First Lady of Rwanda, Jeannette Kagame (left), and her Kenyan counterpart, Rachel Ruto (middle).
The First Lady of Rwanda, Jeannette Kagame, and her Kenyan counterpart, Rachel Ruto, have agreed on a collective commitment to advancing the empowerment of women and children, ensuring that they are at the heart of the progress of both nations.
The two First Ladies met this Friday in Kigali and reaffirmed shared goals, especially regarding the empowerment of women and children.
Mrs. Ruto said that the people of Kenya and Rwanda share a deep friendship, founded on common values of unity and resilience, and a vision of empowered communities.
Both First Ladies share a deeply rooted motivation to promote gender equality and empowerment, especially through education and access to equal opportunities.
Rwanda’s Empowerment Initiatives:
Rwanda has achieved global recognition for gender equality through legal reforms granting women equal leadership roles, land ownership, and inheritance rights, and political will that results in the world’s highest percentage of women in Parliament (50/50% in the Senate and approximately 63.8% in the Chamber of Deputies).
The Imbuto Foundation, led by First Lady Jeannette Kagame, focuses on the holistic development of women and children through programs in health, education, and youth empowerment, often leveraging technology and innovation.
Government programs also support women’s entrepreneurship by providing training, mentoring, and financial access, largely through cooperatives to drive economic independence.
Kenya’s Empowerment Initiatives:
Kenya’s efforts are anchored in the 2010 Constitution and various Affirmative Action Funds, such as the Women Enterprise Fund (WEF) and the Uwezo Fund, which provide women with access to credit for business development.
The Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) program reserves 30% of public tenders for enterprises owned by women, youth, and persons with disabilities to enhance their economic participation.
First Lady Rachel Ruto’s organization implements the Joyful Women Organization (JOYWO) program, which primarily uses the “table banking” model to foster grassroots financial inclusion and empower women socioeconomically.
