Bpeace in Rwanda

Weather in Kigali has been spectacular and this was one of the best so far. Bright sun, low humidity. Flowers are blooming on walls of wealthier compounds as well as in the yards of poor offices and homes. The evening air was so lovely that following dinner at Chez Robert some of the group decided to walk back to the hotel. It was a good walk after days of eating Rwandan food and no exercise but some of us bloggers are now regretting the later time! What were we thinking?

Some of our readers have asked about Rwandan food. It is quite good, a mixture of African tradition and French influence. Great sauces are a constant. The goat stew and savory “bananas” are excellent and the baked goods wonderful. This Sunday the group has been invited to the homes of two different Rwandans for an evening of traditional food. We cannot wait.

Tuesday was probably our busiest day to date. Meetings and knitting sessions brought a great deal of learning as well as special experiences for Bpeacers.

Marla , Ann, and Maureen began the day at Rwanda Private Sector Federation/On the Frontier, meeting with Doreen Kagarama and Info Communication Technology leader David Frenk (ICT is our version of IT). David wrote Rwanda’s 5 year technology plan for the government. Bpeacer’s goal was to learn about the future direction of the economic sector as we want to ensure we are future focused! This international consulting firm is working with the government to develop the product sector, in particular ICT. Another focus is ensuring that women are able to take their fair share of these emerging opportunities as new competitiveness is established. Coffee, tea, tourism and ICT were all discussed with a great deal of enthusiasm and a great deal of learning resulted.

Then the ladies headed to the Women’s Association of Entrepreneurs (AFER). The association will be a key resource for fast runners as it has over 1,000 members working in various fields. Indeed on Wednesday we will meet with 20 of them for fast runner interviews.