Due to my interest in countries affected by genocide teamed with my desperation to get out of the soul destroying life that is Banking and into the Not for Profit sector,  I head to Rwanda in January 2010, to work with groups of vulnerable, impoverished women, helping to empower them with the knowledge and ability to start up and run small businesses.  After spending the last 10 years in IT and Banking, I feel now is the time for me to give back - to share my skills and help other women create and take advantage of opportunities I have been given in my life.

I have chosen to volunteer with Network 4 Africa - they are a small charity helping to rebuild lives & communities destroyed by war & genocide, and are carrying out phenomenal work in Rwanda, Northern Uganda & Chad.  I will be working with 'Women Developing Rwanda' a women's association based in Rwanda's capital city Kigali, comprising of genocide widows & orphans.  The women live in dire poverty & face incredible hardships every day of their lives.  All they want is the ability to educate themselves, their children & their siblings, so that the next generation will not have to suffer in the way they have.

A number of the WDR women have begun an income generating business called 'Wanda Bread'.  They bake delicious cakes & biscuits, selling their products to NGO workers, ex-pats and local supermarkets  They have already made connections and are now selling their produce at the British Embassy weekly drinks party.  However, until the business begins to make a decent profit, these women are working for free, trying to generate money to pay for ingredients ahead of time in bulk and to buy their own oven - they are currently baking in an oven in a guest house when it is not being used, which is not ideal. 

So what I need from all of you wonderful people is to help these hard working, proud women get a leg up by sponsoring me to help them to gain confidence, skills & to feed themselves & their kids. Any donation will be greatly appreciated & will help these women to become self-sufficient and independent.

£60/$95 – will buy enough ingredients and utensils to make 300 'Wanda Bread' cookies and loaves of bread sold to the local supermarkets by Wanda Bread.
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£550/$890 – buys a coal fired oven and baking trays for the 'Wanda Bread' women to bake their cookies and bread which they sell all over Kigali.

The women are eager to connect with a group of women abroad to share ideas and learn from others, so if anyone is keen to become involved & create partnerships with these women, please contact sophie@network4africa.org 

For more information - please click on the link http://network4africa.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=34:womens-empowerment-training&catid=21:projects&Itemid=3

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Thanks very much,

Lauren