The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women.

2010
International Women’s Economic Summit
Presentations

Monday, June 21

LITERACY PANEL
Moderated by Dr. Kevin Fegan

Panelists
Professor Sakeena Yacoobi - Afghanistan

Carol Rugege
Education Director, Embassy of Rwanda

Click here to download the 2010 Literacy Panel PowerPoint

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/JOBS
Moderated by Monica Luechtefeld
EVP E-Commerce and Direct Marketing, Office Depot

Panelists
Glynis Long
DC Rotary Club

Mariam Nawabi
President and CEO, AMDi Inc

John Nkuranga
former Director of Protocol, Republic of Rwanda

Click here to download the 2010 Economic Development Jobs Panel PowerPoint

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Tuesday, June 22

IDENTIFYING OBSTACLES AND REACHING FOR SUCCESS

PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS Afghan delegation makes presentation to
His Excellency Ambassador Said Tayeb Jawad
Afghanistan Ambassador to the U.S.

Click here to download the 2010 Afghan Delegation Presentation to Ambassador Jawad

PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS Rwandan delegation makes presentation to
His Excellency Ambassador James Kimonyo
Rwandan Ambassador to the U.S.

Click here to download the 2010 Rwandan Delegation Presentation to Ambassador Kimonyo

Terry Neese, founder and CEO of the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women, gives the students of the 2010 In-Country Rwandan PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS class a warm welcome.

Marcelline Umizeye, B&M Styles

NAME: Marcelline Uwizeye

COUNTRY: Rwanda

BUSINESS: B&M Styles (Designer Boutique)

Marcelline, 30 years old, owns B&M Styles, a boutique that specializes in designer clothing.

Before she was married, Marcelline worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a job she didn’t really love. After talking to her husband about her passion for business and style, she decided to start up her own boutique.

With its two employees, B&M Styles offers its customers designer clothes, shoes, bags, as well as traditional wear. The business also sells material for  tailoring outfits.

Marcelline in her boutique.

Over the next five years, Marcelline hopes to expand her shop and open more branches in cities outside of Kigali. She would also like to purchase sewing machines so that she can begin designing her own clothing line.

Marcelline looks forward to her PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS training for many reasons, including meeting with other businesswomen and learning about customer care and what more ideas she could incorporate into her boutique.

Inside B&M Styles.

Chantal Zirimwabagabo, Grill and BBQ Corner Restaurant

NAME: Chantal Uwimpuhwe

COUNTRY: Rwanda

BUSINESS: Grill and BBQ Corner Restaurant (Restaurant)

Chantal, 38 years old, co-owns Grill and BBQ Corner Restaurant.

Chantal opened her restaurant’s doors after she and her husband combined their savings and approached the bank for a loan.

The restaurant’s 17 employees serve their customers with a worldly dining experience. The international cuisine includes Indian, Chinese and African selections. Lunch buffet is served Monday through Friday.

Chantal’s future goals include priding her restaurant with the best service in the entire country, to open more restaurants, as well as juice bars and potato corners in the city and in other districts. She also wants to open a health retreat center, where people can come to learn about nutrition.

Through her PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS training, Chantal hopes to improve upon her business plan, and to become more aware of what obstacles her business faces.

Beltrida Uwamwezi, Solidarity Academy School

NAME: Beltrida Uwamwezi

COUNTRY: Rwanda

BUSINESS: Solidarity Academy School (Secondary School)

Beltrida, 47 years old, co-owns a secondary private school in Rwanda, Solidarity Academy School.

After the genocide in 1994, Beltrida returned to Rwanda from diaspora and with permission from the authorities, borrowed the school in her neighborhood. The previous owners had fled the country, leaving the school perfectly in tact.

Fifteen years later, Beltrida has 37 teachers and support staff at her school.

The school follows the national curriculum, and students take their national exams and those who receive national certificates go onto a university-level education.

Beltrida’s business goals over the next five years include increasing the number of students who pass the national exam. She also wants to find more ways to contribute to her country’s development and to help  more students and teachers learn and adopt the English language, since it is so universally used at institutions of education. She would also like to increase her employees’ salaries and be able to renovate the school itself.

By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Beltrida hopes to gain more knowledge about proper financial and resource management, human resources, and accountability.

Growing up in a family of all girls, Betrida was often told by her family members that she would never achieve anything for herself and her family. But her mother believed in her and fought for her education. But after attending school, Beltrida realized that she did have something to offer to society.

Years later, when trying to re-open the school, Beltrida was met with the same opposition – that as a woman, she could not accomplish this task.

But her zeal to work and serve her community proved otherwise.

“To me, this was great achievement in life, and as a woman I felt big inside myself, feeling that with determination I can always make it!”

Angelique Uwamariya, Eden Events & Décor

NAME: Angelique Uwamariya

COUNTRY: Rwanda

BUSINESS: Eden Events & Décor (Bridal Wear)

Angelique, 36 years old, owns Eden Events & Décor, which focuses on tailoring bridal gowns.

She first started by helping to dress brides in cultural attire. It was only natural that she started designing and sewing both bridal and bridesmaid gowns.

With her two employees, Angelique schedules appointments with brides months in advance of the wedding to discuss their vision and dream for their weddings. Angelique also helps find the right colors for complexions.

Eventually, she wants to expand her shop to include a full wedding service packages, including wedding planning and a beauty salon for make up, hair dressing, manicures, pedicures and facial treatments.

Angelique with one of her clients.

Through her PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS training, Angelique hopes to learn more about event planning, customer care, organization and how to successfully expand her company into all of Rwanda’s provinces.

Diana Umurungi, Fastcom Limited

NAME: Diana Umurungi

COUNTRY: Rwanda

BUSINESS: Fastcom Limited (Business Management Consultant)

Diana, 34 years old, owns the newly formed Fastcom Limited, which specializes in the business management consultancy.

With its two employees, the company goes beyond consultancy to also provide event planning, communications and designing.

Over the next five years, Diana hopes to reach half of Kigali’s population, to provide the best services and to be self-sustainable and well-equipped.

By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Diana wants to learn more about marketing, management and customer care. She looks forward to interacting with fellow businesswomen.

Diana is in her final year of earning a bachelor’s degree in business management.

“I strongly believe that one day, I will be the best known strong entrepreneur in Rwanda and the region with excellent services. My motto is: ‘the sky is limit.’”

Fastcom Limited

Faina Umulisa, Jet Travel

NAME: Faina Umulisa

COUNTRY: Rwanda

BUSINESS: Jet Travel (Travel Agency)

Faina, 39 years old, owns Jet Travel, a travel agency in Rwanda.

After working in the travel agency business for nine years, the company for which she worked shut down, so Faina decided to open her own business.

The company offers services such as hotel and flight reservations, airport pick-up and drop-off,  visa support, private drivers, car rental,  full organization of business and private events, banquets and receptions, as well as honeymooner packages.

Faina currently has four employees.  Her goals over the next five years are to obtain accreditation by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and to open a Branch in Burundi.

Through her PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS training, Faina hopes to learn more about tourism operations and hotel management.

Faina working with a client.

Front entrance to Jet Travel.

Martine Umubyeyi, Macadamia Hotels

NAME: Martine Umubyeyi

COUNTRY: Rwanda

BUSINESS: Macadamia Hotels (Hotel)

Martine, 42 years old, owns Macadamia Hotels. She and her husband owned a large plot of land with a nice view over the town, so she thought a hotel might be a good way to fill the space.

So far, the hotel construction is still a work in progress. The multipurpose hall and rooms will be available to the public this month.

Martine currently has 14 employees. She hopes to expand the number of rooms, and eventually open up more hotel branches.

Martine hopes to find a suitable replacement for her job outside of her business, so she can focus all of her attention exclusively on Macadamia.

By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Martine wants to learn more about hotel management, accounting and human resources.

Martine in front of the hotel, which is still under construction.

Martine in front of the hotel bar, which is now completed.

Martine at more of her hotel's site.

Rica Rwigamba, New Dawn Associates

NAME: Rica Rwigamba

COUNTRY: Rwanda

BUSINESS: New Dawn Associates (Social & Event Management)

Rica, 31 years old, co-owns New Dawn Associations (NDA), a tourism and event management firm.

Rica had always dreamed of becoming a strong politician, and perhaps even the Ambassador of her country, but the government opportunity presented before her six years ago was an unexpected one: tourism.

After working for the Tourism Board for nearly four years, Rica decided that she wanted to start her own company.

“The excitement of tourism growth at the national level, the knowledge I had acquired of the industry and the opportunities of finding like-minded individuals, created or awakened the spirit of entrepreneurship that lied deep inside me.”

Three years and eight employees later, Rica and her business partner run their business.

NDA is a social enterprise that offers enlightening experiences for special interest groups, as well as superior destination and event management services in Rwanda.

Clients range from leading international organizations, government institutions, universities, incentive houses and operators to philanthropists, educational travelers and celebrities.

Rica prides her company on the fact that they tailor each experience based on individual interests.

Over the next five years, Rica’s business goals include expanding her tourism packages into the East African Region. She knows that competition will be tight, all the more reason to position her company in the market. Rica hopes to grow her business at least five fold in the next five years.

Eventually, she would like to have representation in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Through her PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS training, Rica would like to learn more about financials, because she has no formal training in this area. Though she has some innovative ideas, she would also like to learn more about marketing, especially on the side of event management.

“I belong to a family of professionals and not of entrepreneurs; I am therefore a pioneer in my family,” Rica wrote. “While I thought it would be a lonely road with no mentors or role model, I now see it as an adventure with an audience that is encouraging me to go to the unknown with great hopes for the future to come.”