We’re excited to be part of launching a new local NGO in Rwanda called Women GAIN Rwanda.

Women GAIN Rwanda is a result of an apprenticeship program named Intwari Women which was a pilot project by Global GAIN for the graduates of Davis College, the former Akilah Institute For Women.

The apprenticeship started in September 2020 expected to last for only three months to accomplish four hundred hours required as one of the academic requirements for graduation. Intwari Women first cohort was made up of 13 young Rwandan women and it is a student-led program. The participants enjoyed the program and it was extended up to 12 months and received certificates upon the completion of the program.

The program changed the participants’ lives in different aspects and opened their eyes to real-life experiences they had not encountered before. At first, we thought of welcoming and training other young women and making an annual project. Ideas from different people including our donors triggered us to rethink about this and we decided to form a local non-profit organization that will be based in Kigali and will have the “Intwari Women” as one of its projects.

The organization’s name is Women GAIN Rwanda. GAIN stands for Gender Advocates, Initiatives, and Networks and the organization will build all of these. The mission is to promote women’s leadership, networks, and programs that connect them, building leadership through their involvement, and realizing their dreams as women on social challenges in the community.

Women GAIN program objectives are training and practical experience on:

  • Professional Development
  • Communications & Marketing
  • Political Leadership with a focus on women in public office. (Rwanda is well known for its highest percentage of women in parliament but has few programs for young women to learn about running for office.
  • Civic Leadership & Change Making: Public Policy
  • Global Citizenship, Democracy & Human Rights
  • Campaign & Program planning
  • Feminism, & Gender Equality

Global GAIN will keep supporting Women GAIN in its different projects and this is why Global GAIN is doing this fundraising page for Women GAIN. Your support today can help a woman change her life forever.

Donate Today

Background

In order to promote gender equality and women empowerment, Rwanda joined the entire world to plan for and to implement diverse projects in the community to engage women and girls in this journey. As the 2022 global gender report says, it is still a long journey to go to fill out the gender gaps. Young women specifically need to be given more space to learn and understand gender equality concepts so that they can play a part in creating more sustainable initiatives and showing their ability in sorting pressing issues locally, regionally, and globally. Upon this call, women came together and recognized the niche and wanted to bring in their contribution to fill it as Women GAIN Rwanda. 

Description

Women Gain Rwanda is for women, founded by women, and a female-led organization launching officially in 2022 as a new initiative to create more professional opportunities for young Rwandan women and to build their confidence so that they feel the gut to take on leadership roles in their fields of interests either be in; politics, business, IT industries, media, sports, and more other daily occupations, as well as in civil societies.

Personal Stories

Francine, the first person to attend college in her family joined Davis College, (formerly Akilah Institute for women) in 2018 and joined Global GAIN as an intern to learn more about the role of women in leadership. She says It is a good space to learn and connect professionally as well as to think about her role in the community we live in. During the internship period, her leadership and entrepreneurship skills were developed. She is committed to creating more opportunities for young women like her and the young generation as a whole. 

Gratia is passionate about an information technology career, and being in the program made her eager to contribute to society as a future women leader. She says that supporting the program is making a difference. It assists in engaging more women in positions of power in the office. She is encouraged to run for office in the future.