Source: East African Business Week
Kigali — Many Rwandan women are developing through the training acquired through Women for Women (WOW) International Organization which started operating in the country in 1997.

Violet Kabarenzi, the Life Skills and Sponsorship Manager, said in a recent interview with East African Business Week.

"We have so far trained over 66.000 women countrywide and these are able to start up their own businesses after training," she said.

WOW works in over eight countries and here in Rwanda it works with six districts which include Kayonza, Rwamagana, Gasabo, Kicukiro, Nyaruguru and Muhanga.

Kabarenzi said as an organization they have two training programs aimed at equipping women with skills and knowledge which helps them restore their lives and become active citizens in the community.

"We have the economic empowerment programme were women are equipped with vocational skills which can help them start business hence be able to contribute to poverty eradication," she said.

"In this programme, women again are linked to market for produced products, to financial institutions and empowered to be able to identify other business ideas alongside the trainings acquired," she said.

The organization has a social development training programme were women are trained on health as an important aspect in life.

"Here we train them on reproductive health, HIV, malnutrition which has helped them improve on their livelihood in families," Kabarenzi said.

From such training, Devota Musaniwabo an elderly woman was able to start up a business where she deals mainly in making earrings, bangles, necklaces among others.

"I was able to buy a plot after making products with the skill I got from Women for Women and selling them and this was after this organization providing market for my products", she said.

For Immaculee Umubyeyi another elderly woman and a President of "Shikama Ukore" Cooperative that deals in making tie and dye cloths and was started after trainings got from Women for Women, she said has been able to construct a house of about $3000 (Rwf2m), and she owes such an achievement to the organization.

"I have been able to train other women about the skills I got and this gives me pleasure," she said.

Women for Women with its endeavor to empower Rwandan woman constructed a Women Opportunity Center in Kayonza where they have a market, plus other different services to be carried on from there.

Women now know their legal right which has continued to be a great challenge in the country.

• Rwanda