Jeannette Kagame
Encyclopedia
Jeannette Nyiramongi Kagame (Jeannette Nyiramongi, born August 10, 1962) is the wife of Paul Kagame
;. She became the First Lady
of Rwanda
when her husband took office as President in 2000. The couple have four children.
Jeannette Kagame returned to her native Rwanda following the Rwandan Genocide
of 1994. She has since became involved in a variety of charitable organizations in the country, especially those benefiting widows and orphans of the Rwanda Genocide and the HIV
/AIDS
epidemic
.
Kagame hosted the first African First Ladies’ Summit on Children and HIV/AIDS Prevention in May 2001 in Kigali, Rwanda. The summit lead to the founding of the PACFA Rwanda Project (Protection and Care of Families against HIV/AIDS).
Kagame later co-founded the Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) in 2002. She served as OAFLA's president from 2004 unil 2006. OAFLA works to champion initiates related to economic empowerment, health
and education
throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. She also founded and chaired the Imbuto Foundation, which seeks to build on OAFLA's achievements.
She is a patron
of the Rotary Club Virunga, based in Kigali
, which is working to create the first public library
in Rwanda. Kagame is also a member of the board of directors for several organizations, including the Global Coalition of Women against HIV/AIDS and the Friends of the Global Fund Africa.
In October 2009, Jeannette Kagame called for Rwandans to embrace government efforts to cut the mortality rates for women and children at the launch of a polio and measles
immunization
campaign in Bugesera
district, Eastern Province.
Paul Kagame
Paul Kagame is the sixth and current President of the Republic of Rwanda. He rose to prominence as the leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front , whose victory over the incumbent government in July 1994 effectively ended the Rwandan genocide...
;. She became the First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
of Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
when her husband took office as President in 2000. The couple have four children.
Jeannette Kagame returned to her native Rwanda following the Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
of 1994. She has since became involved in a variety of charitable organizations in the country, especially those benefiting widows and orphans of the Rwanda Genocide and the HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
.
Kagame hosted the first African First Ladies’ Summit on Children and HIV/AIDS Prevention in May 2001 in Kigali, Rwanda. The summit lead to the founding of the PACFA Rwanda Project (Protection and Care of Families against HIV/AIDS).
Kagame later co-founded the Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) in 2002. She served as OAFLA's president from 2004 unil 2006. OAFLA works to champion initiates related to economic empowerment, health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
and education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. She also founded and chaired the Imbuto Foundation, which seeks to build on OAFLA's achievements.
She is a patron
Patrón
Patrón is a luxury brand of tequila produced in Mexico and sold in hand-blown, individually numbered bottles.Made entirely from Blue Agave "piñas" , Patrón comes in five varieties: Silver, Añejo, Reposado, Gran Patrón Platinum and Gran Patrón Burdeos. Patrón also sells a tequila-coffee blend known...
of the Rotary Club Virunga, based in Kigali
Kigali
Kigali, population 965,398 , is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is situated near the geographic centre of the nation, and has been the economic, cultural, and transport hub of Rwanda since it became capital at independence in 1962. The main residence and offices of the President of...
, which is working to create the first public library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
in Rwanda. Kagame is also a member of the board of directors for several organizations, including the Global Coalition of Women against HIV/AIDS and the Friends of the Global Fund Africa.
In October 2009, Jeannette Kagame called for Rwandans to embrace government efforts to cut the mortality rates for women and children at the launch of a polio and measles
Measles
Measles, also known as rubeola or morbilli, is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses...
immunization
Immunization
Immunization, or immunisation, is the process by which an individual's immune system becomes fortified against an agent ....
campaign in Bugesera
Bugesera
Bugesera is a district in Eastern Province, Rwanda. Its capital is Nyamata.The district is the location of two memorial sites of the Rwandan Genocide: the Ntarama Genocide Memorial Site and the Nyamata Genocide Memorial Site.- Geography :...
district, Eastern Province.