Rwanda Project: Summer 2006 Update
The Institute for Inclusive Security’s Rwanda Project, created at the request of Rwandan women leaders and formally launched by Ambassador Swanee Hunt in Kigali in September 2005, demonstrated how women's leadership in a post-conflict country is pivotal for the development and stabilization of society. The project recognized the extraordinary efforts of Rwandan women in rebuilding their country after civil war and genocide as well as their unprecedented political gains, while appreciating the historic disadvantages and ongoing challenges they face. Our project goals and some highlights are listed below:
1. Research and document the Rwandan experience of women’s leadership.
- We conducted research to build on our 2003 publication, Strengthening Governance: The Role of Women in Rwanda’s Transition, which documented the factors that led to high levels of women’s participation in government, particularly the lower house of parliament. We examined the contributions of women parliamentarians and responded to the question, “What difference does it make that Rwanda has the highest percentage (48.8%) of women parliamentarians in the world?”
- Reports on the following topics are being drafted and will be released this year:
- The 2006 local elections and the “next generation” of women leaders
- Women parliamentarians’ contributions to children’s policy
- The consultative process employed by women parliamentarians in the drafting of a law against gender-based violence
- The indigenous, historical understanding of gender roles in Rwanda
2. Strengthen the capacity of elected and appointed women leaders at the national level.
Our partnership grant to the Forum of Women Parliamentarians (FFRP) supported two of the primary goals of their 2005-2009 Strategic Plan: building the organizational and institutional capacity of the FFRP and supporting the initiation of gender-sensitive legislation.
In addition, our support of the FFRP allowed it to:
- acquire computers and other equipment to modernize the FFRP office and enhance its work;
- disseminate its Strategic Plan, allowing the FFRP to reach a wider audience, including major international donors and women leaders in other countries looking for adaptable models and lessons from Rwanda;
- provide English language training and a weekly “English Club” for Francophone members of parliament, and French lessons for Anglophone members; and
- sponsor a June 2006 visit by members to Kirehe in eastern Rwanda to meet with displaced Rwandans evicted from Tanzania. The parliamentarians investigated the living conditions of women and children, provided humanitarian support, and are planning an advocacy strategy. They intend to highlight the issues of gender-based violence, the separation of Rwandan wives from their Tanzanian husbands and children, and the disruption of education and health services for children.
3. Support the development of the next generation of women leaders by providing opportunities to young, local, and grassroots women leaders.
- In December 2005, in partnership with the Rwandan Association of Local Government Authorities (RALGA) and the National Women’s Councils, we conducted a series of training programs for potential women candidates in preparation for the 2006 local elections. More than 2000 women attended the twelve training sessions held throughout the country and thousands more were reached by radio programming that RALGA and the FFRP developed with our support.
- In May 2006, we partnered with the “Women Can Do It!” program of Norwegian People’s Aid and two local organizations, Pro-Femmes/Twese Hamwe and Seruka, to provide opportunities for grassroots women to meet women leaders from the national level. In five workshops held throughout the country, “Women Can Do It!” trainers, locally elected women, national leaders and their female constituents shared experiences, priorities, and strategies for success. The program emphasized the rights and responsibilities of constituents and elected officials in building a democracy.
- To provide networking opportunities and access, representatives of the National Youth Council were included in all of our training programs and events.
4. Provide sustainable, replicable leadership and skills training to women leaders.
- We launched a nine-month course on women, peace, and security for representatives of local and international NGOs, based on our Inclusive Security, Sustainable Peace: A Toolkit for Advocacy and Action curriculum. More than 20 participants attended monthly training sessions focusing on mastery of the curriculum and practical advocacy skills. (The Toolkit is available online in French and English.)
- We provided English language training and a weekly “English Club” for Francophone members of parliament, and French lessons for Anglophone members.
- Our project provided opportunities for short-term professional development and education outside of Rwanda for women leaders. In January 2006, two women parliamentarians, two representatives of civil society, and one Rwandan student attended Inclusive Security’s annual Colloquium in Cambridge, MA, which included an executive training program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. In May 2006, we funded the participation of one woman parliamentarian in an executive program at the Kennedy School of Government.
(Summer 2006)
