Field Updates

In September 2010, 250 WfWI & Rwanda program participants began a short-term program for the production of bricks to be used in the construction of the Women's Opportunity Center (WOC) in Rwanda. Brick-making and construction are two areas dominated by men in Rwanda, and the initiative by WfWI-Rwanda shows a commitment to teaching women not only a new trade, but to learn new skills typically unavailable to them based on their gender. Rather than buying bricks from the market, WfWI-Rwanda program participants are building a structure that will produce lasting, meaningful change for Rwandan women.

The WOC in Rwanda will act as a meeting place for program participants and graduates to commune and use their collective bargaining power to exceed in small business enterprises and entrepreneurship, as well as access supportive groups of women within their community. Program graduates can receive additional training, and current participants can access valuable resources and services. Currently, WfWI is either in the construction or pre-opening phases of WOCs in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.

Though the skills-training program in brick–making is a short-term project, to be finished upon the completion of bricks for the WOC, it provides women with a short-term source of income and engages them in productive, meaningful work — and gives Rwandan women the chance to learn a valuable skill they may have otherwise never received.

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Project Description

In countries like Rwanda, women need a space they can call their own–to talk, work and grow. To help women survivors of war in Rwanda, Women for Women International plans to open another Women's Opportunity Center (WOC) in the country. The WOC will act as gathering place for women to create lasting economic, social, political and psychological change in their lives to help lay the groundwork for peace and propserity in their communities.

The WOC-Rwanda will serve as a permanent safe haven for women to gather, providing an interactive environment where they can cultivate their collective bargaining power and facilitate women-led change. The WOC will be a significant vocational training and community development project for WfWI — Rwanda. It will provide a space for the core training of participants and the provision of services for graduates. Core training consists of twelve months of vocational and life skills training, financial and emotional support and an opportunity to meet regularly in supportive Women's Groups. The WOC will also include a demonstration farm, two acres of land on which trainers can showcase and teach farming techniques. The building itself will be large enough to accommodate all Women's Group meetings. The centralization of training in one space will permit WfWI-Rwanda to more efficiently conduct and expand its core program to reach more women.

To further strengthen and expand the depth of services in Rwanda, WfWI is planning to establish a Women's Opportunity Center (WOC) to serve as a major vehicle for delivery of programmatic services to WfWI participants and graduates. The Women's Opportunity Center is a logical stage in the evolution of WfWI programming. WfWI has made great strides in helping conflict-affected women move along the first stage of the journey from victim to survivor to active citizen. Evaluation data shows that while women leave the program with strengthened confidence, increased knowledge and a firmer support network, more work remains to help ensure that women become fully active citizens in the economic, social and civic arenas. Strategies to help facilitate this process include ensuring that women:

• Are equipped to sustain an income after graduation,
• Receive effective business training in order to make their businesses more successful,
• Have an opportunity to find regular employment,
• Are ready to take action to realize rights for themselves and others, and
• Are prepared to take on leadership roles in their communities.

Project Activities

The three primary programs taking place within the WOC are: the provision of the core program, the provision of graduate services and the piloting of the Commercial Integrated Farming Initiative (CIFI) program.

1. The core program also consists of rights awareness and life skills training. Participants meet bimonthly with their Women’s Group, a support system of approximately 20 women. Trainings are facilitated by local women trainers who use WfWI’s “A Woman’s World: A Training Curriculum Guiding Women’s Social, Economic and Civic Participation toward Active Citizenship.”. The manual is designed to help women understand their unique rights: politically, as survivors of war or other conflict and as voices in bringing about stability; economically, in understanding their rights to earn a fair income; legally, in acquiring skills to fight discrimination, domestic violence and other civil wrongs; and personally, with respect to access to health issues, such as human reproduction, pregnancy, childbirth and nutrition. Along with the cultivation of leadership skills, these meetings also serve to unite and support a network of women. Vocational and technical skills training is the last key component of WfWI’s holistic approach.  It builds on and strengthens women’s existing skills and introduces new skills in traditional and non-traditional fields so women can access future employment opportunities. Local instructors provide vocational skills training in areas such as farming, animal husbandry and handcrafts based on a WfWI assessment of the most marketable income generating opportunities available.
2. Graduate services will possibly include business development assistance, advanced training in a vocational skill area to meet a special market opportunity, cooperative training, community organization development, or leadership training. In addition, the WOC will provide space for partnership and complementary services facilitating access to local expertise in critical sectors such as health and wellness, literacy, and economics.
3. The CIFI pilot program is WfWI’s flagship agricultural and income generation project. CIFI is targeted to impact a large number of women through training in appropriate skills, techniques and sustainable practices of crop production and animal husbandry. Moreover, CIFI delivers fundamental business skills and cooperative education to promote viable commercial enterprises for long-term sustainability, and the identification of markets and market partnerships for their products.

Project Location

The WOC-Rwanda will be located in Kayonza District of Eastern Province, Rwanda. The rationale for this location was predicated on the demographic analysis of Kayonza District and identification of a significant population level of women requiring the services provided by WfWI. It was determined that offering a centralized training location would enhance the efficiency of program delivery and maximize the beneficial impact of the women we serve.  Moreover, WfWI had an already established presence in the community through the operation of a sub-office and this region provided the  availability of fertile land for the development of our major agricultural initiative CIFI.

Progress

A final design has been approved and earthworks are scheduled to begin in August

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Rwandan women are returning to a traditional handicraft dating back a thousand years as they reclaim and rebuild their lives 12 years after the Rwandan genocide. Side by side, these women are making "peace baskets" woven from sisal fibers using traditional techniques and designs. Customarily, women design the baskets to celebrate communal harmony or tell stories of celebration, such as weddings or births. The baskets serve many functions in Rwandese culture... Today, these peace baskets provide a source of income for hundreds of women across Rwanda and have become symbols of reconciliation.

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In the initial aftermath of the 1994 genocide, Rwandese women were traumatized and deeply divided. In the course of 100 days, approximately 800,000 Rwandese were killed and 2 million fled into exile. Most genocide survivors were women and many were widows who suffered through bereavement, injury, trauma, isolation and illness. Women whose husbands were in prison, charged with committing the genocide, also struggled to raise their families alone. Women were represented in every category-- victims, perpetrators and bystanders-- and their communities were deeply divided.

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