Rwanda

She sits in the shade of a tree with half a dozen of other women; most of them were raped during the genocide that killed 800.000 Tutsi's and moderate Hutu's. “This socio-therapy group was an eye opener. I thought my case was unique, but most others have the same experience. It helped me to accept the past and move on with my life”, Immaculate adds.

Have you ever imagined what internally displaced persons go through? Imagine war breaks out and you flee but have no destination. Imagine the harsh reality of losing your child because of cholera outbreak necessitated by the inhuman conditions in which internally displaced persons live as they run away to safe-areas.

After curving through miles of Quebec's countryside, the road to Montebello arrives at an enormous log cabin along the Ottawa River. Busloads of women pull up, from Rwanda, Colombia, the Congo, Mexico, Bosnia, Burma -- women who think they can change the world.

A new report has rekindled debate on whether the Rwandan government "betrayed" women who were raped during the 1994 genocide by letting community-based gacaca courts process their cases.

The Gender Monitoring Office (GMO) has lauded the Ministry of Education for implementing programmes that empower the girl child.

During the Gender Budget Statement meeting on Tuesday, the ministry's financial advisor, Wilson Rurangwa, indicated that the Ministry had implemented most of its planned programmes for the 2010-2011 financial year.

Non-government organizations; RNC Justice and Democracy and Haguruka Association, have launched a three-year project, titled "Beyond Raising Awareness: Improving Women's Access to Land."

It is funded with a US$ 2 million grant by the United Nations through UN Women to improve Rwandan women's access to land.

The Deputy Chief Gender Monitor in the Gender Monitoring Office (GMO), Ramathan Barengayabo, was yesterday sworn in at the Supreme Court.

The swearing in, which was presided over by Chief Justice Aloysia Cyanzayire, also saw the swearing-in of Sam Kanyemera Kaka as a Commissioner in the National Human Rights Commission.

Cyanzayire urged Barengayabo to always strive to promote gender.

The UN backed Radio Okapi, which operates in the Democratic Republic of the Congo said, Saturday, that elements of the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (FDLR), from Wednesday to Friday, attacked and looted property from the villages of Mirangi and Busundule, in the Bwito area of DRC's North Kivu province.

Women leaders in Kigali City have been urged to participate in the forthcoming local leaders' elections.

The call was made, yesterday, by the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Jeanne d' Arc Mujawamariya, during a general assembly that brought together members of the National Women Council of Kigali City.

Callixte Mbarushimana, a Rwandan rebel leader accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), was surrendered and transferred today to the International Criminal Court (ICC), a move welcomed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.