Jeannette Kagame, the wife of Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, recently launched a campaign that aims to financially empower women in the country. A total of USD 20 million from the Rwandan government will be dedicated to lifting 1 million women out of poverty by March 2018. The campaign will partner with New Faces New Voices, a women’s advocacy organization that was founded in Rwanda by Graca Machel, South Africa’s former First Lady. Information on plans for the disbursal of the campaign’s funds is unavailable.
As of 2012, 36 percent of women had access to formal financial services in Rwanda. Mrs Kagame has said that the initiative is expected to help women to “co-create their full financial inclusion”[1]. She has called on the Rwandan Ministry of Finance and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private investment arm of the World Bank Group, to offer unspecified support to this initiative.
New Faces New Voices is an advocacy organization that operates in 15 countries and focuses on expanding financial inclusion for women through advocacy, mentoring and other services. Financial information on New Faces New Voices is unavailable.
By Meredith Steih, Research Associate
About New Faces New Voices:
New Faces New Voices is an advocacy organization that focuses on expanding financial inclusion for women by supporting female-run small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), institutional strengthening, advocacy, networking, skills building, and mentoring. The organization was founded in Rwanda by the former First Lady of South Africa, Graca Machel. Chapters of New Faces New Voices operate in Cameroon, Côte D’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Financial information on New Faces New Voices is unavailable.
Sources and Additional Resources:
[1] Digital Journal Press Release, “Rwanda’s First Lady Launches $20M Initiative For Women, Reports KT Press,”http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/2582780
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