This project will engage 30 Rwandan girls in an in-depth, capacity building experience over 6 months, where they will learn about gender equality, violence, leadership, sexual and reproductive health, consent, healthy relationships and community development. Led by Rwandan women mentors, girls receive 50+ hours of training, execute 5 community projects in small teams, and develop a club to engage other youth and adults to break the intergenerational cycle of gender discrimination and violence.
In the years since Rwanda experienced a devastating genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, gender equality has been promoted by the government. Yet the reality remains that gender norms in Rwandan culture are largely unchanged and girls are still taught to stay quiet, be submissive and consider men and boys as superior. We work at the grassroots level to transform how communities value girls, and how girls value themselves, to end violence and foster in-depth, sustainable social change and equality
This project targets adolescent girls at a critical time in their development to influence their belief systems related to inequality and violence, equipping them with knowledge about gender and power, developing their sense of agency and self-confidence, building their critical thinking skills and emboldening them to reclaim their rights. Girls further strengthen their leadership skills by executing community projects on their own, and are then able to influence other girls, boys and adults.
By addressing gender norms as the proven root cause of gender inequality and violence, our feminist work transforms individual and collective belief systems from the inside out. In doing this, we are able to break the intergenerational cycle of violence and oppression that women and girls face. This project will directly engage 30 girls, championing their voices and activism, and enabling them to further influence their friends, siblings, parents, teachers and communities for years to come.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
