Women empowerment through income generating activities and the promotion of women's rights in Rwanda. Case study of KOPABAMU cooperative.

Abstract

Abstract Rwandan society has historically been essentially patriarchal. Women faced official legal discrimination. Politically, decision-making at the community and national levels was almost exclusively the province of men. Women have less power and ability to do activities like men counterparts do; even they have the least authority to do something at their own initiation the majority of women are economically dependent on men. After the Genocide of Tutsi, the status of women in Rwanda is changing; the government of Rwanda enhancing the role of women by promoting gender equality as a human rights and development issue. Mechanisms have been constituted to address women’s issues and gender concerns. Despite the Government’s commitment to promote gender equality at all levels, traditional practices and attitudes that are discriminatory to women persist. Economically, women are said to be less empowered in terms of independent employment and access to financial services and as they are central to the development of rural areas and to national level, their empowerment should be an essential means to achieve sustainable development, economic growth and women’s right. The present study attempt to unearth the relationship between women empowerment through income generating activities and the promotion of women women’s rights. The researcher hypothesizes that the involvement of women in Income generating activities increases the income of women. When women are more empowered they are more involved in decision making and more their right are promoted. Cooperative through its support in kind or cash , skill training, resource inputs of loan help to increase income to the women through independent business or work in the related field; the increased income lessens their dependence on family heads and enables to spend for personal expenses; gives them certain freedoms as individuals; enables them to contribute to family affairs financially, which creates an environment in the family in favour of the women to accept their views and participation in family matters like education, medical insurance, house construction or renovation etc ... Bases on these hypotheses, the researcher investigates into the KOPABAMU Cooperative which implement IGA. Apart from the support in cash or in kind Cooperative increase women’s capacity in decision making, capacity in personal and family life and in the all society. The participation in the decision making from the family to the community is the basis of the promotion of women’s rights.