The Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women.

NAME: Marie-Josee Kankera

COUNTRY: Rwanda

BUSINESS: Coffee Processing & Export

Marie-Josee, 44 years old, owns a coffee processing and export business

Upon submitting her business plan to the Rwanda Development Bank, Marie-Josee received a loan to begin her business.

Marie-Josee’s business consists of a coffee washing station and fully exported washed coffee. She currently has 70 seasonal temporary staff.

NAME: Agnes Gatsinzi

COUNTRY: Rwanda

BUSINESS: Hope for the Future (organic farming & agro-based school)

Agnes, 31 years old, co-owns Hope for the Future, is a multi-faceted operation. Currently, Hope for the Future is an organic farming enterprising, but Agnes has future plans to expand the business to include an agro-based school project for street kids that focuses on education and hands-on agricultural experience.

Hope for the Future grows maize, and this year’s harvest is expected in April.

Agnes is already supporting 24 street children, and she has four employees who watch over and train the children in agricultural projects on the farm.

In addition to these four employees, Hope for the Future has hired 100 employees – mostly women – to work in the fields, tilling the soil, planting the maize and wedding.

Agnes hopes to turn her attention full time within one year to Hope for the Future once the business has stabilized and she has enough profit to cover her own salary and medical insurance. Agnes also wants to be able to provide train other farmers and develop her school project.

Through her PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS training, Agnes wants to learn more about developing her business, more agricultural innovations, project management, and how to develop a successful school.

NAME: Nuriat Kaka

COUNTRY: Rwanda

BUSINESS: Rwanda Chick (chicken farming)

Nuriat, 40 years old, owns Rwanda Chick, a chicken farm. She started the business after she discovered there was a need to develop poultry farming in her country.

Nuriat has been importing chickens, but she now plans to start a hatchery plant. She currently has five employees.

She describes the business as a income generator especially for rural areas. It not only provides nutrition for the community, but it also creates jobs and as an added benefit produces a source of fertilizer.

Nuriat is currently working toward her MBA through correspondence with Cambridge International College. Over the next five years, she hopes to close the gap between the number of chickens imported and the demand for chickens in Rwanda. She would like to create more employment opportunities with her farm in rural areas, especially for women and youth.

By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Nuriat wants to learn more about managing her business and how to add value to her product. She looks forward to meeting other businesswomen and sharing ideas with those in her field.

Although many people doubted her capability to run a farm as an educated woman, Nuriat has proven successful in her chicken farming business.

NAME: Natacha Kabandana

COUNTRY: Rwanda

BUSINESS: Excel-Corp CSR Center (event planning & decor)

Natacha, 34 years old, co-owns Excel-Corp CSR Center, which specializes in event planning and decoration services.

After opening a lingerie shop, Natacha realized that the business was extremely demanding. She soon attended a business development training, where she started getting ideas for a new business.

In 2008, Natacha started to volunteer as a decoration specialist for events, such as weddings and parties. Through this experience and research, she decided to open her own event planning and decoration firm. Excel-Corp CSR Center currently hires four employees.

By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Natacha hopes to learn from other businesswomen – what has worked for them and what hasn’t. She also hopes to further develop her entrepreneurial endeavors and business skills.

NAME: Rose Busingye

COUNTRY: Rwanda

BUSINESS: Creations of Roza (clothing consignment)

Rose, 34 years old, owns Creations of Roza, a clothing consignment shop. Rose began planning ahead by saving her money to start a future business.

After having tragically losing her mother, sister, father, grandparents, aunts and uncles at a young age, Rose began to lose hope in her future, and found it difficult to concentrate on her studies. But her perseverance led her to finish her schooling and go on to study at a university. She says that she learned that even though she may face challenges, endurance, faith and hard work could get her anywhere she wanted to be.

“I always believed that even bad situations can turn into beautiful endings if the attitude is right.”

Rose’s business first started small, delivering clothes to various vendors, but within 18 months she was able to move her business to a storefront. Rose first started purchasing clothing from Uganda, but has since been traveling to and purchasing clothing from Bangkok. Rose learned at an early age how to successfully multi-task, and her travels have opened to eyes to other kinds of business opportunities, including designing and selling her own clothing.

Rose hopes to sell her designs exclusively. Rose truly believes in customer service and the full shopping experience. She always helps her clients make sure they select the best clothing for their body type and age. Rose also makes sure that clients who are shopping for clothing as a gift makes the perfect selection – even if that means referring them to other stores if she doesn’t have the right item in stock.

Rose’s business goals include selling her designs exclusively, hiring more employees, not only for retail but for marketing, advertising, designing and tailoring. She would also like to expand her business to other countries, such as Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi.

Through her PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS training, Rose hopes to learn more about marketing, communication, accounting, building a brand, and how to successfully grow her business.

NAME: Kevine Bajeneza

COUNTRY: Rwanda

BUSINESS: Farming (maize cultivation)

Kevine, 32 years old, started a farming business that focuses on the cultivation of maize and distributing it to local farmers.

Kevine has faced challenges in her business, due to plant diseases and irregular season, which results in expected production. Her goals include expanding her farming project to include more crops, to open a store that sells her crops and start distributing more the local level and eventually internationally. Kevine wants her farm to provide job opportunities to her fellow Rwandans.

Kevine hopes her PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS training will help her in marketing strategies, accounting and finance skills and how to seek business partnerships.