FEMdialogue - Born Free and Equal in Dignity and Rights
“If we want to see change, we need to bring women and men, teenage girls and boys to the discussion table. Solutions to breaking gender barriers start with raising awareness and giving space for conversations. That is what FEMdialogue is all about”
— Mary Balikungeri, Director and Founder, Rwanda Women’s Network
FEMdialogues are a series of meetups led by Rwanda Women’s Network to raise awareness to issues discriminating Rwandan women today. In these meetups, we invite local leaders, men and women, RWN Women Space Facilitators, Influential women role models from across the country and teenage girls to listen, discuss, learn and promote change.
The format is simple and effective, we give women and girls the stage to tell their stories and use their experiences as a catalyst for change. We also bring in specialists on the topic to facilitate the conversation and add information. Each meetup is dedicated to a different topic from creating a workplace free of Gender Based Violence, to women’s reproductive rights, Feminism and breaking barriers.
In one powerful discussion about Gender Based Violence in the work space, a young women shared she was raped by her boss and got pregnant, she ended up needing to leave her job to raise the baby, while made to feel ashamed. She used the stage to advocate for ending Gender Based Violence and normalizing the rights of women who has been raped. “Attending FEMDialogues thought me so much and I feel like I’m heard too” said a young teenage girl that attended a discussion about ‘Youth, Sex and Culture”. She shared that her generation uses the internet to learn about the topic of contraception in a discreet way.
“These open conversations spark change. Next we need to make sure they reach women across the country” says Mary.
