TED Talk with Agnes Binagwaho: How Women Are Revolutionizing Rwanda

    The resource above is a TED Talk given by Agnes Binagwaho who is the former National AIDS Control Commissioner and Minister of Health. As the vice chancellor of the new University of Global Health Equity now, she dedicates herself in training rising global health leaders who will promote positive change in their communities, countries and the entire world.

    In this video, Agnes Binagwaho talks about the health care system in Rwanda that she helped to rebuild and discusses the importance of women’s education that would encourage more African to come back home and make the continent stronger.

    Here are some quotes from the talk that I think are inspiring to women especially the ones who have jobs that are related to medical and health services.

“Those ladies were really activists of peace and reconciliation. They show us a way to rebuild a country for our children and grandchildren to have, one day, a place they can call home, with pride. And you can ask yourself where this shift of mindset has brought our country. Today in Rwanda, we have the highest percentage of women in parliament -- sixty-one percent.”

“There is a study in the developing world that shows that if you improve the status of women, you improve the status of the community where they live. Up to 47 percent of decrease in child mortality. And even in this country where we are now, it's true. There is a study by a lady called Patricia Homan, who projected that if women and men were at parity in state legislatures, there would be a drop of 14.5 percent in child mortality -- in America! So we know that women, when they use their skills in leadership positions, they enhance the entire population they are in charge of. And imagine what would happen if women were at parity with men all over the world. What a huge benefit we could expect. Because in general, we have a different style of leadership: more inclusive, more empathetic, more caring for little children. And this makes the difference.”