How women are revolutionizing Rwanda

In 1996, Agnes Binagwaho returned home to Rwanda in the aftermath of its genocide. She considered leaving amid the overwhelming devastation, but women in her community motivated her to stay and help rebuild -- and she's glad she did. In an inspiring talk, Binagwaho reflects on her work as Rwanda's former Minister of Health and discusses her new women's education initiative for the country, which strives to create one of the greatest levels of gender equality worldwide.

I came back to my home of Rwanda

two years after the 1994 genocide
against the Tutsi.

The country was devastated.

The children I was caring for
in the hospitals

were dying from treatable conditions,

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

I was tempted to pack my bag and run away.

But I debated with myself.

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

and there were only
five pediatricians in total

for millions of children in Rwanda,

I decided to stay.

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

there were some fantastic women of Rwanda,

some women who had faced
the genocide and survived it.

They had to overcome
unbelievable pain and suffering.

Some of them were raising children
conceived through rape.

Others were dying slowly with HIV

and forgave the perpetrators,
who voluntarily infected them

using HIV and rape as a weapon.

So, they inspired me.

If they can do that,

I can stay and try to do my best.

Those ladies were really activists

of peace and reconciliation.

They show us a way
to rebuild a country

for our children and grandchildren
to have, one day,

a place they can call home, with pride.

And you can ask yourself

where this shift of mindset
has brought our country.

Today in Rwanda,

we have the highest percentage
of women in parliament.

(Applause)

Wait till I tell you the percentage --

sixty-one percent.

(Applause)

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

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

(Applause)

to protect them against cervical cancer.

In this country, it's 54.

(Laughter)

We have reduced
child mortality by 75 percent,

maternal mortality by 80 percent.

In early 2000s,

there were nine women
who were dying every day

around delivery and pregnancy.

Today, it's around two.

It's an unfinished agenda.

We still have a long way to go.

Two is still too much.

But, do I believe that those results

are because we had a big number of women

in power positions?

I do.

(Laughter)

There is -- yes --

(Applause)

there is a study in the developing world

that shows that if you improve
the status of women,

you improve the status
of the community where they live.

Up to 47 percent of decrease
in child mortality.

And even in this country where we are now,

it's true.

There is a study by a lady
called Patricia Homan,

who projected that if women and men

were at parity in state legislatures,

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

in America!

So we know that women,

when they use their skills
in leadership positions,

they enhance the entire population
they are in charge of.

And imagine what would happen

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

What a huge benefit we could expect.

Hmm?

Oh, yeah.

(Applause)

Because in general,

we have a different style of leadership:

more inclusive,

more empathetic,

more caring for little children.

And this makes the difference.

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

and the difference between men and women
in leadership positions

is too big.

Gender inequity is the norm
in the majority of professions,

even in global health.

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

we improve their life positively

as well as the well-being
of their community.

This is why now I dedicate
my life to education.

And this is totally aligned
with my sense of equity

and my pursuit of social justice,

because if you want to increase
access to health services,

you need first to increase
access to health education.

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

in the rural north of Rwanda.

We educate our students

to provide quality,
equitable, holistic care

to everyone, leaving no one out,

focusing on the vulnerable,
especially women and children,

who are historically
the last to be served.

We transform them into leaders

and give them managerial skills
and advocacy skills

for them to be smooth changemakers

in the society where they will be,

so that they can build health systems

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

And it's really transformative.

Because currently,

medical education, for example,

is given in institutions based in cities,

focused on quality health services
and skills, clinical skills,

to be given in institutions.

We also focus on quality clinical skills

but with biosocial approach
to the condition of patient,

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

with hospitalization only when necessary.

And also,

after four to seven years
of clinical education in cities,

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

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

an initiative of Partners
in Health, called UGHE,

in the rural north of Rwanda.

(Applause)

Our students

are meant to go and change the world.

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

and will get the medical
education for free

at one condition:

they have to serve the vulnerable
across the world

during six to nine years.

They will keep the salary
for themselves and their families

but turn the education we give
in quality clinical services,

especially for the vulnerable.

And doing so,

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

a binding agreement.

We don't want money.

We have to go and mobilize the money.

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

For this, of course,

we need a strong gender equity agenda.

And in all our classes, master's course,

minimum of 50 percent of women.

(Applause)

And I'm proud to say

that for the medical school
that started five months ago,

we have enrolled 70 percent girls.

(Applause)

This is a statement against
the current inequity

for women to access
medical education in our continent.

I believe in women's education.

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

to increase their education,
their skills and their knowledge.

But I hope they will bring
that back to Africa

to build the continent

and make the continent a strong continent,

because I'm sure

a stronger Africa
will make the world stronger.

(Applause)

Twenty-three years ago,

I went back to Rwanda,

to a broken Rwanda,

that now is still a poor country

but shining with a bright future.

And I am full of joy to have come back,

even if some days were very difficult,

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

and people were dying,

or things were not moving enough.

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

And this makes me full of joy.

So, African women from the diaspora,

if you hear me,

never forget your homeland.

And when you are ready, come back home.

I did so.

It has fulfilled my life.

So, come back home.

Thank you.

(Applause)