Archive for '2. Rwanda'
UN WOMEN honored as Bpeace Pioneer Gamechanger
Posted on 23. Apr, 2013 by Toni Maloney.
We needed more than a map to find Rwanda and Afghanistan in our early days. UN Women was Bpeace's Lewis & Clark and Christopher Columbus. We are proud to present UN Women with the Bpeace Pioneer Gamechanger Award.
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18 days in the Land of a Thousand Hills
Posted on 14. Sep, 2012 by Ashley Harden and Ann-Elise Francis.
We took time off this past August from our jobs at the Council on Foreign Relations to embark on an exploratory research project for Bpeace to investigate the budding film industry in Rwanda.
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Bpeace’s measured outcomes demonstrate our model works better than ever
Posted on 17. Aug, 2012 by Toni Maloney.
Among the entrepreneurs who have participated in the Bpeace program for more than one year, the average job growth is 39% and the average revenue growth is 34%!
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Can the Rwanda film industry benefit from the Bpeace bump?
Posted on 14. Aug, 2012 by Toni Maloney.
Ashley Harden and Ann-Elise Francis are interviewing Rwanda filmmakers to determine whether Bpeace's brand of business skills coaching can help accelerate the growth of the industry.
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Bpeace Young Professionals host downtown NYC fundraiser
Posted on 15. Jun, 2012 by Rena Fried.
More than 100 Bpeace Young Professionals and a few over-40 rock stars convened to celebrate the partnership of Bpeace, Blue Marble and the forthcoming documentary, Sweet Dreams
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The cents of scooping in Rwanda
Posted on 02. Sep, 2011 by Rena Fried.
Jerrie describes Inzozi Nziza Ice Cream as an oasis in Butare. “Both the staff and the store’s appearance are welcoming and it is clear that they have worked hard on customer service. It is simply an inviting place to walk into; there is no other place with the same atmosphere in Butare and it is a very positive change.”
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Absorbing U.S. business practices for Rwanda
Posted on 17. May, 2011 by Rena Fried.
After an engaging week in Pennsylvania, four Bpeace Rwandan Fast Runner entrepreneurs traveled to New York City to apprentice with Host Companies and continue to learn transferable business skills.
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Voices of Bpeace Rwandan Entrepreneurs
Posted on 10. May, 2011 by Rena Fried.
Bpeace's Rwandan Fast Runners shared their personal stories at Columbia University on a panel titled, “Doing Business Our Way: Voices of Rwanda Female Entrepreneurs.”
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Rwandan businesswomen soak up Pennsylvania
Posted on 21. Apr, 2011 by Rena Fried.
Four Bpeace Rwanda Fast Runners rolled into Harrisburg, PA in early April 2011 and left with inspiring business lessons in to expand their hospitality, landscaping and funeral service businesses.
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Rwandan landscaper shines in PA
Posted on 15. Apr, 2011 by Laura Mathews.
The garden center manager held the garden center owner’s face in her hands. A perfect fit for a garden center owner, the woman’s name is Soline. “Soline, does that mean sunshine?” Both women laughed. “Well, Soline means sunshine to me,” said the garden center manager. No, they weren’t celebrating a particularly good sales day. They [...]
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Planning and plotting on the way home
Posted on 28. May, 2010 by Sabra Richardson.
On our last day in Rwanda we reflected on the jobs and networking group created by Fast Runners and the Business Club formed by applicants to the Bpeace Race to Innovation.
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Pascasie’s big building and lots more
Posted on 28. May, 2010 by Sabra Richardson.
Richard told the women who were in school for hospitality to remember the letters SWOT--know your Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.
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Top Tomato
Posted on 28. May, 2010 by Fran Pastore.
The demand for high quality good tasting tomatoes is growing at a rapid pace and Shema Farms, operated by Bpeace’s Race to Innovation finalist Sara, cannot keep up.
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Donna and Fran meet the gorillas
Posted on 24. May, 2010 by Donna Fleetwood.
At 440 lbs, Guhondo is the heaviest gorilla ever weighed. We spent an hour with him in the jungle today after an early morning ride to Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.
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A Walk with Aime and Fran calls AAA
Posted on 24. May, 2010 by Sabra Richardson.
One of the Business Club founders gave us a tour of the university and described how Bpeace was a key part of the support network that she and her peers access.
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Bountiful futures
Posted on 23. May, 2010 by Sabra Richardson.
What a closing day it was on Friday. Fran’s presentation on personal finance was followed by the final ceremony at the Credo Hotel across the road from Sweet Dreams.
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His mother inspired him to be a job creator
Posted on 22. May, 2010 by Donna Fleetwood.
I met with Herve, a finalist in the Bpeace Race to Innovation, who is attending college in Butare, to talk about his vision for creating jobs for women.
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Ode to the Bpeace Elves
Posted on 22. May, 2010 by Sabra Richardson.
You can never begin to understand the impact this training has had, and how well prepared we were because of Bpeace.
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A rumble, no goats and Fran’s camera is at the prison
Posted on 21. May, 2010 by Bpeace.
Lively cultural bonding among the Sweet Dreams’ trainees and Bpeace takes the form of a morning song and dance party in our classroom at the National University of Rwanda.
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Laughing loudly in Butare
Posted on 19. May, 2010 by Donna Fleetwood.
What we never really expected was that every single woman in our training here in Butare would bring so much joy to our training time together.
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NOW THE GOOD NEWS!!!!!
Posted on 17. May, 2010 by Sabra Richardson.
We heard about the disturbance in Kigali, but the world did not hear about a MILLION WOMEN MARCHING FOR GENDER EQUALITY.
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Sabra rocks the house in Butare
Posted on 16. May, 2010 by Donna Fleetwood.
It was smiling faces and waving hands that the Bpeace team encountered at the first training for the Sweet Dreams ice cream store.
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In Butare, an unexpected positive outcome from the Race for Innovation
Posted on 16. May, 2010 by Bpeace.
When 7 entrepreneurs weren’t selected as finalists for the Bpeace Race to Innovation they founded a Business Club instead of getting discouraged.
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Kigali: Today we cried for the loss
Posted on 16. May, 2010 by Donna Fleetwood.
How can you fully understand a genocide that took a million lives in three months? It’s very hard for us to imagine that this country was the site of one of the worst killing fields.
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When a young Rwandan man wants to help women
Posted on 22. Apr, 2010 by Bpeace.
Hervé Debarego chose to start a food delivery service in Kigali after witnessing three women dashing through the city, attempting to escape from the police.
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Onward and upward for these Rwandan women
Posted on 29. Jun, 2009 by Bpeace.
And through it all while we have learned so much about business, I think the greater lessons were about each other and our shared humanity.
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Phyllis Rosen sets HR bar high–and our Rwandan Fast Runners reach it
Posted on 11. Apr, 2009 by Phyllis Rosen.
I spent time with salon owners Harriet and Jeanne, and we came up with a big change to benefit their customers: regular appointments with favorite stylists.
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Getting to WOW!: Customer Service training in Rwanda
Posted on 08. Nov, 2008 by Stephen Kulovits.
“We need customer service!” Everywhere I go in Rwanda, that’s what I hear. All of our Fast Runners clamor for assistance in customer service training for their employees.
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Thinking big: Beauty school in Rwanda
Posted on 20. Sep, 2008 by Barbara Bylenga.
Bpeace Fast Runners Jeanne and Sylvie have a dream: The Beauty School of Rwanda, a first of its kind vocational school bringing a future to the youth of Rwanda.
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Building a brand, Rwanda style
Posted on 11. Jan, 2008 by Kate Buggeln.
Building a brand requires a marketing strategy. The Action Marketing Team, a pop-up group of marketers, transformed the face of our Rwandan Fast Runners’ businesses
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Regis takes Rwanda salons up a notch
Posted on 15. Sep, 2007 by Kate Buggeln.
Our first corporate sponsor is traveling with us! Regis Corporation, one of the U.S.’s largest operators of beauty salons and retail stores, is training Bpeace’s salon owners.
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Bringing the experts to Kigali
Posted on 11. Jan, 2007 by Barbara Bylenga.
Back in Rwanda by critical acclaim, Sabra held court at Richard’s office. She met with Associates to review finances and discuss how, as she says, “the numbers tell the story.”
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Rwandan entrepreneurs: What’s your map to success?
Posted on 11. May, 2006 by Bpeace.
Most of the women have clear visions for where they want their businesses to be in the future. Now it’s our role to help them get there.
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Our first taste of Rwanda
Posted on 25. Sep, 2005 by Bpeace.
The goat stew and the savory “bananas” are excellent. There we bright sun and low humidity during the day and the flowers are blooming and the evening air is so lovely.