Hello to all! Some of you may recognize me, Sonja Sparks, from last year’s Leadership Development program and most of you have almost definitely corresponded with me in some way over the past year. When IEEW’s Director of Operations, Karel Ford, contacted in me January of 2019 about the possibility of an internship, I was completely thrilled. You see, a…

As they say, it takes a village. At IEEW, our village begins with our invaluable leadership team, the Board of Directors. These women help make empowering women entrepreneurs a lot more accessible. Their dedication to the mission of educating women business owners and their individual testimonies about their experiences with PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® alumnae inspire…

Zahra Qasemi has a personal story that is sadly not too uncommon, but she has used her past to fuel her passion for progress as an empowered business owner. Zahra was raised in Iran as a refugee, which made it extremely difficult for her to continue her education. She was married at the age of…

Branding is a key step to any new business. Sometimes a brand becomes part of our everyday vocabulary, such as googled, or Kleenex, and even bubble wrap. And some names become synonymous with an action; hoola-hoop, trampoline, and jet ski. So it is exciting to see some of the clever branding being used by students…

What makes impact sustainable? Donor dollars should set the ball in motion for organic change within a community, not act as a source of reliance. One woman impacting many – that is the philosophy of creating peace through business. And that is why the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® program is so important. One graduate from the…

Who is a PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS(r) mentor and what do they do? As a new employee at the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women in March 2013, that very question was heavy on my mind. Founder & CEO Terry Neese gave me a list of student names and businesses, wondering if I might find pairing…

Recently, 2016 PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® grad Chantal Nyirandama earned 2-star status for her evolving business, Nice Garden Training Center, from the Rwanda Development Board. Chantal’s long-term goal is to become the best choice in Gicumbi for temporary lodging. She is well on her way!  As the wife of a priest and mother of four, Chantal…

Fashion is many things and performs various functions beyond allowing people to express themselves. It is art, it is history, it is empowerment. Fashion is business, economic development, and it is even technology. It’s a chance to share culture with the world and spread color and hope, and in Rwanda, that is certainly the case.…

EY is creating ripples of impact around the world. One way that they are doing this is by eMentoring PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® women entrepreneurs as they develop their business plans during their 10 weeks of in-country classes. In 2019, EY broadcasted this mentorship opportunity to its employees all around the globe through its corporate responsibility…

This past July I was fortunate enough to be able to take some time away and spend it with the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® class of 2019 at their Leadership Development held at the AT&T University campus in Irving, Texas. Those days spent with the women who all have such incredible stories will forever hold a…