Women of Gihanga for Better Balance

It is International Women’s Day. Today I am sharing a true story of how the Women  of Gihanga better the balance with men, this year’s campaign theme. 

Riding a bicycle as a woman in Gihanga, as in the rest of Burundi, has long been seen as a taboo. Even today a bike is still considered a men’s instrument. However, we, Women of Gihanga, learnt from our proud mothers to ride bikes. They see the impact of riding a bike can have on their daily by using it to fetch water from far, going to the rice field to work, or transporting firewood. There are so many uses for a bike! And our mothers wanted us to also benefit from that, just like the men of Gihanga. 

I remember there was a time when a man, falling in love with a girl, would first ask ‘’are you from Gihanga”? if so, then he would run away because he was scared of a woman riding a bike. Only we, Women of Gihanga, stood up for our right to ride a bike as well and kept this going from generation to generation. Even if this meant we would be rejected by men for that. 

In Gihanga each family has bike. It helps us with so many issues and it contribute the economy. Honestly, I am glad I am from Gihanga, it helped me when I came to the Netherlands, my second home country. While it is normal for everyone to ride bike here, we, Women of Gihanga, have to continue fighting for this right and stay in balance with men. Our struggle pays off; thanks to our biking skills we can now do the same daily activities as men and empower ourselves. 

Should we expect more changes to come for other women in the rest of Burundi? There is a lot to do still, but there is also hope. Meanwhile I am very Proud of my bike riding Women of Gihanga. They help us women to better the balance, better the World!