Bpeace in Rwanda

Calling all blog readers . . . .

2008-09-15T15:57:00.016+02:00

The future of Rwandan beauty!
From left: Malyse, Susan, Alix, Sylvie, Barb and Jeanne

Gloria (behind the camera) answers the call!

Jeanne and Sylvie.
Holders of the dream.

And Sylvie knows dreams!
Touring the wedding hall at her amusement park

Amazing how needs get answered on a mission.

Our need? Great photographs of Jeanne and Sylvie for our fundraising efforts. The answer? Gloria Upchurch, a photographer from San Francisco who documents women’s development projects found Bpeace on the Internet and emailed the team in NY offering her help. She just happened to be Kigali photographing an on-going genocide recovery program with HIV mothers and children. Marla and Kate knew how she could help us!

So we agreed to meet Gloria at Sylvie’s amusement park. Sylvie and Jeanne arrived looking stunning. Jeanne was statuesque in regal African attire and Sylvie was elegant as always in a classic business suit. We finished up our work on “next steps” just in time for Gloria and her photographer friend Charlotte’s arrival. They had not really heard much about our project so together we explained it, in two languages! They want to continue working with us as our project progresses.

After the photo shoot, Sylvie gave us a tour of the large hall where she hosts weddings and has just renovated. The place was amazing, especially the ceiling. Large colorful drapes coming together in the center make it feel like a palace. After many ohhs and ahhs, we took few practice runs down the aisle before we headed to the salons for more photos.

Now this is competition!

We met with a potential school teacher today. Samuel was well qualified and extremely gentle and kind. His experience showed he was well qualified and would be committed. Unfortunately, we also learned that is in debt to his employer. This is common in the Rwandan salon industry. Owners have started the practice of stealing the best stylists by offering cash advances that they work years to repay. The practice is so pervasive that all stylist come with a loan, and new employers are expected to cover them. While we liked Samuel, we aren’t prepared to pay to hire him!

Hey USA, can you feel the hug?

Then it was suddenly time for good-byes. Our work with Jeanne and Sylvie this mission is complete. Good-byes are hard, and this time they took a while because we had to get hugs for all the Bpeace team back home. So Marla, Kate and everyone else we hope you felt all those big warm hugs coming your way. After the embraces we wiped away tears, exchanged happy kisses and we were off. Kate and Steve will be here in November so Bpeace volunteers will not be gone from Africa for long.

Feeling good and spreading the good news

The evening ended at a new high-end, restaurant called Heaven. It was lovely with sweeping views of Kigali. While it was good, Alix and Barb decided we prefer restaurants where we are more likely to enjoy our dinner around Africans and not western tourists. We love the tourists and their money but still want our authentic Rwanda too!

Over dinner we reflected on the past week. We feel really good about this mission. Richard and Susan as always were critical members of our local Rwanda team. Jeanne's daughter Malyse became a new and valued member. Thanks to them so much was accomplished!

The school operating model and curriculum has been defined.
Implementation and operating plans are finalized and we are moving against the action items.
We have the input we need to begin branding and logo work back home.
The agreement draft between Jeanne, Sylvie and Bpeace is complete.
We have a new supporter in the Rwandan government and the beginnings for help on funding.

We can’t wait to get back to the US and begin fundraising in earnest for a school which promises so much for the future of the country. First Quarter 2009 is the goal.

So our need now? Funding. If you are reading this blog, you can help. Tell your companies, family and friends this story of a school, a dream and the Rwandan women who hold it.

It is simple: Spread the good news. Rwanda is becoming more beautiful.

Name that ___________________?

2008-09-11T19:08:00.004+02:00

Barb and 15 flip chart post-its

Hilary Clinton? Your blog editor begs the mission team
to share THAT bit of brainstorming in your next blog

The stars lighting up Kigali

On Bpeace missions you spend a lot of time working in hotel lobbies. The energy keeps sleep deprived participants alert and focused while food is readily available. The local and international sightings are always of interest but none more so then when a familiar famous face is seen in what Bpeacers feel is their faraway place. Afghan mission participants felt this in December 2006 when they met the writer Jon Krakauer, (Into Thin Air among others )who became an excellent dinner companion).

Well the stars were out again in Rwanda. Barb and Alix were hard at work in the lobby. We realized “Scarlet Johannson was sitting next to us!” We were a bit star struck, but were amazed when Malyse (Jeanne’s 20-year old daughter) let out a yelp when later told of the our fellow hotel guest. Malyse can’t wait to camp out in the Serena lobby for a sighting. It is clear a global-youth culture is binding across the continents.

Back to work.

It was logo day. The idea of a brainstorming session and the concept of “thinking out-side-the-box” were new notions for Jeanne and Sylvie. They consider a well run business meeting to be logical, so we got some curious looks when we told them “be creative and let your inhibitions go”. Simple ground rules were set. “Take risks and don’t criticize”. Despite early reservations “got it” and before long we were cranking out ideas.

In five hours we went through at least 15 sheets of poster paper, generated 8 great strategic platforms, and narrowed it down to one favorite. Then we worked on the name and within an hour decided on concepts to bring back to the US branding and logo designers. It might be hard to shake what we now call . . .the beauty school.

The ties that bind us

2008-09-10T14:18:00.004+02:00

Reviewing contracts is a universally UNFUN experience

Jeanne and the architect developing layout for the school

Rwandanese legalese

Most business agreements in Rwanda have been based on handshakes and trust. But as Rwanda has begun to develop a formal economy a legal system is formalizing as well. So in keeping where Rwanda is headed, Bpeace has asked Jeanne and Sylvie to participate in a legal agreement as we venture together in the school. We want to ensure everyone’s role is clear with accountability and ramifications even clearer.

And indeed the conversation to review the draft agreement was uncomfortable for Jeanne and Sylvie! Rwanda’s business people are not familiar with legal documents. But both understood the importance of a binding agreement and we plowed forward through the prickly discussion. There is camaraderie between all of us and having to talk about things like “what to do if an irresolvable conflict arises” felt jarring and out of place. We laughed when it was over and quickly moved on to a more important topic . . .what to wear to the photo session on Thursday (more on that later in the week).

Laying a milestone

The reward for all the legal talk was time with the architect who arrived to help us design the layout of the space and determine what improvements are needed. It all seemed to come together easily. Downstairs will be the classroom and demonstration stations. The upstairs will be the office. We added a wall to create a small store. The main problem is that the upstairs space is all windows and gets so hot it’s unbearable. More windows that open, shades and a cooling type of insulation were suggested to ensure it is comfortable, and the architect will put a bid together. A rough floor plan felt like such a milestone!

Making people better

Flushed with progress, Barbara and Susan headed to town for some much needed Rwandan craft shopping and lattes. On the way we dropped Sylvie at her salon and learned that she used to be a nurse. Now Sylvie is probably one of the most successful businesswomen in Kigali. She owns a salon, a children’s store, and an amusement park. We suddenly understood why she can manage to make time to start a non-profit school for orphans. She has both an entrepreneurial spirit and the compassion it takes to make a difference. And it’s the Bpeace model at work. Successful businesswomen making peace. She rocks.

Tomorrow we await with great anticipation and will spend the evening prepping for it. We're planning an extensive brainstorming session to identify the perfect name and a platform for the logo designers in the US to start working on.

Details . . .details . . .details

2008-09-09T14:25:00.007+02:00

Bourbon Cafe . . .Rwanda's Starbucks

Our Rwandan conference room for the day

Attention to detail . . .
Counting the line items in the beauty school budget

Entrepreneurs at work . . .
Barb and Jeanne check out the view at Jeanne's future restaurant

How many line items in a thatched roof?

Getting feedback and agreement on the school’s financial plan filled the agenda for Monday morning. It was not your usual meeting with an accountant.

Alix has spent months fine-tuning the plan with input from afar from Jeanne and Sylvie. Alix’s finance skills, crafted through work on multi national clients, are already elevating the beauty school’s foundation. With only a few exceptions the plan was on track. We added a few items and increased the amount needed for several others. Just like in the states, everything costs more these days. Unlike the states, the meeting took place at Sylvie’s amusement park, the same spot we visited on Sunday. Sylvie, Susan, Alix, Malyse, Jeanne and Barb all sat inside a thatched gazebo by the pool! What a setting to go through every line item on the budget! Every supply, furniture and equipment item was discussed.

Fast cultural understanding
Afterward, we enjoyed a nice lunch from Sylvie’s restaurant which combined a 90 minute wait and a 2 minute inhalation of food which was so good that it demanded to be savored. But that was not to be as we were late for our meeting at the Ministry of Gender! We picked up Richard, and dashed to the ministry in two cars laughing all the way. The relaxed pace in Africa can be at odds with a visitor’s schedule and good humor is required. Our driver John-Paul was taught the quintessential American saying, “time is money”. He got it. His fast driving in response prompted us to teach him another phrase, “Arrive alive”.

Women so get it.
At the ministry (arrived 15 minutes early!), we were greeted by four government women, all holding high-ranking positions and a no non-sense attitude. Eight of us crammed into a small office. Bpeace shared our story in Rwanda and our support for the beauty school. Jeanne spoke genuinely about her motives for the school and long–time desire to help orphans. The women from the ministry had a plethora of questions, and couldn’t be more supportive of our work and the school. They explained that the project aligns with each and every goal their ministry and government has for development projects. It was clear that we have a strong project and an advocate in the right place. Their support will provide credibility as we move forward in becoming licensed, attaining non-profit status, and in approaching potential local funders. We will be following up with them in the coming weeks on a series of next steps toward that end.

Rwandan entrepreneurism is boundless
Glowing as we walked out of the meeting, none of us wanted to head home. Jeanne suggested we visit the site where she plans to move the restaurant (the one that is currently in the location where the school will be). Her new site is actually a large home that she owns and rents to a family. It has a terraced garden with a sweeping view of Kigali. She plans to host weddings there and while it needs work, we all agreed it’s a likely moneymaker. We’ve learned that Kigali has an endless supply of weddings!

Just like in the US we ended our day with a little shopping. Alix, Susan and Barb stopped at a modern grocery store that sells everything from electronics to toiletries to wine, 24-hours a day. It’s a tidy Wal-mart, with longer hours. A few years ago this shop could not exist, let alone succeed but the growing economy is birthing all sorts of new businesses. Indeed next-door we got our “latte fix” at a hip cafe called Bourbon Coffee Cafe. The young baristas and laptop-focused clientele were reminiscent of Starbucks, except the coffee was better! This is Africa and the coffee is very LOCAL. Founded by a young Rwandan, one cafe has turned into a small chain.

This is Rwanda and good things are happening here.

We took in Kigali

2008-09-08T13:52:00.008+02:00

One of the hundreds of wedding parties
gathered at the roundabout for pictures

And you thought the US election process was madness : A Kigali political rally on wheels

Relaxing at Sylvie's

Some of the children's rides. NO we did not try them out.

Sunday remembrances and learning

Sunday was a day of slowing down, which is befitting for Rwanda where most locals spend Sunday's at church and with family. We visited the The Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre. It was opened on the 10th Anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. The Centre is built on a site where over 250,000 people are buried. Bpeace, Regis (one of the beauty school sponsors) and our associates laid a wreath here last September in a formal gathering. The center is an important source of information for Rwandans on genocides around the world and for all visitors it provides insight into the international community's role in Rwandan history.

And then some relaxing and amusement

After some race walking to get exercise, we spent the afternoon relaxing at Sylvie’s amusement park. It is called Bambino's Supercity but is being rebranded with Bpeace’s help. It is a superb site that truly stands out from most of Kigali. Manicured gardens, a large swimming pool, children's rides and a gazebo like restaurant make it something you wouldn't expect in the Kigali area. We're glad to have Sylvie on the Beauty School team given her success with this spectacular business.

But two very different kinds of "seasons" made for a very busy city

The streets were full of two interesting sights. Weddings were happening everywhere! On our way to a wedding last night, we got caught in what Susan coined a "weddingjam", which is when a traffic jam is caused by multiple (10-15) bridal parties having pictures taken in the park located inside the main roundabout. It continued today, and we got some shots for you readers. Also, campaigners for the local parliamentary election next week were filling the street. We encountered a mass bike ride which was a way of showing mass support for your party. Trucks with megaphones also drive by with young people shouting campaign slogans and playing African music. Not quite like the US but close. The big difference is Rwanda is free of all the political signs that usually scatter US lawns and lampposts in the weeks before elections. The Rwandan government does a good job ensuring the city is always clean and propaganda free.

Today David left for the airport. He is headed to Cameroon to visit his family and will meet up with Barb next Saturday in Adidas Ababa to share the plane ride home.

Life is the message which stayed with us today

2008-09-07T13:41:00.014+02:00

Saturday market on our journey out of Kigali today

A somber visit: The marker at Ntarama's mass grave

Understanding what happened: Victims' belongings at Nyamata

A joyous end to the day: Cutting the cake at a Rwandan wedding

Why we are here

It has become a Bpeace tradition in Rwanda to take time to honor those lost during the genocide. Beyond our work to prevent a return to the violence, the only way we can do this is to visit the memorials which dot the landscape. They have been left as silent reminders of what was stolen here. So we visit them to bear witness and to share with others. Each memorial is unique. Each tells the story of what happened in that particular place 14 years ago when over 800,000 people died in 100 days.

Barb, Alix, Susan and Richard visited two sites, Nyamata and Ntarama. They were and remain churches ten miles apart in remote countryside. As places of worship they were thought to be places of refuge and thousands fled to them for safety. Instead the churches became places where over 7500 were slaughtered in a few days.

The experience was hard to take in. The churches, nestled among Rwanda's peaceful hills, with villagers moving about their daily life were somewhat other worldly. Bones, clothes and personal effects were left to help us envision the scene. Rwandans want the visitor to understand and remember with clarity what happened here.

We were moved greatly by our guide at Ntarama. He showed us how he survived in the church while people were being killed around him, and babies were being bashed against walls, He escaped while dogs were sniffing out live people, by running into the bush. At age nine, he was the only survivor of his family of 11. He had tears in his eyes as he told his story. He tells his story everyday to those who come. We drove home in silence.

The future is hopeful

But fittingly for this nation so committed to breathing new life, our reflection on the past was turned toward the future with something purely Rwandan and universally familiar ---- a wedding! Susan took us to a wedding of a personal friend of hers. At first it seemed similar to a typical US wedding but we soon realized that the event we were attending was the last of a day full of ceremonies and that the couple was in fact already officially married. The reception we attended took place in a grand hall with over 500 guests. Dancers, a sword ceremony, speeches, a marching band(!), cake and champagne popping were all enjoyed from auditorium-like seats. Speeches were typical wedding fare, and the cake, wedding dress and bridesmaid's dresses could have come straight from the US. We slipped out for a quiet dinner, while Susan went on to the festivities which she told us were sure to last all night.

Today was a walking picture show

2008-09-06T18:33:00.008+02:00

The future home for the Beauty School of Rwanda
Did we mention that Jeanne and Sylvie are letting us
use this name until they come up with a permanent one?

Alix meets a salon stylist and makes a new friend

Barb and Jeanne film the salons with a little help from a Bpeace and Barb supporter, David

When a buffet is this good we can pile high too!

Do we look full? Enjoying our lunch
From left to right: Malyse, Susan, Alix, Barb, Francoise and David

Walking for money.

We are in search for local money because we will need it to bridge funding gaps for the school. With that in mind we began the morning with a race walk through the city and down the tree-lined streets that house many of the NGO's and embassies in Kigali. It was a great way to experience the town and get some exercise.

Our destination was the Dutch Embassy for our meeting with Ben Rutten in the office of Economic Cooperation and Private Sector relations. He encouraged us to apply for several possible funding/partnering opportunities which the Embassy sponsors and/or funds. He reinforced our belief that vocational training is extremely important toward recovery and is a high priority for the Rwanda government. Mr. Rutten encouraged us as he believes our school is a good candidate for funding. It is what he calls "innovative”, bringing something not already available to Rwandans, and provides career opportunities. We agree.

Taking the “before” pictures so we can begin to draw the “after”.

When we can not bring experts to the field we bring the field to the experts. Technology is a huge enabler for our remote work and typical of this mission we used some of our time here to gather the information which will allow our team in the US to work in the coming months.

So we headed to Jeanne and Sylvie's salons to take a critical look at their space and begin to explore how the space next to Jeanne's salon can be renovated into the school. It's currently being used as a restaurant but with a little bit of imagination, we envisioned a beauty school coming to life. To help our experts back home develop equipment and layout recommendations we videotaped each of the salons. Some of the clients were camera shy, but Barbara managed to get some great footage of the salons and the stylists at work.

Food is a critical part of every mission.

We made our way through the crowds Kigali bus terminal area to have a late lunch at another Bpeace associate’s restaurant. Lunch at Francoise's place was the highlight of the day. Since you can make only one trip to the buffet, Francoise's customers create towering layers of food covering every course from appetizer to dessert. Malyse, Jeanne's daughter joined in as we piled our own plates high. Everyone was looking forward to true African food and this was some of the best.

Personal contributions

Late in the afternoon, Barb spent some downtime helping Jeanne's daughter Maylse work on college applications for US schools in the Serena lobby.

David Nganele, aka Barbara’s boyfriend and mission travel companion, has contributed a much-needed piece of equipment to the Bpeace team. The phone we have all been using for years, which Richard pointed out has been with Bpeace longer than he, has absolutely no numbers left on the buttons. For Barb this made dialing near impossible, until she added numbers using masking tape. It was decided that a masking taped covered phone didn’t fit her high powered consultant image, so she and Bpeace were presented with a brand new one! Thank you for the field donation David!

Something great is happening here

2008-09-05T15:33:00.002+02:00

Barb is behind the camera during our first work shop meeting.
Left to Right: Susan, Jeanne, Malyse, Alix and Sylvie

We have arrived and in the thick of it here in Kigali!
We were greeting by Kigali’s usual beautiful weather and our local office Bpeace colleagues Richard and Susan. What a joy it is to see them again and introduce first time visitor Alix to Rwanda.

Economic recovery is evident and tourists abound
With tourism dollars beginning to flow into Rwanda there has been activity in the hospitality industry. A $15 million construction project to install a spa and new luxury rooms forced us out of the usual Bpeace choice when in Kigali, Hotel Serena. Disappointed but happy for the investment and what it means for Rwanda, we said farewell to Serena and checked into another local hotel offering. It appeared at first blush to be the perfect authentic African hotel. But instead it turned out to be the perfect setting where nothing worked. There is still fine tuning ahead if all of Rwanda’s hotels are to be competitive with those in Kenya and Tanzania. We decided construction dust could just be another mission memory and have returned Bpeace to the Serena, which remains fully booked despite the construction, as appear to be all the other hotels in Kigali.

We wonder if all these tourists will need their hair done? But pause on that thought because it was our first night and it was time to eat at one of Kigali’s several great restaurants. We enjoyed the best Indian food in the world (yes, even India) at Barbara's favorite restaurant, Indian Khazana.

We woke up to another glorious Kigali day and the first of our daily work sessions with the school’s founders, Jeanne and Sylvie.
We were a little nervous. The goal of this first meeting was to finalize the scope and scale of the school. But the teams have been working separately the last few months in Rwanda and the USA. We wondered, were we on the same page? With the help of our beauty industry veterans MaryClare Lokken, Denise Soto and Russell Brown, we were prepared with months of research and analysis and a proposed implementation plan. The associates were prepared with their own months of assessment. It was a big day. Alix, Susan and Barbara joined Jeanne and Sylvie at the site of the school, Genesis Salon. Malyse, Jeanne's daughter joined and brought her excellent English skills.

It was a meeting of the minds.
It all came together. More details will unfold to the readers in the next few days. The meeting was a great collaboration of ideas and we now share BIGGER ideas, maybe because we started small and evolved together. The partners brought different perspectives; Jeanne brought more practical salon experience, Sylvie more business focus. Not only did we see a concrete vision for the school emerging, we walked away with a view of what it’s going to look like in the future, not just near but long term too. Beaming and laughing as meeting’s end, we enjoyed a lunch brought in from Jeanne's Middle Eastern restaurant Melting Pot, savoring it as the restaurant is soon to be renovated into the site for the school. Next up is a review of Jeanne and Sylvie’s salons which will be used for practical training for the school. Some upgrades may be needed!

We joined the Rwandan Bpeace community.
The end of the day brought us together with ALL the Bpeace associates as we joined their monthly Bpeace associate meeting. They are the first class of Bpeace associates in Rwanda. Now in their final year of the 3 year program with Bpeace, it was rewarding to see them together laughing and talking business. A community of business women can be powerful indeed. This community has helped birth a beauty school which will benefit a small nation.

Dreaming big, bold and beautiful

2008-08-25T00:19:00.003+02:00

Training by Regis Corporation during a prior mission, helped inspire the launch of
THE BEAUTY SCHOOL OF RWANDA. (Photos by Peter Lien)

Our Associates have a dream and this September, Barbara Bylenga and Alix Samuelson, two Bpeace's volunteers, kick-off a multi-year effort to help realize it.

The dream: The Beauty School of Rwanda, a first of its kind vocational school bringing a future to the youth of Rwanda.

One of the first businesses to emerge when war ends is the business of beauty. Women return to the feminine community gathering in small salons to reconnect and feel good again. Rwanda has been no exception and four of Bpeace's Associates run bustling salons. So busy are these salons, and many others like them across the country, that supply cannot keep up with demand. Indeed despite high unemployment rates among Rwandans, salon workers are often not Rwandan. With no local training available owners must import skilled labor from nearby countries.

A big dream is born: In part inspired by the styling and color training they received last September from Bpeace volunteers and Regis Corporation, two of our Associates are opening a beauty vocational school for Rwandan youth. Their goal is to provide a vocation and a future for Rwandans and provide an ongoing labor stream for themselves and yes, their competitors.

This mission is the first of three Fall 2008 Bpeace missions which will help bring the school to life. Opening is planned for first half of 2009.

Regis Corporation has been with us from the start and continues to support the School with donations of training resources and time. But there is a $200,000 funding gap to close, remaining supply and equipment needs, and specialists to recruit. In the coming days and weeks there will be more resources available to learn about the school. But for now follow the action as Barb and Alix post daily updates on their mission work with Associates Jeanne and Sylvie.

Please pass the blog address on to those who might be inspired to help.