Mothers in Rwanda will finally start getting their full salary while on a 12 weeks maternity following a new scheme by Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) according to a report by the New Times.
Mothers in Rwanda have for long had to choose between loosing 80 percent of their salary by staying with their new born babies or return to work so as to earn the full amount.
“I had to return to work after six weeks. Even though the baby and I were still weak, I had to endure because that was the law. If I exceeded that period I would be penalised or even risk losing my job,” Anatolie Uzayisenga, a teacher, told The New Times last week.
The new scheme which kicked off in November in the East African nation is part of the Government’s commitment towards empowering Rwandan women to physically recover and give newborns the best start in life. The scheme prevents maternity leave from obstructing women’s contribution to the national development.
The women who stand to benefit from this scheme are employed women who have contributed to the scheme for at least one month before going for the maternity leave. The employee (both male and female) will pay 0.3 percent of their gross salary and the employer an exact amount as well, as contribution to the scheme.
RSSB as the custodian of the maternity leave benefits insurance will cover six weeks of the paid leave starting from the seventh week while compensations for the first six weeks will be met by the employer.
