Various civil society organizations have committed to joining efforts in a campaign to raise awareness of the law regulating healthcare services in Rwanda and the amended ministerial order determining conditions to be satisfied for a medical doctor to perform an abortion.
As part of their ongoing awareness campaign on the two laws, Réseau des Femmes, on March 19, 2026, engaged with other civil society organizations as potential partners to support this effort.
Annonciata Mukayitete, the legal representative of Réseau des Femmes says that the organization is pleased that the advocacy they carried out on these laws has yielded results, as some of the changes they had hoped for have been achieved, and now is the time for the awareness of the laws.
“This is therefore a good opportunity for us to come together and find ways to promote and raise awareness about the laws, because having a law is one thing, but making it known to many people is another.” She said
The participants were particularly informed about the change in the age of consent for accessing healthcare services, which has been lowered from 18 to 15 years.
They were also briefed on the revised ministerial order, which now allow safe abortion services to be provided at the health centre level, whereas previously they were permitted only in hospitals and polyclinics.
Clarisse Iradukunda, a staff member of the Rwanda Girl Guides Association, responsible for monitoring and following up on activities of the project on sexual and reproductive health, insures their contribution to awareness campaigns among the youth they work with.
“We have 97 clubs, and each club has at least 50 members. About 70% are female and 30% are male, with members ranging in age from 10 to 24. We will put in effort to encourage them to understand that there is a law that protects them, so that no child is deprived of their rights while such a law exists.” She said
The commitment is also made by Kigali Hope Organisation. The Executive Director of the organisation, Muragijerurema Viateur says “we will share this law with young people, informing them of their rights as well as their responsibilities.”
Réseau des Femmes says they expect positive results from this partnership with other civil society organisations.
“These organizations operate in different parts of the country, and when we come together and share knowledge like this, each person gains a clear understanding, which ultimately makes it easier to raise awareness about it.”
The meeting of Réseau des Femmes with other civil society organisations is the third, following previous meetings held with various authorities in Gasabo District and with youth volunteers, respectively.
The advocacy that Réseau des Femmes has carried out across various sectors, along with the awareness campaigns they continue to run, are part of their five-year project on sexual and reproductive health (Projet SDSR-Rwanda), implemented in all 15 sectors of Gasabo District, in partnership with the Canadian organization l’AMIE, with support from Global Affairs Canada.
