The First Lady of Rwanda Jeannette Kagame has today in Musanze District awarded 784 best performing girls to mark the 10th anniversary of the International Day of the Girl (IDG) celebrated every October 11.
Named ‘Inkubito z’Icyeza’, the best performing girls in primary and secondary school- A’ and O’ levels awarded today included those who had not been rewarded in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Addressing the audience, the First Lady made a call to fathers who have daughters to be more involved in their lives, teaching them the good ways of life and protecting them from any harm.
"Fathers who are present, did you know you have a big role to play in your children’s growth, thinking and their reproductive health? You are the first male figure a girl projects a real man. If she gets a good example from it, she is able to learn and make healthy choices.
If you are the ones informing them of the tricks and bad behaviour of those who intend to take advantage of them, they better understand it,” the First Lady said.
She added that fathers should do more of having conversations and listening to their daughters because it "empowers them tremendously.”
"Your most important role is not to give them money, land, and more. This impacts all children, but even more when they are girls who unfortunately, meet men who want to use their power to hurt them,” Kagame noted.
Elliot Jolie Keza, a 15-year-old student from Lycee Notre Dame de Citeaux (LNDC) told The New Times that she is happy to have been awarded because it gives her more courage.
"When girls are empowered in this way, it makes them feel like they are in a society which treats them as people, just like everyone else,” the future lawyer noted.