Perepetu: The role of community theater in women’s leadership at the grassroots

(Perepetu, right in cap, enacting the role of a man)

Perepetu Mukankera is an actress in community theater.  After receiving training on legal and human rights in the early 2000s she and other women in the program have over the years being engaged in advocacy and raising awareness in their communities through the Byiringiro Community Theater group, sponsored by Rwanda Women’s Network.

Through a play of the same name (Byiringiro means hope in Kinyarwanda), the group dramatically traces the women’s eventful lives and the effects from the 1994 genocide to date, and offers a story of hope where there is opportunity to heal from the trauma suffered by many women from rape during the genocide, including isolation, fear and stigma caused by HIV and Aids. The play incorporates SGBV, HIV/Aids, justice, peace and reconciliation and leadership as some of its major themes.

Through community theater women survivors are able to see themselves and are encouraged to come out and open up about their concerns. Citing examples from her experience as a community paralegal, Perepetu narrates how some women mistreated by their husbands, fared.

“I explained to them their human rights and about the legal course of action to take,” she says. “I urged them to take their concerns to court. However, when their husbands came to know about it after the cases were taken to court, the women were chased from their homes. With nowhere to go they sought me out, and I accompanied them to court. The men were charged and prosecuted and now observe the law and accord the women their rights. Some of the husbands even went ahead to formalize their marriages.”

Being aware of issues affecting one individually or those around you and having basic knowledge on how to address the concerns is empowering. Being among the first women to get community paralegal training and accumulating experience in assisting women through the years has meant that Perepetu has gained leadership status among her peers.

Community theater is the vehicle Perepetu uses to spread the word. As a grassroots woman and being able to enact situations that afflict the grassroots women and their families gives her the power to communicate and transform her community.

Her personal story is painful, which many of her peers may relate to.

Perepetu was a 36-years old mother of five during the genocide, and was pregnant with the sixth. Her husband was killed during the genocide, while one of her children was shot – though the child survived.

“I was beaten and suffered extreme sexual violence and rape,” she narrates. “My attackers used all sorts of objects on me, including hands and sticks during the rape. I lost my pregnancy as a result of the ordeal.”

With no husband and destitute, she became a beggar by the roadside. “I had nowhere to sleep and nothing to eat, and went from house to house begging.” She explains that immediately after the genocide one could not trust anybody “because it was the people who knew each other who ended up killing one another.” It was however through a neighbor that she got to know about where she could receive help and treatment free of charge.

“I have since been receiving the assistance I need from the RWN,” she says.

Rwanda Women's Network (RWN) is one of the four partner institutes of the African Centers of Excellence (ACE) for Women's Leadership program run by the Institute of International Education (IIE) , Ethiopia Office.

For more on IIE , ACE or RWN please follow the links below.

 www.iie.org/

www.iie.org/en/Programs/ACE-for-Womens-Leadership, 

www.rwandawomennetwork.org

 

The road to becoming the owner of the ‘Green House’ Pension

Here is one of the stories of families economically empowered by the Organization for Women in Self Employment as told by both Ms Tsion (the direct beneficiary) and her husband Mr Tariku who are currently residing in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

My name is Tsion Gebremeskel.

My husband was employed and so was the sole earner of income for the household while I was a housewife up until we had our second child. We were living in a single room my uncle gave us. As our children started getting older, our hardship grew with their need and so I started working at a garment tailoring shop for 70 birr ($4.1) per month although barely three months after my employment, my husband was expelled from his work. Our family then entirely depended on the $ 4.1 I obtained while my husband did all the household chores.

In the year 1992, the Addis Ababa (capital of Ethiopia) municipality office of administration availed residential plot of land for people with low income. However, since the number of applicants to get the land was numerous, it was then decided to distribute the land on lottery basis. Fortunately, I got the plot of land though I did not have enough money to start the construction of the house immediately. Borrowing a small amount of money from my mother, I built a single roomed house and started renting it while my family and I lived on the same plot of land but in a shelter made of cane that wasn't even protecting us from splash of rain.  

I heard about WISE for the 1^st time while working at the shop and immediately became a member. I started saving and took the business skill training offered at WISE that focus on enhancing our business skills inspiring us to transform ourselves. After the training, I decided to quit my job and taking a loan of 500 birr ($29.4) and adding the small amount of money I got as compensation payment from my former employer, I started a small shop constructed on the plot of land I won starting with preparing and selling Enjera (local bread), culturally prepared pepper (Berbere) and peas (Shuro) for local consumption.   Nevertheless, I was not profitable so I switched to selling gift artifacts. But just like the first one, I quitted this business as well as there was no profit.

I then took a second loan from WISE to construct a five bedrooms house on my plot to rent as pension. Initially, my husband and I took turns to clean the rooms and took care of the business as we were not in a position to hire help. Being new to the business, we were also a bit confused until we gradually understood it all. As the business gradually picked up however, we decided to rent a residential house somewhere else for ourselves so we can add more rooms on the plot. Although we were able to finish the construction of additional rooms, they remained vacant for quite some time as we didn't have enough money to furnish them.

Subsequently, a neighbor who saw our difficulty volunteered to lend us 11,000 birr ($647) which we used to furnish the rooms and hire workers as we could no longer run the business alone.

This was a big change for someone who started from scratch. We used to get four dollars to live by for a whole month and now have a capital of 3 million birr ($ 176,470.6). If I were not registered at WISE that day, I wouldn't have been able to get that training and the loan that brought these changes in my life and allowed me to witness a significant change in the life of my family. We are now planning to construct a six storey building on the same plot of land to expand our pension.

Mr Tariku is Ms Tsion’s husband and he says:

I was employed for ten years before the family relied on the four dollars my wife earned. As we were poor then, I took the part of cleaning the house, washing cloth, cooking food and taking care of the children. I had to pay this sacrifice as my wife needed to go to work. I am now happy that it paid back!

Women in Self Employment (WISE) is one of the four partner institutes of the African Centers of Excellence (ACE) for Women's Leadership program run by the Institute of International Education (IIE) , Ethiopia Office.

For more on IIE , ACE or WISE please follow the links below.

 www.iie.org/

www.iie.org/en/Programs/ACE-for-Womens-Leadership, 
www.wise.org.et/ 

Taking on the Tribalism Monster: My leadership journey so far

By Eunice Kilonzo

Tribalism and negative ethnicity are at the heart of my activism. Having been labeled as being a young woman from a “wrong” tribe following the 2007-2008 disputed elections, I knew I had to speak out about this. What I had at the time at my disposal was a mobile phone and so I created a blog and started putting up blogs on issues of tribalism. I read widely on tribalism, genocide, racism, and negative ethnicity. I had to understand why I would be branded a Kamba which at the time hinted at people who were supposedly undecided yet I was not at all defined by these sentiments. I am Eunice and my strengths and weaknesses are entirely in isolation from what had been defined as a characteristic of all Kambas.

Thus from 2008, I was very vocal about issues of tribalism and came up with I AM NOT MY TRIBE…I AM KENYAN which at the time as a blog would be an avenue to push for a country without tribalism. Ambitious? Yes I was and still am, I want to change my society and in the words of Thomas Sankara, sometimes leadership requires some craziness.

I joined YWLI in 2010 but it was not until 2012 that I got actively involved in its activities. I applied to the YWLI Biannual Feminist Leadership Institute. My main reason for applying was to understand what feminism was and secondly, how I would make a better leader. Therefore, I was hoping that the Institute would build my capacity in leadership skills that would push my peace initiative to a new level. I knew there was something I needed to do but at the time, I was not sure what. Fortunately, I got accepted into the Institute which was one of my best events in 2012. I learnt about feminism and its various strands. What particularly stood out for me was creating action plans about our projects. The action plans which a definite timeline for an activity to be achieved, this challenged me. YWLI continued to mentor and support me after the first training workshop.

In my action plan I had set out to launch the initiative and have projects in my campus .Armed with the leadership skills and support from the Institute, I got to pick a working group of nine other passionate young people to assist me in the Initiative. On the 22^nd of January 2013, we launched I AM NOT MY TRIBE…I AM KENYAN at the University of Nairobi Main Campus. Earlier in the day, we were interviewed by K24 television station on the Peace Initiative. Over 100 students attended the launch and there was a CNN reporter in attendance! Our ball had started rolling at good speed.

I AM NOT MY TRIBE is now a brand at the University of Nairobi and plans are underway to conduct a research on the extent of tribalism in its various campuses. While it has been fruitful so far, it has not been an entirely smooth ride as there is much more to learn about leadership and running projects. However, one thing I know is that my vision of a tribalism-free society is achievable.

Young Women's Leadership Institute (YWLI) is one of the four partner institutes of the African Centers of Excellence (ACE) for Women's Leadership program run by the Institute of International Education (IIE) , Ethiopia Office.

*Eunice is a political science student at the University of Nairobi and a blogger on YWLI’s website. She is the founder of I AM NOT MY TRIBE…I AM KENYAN, an initiative that fights tribalism in Kenya.

For more on IIE , ACE or YWLI please follow the links below.
www.iie.org/
www.iie.org/en/Programs/ACE-for-Womens-Leadership, 
www.ywli.org 

From Unemployment to Becoming an Employer

My name is Dasash Debebe. I was born in 1966 in the Northern part of Ethiopia in a city called Gondar. I was the first born for my family.  My parents believed in the power of knowledge so I was lucky enough to attend school up to the 12^th grade before I got married in 1989.

I had a good marriage, my husband was a military man then.  We had our  first child in the year 1990. When my husband lost his job, we were forced to come to Addis Ababa (the capital of Ethiopia) to look for a job. Fortunately, my husband got a job and  I started business,  preparing and  selling food for daily laborers at a road construction site. However after a while, my husband left his job and joined the road construction company employed as a heavy truck operator. My business went well for sometime before the road construction project phased out and we went totally bankrupt.  We had three children by then and life became very difficult without any source of income.

In the year 1999, I heard about WISE (Women in Self-Employment) for the first time. Mobilizing other women, I got registered at WISE as a member and started saving. I was then called for a 12 days basic business skills training that allowed me to learn the skills I needed to earn to run a business which I understood I lacked previously. After the training, I took a loan of  500 

birr ($27) from WISE, bought teaching aids and gathered 15 children from the neighborhood to start a school. I charged those who were able to pay a monthly fee of 5 birr ($0.2) while I taught the rest free of charge.  Learning that I had no experience in teaching, WISE then covered the cost of my education that enabled me to become a professional kindergarten teacher.  I continued taking loans at different cycle and level and used the money to improve my school by building additional class rooms and purchasing different teaching aids. after having gotten recognition from the government, I was then able to upgrade my school up to the 4^th grade.  I also employed additional teachers and got a Diploma in Teaching and Leadership myself.

I recently got recognition from the appropriate government body to upgrade my school up to the 8^th grade which I named ‘Yewket Berhan Academy’ meaning   ‘Light of Knowledge Academy’. I am proud to say that, I have created job opportunity for 17 employees including my daughter and my husband. My daughter has earned a  Diploma in Computer Science and Teaching  and my hope is for her to replace me to run the school some day.  My husband is also continuing his education  and encourages me to continue enriching myself in knowledge  as he  continues to assist me in my daily exertion.  Presently, my daughter and I are attending classes to attain our degrees.

I give annual scholarships for students who are unable to pay and the number of students is rising every year. In the year 2012, I opened my second branch school. I am still a member of WISE , I make conscious decision to continue my saving and I have taken loan  to help me  expand my school.  I have a dream of expanding my school to college level and to continue with my studies to a  Masters level.

What I would like to advise my sisters is that we can definitely change ourselves and even others if we work hard.



Women in Self Employment (WISE) is one of the four partner institutes of the African Centers of Excellence (ACE) for Women's Leadership program run by the Institute of International Education (IIE) , Ethiopia Office.
For more on IIE , ACE or WISE please follow the links below.

 www.iie.org/

www.iie.org/en/Programs/ACE-for-Womens-Leadership, 
www.wise.org.et/

Empowering Laurence

A story about how a Rwandan woman was empowered to become a community leader and source of inspiration for her peers

Women like Laurence Mukamurangwa lie at the heart of development in their communities. From being a victim of the genocide, she has become a community leader and agent of change.

Laurence was one among the many thousands of women who suffered rape and other gender-based atrocities during the genocide in Rwanda. This left her not only infected with HIV and deeply traumatized, but widowed, disinherited and destitute with nothing to call her own.

“It was as if we were nothing,” she says. “It was as if were living in darkness. We had no food, no clothes and no shelter. When you have nothing to live on, you are nothing.”

Laurence tells a lively story, explaining how it all began with a few other women when they first approached Rwanda Women’s Network in 1995:

“At first we were seven ladies, with only a bench to sit on. We approached RWN, who counseled us, and advised us on how to live and live positively. We were urged to look for others as affected as ourselves to come join us. Gradually we reached 10 in the group, then 20, then 40 members.  [But it was not easy. Due to deep trauma] I would cause fights with my colleagues during our meetings. I could not see how I could sit and talk with those who violated us so much. I hated everything, and everybody.”

The group of victims and survivors of the genocide, including wives of perpetrators, would eventually reach more than 500 members. But, like Laurence, most were bitter in their displacement. Real solutions had to be found to give the women back their lives.

According to Mary Balikungeri, RWN Founder and Executive Director, “the whole issue was how the women were going to live together without interpersonal conflicts that would divide them rather than keep them together. The good thing was that the government had laid a process that allowed us to engage the people and create women spaces,” that included adopting a holistic approach as an empowering strategy.

The approach, implemented through the RWN Polyclinic of Hope program, included offering medical services, but also psychosocial support. This included education on, among others, human and legal rights. Socio-economic empowerment was recognized as a crucial complimentary activity, as being able to earn an income enhanced the women’s effectiveness in addressing their needs and domestic concerns.  Essentially, the holistic approach to addressing their needs, and especially their health management, equipped the women to lead positive and productive lives.

By the year 2000, Laurent was a different person. She says that she was no longer a vulnerable person. Today, she is a peer counselor and community mobilizer, and was elected by her community to become Inyangamugayo – which means a person of integrity – and is now a respected community leader and legal counselor.

Central to the RWN holistic approach is the concept of volunteerism, emphasizing solidarity for beneficiaries to look out for one another. Volunteerism and solidarity-building is a key RWN strategy to ensure the beneficiaries’ positive health and social wellbeing individually and collectively.

“In those early days,” says Laurent, “we started seeing many of us falling sick. A suggestion came up that we form peer groups as a way to give us strength and look after one another. Through this we learnt peer counseling, and about our human and legal rights. This personally empowered me to go to court and win my disinherited land back.”

The RWN aspect of volunteerism and solidarity-building, led by women such as Laurent, is implemented through the home-based care networks, community paralegals and other care-givers has proved to be empowering in most aspects of the women’s lives.

In empowering the women the PoH program has been replicated in four centers around Rwanda, and currently caters for over 11,000 beneficiaries.

The accomplishments and success of the holistic model of service provision has attracted international attention. Due to its demonstrated impact, plans have been underway to replicate it in post-conflict countries in the Great Lakes Region. The replication has already started in Burundi and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where the women have identified with Laurent and her Rwanda colleagues. 

This has amplified the impact of women’s empowerment where they take charge of their lives towards community leadership, and especially in meeting the needs of individual women, their families and communities.

Rwanda Women's Network (RWN) is one of the four partner institutes of the African Centers of Excellence (ACE) for Women's Leadership program run by the Institute of International Education (IIE) , Ethiopia Office.

For more on IIE , ACE or RWN please follow the links below.

 www.iie.org/

www.iie.org/en/Programs/ACE-for-Womens-Leadership, 

www.rwandawomennetwork.org