H.E. Mrs. Jeannette Kagame, the First Lady of Rwanda, and the First Lady Mrs. Claudine Talon of Benin, toured the Urugo Women’s Opportunity Center near Kayonza today.They wanted to see firsthand how the center is contributing to the social and economic development of marginalized women in the community.
Built and operated by Women for Women International(WfWI) with the generous funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies and others, the Urugo Women’s Opportunity Center provides a safe environment and dedicated facilities where women can learn, build new skills, and operate businesses that directly contribute to Rwanda’s economic growth.
“This is a high-level profile event for the Urugo Women’s Opportunity Center,” said Antoinette Uwimana, Country Director of Women for Women International, Rwanda.”It was an honor that she came to see what we are doing here and perhaps to use our work as a model for what she could potentially do for the people of Benin.”
More than 90 graduates of WfWI’s training program for women lined the entrance to greet the first ladies, who were accompanied by Judith Kazayire, Governor of the Eastern Province, and Jean Claude Murenzi, Mayor of the Kayonza District. MutimaW’Urugo, a cultural group,trained by WfWI played drums and sang songs in honor of the visitors.
Mrs Uwimanawelcomed the first ladies before alarge map of theUrugoWomen’s Opportunity Center. She explained WfWI’s mission, the center’s facilities, and the organization’s vision for the center.
“This important visit has a direct impact on our sisters here in the community and among the women who learn at the Urugo Women’s Opportunity Center,” said MrsUwimana.
“This visit not only gives market exposure for our commercial products, like crafts, food products, restaurants, and the Eco-Lodge, it will also help us engage with more potential partners and donors, so we can expand our program activities and continue to improve the lives of more women and men in the community.”
The group observed a Men’s Engagement Program training session, which educates men about women’s rights, gender equality, and the importance of preventing gender-based violence.
The first ladies and their local hosts then visited the craft-making spaces, where women are trained through partners like Gahaya Links, then continued through the center’s water catchment area and solar system.
The group saw the Urugo Eco-Lodge and Restaurant that host both leisure and business travelers, the food processing facilities, where women produce organic peanut butter, cheese and yogurt, and the market stalls just off the main road, where women display and sell their handmade products.
The first ladies’concluded their visit at an outdoor table by the center’s UrugoRoadside Café, where they signed the visitor book as the crowds looked on. In elegant script, H.E. Mrs. Jeannette Kagame, the First Lady of Rwanda, wrote, “Mukora ibintu byiza cyane: You do great things.”Mrs. Claudine Talon, the First Lady of Benin,inscribed, “Felicitations pour toutesces oeuvres. Courage pour la suite: Congratulations for all your deeds. Keep it up.”
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