Joy Ndungutse & Janet Nkubana

Biography of Joy Ndungutse and Janet Nkubana Joy Ndungutse and Janet Nkubana are Rwandan sisters, entrepreneurs, and co-founders of Gahaya Links, a social enterprise that uses traditional Rwandan basket weaving to create economic opportunities for women. After the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the sisters returned to Rwanda and saw many women struggling to earn a living. Janet had returned from Uganda in November 1994 and was living in Kigali, where she noticed women selling baskets outside her hotel. Instead of seeing the baskets only as products being sold, she saw an opportunity to help the women earn a better income. She began selling their baskets through her hotel and also took some of the baskets to markets when visiting Joy, who was living in the United States. The sisters came from a family with a strong tradition of basket weaving. Their mother was a skilled weaver and made baskets and beadwork while the family lived in a refugee camp in Uganda. Joy and Janet used this family tradition to develop Gahaya Links into a business that could support rural women. They initially brought together about 20 women and helped them improve their weaving and learn new designs. Gahaya Links later grew into a large network of women weavers and cooperatives across Rwanda, while its traditional Agaseke or “Peace Baskets” reached international markets. The company developed relationships with major international retailers and organizations, including Macy's, Walmart, Oprah Magazine, Anthropologie, Crate & Barrel and Kate Spade. Their work focuses on women's economic empowerment, entrepreneurship, skills development and community development. Joy was also recognized with the Artisan Hero Award in 2015 for her work in creating an artisan-based social enterprise that provided livelihoods for rural women. Today, Joy Ndungutse and Janet Nkubana are known for showing how a traditional skill such as basket weaving can become a source of income, dignity and business opportunities for women. Quotes** Joy Ndungutse said that" Giving women money won’t take them anywhere. Just give them knowledge and the rest will work out.” Something small can create an impact... You don’t have to have a lot of money to start a business. You can start small, but you must have a passion for what you’re doing. Janet Nkubana said that" Public Relations is key to any initiative, not only business initiatives... talk about it. Be free and say what you think, share what you want to achieve. Use the partnerships and nurture them. She also said that "They should know what they are best at rather than seeing what others are doing. They need to know who their competitors and clients are, and give their customers good value for their money. We are very proactive. We are strong women. We are great managers. We are great policy makers. We can be a great force for Africa. Janet Nkubana said that "Once you earn an income you are economically empowered. You are given a voice, you can argue your values, you can argue your point, you can argue your rights. She also said that "We take pride in the fact that we are a socially responsible firm and believe that giving back to our community and sharing our wealth of knowledge and experience is the only way of building a healthy and economically sound future. If you go to Rwanda today, there are so many young boys and young girls who are not job seekers, but job creators. n our weaving groups we have women who survived genocide... Through weaving we manage to have everyone under one roof sharing and working together. https://www.lionessesofafrica.com/lioness-joy-ndungutse-janet-nkubana*(()