As Rwanda began to rebuild itself from the ashes of the 1994 genocide, something unexpected happened: Women began playing a much more influential role on many fronts, including politics.
Traditions that had limited women previously were cast aside, and President Paul Kagame also actively pushed for women to be in more prominent positions.
Today, women make up 64 percent of the country's lower house of Parliament — a far higher percentage than in any other nation, according to figures compiled by the .
"They were the backbone of reconstruction of our country but at the same time also there was a political will to empower women," said Mathilde Mukantabana, Rwanda's ambasassdor to the U.S.
We invite our users to read the full article published May 8 2014
As Rwanda began to rebuild itself from the ashes of the 1994 genocide, something unexpected happened: Women began playing a much more influential role on many fronts, including politics.
Traditions that had limited women previously were cast aside, and President Paul Kagame also actively pushed for women to be in more prominent positions.
Today, women make up 64 percent of the country's lower house of Parliament — a far higher percentage than in any other nation, according to figures compiled by the .
"They were the backbone of reconstruction of our country but at the same time also there was a political will to empower women," said Mathilde Mukantabana, Rwanda's ambasassdor to the U.S.
We invite our users to read the full article published May 8 2014