SI was privileged to take part in the Commonwealth’s ‘Women as Agents of Change’ competition, launched to celebrate the theme of Commonwealth Day 2011. Although we were restricted to only 3 nominations, we received many fantastic submissions. This week, we will be running a special blog series to celebrate all the nominations – a fitting close to a month where women have been celebrated across the Commonwealth!

Mary Balikungeri – Rwanda

Mary is currently Director and Founder of Rwanda Women’s Network, an organisation dedicated to promoting strategies that empower Rwandan Women. 

Mary is a Social Worker by Profession.  She worked for the UN in Geneva from 1983 till 1986 and later moved on to work at the World Council of Churches as part of the Programme to Combat Racism in Justice and Peace department, with a special focus on South Africa during the era of Apartheid Regime. She worked as a Liaison Officer until 1995. From there, Mary was appointed Country Director for Church World Service, a

USA based organisation to initiate a family to family programme in a post Genocide

Rwanda.   The programme was to last three years (1995-1997) and later transformed into a local organisation which continues to this day as the Rwanda Women’s Network.

 "The Rwanda Women’s Network’s main objective is to work toward a healthy, empowered and peaceful Rwandese society (see our website: www.rwandawomennetwork.org). The Network has a national and regional reach in the conflict countries in
Africa’s Great Lakes Region. Drawing from many years experience my work essentially involves incorporating gender and development with issues of conflict resolution and management. This has won me local and international acclaim that led to my work being recognized with the UN Human Rights Award in 2000. The Rwanda Women’s Network is the recipient of the UNDP and UNAIDS 2006 Red Ribbon Award and the 2007 UN-Habitat Dubai International Award in recognition of the organization’s work with grassroots women and their communities."

Above: Mary at the ‘One Thousand Women’ Nobel Peace Prize exhibition for which she was nominated.

Mary was awarded the United Nations Human Rights Award to mark the 50^th Anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. This was in recognition of her contributions in post-reconstruction Rwanda in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide. 

“My experience in
Africa,
Europe and

America has informed my work through the years to better humanity, and especially my country

Rwanda. “

SIE nominated Mary as an Agent of Change due to her many years of Community engagement and Action, with a vision toward social transformation of Rwandan society.

Our Soroptimist Commonwealth Agents of Change will be shared every morning and afternoon this week. We hope you will continue to follow our celebratory blog spots!