by Lyse-Pascale Inamuco
Saturday 11 March 2023
On March 11, 2023, the High Commission of Rwanda in Canada organized the Celebration of International Women’s Day in partnership with the Rwandan Community Abroad (RCA). This well organized event was held at la Maison de la francophonie d’Ottawa and brought together up to 300 members of the community including those who attended from other cities like Montreal. What is important to highlight is the way Rwandan-Canadian women were consulted months before the event, to select the theme of the year as well as the choice of panelists. The RCA’s Women’s Committee was heavily involved in the coordination and organization of the event. It wasn’t only an event where women were celebrated, they were involved in every aspect of the event organization. We salute those inclusive practices. DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality was the United Nations’ theme of the year and it was embraced by the organizers of IWD2023 celebration for the Rwandan-Canadian community.
A panel discussion, moderated by the Master of Ceremony, Ms. Lyse-Pascale Inamuco, with three panelists: Michaella Mutoni-Dorvlo, Sylvie Gasana and Lisa Ndejuru, brilliantly shared their experiences in regards to women in STEM and gender equity here in Canada.
It was such an honour to see three professionals, three giants in the community, sharing laughter, ideas, presenting their points of view and inspiring women to pursue not only careers in STEM. They encouraged women to feel a sense of belonging and urged them not to feel intimidated in their quest for careers in STEM, or in entrepreneurship regardless of whatever obstacles they may face.
One thing is sure, we still have a long journey with only 14% of women leading organizations in Canada. Overall, the event was meaningful, food and entertainment were au rendez-vous but the most important thing is that the community was pleased by the opportunity to gather and mingle.
Lyse-Pascale Inamuco is the Executive Director of the Center de services à la famille, a position she assumed in December 2021. She holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences specializing in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from the University of Ottawa and has worked for several years in the field of community service. She had also worked for several years as a communications and community affairs assistant at the Ottawa-Vanier Provincial Riding Office. In addition, she worked as a project manager for Parents for Diversity and was actively involved in many organizations such as the Association du patrimoine familial francophone de l’Ontario, Women’s March Ottawa and the Assemblée de la francophonie de Ontario and the Alliance des Burundais du Canada.