“I didn’t want to see another mother needlessly die in childbirth” – Specioza
Our organizing in Rwanda began in 2009 in the rural village of Mumeya, where mothers like Pauline and Specioza organized their neighbors to address a critical need: building a health clinic. Before the clinic was completed, Specioza adopted a baby who had lost her mother during childbirth. Pauline gave birth to her own daughter after the clinic was built.
Just last month, Charlotte and the people of Nyarubuye – who learned from Mumeya example – celebrated the addition of a maternity wing to the clinic they had built only a year ago.
Over the years, women have led organizing teams in 43 rural Rwandan villages mobilizing for better futures for their families. They are building schools and protecting their clinics, schools, houses, and crops from climate change by planting tens of thousands of trees.
These dedicated women have inspired similar organizing efforts in Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, and Namibia.
