Nyarugenge street women vendors get new market

A new market that seeks to promote a safe and better working place for women has been launched in Kimisagara sector, Nyarugenge District in the City of Kigali. The facility, code named ‘Safe Market’ is part of efforts aimed at preventing sexual harassment against women and girls in public spaces, Parfait Busabizwa, City of Kigali vice-mayor, said at the launch on Monday. Busabizwa said the mini-market will also help reduce street hawking by women besides enabling the women to earn more from their businesses “as they will be working from an organised place”. The facility was funded by UN Women, while Nyarugenge District contributed Rwf20 million, and the city authority donated the land for the project, according to Jean Marie Vianney Ndayisenga, the district vice-mayor for social affairs. The mini-market, which has a baby section for breast-feeding mothers, will benefit 60 street women hawkers from the grassroots women organisations. Statistics from Nyarugenge District indicate that it has 5,000 hawkers. Fatou Aminata Lo, the UN Women deputy representative, said the initiative is part of a programme that seeks to economically empower women at risk of sexual harassment and other forms of violence in urban public places. So far, women and girls from 20 cities around the world, including Kigali, have benefitted from the project, she said. She added that, in Rwanda, the programme has focused on increasing public awareness on issues of sexual harassment and other forms of violence in public spaces. Kimisagara mini-market is part of a UN Women’s global programme designed to ensure the safety of women in urban public spaces, and is being piloted in five countries including Rwanda. Vestine Uwamwezi, one of the vendors in the market, said the facility will save them from walking city streets looking for customers and hence boost their businesses. “This is a unique market as it caters for breast-feeding mothers, and they will no longer have to carry them on their backs all the time,” Uwamwezi said.

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Nyarugenge street women vendors get new market