During my brief visit to Kigali, Rwanda, I stopped in at the Gahaya Links Studio to meet the founder of the enriching program for young women of Rwanda. Not just art enrichment, the program has brought financial independence and stability to a large number of women in Rwanda. The years following the genocide left millions of people in exile and in a long transition period to regain a sense of their former lives in Rwanda.

I found Joy Ndungutse at work in her studio in Kigali, following is her bio and a look at a  number of women designing beaded jewelry during my visit.BIO: Born in Rwanda’s Eastern Province, Joy Ndungutse spent her childhood and early adult years in exile due to political instability in her country. She grew up in a refugee camp in Uganda, continuously exposed to the tremendous hardships that women endured with a lot of patience and empathy. Dreaming that one day she would be able to give back to these strong and compassionate women teaching her how to live a humble life, Ndungutse saw an immense opportunity in the art of basket weaving. As both her mother and oldest sister were weavers, her parents were able to cover the costs of school fees with the income generated by the sales of baskets combined with her father’s salary. After graduating from high school, Ndungutse moved to Arusha where she was trained as a secretary. She then worked in a couple of countries, including the USA, for 15 years, where she took her designing classes in the evenings and getting involved in humanitarian projects.

Driven by ambition, Ndungutse’s strong desire to work towards empowerment of women translated into a weaving initiative when she moved back to Rwanda after the genocide. While running a hotel and the country’s first furniture store, she trained local women in rural areas and designed baskets, modern in style and shape, that these women could make using traditional weaving skills and techniques. Before she knew it, Ndungutse was embarking on a long journey that would give birth to Gahaya Links. Today, Ndungutse is a single mother of three, living in Kigali.  She is Vice-chair/Country Director New Faces New Voice Rwanda Chapter, Founding Member of Alliance for Artisan Enterprise and Adviser to Girl Hub Rwanda.  She is delighted to see that the number of women achieving financial independence in Rwanda is increasing over the years and that the local culture is alive and vibrant.

Baskets and beaded jewelry account for much of the merchandise available at the studio or in shops in the U.S. Including Macy’s and the new boutique St. Franks on Sacramento Street in San Francisco.

Every basket made by a Rwandan weaver 30,000 stitches. The steps that go into making a basket are complex and intricate. Every single thread you see on these beautiful hand-woven baskets is a stitch. Janet Nkubana of Gahaya Links describes the steps that go into weaving the baskets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tWXSEOhVwU

The Agaseke is Rwanda’s oldest traditional basket, now called the “Peace Basket” as a symbol of unity. Gahaya Links’ success is based on traditional weaving techniques to empower the women of Rwanda and the country’s socioeconomic development.

“If everyone owned a Rwandan Peace Basket it would mean a lot to the people of Rwanda.”

– President Bill Clintonhttp://gahayalinks.com/

We would be happy to introduce you to Joy and her dedicated team if you visit Kigali, Rwanda. Otherwise, please consider supporting this worthy endeavor.