Despite bold strides taken by the Government of Rwanda in women empowerment, Gender Monitoring Office has recently released research findings indicating that women there are still some job opportunities women are not offered.
This research has demonstrated that 9% of the workforce in the mining sector are women while the remaining percentage is represented by men. In transport sector, women constitute 3% while men have 97% representation.
Among others, women occupy 17% of the labour force in construction sector.
In decision-making seats, women constitute 32% and 33% in business where they are mostly running medium and small businesses.
Women representation is not only low in the above mentioned sectors but also in mechanics and others where they are considered to be out of the norm due to societal stereotypes.
When I heard about women mechanics, a sector in which women are few and in which most women dread, I wondered how these beautiful intelligent women mustered the courage to do something which was out of the norm.
I made my way to meet Donata Umutesi and Niyodusenga, two female who are currently mechanics at Pida Deputy Garage located in Kiyovu.
They told me that they grew up with dreams to become mechanics. Families supported them but there were some people who were showed little enthusiasm and constantly discouraged them.
“As I grew up, I always knew I would end up doing a job that people considered to be boyish but I stayed determined even though some people were really discouraging me,” Umutesi said
Niyodusenga said that she also got the support of her family but experienced the same fate with her friends.
“My family really supported me as they could but my friends were the ones to discourage me,” she said
There are people in the Rwandan society that still consider that some jobs are meant for a particular gender but this was intensely opposed by these young girls since they can attest themselves that anything is possible.
They told me it all depends on what you are passionate about and if it is empowering you in some way.
“I was passionate about this, I really did not care of what people would say, even when I was still in school, I would exceed more than others including boys. I always came first,” Umutesi said. “Sometimes appearances are misleading,” she added
Even though they have attained their goals the journey is still long they have faced some challenges and the constant discouraging voices have not made their journey any easier.
“My greatest challenge was people who consistently discouraged me. They would say that I would become a drunkard, prostitute or get pregnant. So many painful things,” Niyodusenga said
Challenges are part of life and so is discouragement but with their perseverance and patience, Umutesi and Niyodusenga never settled to conform to the norm, their hard work paid off since they have seen the fruit of their labor.
Umutesi said, she is able to live off of the work of her hands, that she no longer and will never depend on anyone to satisfy her basic needs.
Niyodusenga revealed that being a mechanic is very profitable than most people think.
As Niyodusenga explained, she had been able to pay school fees for her siblings that her family no longer worries about her financially.
“I can see the profit, I have been able to pay fees for my siblings and my father no longer worries about me.”
They have wished to tell other women they should have the confidence to break the norm and status quo to empower themselves and do something they are proud of.
They visualize that in the next five years to come they would have reached even greater lengths than they have reached now through saving and perseverance throughout their journey.
Jean Eric Niyitegeka, the Managing Director of Pida Deputy Garage said that the girls they have working there had shown the will to learn and will to work.
“We started by giving them an internship to learn, some of them would ask me to come over on the weekends to practice what we had taught them, they showed great will,” he said
Niyitegeka continued to say that when you see a person with such will, humanity, and work ethic you have to help them and teach them all that you know.
He emphasized that women are capable, thus should be confident and pursue their dreams.
“After knowing that you are capable, you must also take the first step with courage and pursue all your ambitions,” he said
“There are things that our society considers a woman cannot do but we have so many references either internationally and locally of what great lengths a woman can go and what they can achieve,” added Niyitegeka.
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