Honorine, 34 years old, has owned Eden Apartment for two years. The complex is made up of 12 rooms, with a self-contained sauna massage, hair salon and bar room for tenants only.
Honorine currently has 15 employees. Over the next five years, her business goals include maximizing her profit, improving customer service and expanding the complex to 16 rooms by 2011.
By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Honorine hopes to learn more about management skills, customer service.
Honorine believes that owning her own business has made her a stronger woman, and she hopes to help other women to start their own businesses.
Grease, 50 years old, took over the family business, Neja Cosmetics, about two years ago. However, the business has been in operation since 1994.
Neja Cosmetics imports and sells cosmetics, such as skin care products, soaps, hair products and fragrances. Grease sells her supplies to both individuals and salons. Currently, Neja Cosmetics has three shops and 14 employees. Grease’s future goals include not only selling her customers products, but also spa-like services, such as massages, manicures, pedicures and facials.
By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Grease hopes to improve upon her management skills in the areas of business, accounting, marketing and sales.
Grease says that surviving the genocide of 1994 has given her the strength to go on with her life, and though she remembers feeling as though she had no future right after the horrific tragedy, she knew that her second chance had a meaning.
“We must fight for what is ours and never give up.”
Hortense, 35 years old, co-owns Moriah Hill Resort, a beautiful get-away in Rwanda.
Hortense and her husband owned a small part of land on the shore of Lake Kivu. After building two small apartments on the land, they were able to secure a loan from the bank. The project grew into the resort it is today, which opened in July 2007. Moriah Hill Resort features 18 rooms, a restaurant, a conference hall that seats 120, and one motorized boat that holds eight passengers. There are also kayaks for the lake recreations.
Hortense currently has 28 employees at the resort. She has recently secured more land and plans to expand the resort from 18 to 68 rooms, a fitness facility, more water sports and an artisanal shop featuring handicrafts made by women in the region.
By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Hortense hopes to learn more about marketing her resorts and how to approach business challenges as they arise.
Hortense says that before starting her business, providing for five children was difficult, but her business has helped bring financial stability to her family.
BUSINESS: Intergraphic & Sport Style (sports equipment distributor)
Berthe, 50 years old, owns Intergraphic and Sport Style, a company that distributes sports equipment.
Berthe started working in a printing manufactory in 1996, but she was always thinking about what she could do with a business. So, in 2005, she opened her own business, which started out as a printing business, then grew to school furniture and then to schools’ sporting goods and equipment.
Products include balls, fitness accessories, protection wear, racket and water sports equipment, apparel bags and martial arts equipment. The company not only provides products to international schools, but it also does business with sports federation, the government and fitness clubs.
The company now has eight employees. Berthe’s company is the only one of its kind in Kigali, so she hopes to maximize on her business’ opportunities.
By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Berthe wants to do nothing but focus on business, business, business.
Outside of her business, Berthe is a member of the Private Sector Federation, and serves as second Vice President on the Chamber of Women Entrepreneurs.
Joy, 47 years old, co-owns Honest General Enterprise Limited, an import/export company.
Joy’s business originally stared as a retail shop in 1991. Six years later, the shop grew to a whole sale enterprise. Then in 2001, the business became a fully functional import/export company.
The business distributes goods to several multi-national companies, including British American Tobacco, Colgate-Palmolive East Africa Limited, SARA LEE Household and body care Kenya Limited, which manufactures shoe polish and hair products. Over the next five years, Joy hopes to maximize her operations to meet her customers’ demands and increase her profits.
By attending the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS training, Joy strongly believes that she will knowledge that will help her uplift her business and her entrepreneurial skills to greater heights. She is also eager to learn about becoming a more active public policy advocate. Joy says that she wants to be empowered about the different public policies that affect businesses, such as government structures, taxes, city, state and government rules governing business.
BUSINESS: Hallo Phone Store/Rwanda Heritage Tours & Travel Company
Molly, 35 years old, co-owns two businesses: mobile phone company and a tourism company, which offers transportation, hotel and ticket booking services.
Molly wanted to be a part of developing her country, as a citizen and as a woman.
Currently, Molly has 10 employees. Through her PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS training, she hopes to share knowledge and experiences with fellow businesswomen and learn how to improve her businesses.
Ariane, 30 years old, owns EVENT.ORG, which specializes in event management, specifically wedding planning.
She started her business when she realized that she wanted to have more freedom in what she did professionally, and she wanted to do something she was passionate about. Ariane noticed that wedding-planning was often a business-profession in other countries, and after some research, Ariane decided to join the trade. Ariane has owned her business for three years, and she has four employees.
Eventually, she would like her business to become a “one-stop shop,” for her customers, providing all necessary services without using outside vendors. She also wants to create a wedding magazine and host an annual wedding exhibition.
By attending PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS, Ariane hopes to learn more about daily management, accounting, and how to recover more client payments.
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.
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.
‘Enterprising Women’ spotlights PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program and 2009 graduate
The latest issue of ‘Enterprising Women‘ showcases information regarding our 2011 PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS program, as well as an in-depth article featuring Sarah Mukandutiye, a 2009 PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS graduate. Monica Smiley, publisher and CEO of the publication, has been a longtime supporter of the Institute. Click here to read Monica’s Publisher’s Note and the [...]
Nonprofit leader is working to help Afghan women, girls Q: What’s happening with the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council? You and other members recently met in Washington with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other dignitaries. A: The council was sanctioned in 2002 by President George W. Bush and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai. I was appointed to [...]
Awards & honors Oklahoma City businesswoman Terry Neese was recognized last week with the 2010 Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) Hall of fame award. The national award honors individuals, companies, and organizations that have demonstrated exemplary leadership and support in the success of women’s business initiatives //
Betty, a 2010 PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS graduate, co-owns Solidarity Academy School, a secondary private school in Rwanda. Mentored by Dr. Freda Deskin, Founder of ASTEC Charter School, Betty has been paying forward the education and training she received from our program and was kind enough to share it with us! Good morning Terry, I am [...]
Business hall of fame to honor Neese Terry Neese of Oklahoma City will be presented the 2010 Women’s Business Enterprise Hall of Fame award on Thursday in Dallas. The national award honors individuals, companies, and organizations for leadership and support in the success of women’s business initiatives. “This is an exceptional award to bring home [...]
Oklahoma Lt. Governor Jari Askins receives Afghan gift
Lt. Governor Jari Askins accepted a hand-made, personalized soccer ball from Terry Neese, President, IEEW. Terry delivered the ball on behalf of 2007 PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS graduate Taj Sirat. Taj’s company, Greenway Manufacturing produces all types of balls, employing over 250 Afghan women. Taj wished to express her gratitude to Lt. Governor Askins for her [...]
NAME: Honorine Mugorewase
