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I came back to my home of Rwanda

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two years after the 1994 genocide
against the Tutsi.

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The country was devastated.

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The children I was caring for
in the hospitals

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were dying from treatable conditions,

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because we didn't have equipment
or medicine to save them.

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I was tempted to pack my bag and run away.

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But I debated with myself.

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And because I'm really dedicated
to social justice and equity,

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and there were only
five pediatricians in total

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for millions of children in Rwanda,

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I decided to stay.

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But among the people
who have motivated my decision to stay,

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there were some fantastic women of Rwanda,

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some women who had faced
the genocide and survived it.

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They had to overcome
unbelievable pain and suffering.

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Some of them were raising children
conceived through rape.

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Others were dying slowly with HIV

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and forgave the perpetrators,
who voluntarily infected them

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using HIV and rape as a weapon.

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So, they inspired me.

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If they can do that,

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I can stay and try to do my best.

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Those ladies were really activists

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of peace and reconciliation.

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They show us a way
to rebuild a country

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for our children and grandchildren
to have, one day,

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a place they can call home, with pride.

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And you can ask yourself

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where this shift of mindset
has brought our country.

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Today in Rwanda,

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we have the highest percentage
of women in parliament.

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(Applause)

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Wait till I tell you the percentage --

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sixty-one percent.

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(Applause)

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Today, we have the best campaign
for the vaccination of children

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with, among our success, 93 percent
of our girls vaccinated against HPV --

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(Applause)

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to protect them against cervical cancer.

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In this country, it's 54.

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(Laughter)

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We have reduced
child mortality by 75 percent,

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maternal mortality by 80 percent.

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In early 2000s,

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there were nine women
who were dying every day

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around delivery and pregnancy.

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Today, it's around two.

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It's an unfinished agenda.

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We still have a long way to go.

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Two is still too much.

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But, do I believe that those results

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are because we had a big number of women

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in power positions?

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I do.

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(Laughter)

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There is -- yes --

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(Applause)

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there is a study in the developing world

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that shows that if you improve
the status of women,

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you improve the status
of the community where they live.

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Up to 47 percent of decrease
in child mortality.

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And even in this country where we are now,

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it's true.

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There is a study by a lady
called Patricia Homan,

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who projected that if women and men

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were at parity in state legislatures,

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there would be a drop of 14.5 percent
in child mortality --

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in America!

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So we know that women,

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when they use their skills
in leadership positions,

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they enhance the entire population
they are in charge of.

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And imagine what would happen

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if women were at parity with men
all over the world.

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What a huge benefit we could expect.

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Hmm?

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Oh, yeah.

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(Applause)

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Because in general,

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we have a different style of leadership:

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more inclusive,

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more empathetic,

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more caring for little children.

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And this makes the difference.

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Unfortunately, this ideal
doesn't exist in the world,

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and the difference between men and women
in leadership positions

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is too big.

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Gender inequity is the norm
in the majority of professions,

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even in global health.

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I have learned that if we focus
on women's education,

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we improve their life positively

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as well as the well-being
of their community.

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This is why now I dedicate
my life to education.

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And this is totally aligned
with my sense of equity

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and my pursuit of social justice,

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because if you want to increase
access to health services,

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you need first to increase
access to health education.

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So with friends and partners,
we are building a beautiful university

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in the rural north of Rwanda.

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We educate our students

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to provide quality,
equitable, holistic care

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to everyone, leaving no one out,

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focusing on the vulnerable,
especially women and children,

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who are historically
the last to be served.

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We transform them into leaders

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and give them managerial skills
and advocacy skills

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for them to be smooth changemakers

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in the society where they will be,

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so that they can build health systems

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that allow them to care
about the vulnerable where they are.

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And it's really transformative.

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Because currently,

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medical education, for example,

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is given in institutions based in cities,

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focused on quality health services
and skills, clinical skills,

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to be given in institutions.

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We also focus on quality clinical skills

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but with biosocial approach
to the condition of patient,

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for care to be given in communities
where the people live,

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with hospitalization only when necessary.

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And also,

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after four to seven years
of clinical education in cities,

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young graduates don't want
to go back to rural area.

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So this is why we have built
the University of Global Health Equity,

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an initiative of Partners
in Health, called UGHE,

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in the rural north of Rwanda.

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(Applause)

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Our students

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are meant to go and change the world.

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They will come from all over --
it's a global university --

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and will get the medical
education for free

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at one condition:

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they have to serve the vulnerable
across the world

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during six to nine years.

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They will keep the salary
for themselves and their families

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but turn the education we give
in quality clinical services,

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especially for the vulnerable.

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And doing so,

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they sign an agreement at the start
that they will do that,

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a binding agreement.

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We don't want money.

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We have to go and mobilize the money.

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But they will turn this
in quality service delivery for all.

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For this, of course,

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we need a strong gender equity agenda.

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And in all our classes, master's course,

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minimum of 50 percent of women.

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(Applause)

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And I'm proud to say

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that for the medical school
that started five months ago,

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we have enrolled 70 percent girls.

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(Applause)

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This is a statement against
the current inequity

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for women to access
medical education in our continent.

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I believe in women's education.

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This is why I applaud African ladies
who go all over the world

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to increase their education,
their skills and their knowledge.

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But I hope they will bring
that back to Africa

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to build the continent

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and make the continent a strong continent,

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because I'm sure

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a stronger Africa
will make the world stronger.

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(Applause)

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Twenty-three years ago,

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I went back to Rwanda,

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to a broken Rwanda,

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that now is still a poor country

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but shining with a bright future.

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And I am full of joy to have come back,

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even if some days were very difficult,

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and even if some days I was depressed,
because I didn't find a solution

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and people were dying,

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or things were not moving enough.

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But I'm so proud to have contributed
to improve my community.

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And this makes me full of joy.

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So, African women from the diaspora,

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if you hear me,

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never forget your homeland.

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And when you are ready, come back home.

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I did so.

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It has fulfilled my life.

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So, come back home.

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Thank you.

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(Applause)