Through The Eyes of Girls and Women in Rwanda

2009-2012  

SSHRC

Principal Investigator: Myriam Gervais, Claudia Mitchell, Eliane Ubalijoro

Collaborators: Euthalie Njioro; Naydene De Lange

This research project aims to identify lessons, challenges, and opportunities for enhancing gender equality, and to reveal ways of rethinking current poverty strategies through the inclusion of women in development processes. As such, it draws upon an interdisciplinary approach, utilizing participatory visual methodologies to analyze key issues through the experiences of rural girls and women, using rural Rwanda as a case study. This case study will focus on extensive analysis of gender in relation to the lives of girls and women, and draw attention to women’s own perspectives, helping to (a) provide insight into the challenges, desired solutions, and realities they prioritize; and, (b) incorporate girls’ and women’s tacit knowledge and priorities, with expert opinions into development programs and poverty strategies reduction (PRSP). The research findings and data gained from this particular study will provide theoretical insights for other contexts or situations that are comparable elsewhere in Africa.