BAHO NEZA EDUCATION

Baho Neza Swe's vision is that all people should have the conditions to develop their full potential. As the conditions look different in the world, a small effort can lead to a big difference. Rwanda is one of the poorest countries in the world, but still has good conditions to give its inhabitants a good life. Rwanda's policy is gender equality, a good example of this is that they have over fifty percent women working in their government.

In Rwanda, corruption is one of the lowest in all of Africa. But in rural areas, equality is still a long way off and, as in many other countries, women often carry the heaviest load. Although school is free, many girls are forced out of school after the sixth grade to start working instead. They often take on the responsibility for caring for the family very early or they often get pregnant in their teens and not infrequently are they forced into prostitution. We believe that one of the best ways to invest in your life is to educate yourself and take care of your health. 

At the end of April, our first education program for eleven young women began, and our goal is to fill it with more education as time goes on. We held workshops four hours a day for just over a week. Every day we started with games as well as some form of training, such as yoga and acrobatics. We talked about the importance of exercising and also that it must be fun. We challenged the women to show that they can do more than they think.

The program included a basic course in nutrition, where we went through vitamins and minerals and what foods they are in and why the body needs them, that is, to learn about good nutrition. But also about the joy and possibilities of a healthy body. Then we cooked together using vegetables that were available and inspired to use more vegetables in various ways in cooking. We also provided basic training in foot, hand and head massage, which they will then be able to offer the residents where they live.

Finally, we talked about the importance of saving some money for the future and how to think about finances.