZTq9WbC_fZr6nzlwgdFCotpJe-hLv8lucNnnI3_6ILLlDoV91ld7RqG9lIYLYaEJtxQlJdS0uVk/s1600/ChristinaGallagher1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi29PuqdTQaK1KOfGDZbuO452fVNo9qyfE53fNPsTvZhq7bzkcUapBAwA90TNZzOl1TZTq9WbC_fZr6nzlwgdFCotpJe-hLv8lucNnnI3_6ILLlDoV91ld7RqG9lIYLYaEJtxQlJdS0uVk/s400/ChristinaGallagher1.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cyabayaga H.C.<br />
Christina Gallagher</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4wDYma5QirDz2SpNAbeHCwmMzBOLK2PGZuXTS7-AgXwO6klHeOqwJsYe6f2lP1IEeg9L5lM23DS2-oH4Nu85Cl8pQrfcSs2ycJ2_000d-2G0xaBCVoc0aCL_QXq4evzR9mKl6FzeiDjw/s1600/Melissa2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4wDYma5QirDz2SpNAbeHCwmMzBOLK2PGZuXTS7-AgXwO6klHeOqwJsYe6f2lP1IEeg9L5lM23DS2-oH4Nu85Cl8pQrfcSs2ycJ2_000d-2G0xaBCVoc0aCL_QXq4evzR9mKl6FzeiDjw/s400/Melissa2.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kibiliza H. C. <br />
Melissa Denton</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyyoRMB1Oa6hc75GT68_PmO2iwU1NA1jlMQJALExKyqeZIOSu8RyMHct3SLnvpWIdS6NW3GenNUOMbIUVxYb5qlnzvAuo15H7_JV7b4rrzrWK9XAALU1t03545hTTBqzHjYrbxc5nlKk/s1600/Aimee4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyyoRMB1Oa6hc75GT68_PmO2iwU1NA1jlMQJALExKyqeZIOSu8RyMHct3SLnvpWIdS6NW3GenNUOMbIUVxYb5qlnzvAuo15H7_JV7b4rrzrWK9XAALU1t03545hTTBqzHjYrbxc5nlKk/s400/Aimee4.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Muhondo H.C.<br />
Aimee Carlson</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">E.S. Bisesero<br />
Michelle Burris </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bubazi Health Center<br />April Zachary</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Muremure H.C.<br />
Shreya Desai</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9C3Of3SpoSKppvWPvCKM91zZ3PqSMTlPwU4L_9cDCRReI7FAfYAPUOoq3_2W5j7Omo4FIlH_JwdIsMJz2-BPYHCMeB8iDvIfKy836Z-FqdGlxLrxwKX9ty5Bi6Czf7BaphQ85q6s_sU/s1600/Sophie3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9C3Of3SpoSKppvWPvCKM91zZ3PqSMTlPwU4L_9cDCRReI7FAfYAPUOoq3_2W5j7Omo4FIlH_JwdIsMJz2-BPYHCMeB8iDvIfKy836Z-FqdGlxLrxwKX9ty5Bi6Czf7BaphQ85q6s_sU/s400/Sophie3.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">G.S. Bumba<br />
Sophie Hart</td></tr>
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PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-10417147850827746472016-02-14T18:42:00.002+02:002016-02-14T18:42:40.402+02:00WANTED: Tricksteresses in Development<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGD0yHhw7ahyENDUOXGqgoCeSvM___dDsSYxZiUYyfL6dLOF1K6b7MHb9nNski4U0PTjhIoWpFpG-ArTqqe0TdEcKgfdDBBvRCJs5pMsQUNp1WbTwN29rZD9h-6shnLHh6PYIk08DOKLc/s1600/Colorado+558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGD0yHhw7ahyENDUOXGqgoCeSvM___dDsSYxZiUYyfL6dLOF1K6b7MHb9nNski4U0PTjhIoWpFpG-ArTqqe0TdEcKgfdDBBvRCJs5pMsQUNp1WbTwN29rZD9h-6shnLHh6PYIk08DOKLc/s320/Colorado+558.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Rusty Ott<br />
Ed 6<br />
Nyamesheke District<br />
Western Province<br />
<br />
Last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, which means the day before was Fat Tuesday, and the season of Mardi Gras and Carnival has just ended. I love this season, and have spent too many years in places where it is not a big deal. Next year, after I have finished Peace Corps and left Rwanda, I am determined to be someplace where it is celebrated with gusto--maybe New Orleans; Cologne; Venice; Mohacs, Hungary; or Rio de Janeiro. What draws me to Carnival is not merely a desire to party and go crazy, but a fascination with a much deeper and complex phenomenon. You see, Carnival is the time of tricksters, and the tricksters are regenerative and creative cultural forces. A society without tricksters is stagnant and dying.<br />
<br />
This is the argument of Lewis Hyde's book "Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth, and Art." The Carnival season which just ended brought the book to mind, so I opened it up, and while perusing it got some ideas for tricksters related to both gender and development. Before delving into those ideas, I want to give the author a lot of credit for devoting a great deal of the book to gender questions. Interestingly enough, there are very few female tricksters out there in the world of mythology and folklore. Hyde devotes a very in-depth thirteen page appendix to the question of why, and doesn't arrive at any conclusion. He poses some logical explanations, but one by one destroys each of those arguments, which include that trickster is actually androgynous, that male tricksters simply reflect patriarchal mythologies, that female tricksters are simply ignored, or that trickster stories are <em>about</em> masculinity, that "the trickster stories articulate some distinction between men and women, so that even in a matriarchal setting this figure would be male." But none of these explanations add up. After reading the book, you are left scratching your head as to why mythical tricksters like Coyote, Manabozho Jack, the Monkey King, Krishna, Loki, Hermes, Prometheus, and Eshu are all men.<br />
<br />
However, while that is very interesting, and I would be very curious to read another book that presents a hypothesis that does add up, what holds true in the mythic world does not have to be the case in the real world. While I believe that mythology holds great wisdom and tells us a lot about who we are, reality is much more complicated than any myth. Just because mythological tricksters are all men doesn't mean the real world can't have female tricksters. Well, actually it can't, but it can't have any male tricksters either. As Hyde points out, a trickster is simply an archetype. It is a very interesting archetype, but no individual can be contained within an archetype. We are all too complicated, contradictory, capricious, dynamic, and complete to fit into any neat mythological category. There are, however, certain people whose careers and actions correspond to mythological tricksters for significant periods of time. Hyde writes mostly about artists, one of whom is a woman: the Chinese-American writer Maxine Hong Kingston. Actually, when I decided to write on this topic, I intended to list several real-life tricksteresses in Hyde's book, but when I sat down and paged through the book, I realized that Kingston is <em>the only</em> woman Hyde talks about. This is very curious, and I wonder if Hyde himself was aware of that. It's not because he's sexist; as I said, he devoted a very thoughtful appendix to the question of why there aren't female tricksters, which was not really necessary to the main thrust of the book. Plus, throughout the book, he writes very sensitively about some women's issues (i.e. the shame of female sexuality). There may be a better explanation, but for now, since I like the book so much, I will give Hyde the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to coincidence. He did write about one woman, and I can think of others he could have written about (artists like Frida Kahlo, comedians like Tina Fey and the comedic singers Garfunkel and Oates, the Russian band Pussy Riot). The bottom line is: Ladies, here in the real world there is no reason for you to leave the trickery to us men. Come join the fun.<br />
<br />
Before leaving it at that, I want to briefly dwell on the questions: "What is a trickster?" "Why do we want or need tricksters?" and "What may a trickster do for gender issues?" These will all be very curt answers; if you find what I write lacking or have further questions, read Lewis Hyde's book.<br />
<br />
I'll start by saying what a trickster is not. Not just anybody who lies or cheats is a trickster. First, one act of trickery does not make a trickster (which is why China's Fa Mu Lan and Rachel from the Bible's Book of Genesis are not tricksters). A true trickster has a lifetime career of trickery. Second, a trickster is not a mere psychopath, or someone who deceives simply for personal gain. A trickster is a cultural hero whose work is enriching their culture, solving problems, or inventing new pathways when the old ways, the traditional methods, have failed. Third, a trickster is not a dishonest politician or anyone else who operates in the center. Tricksters operate on the periphery. They are never the main heroes of mythical cycle, and trickster stories are often reserved for special times--often told only in the winter, secretly. <br />
<br />
Tricksters are the people who steal fire and water from the gods, invent fish traps, are adaptable, have multiple identities, rule the marketplaces and roads, see through others' disguises while they put on their own. They are the spirits of chance and lucky finds, lull their enemies to sleep with music rather than fight them openly. They are the masters of speech, not merely lying but blurring the line between true and false, and charming the socks off of us all while they do it. They do not merely cross boundaries, but move them. They play with the joints of the structure the collective human consciousness has created to understand the world so that that very understanding may be flexible. They are the ones willing to play with society's "dirt" (defined as matter out of place) when nobody else will so that society does not become so sterile that it is lifeless. They speak shamelessly when the rest of us are shamed into silent paralysis, or sing the watchful eyes of control to sleep before embarking on mischief. <br />
<br />
The real-life tricksters Lewis Hyde writes about are mostly artists, although he also includes Frederick Douglass. These real-life tricksters are valuable because they can be the most powerful agents of change. I believe their most important role is being agents of change and invention when the conventional methods are powerless. When you cannot capture Troy with brute force, Odysseus saves the day with a trick. John Cage made everyone reconsider what the difference is between music and noise, thereby bettering our understanding of music. Frederick Douglass jarred an old social system based on race by taking people's ideas of what black and white should be and turned them upside down, contributing to a more just social order. In his image <em>Piss Christ</em>, the artist Andres Serrano challenged a sterile view of Christ, a view in which Christ's humanity is forgotten and he therefore becomes lifeless; by playing with "dirt," Serrano revived a dying god. If you really want to know the value of tricksters, try to imagine a society without any. Hyde imagines ancient Sparta, the Warsaw Pact countries and the Soviet Union in the latter half of the 20th century, and George Orwell's <em>1984</em>. Not only are these examples cruel and terrifying places to live in, but they all have (or had) a lot of trouble creating anything new.<br />
<br />
This is why I believe Rwanda particularly needs real life tricksters. The country's future is uncertain, but it is changing rapidly. There are many exciting and inspiring things that have happened and are happening. However, this is a place where there is a strong pressure on conventionalism. The mindset of many people is that there is one and only one correct way to do any given task (this is not entirely unique to Rwanda. According to Hyde, the Yoruba culture of Nigeria may have been even more extreme--and yet their pantheon of gods included the great trickster Eshu). I am genuinely impressed by the strength and unity of Rwanda's will, but someday there may be a lack of creativity and open-mindedness pushing that will. I stand in awe of my students' savvy in mathematics and the sciences, but wonder why they aren't being taught art, music, philosophy, drama. Do they understand <em>why</em> they are studying things and what the underlying assumptions and values of math and science are? (If you don't think math and science--and economics--have assumptions or values, read <em>The Economics of Good and Evil</em> by Tomáš Sedláček). Development isn't just about building infrastructure, bringing in technology, and getting people better jobs and more money. Development is nothing more or less than trying to build a bright future. Material wealth is only one aspect of what makes a life high-quality (some schools of thought that go back centuries argue that wealth detracts from a high quality life--although I would never argue Rwanda should aspire to be poor). For Rwanda's future to be truly bright, it needs tricksters who don't play by the rules. And perhaps, that is a great role for women in development. If men have monopolized physical strength and the traditional avenues of power, then perhaps women can jump into the niche of the trickster, those who use cleverness instead of brute strength, travel on new roads, and operate on the periphery of power.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, in my opinion, if gender equality is to be achieved, it will not happen through official channels (at least not solely). It is the trickster's job (in the real world, often through art) to move boundaries, to challenge our assumptions, to make us reconsider truth, to outwit practitioners of the old ways but also charm us into loving the new ways. And so, I hope in fifty years, when I am an old man, I can write a sequel to Lewis Hyde's book with a chapter about how tricksters made Rwanda a wonderful place with empowered women.<br />
<br />
Full bibliographic information:<br />
Hyde, Lewis. <em>Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth, and Art</em>. North Point Press, a division of Farrar, Straus, and Giroux: New York, 1998.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-54077476186698482762016-02-02T17:18:00.001+02:002016-02-02T17:29:02.556+02:00When Role Models and Culture Give Permission, by April Z.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56WHA6LEDL3oFRXZeU8jAb3lLrDOyPjv61bhd2Xhh1aZE9P32nC_rzOa-iCUbPkAa_IRGyKoDmbUznztXVTWISAp2kTXk47hi3s7ruR61Mre9ozofBrgHlU7dEOeqFUS1NOv5YCI1fuk/s1600/AprilnoGlasses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56WHA6LEDL3oFRXZeU8jAb3lLrDOyPjv61bhd2Xhh1aZE9P32nC_rzOa-iCUbPkAa_IRGyKoDmbUznztXVTWISAp2kTXk47hi3s7ruR61Mre9ozofBrgHlU7dEOeqFUS1NOv5YCI1fuk/s200/AprilnoGlasses.jpg" width="144" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>April Zachary</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 14.784px;">Rubengera District<br />Western Province</b></span></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the most exciting things that I learned while in my
pre-service and in-service-training with Peace Corps is how to build a permagarden. This was a training that was created and
taught by Peter Jensen our Peace Corps Permagarden Specialist. A permagarden is
an engineered garden which is designed to hold water, air, minerals and
nutrients deep in the soil. The
structure of it slows the water (from heavy rains) and helps retain water
within the garden structure itself. The
water then seeps deep into soil that has been prepared to receive it and hold
it. One of the many benefits of a permagarden
is that it requires a fraction of the watering that a regular garden does. And it only has to be built once. Once a permagarden is built it is ready to
receive the plantings of seeds and seedlings year-round and for years to come.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I love permagardens.
And I love the idea that permagardening can help families in the
villages of Rwanda (and throughout the world) create a means for feeding their
families nutritional foods year round, while decreasing the amount of water
that is required to be fetched in order for a kitchen garden (small family
gardens) to flourish. However, I was not in love with the idea that we were
adding yet one more burden of work upon the shoulders of the mothers and women
of the village families.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_TCxHdiZG-tMP-4cXr37Qk51pLIqCeuAHd-Gtb0tpXukckLVuL7I28FJHz4op6SWlperKOTcJlrE2lr00XGvaVDVtNDHVUsL3alIkaPGeLVr1gMcPJUh_Ls2mYK8IAKUKqfm-pUGxBs/s1600/WomenFetchingWater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_TCxHdiZG-tMP-4cXr37Qk51pLIqCeuAHd-Gtb0tpXukckLVuL7I28FJHz4op6SWlperKOTcJlrE2lr00XGvaVDVtNDHVUsL3alIkaPGeLVr1gMcPJUh_Ls2mYK8IAKUKqfm-pUGxBs/s320/WomenFetchingWater.jpg" width="227" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Women Fetching Water</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I came to Rwanda in June 2015. After 10 weeks of intensive training from
Peace Corps I came to my community to live. My first 7 weeks living here was
spent gathering information through a Community Needs Assessment (CNA). During
this time I interviewed staff at the community health center, visited Community
Health Workers in their homes and visited families in their homes. From my very
first visit with the village families I began to see that the mothers were
exhausted. They would never admit to being
tired. But there is a weariness as well
as an acceptance in their eyes. To be tired is not an option. They rise early
in the morning, take care of their children and their husbands and enter the fields
to cultivate by 7 am. The youngest of
their children they take with them to the fields, carrying them on their backs,
even while they take the hoe to soil and dig deep into rich but rocky
soil. They leave the fields somewhere
between noon and 2 pm. But their work is not done. There is still water to fetch, food to find
and meals to cook, as well as children to bath and a home to clean. Here in the
village, there are no faucets conveniently bringing water to their homes. Here water is fetched in 5 gallon jericans. Water weights 8.33 lbs per gallon. That means a full jerican of water weighs
41.65 lbs. Viable water sources are
anywhere from a 10 minute to 2 hour walk from the village home. Mostly it is the mothers and the young women
who fetch the water. They are the quiet
pillars of the family.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once I learned about permagardens I began to wonder how this
beautifully efficient and engineered eco-system could be brought to the village
family without putting more work upon the shoulders of the village
mothers. And naturally my mind came
around to the village fathers…the second and more visible pillar of the village
family. I thought that, just maybe,
the permagarden would be a family project that a father would take pride in. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A continual question that I hold in my mind, as I live in my
community, is how can <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
we inspire fathers, within the villages, to want to be more
of a part of the inter-workings of their families’ daily care. I am watching and observing. I believe that
when father and mother join hands in the daily care of their families, when
they become equal pillars in the structure of their home, a force is created
that is unstoppable. It builds strength, unity of purpose, pride and
creativity. It builds a working,
efficient team that can go on to create a means of escape from the cycle of
poverty. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was a firefighter
for nearly 25 years. I lived and worked with men in a communal atmosphere (the
firehouse), day in and day out, for years.
One thing I learned is that men are not opposed to domestic work. Some of them love to cook, garden and yes
even clean! Most of the men I worked
with took pride in cooking (We had to rotate cooking. It was required). Many times we planted a garden. The men who
planted gardens nurtured them like they were their babies. Whether we like to cook, clean, build or
garden is not determined by our gender.
If we enjoy these things but are ashamed to participate in them…then
this is a culturally imposed belief!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56By61iiP5lLFvpj1FpbVnGLfPgkMN_Q9PW2YGCoFLKysi2-RvWchpz3yuBNIrj35ScoKcELlxwRiwcyB2JsAvjyxD04VRZtGpPuzAqJHnHG-oy1ld9rkELfPik05zbmOclHQZSILTKE/s1600/PGTMenBest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56By61iiP5lLFvpj1FpbVnGLfPgkMN_Q9PW2YGCoFLKysi2-RvWchpz3yuBNIrj35ScoKcELlxwRiwcyB2JsAvjyxD04VRZtGpPuzAqJHnHG-oy1ld9rkELfPik05zbmOclHQZSILTKE/s320/PGTMenBest.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Modeste and an enthusiastic group<br />of men building a permagarden</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just recently we had a 3 day Permagarden Training in my
community taught by Modeste Nsabimana.
Modeste works with Peace Corps Rwanda.
He has a degree in Agribusiness and Rural Development as well as in
Administration and Project Management. He is Rwandan and he is passionate about
teaching permagardening at the village level. He is also an incredible role
model for the men and boys of Rwanda. During
this 3 day training I learned that many of the men of my community love to
garden! It made my heart glad to see these
men’s enthusiasm and willingness to create, to put hands to soil, to prepare
and to plant. Perhaps it is the engineered structure of the permagarden that
they loved or the thoughtfulness of how the soil is prepared, or perhaps it is the
idea that they can actually control and contain the rain water so that these
waters are held and saved deep within the soil so that they can continue to
provide moisture to the plants, even during the dry season, that made them so
enthusiastic about learning this skill. Or perhaps they were given permission to
jump in and be enthusiastic about digging in the dirt for a higher cause by
Modeste being there as a role model. Because Modeste was up to his elbows in dirt!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The belief that domestic work is beneath men or is women’s
work is a learned behavior. A belief
that is inculcated by cultural norms. How do we dissolve old ways in order to
clear the path for healthier norms?
Norms where culture supports strong, unified, healthy, creative families
that work together for a better future for their families? A family whose
mother and father are pillars of strength that bear the weight of caring for
their families equally? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-15964387831954474102016-01-23T17:38:00.000+02:002016-01-23T17:38:12.987+02:00If I were a boy… by Aimee Carlson<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Aimee Carlson</span></b></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">
Gakenke District</div>
<div style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">
Northern Province</div>
</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Everywhere in the world, no matter the culture, no matter
the country, there are different expectations placed on people based on their gender.
In the United States, boys are expected to be strong and emotionless; they
should like manly colors like blue or green and they should dream of becoming
doctors, engineers, or lawyers. Boys should want to play sports, or at least to
watch them on TV with their dad; they should like to catch bugs, frogs, and
snakes; they should have toy cars, trucks, and tractors.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Girls on the other hand are expected to be weak, gentle, and
quiet. They are allowed to express their emotions, but that can also be held
against them. Girls should want to be princesses, who like colors such as pink
or purple; they should want to be mothers when they grow up, though being a
teacher, hair stylist, or event planner is also acceptable. Girls should have
all kinds of dolls, enjoy playing dress up, and want to play games like Pretty
Pretty Princess.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of course, these expectations are fluid and ever changing.
The defined lines within which genders are supposed to fit in are a little more
blurry these days. More and more women are joining the science field;
sometimes, it’s the father that stays at home to care for the kids. It’s
becoming more common for boys to also want a doll or to wear something that is
a ‘girly’ color; girls also play in the dirt, digging for worms, or dress up
like superheroes. However, there are obviously still expectations, and those
who challenge gender norms, more often than not, receive some backlash.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unsurprisingly, such expectations have followed us to our
sites here in Rwanda. We have new expectations to follow though, new customs to
adhere to, or if we feel comfortable doing so, to challenge. Female and male
PCVs adopt different behaviors in the village because of what is acceptable
according to Rwandan culture and what roles genders here are expected to fill. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We females don’t leave our houses after dark, and if we
happen to be returning home after the sun has gone down, we frequently are
given or request an escort. We side-eye any message we get from a Rwandan man
after work hours, or hesitate to give out our digits at all. Our knees are
always covered, that is if we even feel comfortable showing any part of our
legs. At home, we may wear shorts while alone and doing chores, but we always
have igitenge (a panel of fabric) on hand to wrap around ourselves for when a
visitor inevitably stops by. Some of us put more effort into our appearance
than we would in the States; we want to fit into our community and might go the
extra mile to always have perfectly styled hair or have a fancier outfit than
just jeans and a t-shirt.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If we are invited to go out with co-workers at the end of
the work day, we check to make sure there is another female in the group, preferably
also unmarried. Since it’s not culturally acceptable for a single woman to be drinking
at bars, we are hesitant to drink in public at site, regardless of the fact
that we are foreigners. Some of us may feel comfortable enjoying a glass of
wine or a bottle of beer in the safety of our own home. However, most of us are
careful when disposing the boxes or bottles, taking them to the nearest
regional town, including even the bottle caps. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Male PCVs often don’t have to change their behavior quite as
drastically. It is acceptable for them to walk around after dark. Many even
feel comfortable going out for a beer at a bar or buying a small bottle of gin
at a village boutique. They don’t have to be so cautious when a community
member asks for their phone number. If they wear a pair of shorts that show off
their knees, it’s not as shocking to Rwandans. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, that’s not to say that they don’t also deal with a
change in expectations. Some Rwandans are surprised to learn that male PCVs
know how to cook or do their own laundry. They may even get several offers to
have an umukozi (somone who cleans, cooks, and does laundry) at their house. Their
clothes must be wrinkle-free and look clean. Unless they are of the Protestant
Church, it is expected that men drink beer or gin, which is challenging for PCVs
who choose not to drink. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As PCVs, we are guests here in Rwanda. Thus, we make changes
to our behavior to fit these expectations rather than assuming our communities
will alter their customs to accommodate our culture. It is something that we
agreed to when we accepted our invitations to serve. Gender roles and
expectations are ingrained in society to the point where we may not even notice
them and having them challenged can sometimes be upsetting or offensive.
Therefore, this is an area where we need to practice extra caution in order to
be sensitive to our communities. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, the second goal of Peace Corps is to share American
culture with host countries as a part of cultural exchange. Because of this,
and because our own gender roles are ingrained in us, we may choose certain expectations
or behaviors to challenge. Some females may where pants rather than a skirt or
they may feel comfortable occasionally going to a bar. Men may decline all
offers for an umukozi and do their own household chores. It all depends on what
is important to us as an individual and what we feel our communities would be
responsive to. After all, they have welcomed us into their homes, it’s not our
place to disrespect them or expect them to completely change our ways. We have
to find the balance between being culturally appropriate and being true to
ourselves.<o:p></o:p></div>
PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-22465321104176734242016-01-07T11:44:00.000+02:002016-01-07T11:47:32.286+02:00When Power Dynamics Destroy the Potential of our Boys by April Z<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">April Zachary</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Rubengera Districit<br />Western Province</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i>“Many more men and
boys understand the importance of women’s equality,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.7pt; text-align: center;">
<i>and they need to be
given permission to let this happen.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.7pt; text-align: center;">
<i>Additionally,
information given to boys and men on how to promote<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.7pt; text-align: center;">
<i>gender equality needs
to be done in a positive way.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>As 0pposed to giving
lists of things they “should not do” or </i></div>
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<i>ways they are “bad,”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>information needs to
be shared in a way so as<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>to build up our boys
and men, not tear them down.”<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 3.0pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Franklin Gothic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Franklin Gothic";">Peace Corps Rwanda</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Franklin Gothic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Franklin Gothic";">A Guide to Gender and Development
Activities for All Volunteers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recently I had the privilege of attending a two day GAD
training which was facilitated by Ashley Mills, our Peace Corps Gender
Technical Specialist. I say
“facilitated” as opposed to “taught” for a reason. Ashley did not teach us theory, protocol or
even suggested modes of approach to Gender issues within communities. Instead
she lead us, through a series of
exercises, into an experiential process where we were able to see how our life experiences,
preconceived ideas and cultural biases effect how we approach gender equality. During one of these exercises I came face to
face with childhood experiences that have colored my view of gender based power
dynamics through most of my life. And
even though I am now clearer about where my perspective comes from, I am still
influenced by my experience.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I once had an older brother.
He was five years my senior. His name was Randy, not Randolph…just
straight, plain Randy. I adored
him. When I was about 3 years old, I
stood in awe as I watched him climb the big tree that stood in the yard of the
cluster of small cottages where we lived. I wanted to do that too and, not too
many years later, I would - with his help.
When I was about 5 or 6 years old Randy taught me how to ride a bike. As
I clung to the handle bars of that little two wheeler, feet pumping on pedals,
he ran along side of me, supporting me, keeping me balanced until I was soaring
forward, proud and exhilarated. He was a
good brother.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the beginning it was mostly just me, my mom and my
brother. Looking back now I can see how difficult it must have been for Mom to
support 2 children by herself. This was in the 1950’s and early 1960’s. She was married by age 16, had my brother by
age 17, had me by age 21 and was divorced by age 25. But even before divorce she was pretty much
raising us on her own. Our father was an absentee father. Our mother carried
the load, taking care of us and working long hours at the A&W drive-thru
restaurant for 75 cents per hour. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I was 8 years old and Randy was 13 our mother
remarried. Our step father had a “good job” at UC Davis as a Lab
Technician. I didn’t know it at the time
but we were about to receive hands-on-experiential-training in power dynamics. Unfortunately,
it would take me about 50 years or more to figure out what I had learned.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before Dad (they are still married over 50 years later so he
truly is my Dad) our lives seemed pretty light-hearted. It was a tradition to sing loudly while taking
drives in the car…mostly Doris Day songs and ballads that Mom taught us. There was lots of chatter about anything and
everything. Same at home. When Dad came into our lives a shadow passed
over us. I realize now it was because he
was young (28 years old, 4 years younger than Mom), grieving and unhappy. A few
years prior his previous wife had died of cancer and his 10 month old son had
died in his sleep. He could not bear our chatter or our songs. If he was not happy, how could he allow the
chatter of lively children? My mother was relieved to have the daily
necessities of life taken care of.
Because the positive change he brought into our lives was financial
security, food always available and a roof always over our heads. Mom could breath. I know she felt that we were all safe now.
She elevated Dad to king of the house. His word was law. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Randy did not take this change so well. He was 13 years old, just stretching into his
independent phase and bam! Suddenly there were a whole set of new rules. No
discussion, no easing into things. It seemed that overnight our lives
changed. And at that time Dad was a weekend
drinker. When he drank, my mother and my brother took the brunt of his wrath. I
saw my brother change from a generous, kind, spontaneous brother into a
distant, angry resentful brother. He must have felt powerless. Anger was vented upon him, his actions and
words were repressed, and in turn he became angry toward me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Randy ran away at age 16.
Eventually he joined a carnival. When he was 18 years old he died in a
head-on vehicle accident. I lost him then, but really I lost him the day our
mom married our dad. Randy’s potential
to be a strong, vibrant, caring, kind young man was squashed through repression
of his innate beautiful self and through anger.
The power dynamics between him, our stepfather and our mother crushed
him. And because he died he never had the chance to find his way back to his
true self…that bright, beautiful, kind, protective, supportive boy who had
the potential to have grown into a man of true strength.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6oNAdUr_3isnXolu_qMqJaR9paNpUqFmLuBm-jmhOa-orsWCn_kxa9f5y-IGsXAuNNoiwUh4psLSpbRNwwr4_9Dn_BEj9dOpq3aRrwfc_1V9dmaLhdMgva7mP33bxQb5RM8BWrnKAg8/s1600/rotationFathers%2526sons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6oNAdUr_3isnXolu_qMqJaR9paNpUqFmLuBm-jmhOa-orsWCn_kxa9f5y-IGsXAuNNoiwUh4psLSpbRNwwr4_9Dn_BEj9dOpq3aRrwfc_1V9dmaLhdMgva7mP33bxQb5RM8BWrnKAg8/s200/rotationFathers%2526sons.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How do we take away the potential from our boys to become
men of true strength? This is a mystery
I am still trying to unravel. Where do we take the misstep of teaching boys,
through our own behaviors, attitudes and wounds, that power is an external
force that is demonstrated through brute strength, repression of voice, “being
the king of the house”, being above menial work, or through being hands-off with our children? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How do we inspire our boys to find their true strength? The
internal strength that comes from profound self-worth, self-knowledge and the
desire to make the world a better place for themselves and their families?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-7806029420644710342015-12-22T09:47:00.001+02:002015-12-23T15:03:41.159+02:00Fair Game by Terrance M.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEpjiyx3yL08DcklD6CyYMcBmamthQVrptm6zFjq0FbsR6_EnBcwmFP8imKB1h3Vf1xnwn6QeP3y0k06s2ozGmlzq8d2-ux-blXvyAMWSvZHdyG7uCp9quXp21mc5z3XJf-R7bFC5jPeo/s1600/equal_opportunity__rodrigo_de_matos.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEpjiyx3yL08DcklD6CyYMcBmamthQVrptm6zFjq0FbsR6_EnBcwmFP8imKB1h3Vf1xnwn6QeP3y0k06s2ozGmlzq8d2-ux-blXvyAMWSvZHdyG7uCp9quXp21mc5z3XJf-R7bFC5jPeo/s1600/equal_opportunity__rodrigo_de_matos.jpeg" /></a></div>
Terrance Mack<br />
Health 7<br />
Rwamagana District, Eastern Province<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I think of the term “Gender Inequality” my mind flashes
back to the years of my childhood, watching my mother work from 6’oclock in the
morning to 5’oclock at night and coming home to cook. Her spouse, my step
father, only worked from 9’oclock to 2’clock. When he came home, he undressed
and went to his man cave (the basement) to watch TV or play video games. She
worked at an insurance company, and he was a security guard. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was the same routine every weekday, which in my
child-life mind this were there assigned roles. I did not understand why they
had these assigned roles, but at early age I was taught the difference between
fair and not fair. This was not fair to me. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If it takes two to make a baby, then why in many households
there aren’t two raising the baby, or feeding the baby. That’s not fair game.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In high school we had promiscuous boys that everyone knew and
promiscuous girls that everyone knew. Those boys were called glorifying terms
such as “ladies’ man” or “player”. Those girls were called derogatory terms
such as “slut” or “whore”. That’s not fair game. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You can’t spell community without unity. We have to make the
game fair to establish that unity. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Instead of the household being a mirror image of a monarchy,
it has to be a team sport for it to be fair game. When one has more work load
than the other, which hinders development. And not just development in the
household or the community, but the world. <o:p></o:p></div>
PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-12754381125846839122015-12-16T07:44:00.000+02:002015-12-23T15:03:27.384+02:00Men's Sexuality By Rusty O.Rusty Ott<br />
Education 6<br />
Nyamesheke District, Western Province <br />
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<br />
<br />
In this blog post, I want to discuss something that doesn't come up often in
feminism. Or, rather, it comes up all the time, but never from the man's
perspective. And this is puzzling, as it is at the root of so many of the
problems that women wish to tackle: men's sexuality. <br />
<br />
Several weeks ago, I was at a financial literacy project training, and when
we had some extra time, our facilitator included a gender exercise in which we
broke off into male and female groups. Each group was asked to list things it liked
and disliked about being a part of that gender.<br />
<br />
While the women spoke about how they disliked that they can't walk around
alone at night, I kept my peace about the other side of the coin. I don't enjoy
being the guilty party. The whole situation reminds me of a poli-sci class in
college, where we divided into groups of five and were assigned to pretending
to be different countries in mock nuclear arms negotiations. Against my
will, I was assigned to North Korea (even though I was the only person in
the class who was a Russian major). Why the bloody hell did my professor make
me one of the bad guys? And why the hell did God make me one of the bad guys?<br />
<br />
You see, females have a very legitimate complaint about how much unwanted
attention they receive, and beyond unwanted attention, outright sexual
harassment and at times even assault. That's not something guys have to deal
with. A friend of mine recently posted a great article: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gretchen-kelly/the-thing-all-women-do-you-dont-know-about_b_8630416.html"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gretchen-kelly/the-thing-all-women-do-you-dont-know-about_b_8630416.html</span></a>.
This article honestly didn't tell me too many things I didn't already know,
although it somehow hit home communicating how pretty much every woman has to
deal with cat-calls, inappropriate advances, and in all too many cases, actual
violence. But what nobody in feminism talks about is: what's it like being on
the other side of that coin? <br />
<br />
Let's say I am walking home at night, and on the way I see a girl who is
hurt and needs medical attention. I happen to have some medical training; can I
help her, or will she pepper spray me in the face out of fear? I confess,
if I encountered such a scene, I would run away before I helped, for fear of
being feared. That's not a dilemma any woman has to deal with. Or, to get away
from hypotheticals and enter into the real world, I can think of several times where
I have wanted to speak to or help a female in a situation (usually in the
bar/party scene) and my aid has been rejected out of mistrust. I do not enjoy
it when I am assumed to be a monster.<br />
<br />
But the worst part is that this mistrust is not entirely misplaced. I am not
perfect. I have surprised myself at times by what I have wanted to do, and have
had to pull myself aside and remind myself what is and is not appropriate, and
how my actions might affect people. It can be difficult for a man to hold
himself back; there is an old country music song called “I Think About You” by
Colin Rae that has been helpful for me, where every time the singer sees
something not right happening to women, he reminds himself of his 8-year-old
daughter. Yes, the song is kitschy, but when dealing with strong and primitive
feelings, nothing can be more persuasive than kitsch. Furthermore, there is
nothing wrong with these strong feelings and urges, it is acting on them that
leads to problems, and often people act on those urges in ways that are hurtful
to women because they have not been taught how to deal with their desires, are
not always aware of what is and is not appropriate, and have not had explained
to them the line between flirtation and harassment.<br />
<br />
If you admit that most women have to deal with at least inappropriate
advances, then it seems reasonable to admit that most men perpetrate, at some
point in their lives, inappropriate advances. This article states that girls
have to deal with men staring at their breasts from the tender age of 13; the
inverse of that is that a lot of men are staring at the breasts of
13-year-olds. No man has to deal with women staring at his genitals when he is
barely adolescent, or dealing with advances, but he is, beginning at a young
age, part of the gender perpetrating these acts.<br />
<br />
Oscar Wilde once said, "If you want to get a man to tell the truth, put
a mask on him." Here, I do not have a mask fully fitted on. I give my
true name with this post, and many people who read it know me
personally. I do not have complete anonymity, <span style="background: white; color: #212121;">it is with great difficulty that I admit my short-comings. I have
had moments I am not been proud of; I too have made the line of what is right
and wrong blurry. To some women, I have had the good fortune to have an opportunity
to apologize and make amends; to others, I was an anonymous stranger, and there
was never a chance to apologize. I also know that there have been occasions
where alcohol has helped me make bad decisions, as alcohol has a way of doing.
But alcohol cannot be your excuse; alcohol does not give one permission, nor
does it make it okay. I am thankful that I am at least able to recognize that
about myself, that I can admit when I do something wrong, that I can strive to
do better. Here I am on the Gender and Development Committee in Peace Corps
Rwanda, and I too make mistakes. I like to think that I am aware, that I am
conscious, that I am actively working to help promote gender equality and
prevent GBV, and that I am working towards making the world a place where both
men and women feel safe. So what does that mean for those who are less
conscious? How do we help them?</span><br />
<br />
But am I to apologize for having a libido, for finding women to be
beautiful, for wanting to (this is terrible of me, I know) have sex with a beautiful
woman at some point? Is that desire truly wrong? No, certainly not! In fact,
many women are flattered to be found attractive and desirable. The problem is:
how do men act on those desires in a moral and just manner, in a way that does
no harm to anyone? <span style="background: white; color: #212121;">How does a man
show a woman that he finds her desirable in a way that does not degrade her, or
make her uncomfortable, or worse, feel unsafe?</span><span style="background: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Segoe UI","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some cases, it's a no-brainer. There are
some things men do (and they happen far too often) that even the perpetrators
must realize are totally wrong. There are cases of men believing they are
entitled to women, and who act out violently when they face rejection. But life
is not always so extreme, not always so cut-and-dry. Sometimes there are
men who are aroused in informal gatherings and truly don't know an appropriate
way to display their attraction to women. The result is either that they keep
those feelings bottled up deep down inside, or they display them
inappropriately.<br />
<br />
Please, do not consider this blog post to be a whine. I do not want anyone
to feel sorry for me. I do not want to complain about my guilt. And I do
believe, having just reached my 30th birthday, that I now have a much better
idea about how to pursue women without "crossing the line." But when
I was 18, or 17, I had much less clear of an idea, and nobody was telling me
otherwise.<br />
<br />
What I'm suggesting is rarely addressed, but necessary. Teenage boys with
big hormones shouldn't be told they are bad for having sexual desires (which is
the feeling I sometimes get when I read articles about all the terrible things
men have done to women), but should be guided about how to pursue those desires
in a moral way, in a way that doesn't harm, objectify, or demean women. And
nobody is telling them how to do that. Especially in Rwanda.<br />
<br />
Religion complicates these issues. There are many beautiful religions—and
here I must state that I, myself, identify as Christian—which teach that sex is
reserved for marriage. I do not wish to tell anyone what to believe, and I have
friends who abstained until they got married. When I think of those friends, I
believe their decision to save sex until after the wedding was beautiful and
gave their marriage so much more meaning. But they all decided to abstain when
they were already in a serious relationship with someone they knew they were
going to marry, and they all married at a pretty young age. Coincidentally, the
religions that teach abstinence formulated those teachings at points in history
when nearly everyone married at a young age. Society has changed. I recently
celebrated my thirtieth birthday, and I have never been married. Is it
realistic to ask of me that I should not have had a single sexual thought in my
entire life? Speaking only for myself, I find the Bible to be an inadequate
guide on this topic. That has not caused me to lose faith, by any means. But on
this issue, I have sought guidance beyond the Scriptures; I have had serious
discussions with friends I respect, read books and articles by psychologists and
other professionals who work with sexuality, and done my best to trust my
instincts. Whether or not you believe abstinence to be the right thing to
teach, I think that it can be used as an excuse to not talk about sex, and that
is unnecessary and failing our boys (and girls). My father is a pastor, and my
mother is the daughter of a pastor (and a niece of at least two), yet they
talked to me about sex in my early adolescent years. I think they could have
said more, but the talks did go much farther than “sex is bad until you are
married.” They talked to me about STI’s, birth control and protection, told me
their dating stories from their high school years, and about healthy
relationships. I remember once when I was about thirteen we were watching a
movie in which there was very soft-core sex scene, and their response was to
tell me how important, in real life, it is to use a condom. They never really
told me that it is ok to have sex out of wedlock; especially when I was younger
and in my father’s confirmation class, a few times said things to the contrary.
But that did not stop them from having positive and helpful discussions about
sexuality.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="background: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">If our sexual
teaching stops with “don’t do it until you have a wife,” we do not give our
boys the proper means to mature sexually. If we teach abstinence only, how does
one feel empowered to ask questions on how to handle all he is feeling? We can
encourage abstinence certainly, but we must give boys the power to ask questions,
to explore safely, and to grow into the best men that they can be. We cannot
shame our boys (OR girls) into silence; we cannot refuse to teach our boys how
to express themselves in a healthy way, and then chastise them when they do not
know better. We as society are failing our boys.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
To many people, what I just wrote may seem "duh!" To others, it
isn't so obvious. Many people, especially here in Rwanda, take their Bible very
literally. Abstinence is taught for religious reasons, and because it falls in
line with their literal interpretation of the scriptures. And yet a lot of
minors are having unprotected sex, with horrendous social implications once the
baby is born (not to mention the demographics of being an overpopulated
country). Furthermore, too many men I have talked to do not know how to
"be a gentleman," as nobody ever talks to them about sex. Let’s start
with linguistics. There are some Rwandans I have met who only use the word
“fuck” to describe the sex act. Whether we are speaking of 40-year-old priests
or 12-year-old schoolboys, they do not ever use the phrases "sleep
with," "have sex with," "make love to." They are not
bad men, but I find it very off-putting, to say the least, how freely they
throw that word around. <span style="background: white; color: #212121;">The sad
thing is, at some point they were taught that</span><span style="background: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Segoe UI","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">. </span><span style="background: white; color: #212121;">Somebody taught them that is the word
for the sex act, and nobody gave them softer alternatives.</span> Beyond that,
objectifying <span style="background: white; color: #212121;">women has become
almost normal; an accepted part of society.</span> Trust me, Rwandan society is
complicated and extraordinarily difficult to fully comprehend. I do not want
here to demonize everything in their culture or tell them they should be more
like America, (there are some men here with very respectful attitudes to
women) but the fact is that they have sexual desires which are not in
themselves wrong, but lead to a great deal of hurt to the women of this
country. I want here to point out that I have worked with some excellent men
who are perfect gentlemen, by any culture’s standards. There is an NGO called RWAMREC
(Rwandan Men’s Resource Center) which specializes in altering men’s gender
attitudes, and supporting positive masculinity. But I have seen enough
troubling behavior from rank-and-file Rwandan men (and, to be fair, American,
and Russian, and Czech, and Chinese men [I single out these countries because I
have lived in them]) that I wish someone had taught them to do better.<br />
<br />
So what am I calling for? Something that should not be unrealistic. It
would do the world a great deal of good<span style="background: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Segoe UI","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">: </span><span style="background: white; color: #212121;">I do not want to be an assumed monster.
I do not want men to have a reputation for only being bad, or dangerous, or
scary.</span><span style="background: white; color: #212121; font-family: "Segoe UI","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"> </span>I do not ask for women to apologize to
me for making me feel guilty, or for not satisfying all men's sexual desires.
But I do believe, in an ideal world, men need to have a better idea of how to
deal with sexual desires. Too often feminism and campaigns such as
HeforShe speak of the damage that's being done, point to what is wrong, but do
not point to what is right. Our GAD Committee has had this discussion too. Are
we failing our boys? Are our programs too focused on the negative “you should
not do this” aspects, and not the positive? How do we teach our boys to express
themselves in a healthy and safe way, but to do it by building them up, not
tearing them down? You remember all those awkward sex-ed classes you had in the
6th grade? As long as they're already awkward, let's include in them teaching
boys what is and is not ok in their romantic endeavors. And let's bring it to
Rwanda in our GLOW/BE clubs and camps, and in everyday interactions! Let's tell
boys and men it is never ok to assault a woman, that "no" means
"no," but let's also go further. <br />
<br />
Women, you too play a huge part in this! Tell us what works for you, what
you do like, and tell us what you are not ok with, what hurts you! Stop
assuming that we already know that when we are 16! Rwandan culture often
teaches the female to “act like she is not interested” or to be indifferent, so
she does not appear promiscuous… but how is a boy ever supposed to know if she
is saying no because society tells her to or if she is saying no because she
means it? Stop teaching girls to say something they do not mean! Stop assuming
we'll figure it out by the time we're 30! And men! For crying out loud have the
humility to listen to women! That's 90% of the problem; we don't listen and are
oblivious to the harm we cause.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-57019424335525200082015-11-14T11:34:00.005+02:002015-11-14T11:34:32.753+02:00Interview with Angelique MUKAGATARE by Tara S.
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><b>Tara S. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>Muhanga District, Southern Province</b></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Angelique is
a secondary teacher at my school GS Kibangu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She has mentioned doing Gender Equality work in passing but I was never
exactly sure what she did, so I decided to interview her for this week’s blog
post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Angelique teaches history, Kinyarwanda
and general paper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has a Bachelor’s Degree in sociology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is a mother and
wife, and does all of the domestic work at her home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, Angelique does it all, plus
some.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">TS: What
gender work do you do in Rwanda?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">AM:
I am a secretary of National Women’s Council (NWC) at Muhanga District. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">TS: What is National
Women’s Council?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><i
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"American Typewriter"'>“We cannot be
developed without taking both parties, female and male, in participating in
development. One cannot be sufficient.”</span></i></b><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal'><i style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;
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up by the government in order to make women participate in decision-making in
the country. There is a policy implemented in Rwanda where women have to
participate and provide their opinions in order to make sustainable development
for both men and women.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">TS: How
often do you meet with the NWC?</span></b></div>
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We make a general assembly once per year as well as special meetings for
different events. There are other meetings in which we meet with sector
coordinators of NWC at the sector level, and other women who compose the
committee of the district and the sector.
These are composed by seven women at each level, coordinator, secretary,
a leader of welfare, a leader of good governance, a leader of justice, a leader
of economic development.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<p class=MsoNormal>
<b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><i
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'><span style='font-size:14.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"American Typewriter"'>“We cannot be
developed without taking both parties, female and male, in participating in
development. One cannot be sufficient.”</span></i></b><b style='mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal'><i style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'><span style='font-size:16.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"American Typewriter"'><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">AM:
And in each sector also there is seven.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">TS: Do you
ever go to Kigali to meet with everyone?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">AM:
Yes sometimes we meet at Provincial level and National Level. That general assembly is made for all levels,
the sector, district, provincial, and national.
Except at the village and cell, because of remitted means of transport,
it becomes an obstacle to make a congress.
They make an assembly by not a congress.
In a congress we take a lot of time to discuss. A general assembly is made by not a congress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">TS: What is
an example of something the NWC has done at Kibangu Sector? Or in Muhanga
District?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">AM:
In Kibangu Sector, NWC participate in community work. They organize community
work to help vulnerable groups, and the women who have lost all their children
during the genocide, or who are single parents.
They try to help them by buying them goats or giving them something to
eat like beans, and buying them clothes sometimes. Those are on the level of the sector. On the level of the district we do many
activities, like to build houses for poor people, to buy kettles for vulnerable
families, and so forth. We also do
sensitization about gender equality, sensitization about government
policy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">TS: Does the
money come from the government? Where
does the money come from for building houses?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">AM:
The money for helping those poor families, are gathered from the women, but
sometimes if it is a wide activity we can ask support from the government of
the district, and other stakeholders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">TS: Why do
you think gender equality is important in Rwanda?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9dCEjRa4-U20IklAlTuaqXR1ury9c2BmzoNGHXIhNQ_5rJNRO7u9r_fdvd1ABaURqMrp22SittpE2BO4E7MKytkrhya8wCTHmCK_p-Ee-WJkfaO_jFxLL2zaoIi_gI3lo-1O-Eqj8AJ0/s1600/Quote+%25231.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9dCEjRa4-U20IklAlTuaqXR1ury9c2BmzoNGHXIhNQ_5rJNRO7u9r_fdvd1ABaURqMrp22SittpE2BO4E7MKytkrhya8wCTHmCK_p-Ee-WJkfaO_jFxLL2zaoIi_gI3lo-1O-Eqj8AJ0/s200/Quote+%25231.png" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">AM: Gender equality is very important in
Rwanda because without gender work we can observe imbalance in development
issues. We cannot be developed without taking both parties, female and male, in
participating in development. One cannot be sufficient. It is said that one pillar cannot build a
house, this is the reason why we have to go together. And gender is very
important, because if not all citizens participate in development process, what
is achieved is seen as it is not their own, there is a lack of ownership. They
cannot be responsible to the things that which are achieved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Women
in the last time were left behind. Nowadays in Rwanda the percentage of women
make up more of the population than men. This is the reason why gender is very
important. Men alone cannot develop a country, we have to work as a team and
work together. Also women are important because every child pass more time with
their mother than their father. By
empowering women, we have a good future generation because it is the women who
bring up the child.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">TS: When you
say in the past women were left behind, what do you mean?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">AM:
Women were not very involved in activities, which contribute to the development
of the country. Due to culture, they were not going to school in a large
number. There were some activities that were prohibited to women and allowed to
made by men only, but nowadays all activities can be done by everyone without
considering physical features. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">TS: What do
you think is the biggest obstacle for women in Rwanda today?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">AM:
Some who were born in the past years, have not studied. Some have not studied, and those who have
studied have not achieved the highest level. It is not a high level of women
who have PhD. Some also do not have many properties, which
can help them to ask for loans in banks. Other obstacles is that women who are
dropping out of school due to unwanted pregnancies, but the Government of
Rwanda in collaboration with NWC continue to make sensitization about family
planning to alleviate those obstacles.
For example they provide all materials needed in the school like Kotex
(femine hygiene products) in order so they can come to school like their
brothers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">An
obstacle is that some women do not recognize their rights. Through sensitization we are sensitizing
about gender issues and the rights of both men and women about property. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Another
issue is Gender-Based Violence.
Gender-Based Violence still exists for some women, but there are also
measures that have been taken. For
example there is a one-stop center, and the police can help some women who meet
such problem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">There
is also family conflict and domestic violence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">TS: What is
the one-stop center?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">AM:
The one-stop center helps those girls and women who are raped to make exams to
prove if it is a rape and to continue in allegations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In
domestic violence and family conflict, some men are still beating their wives
because of conflict based on property.
Because of misused of gained income (from the woman) the men can
consider it as his own only, and that causes disputes sometimes. These problems are handled or solved through
“Umugoroba w’ababyeyi” where men and women meet and discuss about the issue,
which happened in the family, and it is where advice is provided to make a
peaceful coexistence between wife and husband.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">TS: Does “Umugoroba
w’abayeyi” happen at the sector?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">AM:
It happens at every village level, where they choose one day to meet. Sometimes
we discuss other issues concerning social welfare, economic development, and good
governance. It’s where we give sensitization and advice, which can contribute,
to well being of family. For instance, adolescent girls can get advice on how
to prevent unwanted pregnancy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">TS: So it is
the NWC who does the “Umugoroba w’abayeyi”?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">AM:
The big participation is in charge of NWC but in collaboration with the whole
government. People are sensitized how to make a good diet, how to fight against
poor nutrition and hygiene, how to practice family planning, encourage to pay
fees for health insurance, and how to make modern agriculture. All activities
that contribute to sustainable development and welfare are provided during
umugoraoba w’abayeyi.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">TS: How
often does the program happen?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">AM:
Sometimes the villages meet once per week, but sometimes just once per month
due to lack of opportunities to meet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">TS: And
anyone is welcome?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">AM:
Yes, anyone is welcome to contribute or get information. Then sometimes if we
find a topic that is not in our career we can invite a professional. For
instance we can invite a nurse to teach about a good diet or an agronomist to
teach about farming. We also give advice
for alcoholics, prostitutes, and those who become pregnant unwillingly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">TS: So you
help to counsel people who have different problems?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">AM: Yes, also family problems. There are many
issues we talk about. We teach about the
importance of sport. We continue to teach them about sport in health and in
social contexts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">TS: What do
you think Rwanda has done well for Gender Equality in the past ten years?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">AM:
Okay, the first is that the government of Rwanda in terms of Gender equality
where they allow women to be people who participate in decision-making. For
members of parliament, more women compose it than men. In that position those
who representative of others they do advocacy for women’s problems, and many of
them are being solved. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Also
there is a guarantee from BDF to set up projects. They get a guarantee that is equal to 75% for
getting loans. The government also encourages women to join cooperatives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In
capacity building they encourage many women and girls to go to school. There are many projects that help women to
help them get training in terms of capacity building. Women can have much
training in order to be competent like men.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBcrEaaYCt2OLWOIvx91jlk5GOs9FqDpCzbNashHGOxkV9BNNMMuzJa4DmHOqETQMfMiJUC0hbi5mbJNgwf1yJNmcZVCIdiBVnQopYtvBC-qtambWRC4t-DVWxBRIQ-5jbRPNYeLgDDOU/s1600/Quote+%25233.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBcrEaaYCt2OLWOIvx91jlk5GOs9FqDpCzbNashHGOxkV9BNNMMuzJa4DmHOqETQMfMiJUC0hbi5mbJNgwf1yJNmcZVCIdiBVnQopYtvBC-qtambWRC4t-DVWxBRIQ-5jbRPNYeLgDDOU/s320/Quote+%25233.png" width="320" /></a><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">TS: How do
you think men can help more with gender equality?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">AM:
Men can help more because some man misinterpret gender equality but if men make
a good interpretation of gender equality it can be better. Also men can help
more by allowing their wives to go to income-generating activities, and
allowing women time to go to meetings and in cooperatives. Men can help by accepting activities that
were reserved for women and by not laughing at women who start to work at
activities that were prohibited, for instance building a house. It would be better if men encourage their wives
in participating in different activities without considering them as if they
will go beyond men. Sometimes men think that women are looking down on
them. Many people have understood the
concept of gender equality and apply it, but some are still resisting. For
instance when a man produces less than a woman it starts to cause some
problems. A man can say, “no we won’t
buy another house,” because it will be a shame for the man. The men want to be
a higher achiever than the women, but the best is to be in complementarity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">TS:
In America we also have gender equality problems especially in politics and
business. Do you think there is anything that Americans can learn from Rwanda
and the progress that Rwanda has made for gender equality?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">AM:
Yes I think America can learn many things from the progress have made. They can
imitate some good policy set up by the government of Rwanda that contribute to
the development of the well being of both men and women. They can copy those
policies like to have a minimum of 30 percent members of the law-making body be
women and 70% shared between men and women at all levels of government.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Women can
also organize themselves and help other women who have few capacities. There are many programs that can be imitated
by Americans. Also there are programs from other countries that can be copied
by Rwandans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">TS: Great!
Is there anything else you would like to add?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvnGcKrmoEQ1ujF17jtFqKmEdRz1xMuGZqt2oVm1hqg8z-PwSHJWTSTO_G9ko2QW6MmvvtviHmxpXCUX3IxoFAF1Xm9vqhiTa2Nl622K0yGPqvvXpVHBIAvY6mDF4sWhFAAeyUuMnWug/s1600/Quote+%25234.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvnGcKrmoEQ1ujF17jtFqKmEdRz1xMuGZqt2oVm1hqg8z-PwSHJWTSTO_G9ko2QW6MmvvtviHmxpXCUX3IxoFAF1Xm9vqhiTa2Nl622K0yGPqvvXpVHBIAvY6mDF4sWhFAAeyUuMnWug/s200/Quote+%25234.png" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">AM:
Gender equality is a crucial element, which was needed. It came at a good time
to be implemented. Through gender work, women have more self-confidence, rather
than fearing to participate. Today they are confident, but before the 1994
Genocide against the Tutsi women feared to go to meetings. Even when they
arrive at the meetings they did not participate and not give their opinions
about the issue they were talking about.
For instance when they were handling the conflict or a judicial case a
woman could have a good idea on how to solve the problem, but she resists
offering her opinion. But nowadays many women participate in Gacaca courts
where those who committed genocide are judged. The women participate in
mediation process. There are many women who are mediators. The women have a
quality of making fair judgment without consuming corruption (bribes). They use fair judgment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">TS: Women
have progressed very far in Rwanda.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<!--EndFragment--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">AM:
Women have reached to great progress. They are entrepreneurs. They are
businesswomen. They are studying in higher education. They are asking for loans
to make projects for income generation. They participate in decision-making.
They contribute very much to family development.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A woman today can buy a field and the man
buys another so they increase their richness of property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today she does not wait for what their
husband brings to them only. They contribute and bring their efforts together.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtJqOm9uk9nx_dSYTnGlIGUb0PLAjVEq6Vi7tZo4loEhbsP4MBj-k1n84Et49L32phelNXftKcwkHoZnYlC8B1qe3-UAr3B9fT2VkSBk2fBStYvbCtrcphDZoh_kgyBAuPyeuhi6zGpU/s1600/IMG_4733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtJqOm9uk9nx_dSYTnGlIGUb0PLAjVEq6Vi7tZo4loEhbsP4MBj-k1n84Et49L32phelNXftKcwkHoZnYlC8B1qe3-UAr3B9fT2VkSBk2fBStYvbCtrcphDZoh_kgyBAuPyeuhi6zGpU/s400/IMG_4733.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angelique MUKAGATARE, <br />S<i>ecretary National Women's Council Muhanga District</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-65198433810457058122015-11-01T16:51:00.000+02:002015-11-01T16:51:09.636+02:00HeForShe in Rwanda by GraceAnne H.<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_p69wRcE_UuMP5hRamxC6ZzufhV2oFtr0xEcNh50_tg_8R8v0NvnHVD3h-G3BhD_lfRE-ZsubSKJcVM_OsyNQWeCHC7y1kaqxmc5gP2bqNnwwLMXAoEDGRPdFzNPdW4Aji2Fxm-3CRc/s1600/Grace+Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_p69wRcE_UuMP5hRamxC6ZzufhV2oFtr0xEcNh50_tg_8R8v0NvnHVD3h-G3BhD_lfRE-ZsubSKJcVM_OsyNQWeCHC7y1kaqxmc5gP2bqNnwwLMXAoEDGRPdFzNPdW4Aji2Fxm-3CRc/s1600/Grace+Pic.jpg" /></a></div>
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">GraceAnne Heater</span></strong><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" /><strong style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Rutsiro District, Western Province</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%;">Last year around this
time, Amanda Cook, who was a member of the GAD committee, wrote a blog post
about the UN launch of the HeforShe campaign. On September 18, 2015, Rwanda got
involved in the movement by launching the HeForShe Impact 10x10x10.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%;">HeForShe
is a worldwide campaign for gender equality that aims to engage and rally men
and boys to pledge their support for women's empowerment. This campaign was
developed by UN Women and is now run by men. As of today, 4,287 Rwandan men
have signed the pledge on the HeForShe website, </span><span style="font-size: 12.6667px; line-height: 14.5667px;">committing themselves</span><span style="font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> to take action against gender discrimination
and violence.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
<span style="background: white;">Impact
10x10x10 is a program comprised of men in the highest levels of government,
private sector, and academia. In June, 10 heads of state, 10 heads of
corporations, and 10 heads of universities from around the world were selected
as Impact Champions, including the Rwandan president, Paul Kagame. These men
have made commitments to advance gender equality by setting daring but
achievable goals.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">In
Rwanda, the HeForShe Impact 10x10x10 campaign has identified three goals:
bridge the gender digital divide and attain parity in ICT access, usage, and
innovation by 2020; triple girls enrollment in Technical and Vocational
Training to advance women's employment opportunities; and to eradicate
Gender-Based Violence in all its forms.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">This
campaign will encourage men and boys to commit themselves as agents of change
to promote gender equality in Rwanda. While the importance of women in
development is certainly paramount, HeForShe Impact 10x10x10 is a chance to
acknowledge the contribution of men in promoting women, validate their role as
advocates for gender equality, and strengthen their commitment to helping women
and girls reach their full potential.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-46016264893516257322015-10-24T21:49:00.000+02:002015-10-24T21:52:51.621+02:00Rwanda is Helping Lead the Way to Gender Equality by Tracy A<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEictJFYRX-oUzWS07HLTwNrzneAxJXiaAAvrbgdtfaPAGKtUk8GGWGF0Req1DG_J1hPx1jFM3FzWokpxjrdWjNYpVSWN5PBXhPz53xGVmLc6wTFSkwK78EF5cmBabcsEosL4pVSQMkoNjc/s1600/CAM02151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEictJFYRX-oUzWS07HLTwNrzneAxJXiaAAvrbgdtfaPAGKtUk8GGWGF0Req1DG_J1hPx1jFM3FzWokpxjrdWjNYpVSWN5PBXhPz53xGVmLc6wTFSkwK78EF5cmBabcsEosL4pVSQMkoNjc/s200/CAM02151.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
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<strong><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Tracy A</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">Huye District, Southern Province</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "inherit","serif";"><em>“<span style="font-family: inherit;">When women advance,
everyone benefits. The key principle, in addition to understanding gender
equality as a human right, is to use talents of all our people to full
potential, in politics, business and elsewhere. This is common sense if we want
to advance and improve our societies.”</span></em></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: "inherit","serif";"> – Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When
world leaders and other players in global development convened from September
25<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup>-27<sup>th</sup> for the United National Sustainable Development
Summit 2015 in New York, they made sure to put gender equality on the agenda,
adopting the goal to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
leader in attendance that has been consistently noted for his commitment in the
fight for equality was Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the
time of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, when then
United States First Lady Hilary Rodham Clinton famously proclaimed that
“woman’s rights are human rights,” Rwanda was cited as one of the worst
violators of woman’s rights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Flash
forward twenty years later, and with a growing economy (at an annual growth
rate of about 8%), Rwanda has progressed from its image of “women’s rights
violators,” to being revered for its work in achieving gender equality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the leadership of Paul Kagame and the
determination of Rwandans to develop their nation and respect women’s right as
a human right, Rwanda was acknowledged by the 2014 World Economic Forum as the best
performer in closing the gender gap in Africa, and was ranked 7<sup>th</sup> of
out 142 nations in the world, which is higher than most developed nations,
including the United States which comes in at 20.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It has
also been argued that few nations in the developing world have actively
endeavored to accomplish their goal of gender equality more than Rwanda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, 64% of Rwanda’s parliamentary
seats are held by women, making it the country with the highest women in parliament
(to compare, the global average is 20% of women in parliament).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, Rwanda knows the importance of
educating girls and has reached gender parity with 98% of girls reported to be
enrolled in primary school, and girls making up 52% of students in secondary
school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition, Rwanda has made a
commitment to ending gender-based violence, and is overall trying to fully
integrate girls and women economically including exposing them to ICT and
expanding their technical skills by increasing their enrollment in TVET’s. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the HeForShe Campaign was unveiled, which
for those that don’t know is an initiative created by UN Women that encourages
boys and men to participate in the fight for gender equality, it was noted that
Kagame was one of the first leaders to show his support, and he pledged at
least 100,000 pledges of support from Rwandan boys and men, and encouraged other
African nations to do the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Although
Rwanda has made tremendous progress on its own accord and serves as a bright
spot in an otherwise bleak narrative of global gender inequality and women’s
rights abuses, there is still a ways to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is especially true in some rural communities where traditional
gender roles, biases, and norms can still rule households, and can impede on
the prosperity of girls and consequently their families, their communities, and
their country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although this culture
exists in some communities, as a Peace Corps volunteer in a rural community I
am constantly impressed with the overall awareness of the importance of gender
equality especially amongst the young people I encounter and work with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rwandan youth will be an essential part in
their nation’s attainment of gender equality, and it is generally simple to
expose them to the importance at young age, including opening up a dialogue on
gender equality in which both boys and girls participate, and instilling
confidence in girls by encouraging them to speak up or even raise their hands
in class to answer a question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Peace
Corps Rwanda volunteers with the support of GAD, but only with Rwandan citizens
in the forefront, can implement projects and activities in their communities
that can help project full realization that when girls and women are afforded
the same opportunities as boys and men in all sectors of society, everyone
truly benefits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rwanda has the potential
to be, and should be an example to the world on how striving towards gender
equality can develop and sustain a nation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is in everybody’s best interest to ensure that Rwanda, and also other
countries, economically-developed or not, does not diverge from its desire for
girls to reach their upmost socio-economic potential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as the HeForShe initiative posits, male
allies are very much needed in the fight for gender equality and women’s
rights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I leave you with a few male
youth allies to voice why they think gender equality is important, in their own
words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These boys attend the secondary school in my community and were a part of the
South Regional BE (Boys Excelling) camp in August. They were also the first ones
to accept my call in my community to sign the online petition for the HeForShe
Campaign, and show solidarity for gender equality and help Rwanda reach its
100,000 pledge goal.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>"Some countries,
including Rwanda, are striving towards equality between men and women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gender equality is the development of a
country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It improves the economics of a
country, and fights discrimination against women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When men and women share the same status, it
helps lead to a peaceful society. All people must make an effort to respect
gender equality."</em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><em>- </em>Emmanuel</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"Gender equality is
important in a society because it allows everyone to express his or her own
opinion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, when men and women
join their ideas in politics about how their country should be developed, it is
necessary to listen to everyone’s ideas to determine which ones are best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gender equality is also needed in the home,
when men and women share the same respect in their different work, it helps
improve families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When both sexes share
the same rights in a society, it leads to the development of that society."-</i>Eric <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"Gender equality is
very important because if women and man have an equal chance for any work, it
will improve countries, and lead to unity and reconciliation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will also improve the confidence of girls
and women to do as well as men in roles that are considered to be male
activities."- </i>Herve Noel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-7744492561106699172015-09-19T14:48:00.000+02:002015-09-19T14:48:20.572+02:00Stepping It Up by Grace M.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6n7pWXcVhZYEFbaD8S4GGA7EtJo-JoPZBuaWr3-WmDLr53fvSoE3sT5id1b9pERwnmLfrUgalpHkiEgCs582wEosh4uwNY2ul5dcVAbQVGDAn8isAoo4X9XbkXc6RcM4Qei4VyXIV50c/s1600/10408751_1523170401306063_7164059030623376766_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6n7pWXcVhZYEFbaD8S4GGA7EtJo-JoPZBuaWr3-WmDLr53fvSoE3sT5id1b9pERwnmLfrUgalpHkiEgCs582wEosh4uwNY2ul5dcVAbQVGDAn8isAoo4X9XbkXc6RcM4Qei4VyXIV50c/s200/10408751_1523170401306063_7164059030623376766_n.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<b>Grace Mullin </b><br />
<b>Muhanga District, Southern Region</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The GAD Rwanda Committee officially formed in 2009. Over the next few years, the committee went through ups and downs with work flow. There were many great initiatives put forth, including starting the GLOW Camp (Girls Leading Our a World) and then eventually BE Camp (Boys Excelling). Various other projects were started, some country-wide (Like the Healthy Living Workshop), some at individual sites (Such as Women's Day Celebrations). Since 2009 many Peace Corps Volunteers have participated in gender work, both the numerous GAD Committee Members, as well as the Peace Corps Community, country-wide.<br />
<br />
Over the last six months however, the GAD Committee has really stepped up their game. This has happened in part because of the help and work of our wonderful GAD Staff Liaison, Nicole, and in part because of new committee members with fresh eyes, fresh goals, and a whole lot of drive, motivation and dedication! GAD has begun to work on a lot of new initiatives to really bring GAD related issues, ideas and projects to the Peace Corps Rwanda Community. I am so proud of the group I work with and all of the time they have given in the last few months to improve the work we do. I wanted to take a moment to highlight these things for everyone to see, as well as to express my eternal gratitude!<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>GAD Manual: after realizing that many other GAD Peace Corps Programs had specific GAD Manuals for volunteers in their country to utilize as a resource for understanding gender issues, strengths and challenges, members of our GAD Committee formed a standing committee to create one for Rwanda. Four months and 123 pages later, I am very pleased to report that Peace Corps Rwanda now has a GAD Manual for volunteers, that is in the final approval process and should be available in the next month. It goes through everything from the breakdown of the gender statistics in Rwanda (based off of data from various Reports and Policies, especially those from the Government of Rwanda), an understanding of gender needs in both the Health and Education Sectors (the two Peace Corps Sectors here in Rwanda), cross-sector GAD information, an overview of projects that have been done both in Rwanda and other countries that volunteers can use to generate ideas, information on other NGOs in Rwanda that do gender work, and various gender issues volunteers may face in country, especially regarding the cultural differences between America and Rwanda. We are very excited about this Manual, and are confident it will help all of our volunteers to be better aware of gender needs in their communities and ways to attend to those on various levels!</li>
<li>Social Media and Publications: we have also increased our work to share what we are doing with the larger community. This includes blog writing by all members on a more consistent time table, a Facebook GAD Rwanda page (as supposed to just a group), quarterly GAD Updates (for Volunteers), and a revamp/relaunch of our GLOW Magazine (coming out in the next week).</li>
<li>A restructuring of GAD positions, including a GAD Chair, a more defined role of the GAD Secretary, a NGO Liaison, a specific M&E Point Person (Monitoring and Evaluation), and a defined role of standing committees for various projects.</li>
<li>Work to increase our GAD-related M&E so we have a better grasp on all of the ways in which we are contributing to gender development here in Rwanda.</li>
<li>A more defined Mission Statement, as well as more defined Objectives for both our GLOW and BE Camps/Clubs.</li>
<li>Updating a very archaic and somewhat unhelpful Gender and Development Section of our Peace Corps Rwanda Resource Drive, giving volunteers more access to gender-related publications, Government of Rwanda gender-related documents, policies and statistics, camp documents, club ideas, and other helpful resources.</li>
<li>More ideas generated on helping volunteers to recognize gender-related International Days, including International Women's Day (March 8), International Day of the Girl Child (October 11), International Men's Day (November 19), and 16 Days of Activism (November 25-December 10).</li>
<li>Discussions on other projects we can bring into the communities, most notably Gender Walks and a new "Let Girls Work" Campaign (a spin off of the new Peace Corps Worldwide "Let Girls Learn" Campaign, which will be based off of the concepts of Take Your Daughter To Work Day)... More information on these projects to come soon!!</li>
</ul>
<div>
As you can (hopefully) see... We have been very busy!! So THANK YOU to all of the Committee Members and our Staff Liaison for ALL of the hard work you are doing. It certainly has not gone unnoticed or unappreciated, and will hopefully be now be noticed by a much larger community (you, our wonderful readers and supporters)!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Until next time, Happy GADing :)</div>
PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-17346408568401646892015-09-04T20:33:00.000+02:002015-09-04T20:37:52.661+02:00Let's Get Campy! by Max M.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLAh8H8lHg60_QyEiWm93DTM0sVghbzE-JU_c-obGTQwq3aVIm9QSDPEt5WlgUQFeDJI4Im4pZNNy-ckPDxhk409HpEdIRWr1lAP4mP6wOpQ5j4QXbg0Ndgkhh7k-2ptE0pcCr05aY0YY/s1600/IMG_2108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLAh8H8lHg60_QyEiWm93DTM0sVghbzE-JU_c-obGTQwq3aVIm9QSDPEt5WlgUQFeDJI4Im4pZNNy-ckPDxhk409HpEdIRWr1lAP4mP6wOpQ5j4QXbg0Ndgkhh7k-2ptE0pcCr05aY0YY/s200/IMG_2108.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Max Marsland</b></span><br />
<b>Nyaruguru District, Southern Province</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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In many Peace Corps countries, including Peace Corps
Rwanda, camps for students are held in various regions. Usually during school
breaks, these camps have many different focuses: technology, health,
leadership, science, and the arts among others. Recently in Rwanda, GLOW (Girls
Leading Our World) and BE (Boys Excelling) camps were held all over the country
during the beginning of August, with my region (the Southern Province) holding
both camps back to back. These camps are for girls and boys respectively, and
focus on healthy living, preparing for the future, and general leadership. They
are a great opportunity for campers to build friendships with students from
other schools, to hear inspiring guest speakers, and to develop valuable life
skills. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>GLOW is
designed to help girls in secondary school develop confidence and leadership
skills they can take back to their communities. Since girls in Rwanda are often
shy and feel that they can’t speak up in class, confidence is an incredibly important
skill to build. At the Southern camp, lessons are taught by four Peace Corps
volunteers, who are helped by two Junior Facilitators each. These Junior
Facilitators are girls chosen from various Volunteer communities who have
showed a high level of English comprehension and leadership skill. While at
first the volunteer leads the lesson, the Junior facilitators gradually take a
more active role in the classroom, becoming student leaders by the end of camp.
Lessons at GLOW camp include self-esteem, gender awareness, nutrition, and how
HIV works.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But camp isn’t only lessons.
There is also a daily guest speaker; this year we had Gloriosa, who is a
stellar Peace Corps Rwanda staff member, talk about Gender Based Violence, as
well as a career panel, and a speaker from Kigali Hope talk about HIV stigma
and support. There are also crafts (like bead bracelets, paper mache, and
fabric pouches) and games in the afternoon. Each night after dinner we have a
special activity for all the girls in the main hall. This year the girls staged
a stellar debate, watched the film <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dream
Girls</i>, showed off how much they had learned during Trivia Night, and blew
us all away during a talent show that included excellent singing and a
fantastic fashion show. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Camp is a great experience for many young
Rwandans. While there are a lot of important lessons to be learned in the
classes, the most important part of camp, in my opinion, is what is learned
outside of the classes. Girls and boys learn how to work as a team during many
of the games and sports, they learn to put others ahead of themselves when they
help to serve food at meals, and they learn to put themselves out there when
they perform for each other, and show respect for everyone as they cheer each
other on. GLOW/BE Camps are a lot like Peace Corps in general: a lot of stuff
can and does go wrong, but how you deal with it defines your experience, you
get out of it what you put into it, and finally it’s more about building and
maintaining relationships outside of a formal setting. </span><!--EndFragment--><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">This is also my last post as a member of PC Rwanda GAD (since I will be finishing my service in the fall). It has been a pleasure working with all of my colleagues on GAD, and everyone in Peace Corps Rwanda, volunteers and staff. As a few parting words let me say this: the most I've been able to do to help promote gender equality here has been to live as an example. In many little ways, I've tried to show my Rwandan friends and co-workers what I think when I imagine gender equality. This, I hope, has shown them that "equality" is not a zero-sum game, there's enough room at the table for everyone to be there, you just have to give them the same and listen to what they have to say. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Thanks again for everything, and good luck!</span>PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-30923970967074051982015-08-28T13:14:00.002+02:002015-10-24T21:04:37.618+02:00TechKobwa by Rusty O.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiRjmYs2vWDn5LJQE7cyTWMqxeDT2ZDttQnLJRMHncqtcZ-tgUz8qBg0TpJVK-0cSXMV_zIP_votn06Z4oY0pCHWZlTMw1RAVfXQFrZaZehrOOaqIOzHBGb5-bG8FUqNJyInxJAr0-XU/s1600/DSCF1006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtiRjmYs2vWDn5LJQE7cyTWMqxeDT2ZDttQnLJRMHncqtcZ-tgUz8qBg0TpJVK-0cSXMV_zIP_votn06Z4oY0pCHWZlTMw1RAVfXQFrZaZehrOOaqIOzHBGb5-bG8FUqNJyInxJAr0-XU/s320/DSCF1006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<strong>TechKobwa</strong><br />
<br />
Rusty Ott<br />
Education 6<br />
Western Province<br />
Nyamasheke District<br />
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During the August school break--the two weeks separating the second and third terms of the Rwandan school year--I volunteered to assist a camp called TechKobwa. This is a technology camp for female secondary students in Rwanda--Kobwa is derived from the local language's word for "girl." The camp has been put on for the last few years in a partnership between Peace Corps, IBM, Michigan State University, KOIKA (the South Korean version of Peace Corps), and various Rwandan NGO's. It was held at a vocational college in Kibuye (also called Bwishyura and Karongi), the capital of Western Province, on Lake Kivu. Much leadership was provided by the Camp Director, Peace Corps Volunteer Elisabeth Turner, who has been working with the camp since its inception.<br />
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Sixty teenage girls from ten schools across Rwanda, along with their schools' teachers of ICT (information and computer technology--a required course in Rwandan secondary schools, even when they lack computer labs) came to Kibuye to spend a week learning about computer technology. My role was to be in charge of games and recreational activities in the evenings. That was a good role for me, because while I enjoy playing games, I know very little about computers.<br />
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However, there was much more to this camp than simply learning about computers. As I see it, this camp was mostly about female empowerment. For one thing, purely technical classes were complimented with life skills lessons on topics such as public speaking, self-confidence, and finding your voice. For another thing, technology skills are an incredibly empowering thing for a young woman in Rwanda--they lead to jobs, but also give them access to communication and information; they make their world bigger. Lastly, I cannot overestimate the positive impact of an all-female learning environment, plus being surrounded by so many strong female role models--some from America, some from South Korea, and some from Rwanda.<br />
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There were girls, who, during the camp, sent their very first email in their lives. There were others who learned to type for the first time. Others had a great deal of fun playing with cameras, taking their first pictures*. One evening we did a group Skype call to the classroom of an ex-Rwanda PCV who is now teaching a summer program in Baltimore. It was a bit chaotic, but one of the highlights of the camp. Part of that was seeing American students, sharing cultures and entertaining each other (the Baltimorians performed The Whip and the Nae Nae for us, and our girls did a traditional Rwandan dance for them). But a large part of it was experiencing Skype. We could have taught a class about Skype and explained everything there is to know about it, and yet it might have remained a fairy tale to them, something rich people in America use. Instead they used Skype. I also told them it was free. And so, as soon as the Skype call was finished, the girls were asking how they can download Skype, if they can use it to talk to people in Rwanda, and various other questions implying that they plan on using it.<br />
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As to the power of an all-female learning environment, a little background on Rwandan culture may help explain this. In Rwanda, girls are conditioned--sometimes subtly and unintentionally, and sometimes overtly--to believe that boys are stronger and smarter and it is their job to be outgoing and speak out in class, while the girls should be reserved and quiet. In my English classes I will sit down next to or across from a female student and ask her a question. If I do this with one of the brighter and more confident girls, she will reply a correct answer in a voice so quiet I can barely hear her, and when I ask her to repeat more loudly fall silent. If I do this with one of the more shy girls, her response is to chew on her pen and look away. Meanwhile, the boys will shout out what they think the girl should say at the top of their lungs. At TechKobwa, this did not happen. At first, the girls were very quiet and self-conscious, but by week's end there was a noticeable difference. For once, Rwandan teenage girls were being loud, enthusiastic, exuberant. Six girls from my school attended the camp, and in our short time back, I have noticed a difference in them. In my classes, they seem more confident, more forthcoming with answers, and happier, almost as if they are enjoying my classes for a change.<br />
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Furthermore, they had so many positive examples of strong women. One afternoon, there was a career panel of Rwandan women who spent a few hours telling their stories and answering the students' questions. One of them had been born in America to a Rwandan immigrant family and chose to come to Rwanda to work. Later, we were visited by two students of Akilah Institue for Women, an all-female university in Kigali preparing young women for careers in business and hospitality management. When I pulled up the university's webpage on my laptop, several girls crowded around, looking at pictures and asking about the application process. Many of the girls at TechKobwa come from schools where almost all of the teachers are men, and from communities where most of the leadership positions are held by men, so spending a week surrounded by so many strong and successful women was a change for them. <br />
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Speaking of men, there were several besides me who worked very hard to make this camp a success. Several were Rwandan ICT teachers who came with their students, others were with KOIKA or Peace Corps, and others were with Rwandan NGO's such as Creation Hill and Keppler. Not to mention we had much assistance from the staff of the school that hosted the camp. Some of these men had less-than-progressive attitudes towards women. The day the girls all arrived I went to the bus station with two Rwandan men and one Rwandan woman to meet them. As we started, I asked "Are we all here?" The men answered yes, but I noticed the woman was hurrying to catch up, a ways behind us. When I said, "Wait, Mary isn't here yet," they replied "Ah! It is just a woman. She is weak." While some of my acquaintances home in rural Iowa might say something like that as an ill-advised joke, these guys were completely serious and surprised when I had a problem with that statement. Other times, when I tried to tell people how in classes I have taught across the world the smartest students have often been female, their response was, "But in Rwanda, it is different." While these attitudes are less than enlightened, to put it mildly, these same men worked their tails off to make the camp successful. Getting the girls from the bus station to the school turned out to be very challenging, and I could not have done it without the help of the same men who said "Ah! She is a woman. She is weak." Those same men put their hearts and souls into the camp. Obviously, I hope that the sexist attitudes many men hold--in Rwanda and everywhere else in the world--change for the better. But it would be a mistake to wait for those attitudes to become perfect before including men in gender empowerment work. Including them will both serve to change their own attitudes, and will increase the potential of projects such as TechKobwa. <br />
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*<span style="font-size: x-small;">An almost excessive amount of fun--whenever we gave them cameras with which to practice photography, they went crazy taking pictures of each other modeling their best poses and finding opportunities to get pictures with the Americans. Each camera session led to them being at least 15 minutes late for their next scheduled activity, and ended with me prying the cameras from their hands and physically pushing them towards the classrooms</span>PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-53422964954826361752015-08-04T10:00:00.000+02:002015-08-04T10:00:53.565+02:00In Living Color by Ciara C.<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7EH7X6JkOV-JVDjioFImXJESKfgExad-MRkziy0nMmNYJHmsSDVRbD0IYQVQZ9Q8Dj56KoG8ZHzZ2biqVZXcvtUOUqchA66vnEIfI9MbEPpHrpzzcElJhYWjrYg0FLbgK37m9dkYnjc/s1600/11256983_10153309358819120_4490874360126984168_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7EH7X6JkOV-JVDjioFImXJESKfgExad-MRkziy0nMmNYJHmsSDVRbD0IYQVQZ9Q8Dj56KoG8ZHzZ2biqVZXcvtUOUqchA66vnEIfI9MbEPpHrpzzcElJhYWjrYg0FLbgK37m9dkYnjc/s200/11256983_10153309358819120_4490874360126984168_n.jpg" width="148" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Ciara Christian</span></b><br />
<b>Ngoma District, Eastern Province</b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
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Upon accepting my invitation to serve as a volunteer in
Rwanda, one of my greatest anxieties was serving in Africa as an African
American. “Doesn’t it help you?” “Aren’t you able to blend in better?” are among the numerous questions asked by my
colleagues who don’t share my race, and in many ways, my experience. Having been to other African countries, I
already anticipated<span style="color: red;"> </span>that my darker hue would correlate
to my being treated as a host country national woman. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Again, many would think that being identified with Rwandan
women would be beneficial to me. The reality is, this occurrence has proved
not only frustrating, but challenging.
I, and other volunteers of color, especially women, am held to higher
standards of conduct. Rwandan gender
norms are projected onto us. I can only speak from my own experience, but I can
say with certainty that many of we “dark girls,” we women of color serving in
the Peace Corps Rwanda community, pride ourselves on our fierce independence;
on our ability to accept and reject the societal norms of our choosing; on
shattering the prescriptions for gender that our own societies have for us in
the western world. So, when very rigid
and conservative gender norms are forced onto us, norms we might choose to
reject, it can cause problems for our integration and acceptance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Single young
Rwandan women don’t live alone, I do. Single
young Rwandan women don’t dine alone in bars, I do. Due to these and other differences in gender
norms, I’ve been told that I’m both a woman and a man by colleagues in my
community. Though people see my skin and assume I’m Rwandan, I’m a single,
young, western woman with western ideas and behaviors. This leaves me with the burning question: how
do I share ideas of gender equality with a community that often appears
uncomfortable with my rejection of their traditional gender roles?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have found
the answer to this question to be: through personal relationships. It can generally be said that in sharing and
exchanging cultures, personal relationships allow for the most impact. In my experience with the intersection of my
race, sex and gender, it holds especially true.
I live in a community where conformity (in regard to gender norms) is
seen as right. I share the face and features of many women around me, but I
stand out. Because of my aesthetic commonalities
with them, I feel that I have a greater responsibility to them in regard to
gender equality. In my unwillingness to
be anyone other than myself, in conjunction with the personal relationships I’ve
forged, I am enabled to share my notions of gender equality.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The young
ladies in my classroom and in my GLOW camps see a woman who looks like them, but
who feels no inferiority to men. Through
our relationships, I am able to encourage, and hopefully empower the young
ladies in my sphere of influence to feel the same. I, in no fashion, mean to
say that Rwandan gender norms are “wrong” or “bad” or anything of the
sort. I, myself, actually embrace and
enjoy SOME gender norms that are considered traditional. That is, however, my CHOICE, and I try to
exemplify to the women around me that it can be theirs, or not.<o:p></o:p></div>
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PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-33322273219019583052015-06-13T09:55:00.001+02:002015-06-13T09:55:52.355+02:00Changing the Mindset About Gender in Rwanda: An Interview with LCFs by GraceAnne H.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFkMRT1Woak8SnfOCMaxbdQQ0j3xAntWMikT4-4mI_mWKK6Z0ndmcmXSjGHsPVSWsF5j4BFVKqkljb8su81OafTReFhbeUa2BO1IhWNgKi0g8ODRr0yYyYgXPCz6u3j6MS2z41NOMwtk/s1600/P6111487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFkMRT1Woak8SnfOCMaxbdQQ0j3xAntWMikT4-4mI_mWKK6Z0ndmcmXSjGHsPVSWsF5j4BFVKqkljb8su81OafTReFhbeUa2BO1IhWNgKi0g8ODRr0yYyYgXPCz6u3j6MS2z41NOMwtk/s200/P6111487.jpg" width="167" /></a></div>
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">GraceAnne Heater</span></strong><br />
<strong>Rutsiro District, Western Province</strong> <br />
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When Peace Corps Volunteers first
enter their country of service, they are required to go through about three
months of training before they are placed at a site as an official volunteer.
The teachers who are in charge of getting us from trainees to volunteers are
called Language and Cultural Facilitators, or consistent with the Peace Corps'
love of acronyms, LCFs. They are all host county nationals, and the majority of
them are women. LCFs are some of the first Rwandans trainees meet, and some of
the strongest women we encounter in the country. Many LCFs leave their families
for six months out of the year to teach rigorous language classes, everything about
culture, and to make sure everyone is back with their host families by 6:30
every night. The last one is certainly a herculean task, since trainees are all
over 20 and have been living without a curfew for years. Our LCFs in Rwanda are
open, engaging, funny, caring, and independent. By interacting with future
volunteers and sharing their knowledge, they are at the
forefront of the gender and development changes that are happening in Rwanda.
For this post, three LCFs have kindly answered some questions about gender
equality in their home country.<br />
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEn-GDWEJZwmlxlFGXsijVAoJcSfZ5zsxGy9HB2z8UkR-qhg8jyYzv9Cct_NWylMr4FaAHmsOygSkV478gAbo6dHLJGnwS-hO3tAtaEd9UMDwKVnWq1DhiYbU0sdcGZfWUh1Gy_wfzSEE/s1600/Gereldine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEn-GDWEJZwmlxlFGXsijVAoJcSfZ5zsxGy9HB2z8UkR-qhg8jyYzv9Cct_NWylMr4FaAHmsOygSkV478gAbo6dHLJGnwS-hO3tAtaEd9UMDwKVnWq1DhiYbU0sdcGZfWUh1Gy_wfzSEE/s400/Gereldine.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center">
MUHAWENIMANA Geraldine</div>
<div align="center">
From Huye District, Southern Province</div>
<div align="center">
LCF for 5 years</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUd_zH1mtNx3hnKJCet8m1sASEGj3u9ZC3rH-vTU4B1vWsJHsgjmAxXJc9sePgWOGOAfIX4hwub83Hxt7l8d3ZCHmxql25uhCYL3mfZEOLJJuHYGvKYYFylwHb1SvSaiM7JAXpsT0oig/s1600/Stella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUd_zH1mtNx3hnKJCet8m1sASEGj3u9ZC3rH-vTU4B1vWsJHsgjmAxXJc9sePgWOGOAfIX4hwub83Hxt7l8d3ZCHmxql25uhCYL3mfZEOLJJuHYGvKYYFylwHb1SvSaiM7JAXpsT0oig/s400/Stella.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MUKESHIMANA Stella Matutina<br />
From Nyamagabe District, Southern Province<br />
LCF for 6 years</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-line-height-alt: 0pt;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Not Pictured: TUYISHIME Zilpah</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">From Rubavu District, Western Province </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">LCF for 7 years</span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What woman do you admire most? Why?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
Geraldine: Jannette Kagame, [the President of Rwanda's
wife] because of how she promoted the Rwandan girls education. I like also the
way she really represents a Rwandan woman and the way she dresses.<br />
<br />
Stella: Jeannette Kagame, because
of her commitment to empower women especially in education.<br />
<br />
Zilpah:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mother is the one I admire most. She’s so courageous
and she encouraged my siblings and me to go to school and work hard. She knew
the importance. <br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 1em 0px 0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-line-height-alt: 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What
positive changes in gender equality have you noticed in Rwanda in the past 10
years?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
Geraldine: In the past ten years, I
noticed the changes in executive positions, for example in parliament more than
50% are women. Girl’s education is promoted, especially in secondary schools.<br />
<br />
Stella: Women are contributing to
Rwandan development at a considerable level. The number of girls attending
schools is increasing, Rwanda's empowerment for women is remarkable. <br />
<br />
Zilpah: I noticed positive changes
in education, executive positions, and in decision making. <br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What are some challenges Rwanda still faces regarding gender equality?<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<br />
Geraldine: Rwanda still faces the
challenge of changing the minds of people. In Rwanda, to promote women is to
change the culture and some women still feel weak in front of men. They need to
build their confidence.<br />
<br />
Stella: The lack of confidence in
women is still observable, some men and women are resistant to gender equality,
and the misunderstanding of gender equality in both men and women can lead to
violence from both sexes.<br />
<br />
Zilpah: There is still a certain nasty
mindset that to educate children and do household activities is a women’s
business. <br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What are some challenges you face?<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<br />
Geraldine: It is a challenge to
work in a country like Rwanda which is in transition from traditional culture
to modernization.<br />
<br />
Stella: Let me say that the first
challenge I face is related to giving my opinion! However, I have to be who I
am!<br />
<br />
Zilpah: To make Rwandans understand
that no one is getting the upper hand in gender equality, that everyone is
equal to the other one. This is the challenge I may face.<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What, if anything, have you learned
about gender equality from Peace Corps Volunteers?<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<br />
Geraldine: I’ve learned a lot from
married couples by seeing a husband who is more active than his wife, like in
cooking, washing dishes, etc.<br />
<br />
Stella: First, Peace Corps Volunteers and Peace Corps
in general, helped me to discover and to accept who I am. Competition, creativity
and commitment exist in both women and men; valuing this leads to success. There
are no tasks just for women or just for men, we are equal and we can do what we
WANT to do and BE WHO WE WANT TO BE regardless our gender.<br />
<br />
Zilpah: Respect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone feels responsible and able to mutually
help each other, especially married couples.<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Finish this sentence: I believe we will
have gender equality when...<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<br />
Geraldine: The mind of Rwandans
will change in both men and women. <br />
<br />
Stella: Both women and men accept
that there is no weak person, but a weak mind!<br />
<br />
Zilpah: Everyone will make it
priority number one. <br />
<br />
<br />
<em>LCF Photo Credit: Mario Amaya-Velazquez</em><br />
<br />PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-18747213216063125732015-05-27T10:19:00.000+02:002015-05-27T10:30:04.998+02:00Healthy Living Workshop by Tara S.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGOKs3eFL9tToYyX4X7epXnmiHv-RCm988K78l3WAkcoYT_MfJr1B1mOp8eKFdd8UdQnheDAc7flje8N3pavAxwFkc8cQnQdhb62podEOUQWZBoOGBIinYC9nisJzHMxh2eH-HM088wg/s1600/10983269_10155461198145408_2037377802115205444_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGOKs3eFL9tToYyX4X7epXnmiHv-RCm988K78l3WAkcoYT_MfJr1B1mOp8eKFdd8UdQnheDAc7flje8N3pavAxwFkc8cQnQdhb62podEOUQWZBoOGBIinYC9nisJzHMxh2eH-HM088wg/s200/10983269_10155461198145408_2037377802115205444_o.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<h3>
<b><br /></b></h3>
<h3>
<b><br /></b></h3>
<h3>
<b>Tara Sullivan</b></h3>
<h3>
<b>Muhanga District, Southern Province</b></h3>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
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“Health is very important to development because no
development without health. When people are in good health, they create and
innovate, they think about projects and realize them using appropriate
materials and their arms.” –NZAGATUMA Aline, student at Groupe Scolaire Kibangu<o:p></o:p></div>
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Aline is a fourteen year old Rwanda girl who is actively
involved in the GLOW Club at G.S. Kibangu, the school where I work. I would describe her as small and springy
with the most beautiful smile that she is not afraid to share with the
world. I read her response to the
assignment and knew she would be a perfect fit to attend the Healthy Living
Workshop in Kigali put on by Peace Corps GAD committee. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I asked the BE Club what they believed they biggest health
problem in Rwanda was for their assignment.
Hubert, the president, responded, <o:p></o:p></div>
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“The biggest health problem in Rwanda is HIV/AIDS. I think all people of Rwanda can listen
advice of Government and to avoid sexual intercourse without condom.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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I appreciated his response because of his candidness and
thoughtfulness. As a 16 year-old Rwandan
boy he understood that he has a responsibility to help with health problems in
his country. Hubert was also invited to attend the Healthy
Living Workshop. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So early on Friday Morning May 22<sup>nd</sup> we met at the
mini-bus stand in my village and we began our adventure. We met with another volunteer, Kim, and her
students for lunch in Kigali and then we explored the city. We walked past the president’s house, saw
some fruit bats, walked past the most fancy hotels, and saw the big banks. The highlight of the day was our ride up a
glass elevator in Kigali City Tower.
Most of the students had never been in an elevator before, so the
experience was both wonderful and a bit scary for them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The Healthy Living Workshop was held at a hotel near the
Amahoro Stadium in Kigali. There were 18
volunteers in attendance, 3 leading the workshop and 15 who brought
students. The students were from all
over the country, with different backgrounds and opportunities. At first they were a little shy but by the
end of the weekend they found new friends.<o:p></o:p></div>
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On Saturday the students had classes on Nutrition, Exercise,
Body Image/Self Esteem, Mental Health, and HIV/AIDS. They discussed how these issues pertain to both
men and women but in different ways.
Empowering both women and men to lead healthy lives contributes to
gender equality in a variety of ways.
For example education on women’s health allows women to make
well-informed decisions when it comes to their reproductive health, mental
health, and nutrition. This gives women
the power over their own bodies, which traditionally were often under the
control of their husbands. Educating men
on mental health and self esteem gives them healthy ways to cope with stress
and other emotions which can in turn reduce violence and substance abuse. Also by educating young men about sexual
health they can hold equal responsibility in practicing safe sex. Education about healthy living is critical to
promoting gender equality for both sexes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After the students finished their lessons, we made an action
plan for our school. Aline and Hubert
plan to teach these same lessons in their GLOW and BE clubs at the school, thus
spreading the knowledge even further.
They also agreed to talk to their basketball and football (soccer) teams
about some of the information they learned and do some of the activities with
them. As they educate more and more of
their peers the benefits of the workshop will be seen throughout the community. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We finished the day with some wacky Olympics that included a
dance competition, a dribbling race, and an egg on the spoon race. Both Aline and Hubert did a fantastic job
and really put their all into the races.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1l1vqgYgyEUTZGedrGDYxcNJs5g6ChzybfNnIF70pS0fJSoY97FLL8_eQp00s00zMFvUzLS2YfP-cmU8FKAt8wAc9QbYY064wBbk18KuNiyGDk2azJ1tXtryRuPdLKlKZOFP36io0jno/s1600/SAM_4264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1l1vqgYgyEUTZGedrGDYxcNJs5g6ChzybfNnIF70pS0fJSoY97FLL8_eQp00s00zMFvUzLS2YfP-cmU8FKAt8wAc9QbYY064wBbk18KuNiyGDk2azJ1tXtryRuPdLKlKZOFP36io0jno/s320/SAM_4264.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoiyUEvK9QEDIqNvOar-zZ0iat9eRLPpjlBScJx6YNww3747PIrsaa4kELvsk6P6y_hpzUgGm6uYlWPqYC8bkyz7LcvQLLYXeHRelEyabe-stks2jEO6O6di8VM3Ri32I1teXt_t7zkao/s1600/SAM_4278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoiyUEvK9QEDIqNvOar-zZ0iat9eRLPpjlBScJx6YNww3747PIrsaa4kELvsk6P6y_hpzUgGm6uYlWPqYC8bkyz7LcvQLLYXeHRelEyabe-stks2jEO6O6di8VM3Ri32I1teXt_t7zkao/s320/SAM_4278.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUyZxemy-OGZoN1pzWjs0Qo66UmQ5XBScVtHaiuCzsjp2fgE9bkGxLBuRUaUjLDZx3mKEq7x2V3QNjmkORqTcnRm6gwPkWANWNkVShWLTUFIvZkjSAOy5MTb3sdTivH6THiTkSYbqVrmU/s1600/SAM_4288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUyZxemy-OGZoN1pzWjs0Qo66UmQ5XBScVtHaiuCzsjp2fgE9bkGxLBuRUaUjLDZx3mKEq7x2V3QNjmkORqTcnRm6gwPkWANWNkVShWLTUFIvZkjSAOy5MTb3sdTivH6THiTkSYbqVrmU/s320/SAM_4288.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It was a blue-sky morning as we walked over to the stadium
on Sunday. The Kigali Peace Marathon was the big event, but our thirty students
along with four of us volunteers ran the 5K Fun run. I ran around the stadium
with Olive, a young female student. We
kept a slow but consistent pace, and soon enough were back at the stadium. I told her to finish strong and we sprinted
across the finish line. One of the
students actually won the 5K race, which was very exciting. After lots of photos and some snacks we
headed home. With more knowledge and
lots of enthusiasm to share all that we learned with our friends at home. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuPmzdQo_fQCMn1KkK-lLj1HmR2X9QY52THKr6OUlCZSMNDgsIO0wDOWCO_6sNlkJMUqni9mGGfz1m7QhMQYUX_UOMkK5GaLliqxVz8UeV0dtfj3brbQvi_wOveb7WKuCIISc6xIusCk/s1600/SAM_4307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuPmzdQo_fQCMn1KkK-lLj1HmR2X9QY52THKr6OUlCZSMNDgsIO0wDOWCO_6sNlkJMUqni9mGGfz1m7QhMQYUX_UOMkK5GaLliqxVz8UeV0dtfj3brbQvi_wOveb7WKuCIISc6xIusCk/s320/SAM_4307.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-7799554343032797622015-05-04T03:12:00.004+02:002015-05-04T03:12:48.358+02:00World Malaria Month by Grace M.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6n7pWXcVhZYEFbaD8S4GGA7EtJo-JoPZBuaWr3-WmDLr53fvSoE3sT5id1b9pERwnmLfrUgalpHkiEgCs582wEosh4uwNY2ul5dcVAbQVGDAn8isAoo4X9XbkXc6RcM4Qei4VyXIV50c/s1600/10408751_1523170401306063_7164059030623376766_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6n7pWXcVhZYEFbaD8S4GGA7EtJo-JoPZBuaWr3-WmDLr53fvSoE3sT5id1b9pERwnmLfrUgalpHkiEgCs582wEosh4uwNY2ul5dcVAbQVGDAn8isAoo4X9XbkXc6RcM4Qei4VyXIV50c/s1600/10408751_1523170401306063_7164059030623376766_n.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Grace Mullin</strong></span><br />
<strong>Muhanga District, Southern Province</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<br />
April 25th started World Malaria Month. As many of you may know, Malaria is a huge problem in much of Africa, in fact 90% of malaria deaths occur in Africa, most of those in children under 5 years old, and the equivalent of $13 billion is spent each year in Africa on Malaria (that is 910,000,000,000Rwf). That is an enormous sum of money, and if used for other things, could really advance so much in Rwanda, and Africa as a whole. The reality: with the proper precautions, malaria really can be eliminated.<br />
<br />
Sure, malaria is a huge issue, but this is a Gender and Development blog, so of course we have to tie it into that. So I will do so on two fronts.<br />
<br />
The first is that pregnant women are at a much higher risk of having severe complications from contracting malaria. To begin with, pregnant women release chemicals that attract mosquitoes, putting them at higher risk of contracting malaria to begin with. Furthermore, once they contract it, it affects their bodies more, as their immune system is weakened, and the parasite can occupy the placenta without detection, which can cause harm to the unborn baby, including early delivery, low birthweight, and potentially the passing of malaria to the unborn child (congenital malaria). For this reason, Ministry of Health standards in Rwanda mandate that every woman receives a mosquito net during her first pregnancy. The problem though, is many women in Rwanda refuse to sleep under their nets. Many find them hot, or have fears, mostly based on old methods of chemically treating the nets, that the nets can negatively impact their health. It is important as Community Health Volunteers, Education Volunteers and Educated Rwandans to help these mothers to understand the risks they put themselves and their babies at, by not sleeping under the mosquito net <em>every</em> night. Sure the nets can make you slightly hotter, and the net has been known on a very rare occasion to make someone itchy, but the consequences of not sleeping under the nets can be deadly. For the sake of <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">camaraderie </span>and for cross-sector education and support, I will debunk a few of the malaria myths (and then move on to my second focus of this blog).<br />
<ul>
<li>Certain groups are more <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">susceptible
</span>to severe complications from malaria, these are children under 5 years old, pregnant women, people from areas that are not endemic to malaria (and therefore have no immunity to them) and people living with HIV/AIDS (or another <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">immunodeficient </span>condition).</li>
<li>In 2013, WHO estimates that 198 million clinical cases of malaria occurred and 500,000 people died of malaria, most of those were children in Africa (CDC Website, "Malaria FAQs," accessed May 5, 2015).</li>
<li>The Anopheles mosquito generally feeds at night, and then rests inside on the upper portions of walls to digest its meal. There are other mosquitoes that bite during the day, or have different resting patterns, but these are not mosquitoes that cause malaria. This is why being under a mosquito net during peak hours is so key to prevention.</li>
<li>Mosquitoes need stagnant water to lay their eggs, which is why one of the important prevention techniques is to eliminate stagnant water from around the house (even a piece of trash can hold enough water for a mosquito to lay eggs).</li>
<li>Many believe that chopping down bushes by one's house is the key to preventing mosquitoes. While this may be a good practice for other things, it is not known to impact mosquitoes or the rates of malaria.</li>
<li>Mosquito nets should be tucked under the mattress, holes should be repaired (they can be sewn with just a needle and thread), they should be washed gently with non-abrasive soap 3 times per year, and left in the shade to dry.</li>
<li>Anyone who has symptoms of malaria should seek treatment immediately, and if prescribed, should take all of their medicine to completion.</li>
<li>When awareness campaigns, prevention techniques, diagnostic tests, transportation to health centers/posts, medicine costs and loss of wages due to illness, are all taken into account, one can see how much Malaria really does cost.</li>
<li>Malaria IS spread from person to person, just not in the traditional sense. No, one person cannot directly give malaria to another person, but if a person sick with malaria is bitten by a female Anopheles mosquito, the mosquito can transfer that malaria to another person. An Anopheles mosquito cannot be born with malaria; it must contract it from a human. If no one has malaria, the mosquito cannot spread it.</li>
<li>Many people are under the assumption that because malaria has never made them sick, it is not important for them to try to prevent it. The reality is: it may not make <em>them</em> sick, but they can pass it on to someone who may become very sick.</li>
<li>Malaria, if left untreated, can kill.</li>
</ul>
So, that is my pitch on how malaria works, and my plea to remember how it <em>is</em> a GAD issue because it affects pregnant women (and other vulnerable groups) at a more serious rate than some other members of society.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
My second focus of this blog is the Southern Region of Rwanda's Malaria Tour that took place this week. During the tour, 8 volunteers were able to visit through 3 schools and 1 health center reaching approximately 1,000 children with malaria education. Through this tour, the volunteers were able to integrate GAD work, by being mindful of the participation in both genders and <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">utilizing
programs GAD has previously created.</span> <br />
<ul>
<li>On multiple occasions, volunteers could be heard thanking boys for their answers, and then requesting for a girl to answer the next question, thus creating an environment of equality.</li>
<li>A few of the lessons taught were attended by a significant number of female students, who were given voices to share their knowledge and opinions.</li>
<li>Both boys and girls worked together in healthy and productive ways to complete activities, play games, answer questions and put on skits/songs.</li>
<li>At one of the secondary schools, the female students took the lead on a rap they had written about malaria.</li>
<li>The first malaria session of the tour was organized by GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) and BE (Boys Excelling) Clubs at the school. These clubs were extensions of the GLOW and BE camps that had taken place in the past. The students that had attended the camps were able to take what they learned and bring it back to other students, who participated in these clubs, who were, in turn, able to take all that they had learned to help give it back to the entire school.</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBoyoeJKOHLuTgX-XnwKuFxaKWuDRJYpWGDwN5WsIGw8DHH7Z6amw9RhbnKPjebl4ql6awQRxalOWF6PTdBZt6dANsgEFOxik094xqGc6pI-2Xwy7ZYlRzZ-7V19OP2WgzxYxUlsvUwiE/s1600/P5014978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBoyoeJKOHLuTgX-XnwKuFxaKWuDRJYpWGDwN5WsIGw8DHH7Z6amw9RhbnKPjebl4ql6awQRxalOWF6PTdBZt6dANsgEFOxik094xqGc6pI-2Xwy7ZYlRzZ-7V19OP2WgzxYxUlsvUwiE/s1600/P5014978.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rwanda's Southern Region Malaria Tour</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrO18Mc5b2fo0ZFiqB_Pk8GvsnUtsx_a_JJNBtir56WVzh7QS6nArsYvGhlKxruAmGMvQnJk6oTKU60YJ98hRm5iGiOGJV_0z0LpztJF8lcL8J3c5DRX9Ewdfgw-Xz7MGEXQtoA1pU9w/s1600/P5015001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrO18Mc5b2fo0ZFiqB_Pk8GvsnUtsx_a_JJNBtir56WVzh7QS6nArsYvGhlKxruAmGMvQnJk6oTKU60YJ98hRm5iGiOGJV_0z0LpztJF8lcL8J3c5DRX9Ewdfgw-Xz7MGEXQtoA1pU9w/s1600/P5015001.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Under the Mosquito Net</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyR15xX1ONmQeyGICwFheA0kEO0XIEApTqXx8_9yxO4AT5G511Zf-mG8WLfzx9XpqdGKUWO1eHk6Ndda4weqt3ZlNDqWmHp6EtFbhV4WgqgbkE6FdVEDxp7IDPBDbCoZSQKTGRo5auYA/s1600/P5025042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyR15xX1ONmQeyGICwFheA0kEO0XIEApTqXx8_9yxO4AT5G511Zf-mG8WLfzx9XpqdGKUWO1eHk6Ndda4weqt3ZlNDqWmHp6EtFbhV4WgqgbkE6FdVEDxp7IDPBDbCoZSQKTGRo5auYA/s1600/P5025042.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malaria Skit</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final Lesson of the Malaria Tour</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-69055086769622481632015-03-19T16:50:00.003+02:002015-10-24T21:02:55.241+02:00Dance of the Lioness by Brooke T.<b>Brooke T.</b><br />
<b>Ngoma District, Eastern Province </b><br />
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My name is Brooke and I have been a
volunteer in Rwanda for over 8 months now. I joined the Gender and Development
Committee, because for the first time in my life, I see extreme gender
discrimination and I wanted to do something about it. Growing up as a female in
America, this was never something I saw and felt on a day to day basis. Not to
say that gender equality isn’t an issue in America, because it is, but because
I had never personally felt blatantly discriminated against for being female.
At my young age of 23, I’ve never been turned away from a job because I am a
woman. I’ve never felt unequal to or less favored by teachers than my male
peers. I’ve never been told that certain things I desire were out of my reach
because I am a woman. Living in Rwanda for these past 8 months has opened my
eyes up to many things, one of which is the obvious gender inequality that
exists here and in other developing countries all over the world.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A problem that I have continually
faced during my projects here is getting girls to participate…in anything. I
have had multiple events at the community center in my area, including a World AIDS
Day event and art lessons in the center, and yet, only boys show up. Maybe 1 in
15 of the students who showed up to these events was female. My first response
to this was frustration. Why would girls not participate? Don’t they want to
better themselves and seize these opportunities? After some time and thought, I
began to try and understand these girls a little better. Do they not participate
in these events because they are helping with household chores at home? Maybe
they are shy and insecure because the culture values them less than their male
peers. It was through this more understanding approach that I came up with the
idea for my next event. I hoped this event would allow these girls to come out
of their shells and participate in an activity without fear. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I asked one
of my coworkers if he would help teach a traditional dance class at the
community center every week for a month. I had heard from other Rwandese that
this was an activity that young girls enjoyed very much. My coworker,
Pacifique, performs in the nearby town occasionally and is an incredible
traditional dancer. He agreed and the first lesson was a big hit with the
community. The first lesson was half girls and half boys. This event had a
better turnout for girls than all my other events combined. As the weeks went
on, the boys stopped coming and more and more girls were showing up.
Unfortunately, after a little over a month, my coworker became too busy to continue
the lessons. I still felt that these lessons were a huge success, even though
they were short lived. Girls were willing to participate in certain things and
in order to figure that out, I just need spend more time getting to know them
and trying to understand them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I had heard
traditional dance referred to as “the dance of the lion” before I had started
these lessons, but I didn’t think anything of it. It wasn’t until later, when I
learned that in the past, only male dancers participated in traditional dance,
that I truly understood the irony of these all female dance classes. I think it’s
safe to say that after the primarily female dance classes, the girls of
Mutenderi (my village), can now refer to traditional dance as “the dance of the
lioness.”<o:p></o:p></div>
PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571717748997273188.post-43229112005403790812015-02-27T17:42:00.000+02:002015-04-01T13:19:50.727+02:00Gender Stereotypes by Grace M.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Grace Mullin</span></b><br />
Muhanga District, Southern Province<br />
PC Rwanda Health 6<br />
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Rwanda still has a ways to go in regards to gender equality... But so does the world. Living in a developing country, so very far from home in <i>many</i> aspects, has illuminated the strength with which gender stereotypes still exist in the United States. To some extent, it is much more pronounced in regards to men, as the stereotypically "masculine thing" has become much more blurred than the stereotypical "feminine thing."<br />
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Clothing is an area where these American stereotypes are still significantly pronounced, mostly in the sense of "men's colors" and "women's colors." While many women, especially those living in the villages, still wear skirts exclusively, many other clothes, clothes that in the United States would be clearly defined as either male or female, are equally shared between the genders. The stereotype of colors does not exist here. Men and women wear all colors of the rainbow without a second thought, it is not uncommon to see grown men in bubble gum pink shirts, floral attire, or rocking the Hello Kitty, and most shirts are worn extremely snug to the body. In fact, at our latest Southern District BE Camp (Boys Excelling), we had issues with the shirts because none of the boys, even those in their upper teens and beyond wanted anything other than small! They like it, they wear it (tight). It is that simple. Yes, poverty exists in this country, but despite what a fellow volunteer once suggested to me, these choices are not based on poverty. Given the choice between two clothes of equal quality, size and price, it is solely personal choice that make the decision, and personal choice can swing in either direction. There is no notion growing up that certain colors can only be liked by either gender. It is often impossible to tell the gender of a baby, and there are no outside cues to help you out. Blue, pink, loose, lacy... unlike in the "progressive" United States, these are all exchanged across the genders at free will. I like to think of myself as extremely progressive in my views of gender equality, yet even I often shock myself with my assumption of the gender of a baby or small child because they are wearing a blue hat, a tight purple sweater, or wrapped in a blanket that is fluffy and pink. These cues are so ingrained into our perceptions that it is hard to completely ignore them, even if you are conscious of them.<br />
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Another extreme example of stereotypes that exist in the United States can be seen by the touching culture that exists in this country. While homosexuality is not illegal here, it is not a protected class, and is by no means socially accepted across the population. What is interesting about this, is that for a country so fearful of relationships between those of the same gender, there is no stigmatization given to PDA amongst friends of the same gender. While the world is, in general, pretty accepting of this tradition among women, as it is often seen as sensitive and therefore "girly" in the viewpoint of much of the world, it is almost unheard of, in a variety of countries, especially in the United States. Men (as do women) hold hands here, they hug, and they sit on each other's laps. All of the time. It is interesting to see how this bothers many of our male volunteers. It has become a joke. We tease them that they are going to be holding hands with each other walking down the street before we leave, they laugh, but most of them shake their heads and have slight glimpses of panic in their eyes. Here though, not a single Rwandan would bat an eye. They are friends, they are close, they respect and cherish each other, and most importantly they were never told it was "girly" to hold someone's hand. It is only through our American eyes that it is "not normal."PC/Rwanda GADhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05587486174998980698noreply@blogger.com0