16 Days of Activism
by CharlotteRwanda | December 1, 2008 at 2:00 AM
My name is Charlotte and I am the director of a project in Rwanda called Achieving a Better Life. We perform theaters around Kigali, the capital, about domestic violence and GBV to teach people that this violence is wrong.
GBV is a big problem in Rwanda. We did a baseline study, and found that about 70% of women experience some form of domestic violence. I have talked to many women in my community who are victims, and I felt compassion to change the situation.
On Friday, we will perform a theater on GBV as part of Rwanda's recognition of the 16 Days of Activism against GBV. We hope that this will show people that violence against women is wrong and that they need to change their behavior.
Comments
70%
70%. The stories of gender-based violence are far too abundant in the world. My idea of abundance is healthy, happy homes and economies where everyone has enough water, enough food, and access to healthcare.
Charlotte, I wish you the best with your performance on Friday.
Will there be photos? Could you post some more about your performance here? It's good to meet you here on PulseWire and share hope across thousands and thousands of miles.
Warm wishes,
Lisa
What a great way to get your
What a great way to get your message across! Violence is a difficult cycle to break---but with advocates like yourself it is possible! Wishing you lots of luck with your upcoming performance...I'd love to hear how it goes!
what changes with women in power?
Hi Charlotte,
Thanks for sharing this with us. I'm a fellow advocate on ending GBV on the global scale.
Your post made me wonder about something: I know about Rwanda currently has one of the highest percentages of female Parliamentarians in the world. I was wondering if you have seen any changes in legislation or in cases of violence with more women in positions of power? This also brings up the larger point of what really changes when women leaders are in charge.
I would be very interested in your views on this issue.
In solidarity,
Jenny
It's Friday! How did it go?
Theater is such a powerful way to address social issues, like GBV. I look forward to hearing how your day went.
All my best,
Jennifer
You do important work
Dear Charlotte,
Please let us know how the program is received and what responses you get. All the chapters in my giving circle, Dining for Women, are focusing on Rwanda this month. It would be fun for them to be able to read about your project, so I am going to post about in in our blog. http://www.diningforwomen.org/index.php Would you mind if some of our members wrote to you? We love connecting with women in the countries we are learning about!