I can’t help but reflect on the day as I settle into my new bed and watch the persistent fly crash into the mosquito net that envelopes my bed. You’d think there was a gigantic hot fudge sundae on my side of the net given the fly’s persistence. Though both the fly and I have come up sans ice cream and disappointed, the net does remind me of the separation of those who have and those who don’t. Now, this is not an exclusively Rwandan characteristic, in fact, my home of the United States is 
one of the largest culprits of perpetuating inequality. Yet as the SHE Team headed to Nyamata, about an hour outside of Kigali, I couldn’t help but notice the girls and women walking alongside of the road, sometimes with multiple babies on their backs, a giant water jug on their head, with miles of road ahead, only to get home to hours-long tasks of fetching fire wood and cooking. Most men cycled by with no luggage. If they are lucky, they are on their way to a job as a shopkeeper, a driver. With unemployment hovering around 50%, that is highly unlikely.
What does this have to do with SHE and our mission? Perhaps nothing, but I wonder if this simple observation underlines the value (or lack thereof) placed on girls and women as players in education, business, and politics? And their coinciding needs…..like affordable sanitary products and services…..or a bike!
one of the largest culprits of perpetuating inequality. Yet as the SHE Team headed to Nyamata, about an hour outside of Kigali, I couldn’t help but notice the girls and women walking alongside of the road, sometimes with multiple babies on their backs, a giant water jug on their head, with miles of road ahead, only to get home to hours-long tasks of fetching fire wood and cooking. Most men cycled by with no luggage. If they are lucky, they are on their way to a job as a shopkeeper, a driver. With unemployment hovering around 50%, that is highly unlikely.What does this have to do with SHE and our mission? Perhaps nothing, but I wonder if this simple observation underlines the value (or lack thereof) placed on girls and women as players in education, business, and politics? And their coinciding needs…..like affordable sanitary products and services…..or a bike!
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