Felicite Rwemarika
Felicite Rwemarika (born March 9, 1958 in Ruanda-Urundi, now Rwanda) is a women's rights activist, entrepreneur, and member of the International Olympic Committee. Her work focuses on raising awareness for gender equality in sports and using sports as a tool for conflict resolution and economic empowerment.[1] She is also an organizer of financial literacy trainings.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Rwemarika's family left Rwanda during the Rwandan Revolution and resettled in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She is one of 14 children.[3][4]
From 1985 to 1995, Rwemarika studied at the Mulago Hospital in Uganda and received a diploma in nursing. She went on to receive degrees in business administration.[1][5]
Career
[edit]Rwemarika has founded two businesses, worked as a nurse, and served as country coordinator and chair of an Non-governmental organization. She is also a speaker at the American University of Nigeria on unity and reconciliation through sport.
Rwemarika is the founder, chair, and legal representative of the Association of Kigali Women in Sports (AKWOS), an organization dedicated to helping women who were victims of the 1994 Tutsi genocide through sports. She has played a role in various international women's sports organization, including the CECAFA Women Commission (2011), Rwanda National Olympic and Sports Committee (2013 - 2017), and Women's Football Commission in the Rwandan Football Federation (2017 - 2018).
Honors
[edit]Rwemarika was selected as and made an Ashoka Fellow in 2012. In 2015 she received an award from the Stars Foundation and from Girls Collective. In 2016, she received the IOC Award for Women and Sport on the African continent.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Felicite Rwemarika". The International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ Grégoire, Charlotte (11 October 2016). "Post-genocide Rwanda : Using football to reinvent women's lives". International Platform on Sport & Development. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ "Felicite Rwemarika, the refugee who became a pioneer for women's sport in Rwanda". Bianca Roberts Media. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ Exclusive: Felicite Rwemarika, the refugee who became a pioneer for women’s sport in Rwanda - Roberts O'Mahony Productions. 23 April 2022. Retrieved 8 October 2024 – via www.buzzsprout.com.
- ^ "Rwemarika Felicite Who I Am". Journey House Africa. Retrieved 2 February 2021.