The United States ambassador to Rwanda, Peter Vrooman, honored three Rwandan women on Monday with the 2019 Rwandan Women of Courage award.
The awards were at an event at the envoy’s home in celebration of Women’s History Month.
The three women — Christine Ashimwe, Dative Nakabonye, and Christine Mukeshimana — were selected from more than 2,000 nominations submitted by members of the community and followers of the U.S. Embassy Facebook page.
The three women were recognized with the U.S. Embassy’s fifth annual Rwandan Women of Courage award for their exceptional service and leadership.
Since 2007, the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C. has presented the International Women of Courage award to inspiring women from around the world who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership in advocating for human rights, social justice, and women’s equality and advancement.
The U.S. Embassy in Kigali launched the Rwandan Women of Courage award in 2015 to recognize inspiring women here in Rwanda.
Christine Ashimwe is a health advocate, girl-child mentor and motivational speaker. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences focusing on Environmental Science from Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech, Morocco; a Postgraduate Diploma in Gender and Development from the University of Rwanda’s Center for Gender Studies.
She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Global Health Delivery at the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE).
She is the founder and Executive Director of Rwanda Clot Awareness Network (RCAN). Christine founded RCAN in March 2016 after suffering from blood clots in her right leg and both lungs.
Although she suffered from recurrent blood clots in her lungs and brain, this did not stop her from educating others about thrombosis (blood clots).
Dative Nakabonye is the director and founder of “Family Circle Love Lab Organization” (FCLLO), a Rwandan NGO that offers compassion and innovation to vulnerable groups.
Dative and her organization support women from rural areas who are victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence to overcome trauma and become empowered.
She is well-known through her organization, which has become a valuable learning ground for students, interns, and researchers from different countries.
She holds an Advanced Diploma in Mental Health Nursing, a Bachelor’s degree in Peacebuilding and Development, and a Master’s degree in Development Studies.
She is also a member of the National Forum Against domestic Violence (NFADV).
Christine Mukeshimana is a mother of two children with a passion for working with vulnerable women and children.
In 2009, Christine struggled to find resources and answers to her questions, so she founded a community center entitled Help for Disabled and Vulnerable Children (HDVC).
Since then, many families have benefited from her organization and leadership of the center. Christine is also an active member of the Forum for African Women educationalists (FAWE) and Organization des Medecins du Sport (ORDEMES).
Christine has earned Bachelor’s degrees in Physiotherapy and Social Sciences.
WN/as/APA