Rwanda : Amy Trumpeter tells her Rwanda story

She started by helping a Rwanda woman called Habiba, who could not make her ends meet, to supporting a good number of vulnerable women,  Amy Trumpeter, the founder and CEO of the UK Based organization, Kigali crafts, is working around the clock, to support Rwanda women with what she can, from her project.

Am here again in beautiful Kigali, a peaceful town, surrounded by beautiful people.

She started her work in Rwanda in June 2010, as a volunteer, after being moved by the aftermath of the 1994 genocide and the long term effect including poverty and HIV/ AIDS.

Trumpeter enrolled in a program with Fate Victory Association, where was working with women of gender based violence and genocide survivors.

During the same year 2010, she met this wonderful woman called Habiba, was also the genocide survivor and was struggling to make a living. “I Micro financed her with 25 pounds to make the things that she wished for such as crafts,” said Trumpeter.

“Using the money, I supported her with, Habiba asked me to accompany her to the market. We managed to buy cotton, needles, beads from it and she makes these beautiful beading pens.

The pens she made while I was in Rwanda are the first thing that I bought from her.

She bought all the pens at a very good price. “I tried to tell her that when I get back home, I will try to sell them for her back home.”

When she got back to England, she sold all of Habiba’s pens during the period of one month.  After that She started receiving phone calls from many people including the office of FBI, requesting her to supply them with more pens and necklaces.

She accepted, knowing that there is a Rwandan woman living with HIV/AIDS, who is maximizing in recycled paper necklaces.

Trumpeter said, things continued to be in that way- remaining a fair tried project when I badly needed a more long term project.

Since she really wanted it to be a long term and proper tried project, after spending her Christmas holiday in England, she came up with an idea of setting up a company registered as Kigali crafts limited.

“I made connections in both Rwanda and UK and set up a net work for the volunteers, who could help Rwandan women sell their crafts.”

As the project started improving, it got to doing fair business in New York, from markets to markets.

She decided to travel back to Rwanda and she made a lot of progress in a few days of her stay in Kigali. “I met Habiba and she was pleased to see me it’s amazing and bought more pens from her.”

Trumpeter, met another woman, Immaculate, they we did some training on jewelry making together and met with ciprien, who makes amazing leather sandals, using recycled car tires for the soles.

Observed that, a lot of progress has been made from the time she started. ”Am with bank of Kigali, opened an account, to help me transfer funds from UK to Rwanda, so that when I come back I can buy more crafts and make more connections.”

“So, today am going to visit Habiba, she has invited to her home and i wish to buy more crafts from her. I also hope to do some footage of her really doing the entire crafts.  After visiting her place, we will go to Kimironko market, to see more project ideas take including photo shooting.