In Rwanda, we have one of the most encouraging governments when it comes to empowering women. However, the ties that keep women down are mostly cultural. There isn't a lack of opportunities for women in Rwanda; there is a lack of will among Rwandan women to use those opportunities. That's what I fight to change.
I started getting interested in women's rights when I realised that I was facing cultural stereotypes about my inability to work in the sciences. The government does a lot to change that, but traditions that have held on for years can't be changed overnight.
Biggest challenge: I knew something needed to be done but nothing I could do seemed meaningful enough to change anything. That's when I read many books about challenges that women face worldwide, such as Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and A Thousand Sisters by Lisa Shannon. I started to see the problem as more global, but it made me feel more helpless.
Then I heard of the UN foundation Girl Up. After seeing a global problem, I saw that there might actually be a global solution coming from people of my age. This was the encouragement I needed to start working in my community.
Proudest moment: After that time, with the help of a friend, I opened a girl empowerment organisation. Our goal was to give seminars to younger girls to give a voice to the younger students and to form a united front of young girls ready to fight for every single other young woman who can't fight for themselves.
Even if it's a small change, I know that small change will bring a big change in some people's lives, and that's all I hope for.
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