Women Deliver 2023: A Festival of Dreams and Solidarities

On the 17th — 21st of July, the world converged at Kigali Rwanda to celebrate one thing — the achievements of women and girls working tirelessly to bridge the equality gap in the world

This conference was a celebration of the young leader program held every year where 300 young leaders promoting gender and women’s advocacy join the Women Deliver network across the globe.

In 2020, I was one of the young leaders chosen from Nigeria, and since then I have been on advocating for women in tech whilst promoting healthy sexuality in women & girls through my podcast. I have volunteered and participated in women's advocacy programs in Nigeria. This was the time to end my ‘official’ office as a young leader

This year, Rwanda was chosen as the host country for this event, the first time a country in Africa was selected for the largest gathering of gender equality advocates in the world

Opening Ceremony

At the opening Ceremony, there were 4 Presidents present including President Paul Kagame

There were very few times every advocate met together. other times, we were split into groups called side chats. based on what catch your interest, you could be attending a de-colonization session or one about promoting the work of young feminists in Africa

Lunch was a great time to connect with people and meet different people from across the world

At one lunch, I met Joy Asasira a Human Rights Lawyer from Uganda, and in another, I was having a chat with Hawenis from Ethiopia, it was a great way to connect with people from different countries

Most evenings were spent in the youth zone, having fun, dancing to Afrobeat, listening to DJ Mziki blast off on her jockey, and then there was this Rwandan Dance group that woah us with all their dance moves

Exploring Women-Focused Organizations

Ipas50(left) & APFSD Youth Forum (right) are both focused on the Sexual Reproductive Health of Women

I especially loved going into the different Exhibition Tents staged at different sessions of KCC. I wasn't counting but there must have been at least a hundred organizations, companies, NGOs, and advocacy groups showcasing their works every day.

I found this interesting that most of these organizations were not selling any merchandise, they were not advertising their services. Most organizations were simply there to showcase and raise awareness of the work they were doing across the globe.

My favorite part of the exhibition booth was guessing what these organizations do and trying to learn as much as I could from them. my next favorite thing was trying out their meshes, activities, taking pictures, and playing games.

There were so many things to do at these booths, from 3D rotating video stands to IG props for photos and simple games, my favorite was a treasure hunt by @fphtrsc, that had my friends and me walking all 3 booths to find clues

One thing that stuck out was the intense streamlined focus many organizations had on specific women's advocacy angles they were focused on, I found this level of intense singular vision quite interesting, this means they could easily measure their progress and see the impact they have the

All these organizations had understood their vision all linking back to the sustainable development goals. while there must have been several aspects of advocacy and dozens of organizations in each aspect, these were the ones I discovered and understood their impact in the fight for gender equality

Organizations Focused on Women's Reproductive Health (nutrition, abortions, and contraceptives)

• Organon — is an American company that focuses on reproductive medicine and contraception
• Ipas50 — Ipas supports communities around the world to ensure access to abortion and contraception for all.

Organizations Focused on Helping Victims of Domestic Victims

• Un Women Trust Fund — funding for efforts from UN to end violence against women and girls
• Vital Strategies — is an organization that helps governments build public health systems that are equitable & free of gender bias

Organizations Helping Adolescent girls have a voice

• Girl up
• Glow girl

Organizations Preventing Period Poverty and Improving Menstrual Hygiene in Women & Girls

• WASH
• Care
• SafePad

Organizations focused on women’s career development and advancement

• Abt
• P&G

Organizations supporting queer people & inclusivity

• Girl Resistance

Organizations collating and documenting Gender Equality Progress across the world

• Align — is a research organization that is committed to gender justice and equality
• Vital Strategies —

Organizations involved in volunteering, agriculture, and humanitarian services

• VSO
• Care

After learning about these organizations, my next goal was to find out which of these organizations operated in Africa and how many of them support community-led projects in sub-Saharan Africa.

Most of these organizations get grants, support or monitor grants given from other top bodies, they implement these grants through communities

I am interested in 2 things, Women’s Reproductive Health, particularly PCOs and Fibroid, and then I am interested in Women’s advancement in Technology. Technology is a great equalizer and can raise women financially independent and therefore able to make better choices about their lives and bodies

Women Deliver was the festival of dreams, to see and hear the works of what women and girls are doing across was inspiring.

This conference had the highest standard of management and order. I have a few recommendations and conclusions however to make about the event

Recommendations

The KCC is an enormously large building — navigating it needs its own internal signage & mapping

1. Multiple events were held in not just different areas of the Kigali Convention Centre, but also in different hotels so moving from one place to another in such organized chaos was a drag
2. Kigali Convention Centre is big! it's not just big, it is a very complicated building. you can get lost directing people to where you’ve already been. map specifically made to navigate this huge architecture would have been great
3. It was difficult to find areas where side sessions were held. I stopped severally to ask “Where’s AD 2–2’ even some hotel staff and Women Deliver volunteers did not know and you can blame them. locating people would have been better if there was a sensor and 3D that pointed argument reality arrows as you moved around
4. The youth zone was typically where a lot of young people hung out, but that was quickly always rounded up
5. a yoga or meditation session in hotels would have had such a great effect in relaxing us
6. In a conference of 5000 people, it would be easier to meet people with similar interests as you, the best way to filter that would have been connecting with people attending the same event as you, this could have easily been available on the app
7. There were very few companies advancing women in technology, both at the teenage stage and in the career stage, I would have loved to see more programs tailored to sponsor, support and encourage women in tech, business and leadership

It was not all bad, the women deliver team must be commended for all the things they did right as well, which was a lot, including

1. Easy access to the top tier of women deliver organogram, I met the CEO herself and Christ, the youth engagement chair
2. An abundance of volunteers, staff, working with the Rwandan staff for all hotels and the conference center, there were people everywhere to assist you at your every turn
3. The security was top notch, no one who wasn't a delegate got access and we were searched every time we got in and out
4. transportation was completely taken care of, from our hotels to the event centers and back again
5. Did I mention the food!! there was a large variety of pastries, soups and dishes, and every other hour, drinks were served at every turn

The women deliver app is a work of art

1. The Women Deliver team built an app to convey all information about the conference, even now, I can go back to sessions I missed and listen to them

look out for Julia Souvenirs if you’re ever in Kigali’s Koromonke market, He was kind and helpful to us, and I believe kindness should be repaid

1. The cooperation of Rwandans, the hotel, and the government of Rwanda meant that all foreigners felt deeply integrated into the system of the country. locals knew about the event and were willing to support us at every turn

Indeed the people at women's delivery outdid themselves with hosting, gathering, and ensuring 5000 delegates got in and out of Rwanda safely. I look forward to the next conference, and hopefully, I would be more than just an attendee. I would be sitting on the other side, creating spaces, solidarities, and solutions for every woman In Africa.

P.S.: Did you attend #WomenDeliver2023? what was the best part of the conference? Share them here, I'm so eager to hear.

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