children-s-rights-activists

"Dear young ones, especially those in the limelight, as you are out here fending for yourself, please be vigilant about whoever presents an opportunity to you. Not all that glitters is gold. There are crooks out here with cognitive empathy without compassion. Always seek advice ."

"Miss Rwanda is not only an initiative that promotes our culture; it also gives girls a platform to air out what they can do and creates confidence among them. It is through this that girls are able to do more for their country ."

"Even though much has been done to equalize gender imbalances, Unfortunately the glass ceiling is still present and it is not easy for a woman 2 hit the level where they hve enough influence to hve any impact. Beauty pageants is a way for a young woman to do that #MIssEastAfrica2021."

"I want to say good luck to each of the 15 girls who’ll be tussling it out at the grand finale before thousands of compatriots."

"dream is to see the documentary go beyond Rwanda and its neighboring countries like Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda."

"This is a prime opportunity to lift up my country’s flag worldwide. Though it’s a stiff competition, I’m prepared to try my best and do whatever it takes at the apex of my ability. Hope for the best because a competition remains a competition ."

"I am very passionate about service, about giving back to the community. I was convinced that this is a platform that I would like to tap into and then see if I can also do something diligent for society. So came 2016, I tried my luck and 16 has always been my lucky number."

"It was a great honour and pleasure for a young lady like me representing most of my country's generation to partner with such a large institution as UNESCO. I presented to them my projects and they were very interested and ready to work with me ."

"beyond promoting Rwandan culture, the beauty contest gives girls a platform to realise their potential and builds their self-esteem."

"I became sceptical about the offer, and as a young person and a responsible citizen, I decided to seek advice from authorities because it also involved representing Rwanda through listing Rwanda’s tourism destinations and hosting even some of the shows in our luxurious hotels and more ."

"I was advised not to go for it because every information about the company and people behind it was a screaming scam. That’s how I was saved from the unknown intentions of the crooks"

"There are many people who write to me telling me that I inspire them, but I am sure that I didn’t have an easy path, and which doesn’t define a person. There are a lot of things said about me which aren’t true. Sometimes they say that I am an arrogant person, which gives a different perception of who I am ."

"I am happy on a personal level but also grateful that it’s Rwanda that took the award out of so many other people from different countries."

"I have travelled to Tanzania to organize Miss East Africa and more about the beauty competition will be aired through a press conference in Tanzania ."

"I want to sensitise the Rwandan Diaspora, especially the youth about embracing Rwandan values as their identity because wherever they are, they portray Rwanda’s image ."

"There are a lot of things I feel I can do for the country, I can’t say I have a set plan yet but what’s key is I have the ability to be an ambassador and a voice for my country. I want to assure Rwandans that I won’t let them down ."

"I am super excited not just to be speaking on such a platform but to also listen, learn and build a diverse network of the elites. This is a great opportunity for me and Rwanda in general."

"I talked about key lessons other African countries can draw from Rwanda as a country that has been able to foster development and peace after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi ."

"Community work brings together people from diverse backgrounds, working towards a common goal. The youth have the power and potential to promote unity through community work. Start involving your neighbours and take responsibility ."

"I am grateful to have been one out of the many that were nominated but also the overall winner of such an international award. It means that people beyond borders see what we do and it’s an encouragement to push to greater heights ."

"My trip in Germany, particularly to the Sebapharma industry is aimed at strengthening the relationship in terms of partnerships with the Miss Rwanda projects and investing in our country ."

"I believe I can."

"I like being a people’s person, I don’t fear people apart from instances where the media criticises you, which was hard at first but I learned how to handle that. It didn’t give me a hard time because I didn’t change. I have always been like this."

"I want to assure Rwandans that I will set a good example as Miss Rwanda, and I know that this position is a platform that will let me achieve my goals ."

"It was a good experience meeting and sharing ideas as beauty queens who advocate for social causes. I’m positive that combining our efforts and partnership would have a big impact on our countries ."

"During my reign, I have had a big experience. I have executed a number of activities related to the youth, women and particularly, tried to represent my country at an international level during last year’s Miss World. This is why I think other girls should consider being part of this competition ."

"I have felt like having a debt of telling youth that the path of life is not straight and that they should never give up until they get to their dreams ."

"Some women think that genital mutilation is a religious requirement, which is not true. We explain to them that traditions today are based on positive, not negative practices"

"The authorities need to stop supporting tradition and instead support the law. Everyone needs to wake up, including religious leaders, community leaders and other influential public figures"

"Our struggle must become everyone's: parents, neighborhood leaders, judges, imams... We are not fighting for money or fame, but because we have experienced this violence. Women deserve to have a pure and complete body, not to be deprived of their rights"

"It’s also important for us to go and talk to the fathers, even if the topic is taboo and hard to talk about. Sometimes it’s clear that we are unwelcome. We get chased out of some neighbourhoods by residents who are angry at us"

"Since July, we've prevented fourteen early marriages"

"People tell my father, 'You've lost your daughter; she's fighting against tradition and religion!' He's scared but supports me"

"There are many unwanted pregnancies among young people"

"Children are always excited to go on vacation, but here, many parents take their daughters to stay with their grandmothers or aunts and tell them how fun it will be. Instead, they cut them or amputate them. I say “amputate” because that’s what it is. Some genital mutilation also takes place in the city, in Conakry. You see little girls dressed in red for the ceremony. Little girls are not protected during the holidays and that terrifies us"

"We must denounce violence; it's the only way to stop this cycle," the young activist chanted at the time. "The shame of rape must change sides"

"The rights of Guinean children are in an alarming situation because they are neglected, and every day we participate in the violation of their rights, despite the efforts made by Guinean child rights advocates, ratified conventions, and adopted laws"

"They call me the girl with the headscarf who breaks marriages"

"Every day, I receive calls from women who have been abused by their husbands. This encourages me to continue the fight, because, by talking to me, they demonstrate that something is changing in Guinea. Today, women dare to speak out"

"They say that the environment makes the man, but in my neighborhood, everyone does whatever they want"

"All these girls take care of their children and no longer go to school, or their parents reject them"

"I found myself face to face with an old woman who circumcised me"

"This year, we are trying to raise awareness among mothers and aunts, who are complicit in the ritual and whom we feel often don’t understand the repercussions. Many didn’t have the opportunity to go to school or learn about their rights"

"I think for me, I was running more toward than away from something. And a year ago, it sounded like such a great idea to get my ass up at 1 a.m. to do morning radio"

"I am thrilled to welcome Adaora to the PBS team. Her expertise in emerging technologies, paired with her award-winning reporting and filmmaking experience, makes her particularly qualified to help guide our General Audience programming strategy. With her guidance, we will continue to build on PBS’s mission to develop and distribute content that meets the needs of audiences from diverse backgrounds."

"Some people still believe that a woman is less intelligent, less competent and less skilful in carrying out certain tasks. But this is an office environment; I do not need brutal force to carry out my assignment. What I need basically is competence. I need computer literacy and sound education, which in my view, I have acquired from some of the world’s most renowned academic institutions. I am qualified and can adapt and fit into anywhere and deliver on my mandate in the most professional manner"

"One of my key concerns in broadcasting to a country as complex and sensitive as Nigeria, is making sure the BBC gets it right and our editorial checks have to be rigorous. With over 20 million Nigerians listening to the BBC on a regular basis, I feel pretty motivated to get the checks right. One final thought: this is not the first time BBC Hausa has had cause to get to the heart of the story surrounding President Yar'Adua. In 2007 BBC Hausa service was the first to get an interview with Yar'Adua while he was receiving medical attention in Germany - again dispelling the rumours."

"Human beings are curious about other human beings. Form and shape of [documentaries], of course, is going to change, and yes, it was wonderful when the streamers got involved. But documentaries have only been increasing. Look at the last 50 years: you look at all of the surveys, you look at all the quantitative data, all audiences love documentaries across gender, across race, whatever it is, there is a tremendous curiosity"

"I left the broadcast news chair altogether and reliving this has been painful. Yet I am hopeful things can change. I speak up now for the women and women of color and people of color who are doing incredible work in public radio. They deserve to be treated fairly. They deserve for meritocracy to be more than a buzzword."

"I don’t claim to have an answer for how to resolve this, what actions should be taken or how to prevent something like this from happening again. I do know, while I can go back to work in my peaceful place, the girls cannot; at least not this minute.I do know this atrocity is devastating. I hope the international community continues to condemn these acts and do all within international law to rescue these girls and disband the group apparently responsible; whose name I refuse to give ink to on my pages. I fervently hope that Nigerians will unite, step up and increase again the pressure on the government to crack down hard. And I can pray, foremost for the girl’s safe rescue. But I also pray for Nigeria."