Welcome to day one of our Rwandan retrospect!

As Louise mentioned last week, our 10 days in Rwanda were very hectic, we had lots of producer groups to visit.

Our first day took us to Rwanda Work of Art, a craft business that has been part of the Rwanda Producer Support project from the beginning.

We received the most amazing welcome from Alice, the chair of the cooperative, who I am pleased to say informed us not only of the co-operatives development but her own personal triumph at learning English.

This may have been my eighth trip to Rwanda, but I can assure you that this was one meeting I will never forget. While we waited for the rest of the group, we were treated to a surprise, a traditional dance routine by around twenty local children, many of whom had lost their families in the genocide.

Alice told us about the importance of dancing in Rwanda culture, she said:

“We wanted to welcome you here and to say thank you for the training you have provided us with. For the children and for all of us Rwandans, dance is a way of forgetting what happened in the past and thinking about the here and now.”

Alice went on to tell us that the dance represented the cow. The cow is incredibly important to Rwandan culture as it provides food and social status; it also acts as an emergency source of funds for many families.

To Rwandans, giving cows is a sign of true friendship and we certainly felt like true friends.

It was great to see the development of the organisation.  Alice has successfully built her business and is using it to provide a sustainable livelihood for the people who work within the co-operative; it really was inspiring to see.

If you would like to support groups like Rwanda Work of Art you can donate by clicking here or by sending a cheque to Shared Interest Foundation, Freepost NT1883, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 1BR.

Click here to learn how you can invest in fair trade. Click here to donate to the Shared Interest Foundation