Gahaya Links

Who We are

After the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, Rwanda was faced with a gender imbalance, with many women left as widows, single mothers, wives with husbands facing long jail terms, and teenage orphaned girls. Thus, our artisans are are less privileged rural Rwandans, majority women whose relatives and husbands were either killed during the genocide, fled the country or are in prison charged with genocide related cases.

Gahaya Links was founded to train rural women after the devastating 1994 Rwanda Genocide that left over 1 million dead. In 1990's sisters Joy Ndunguste and Janet Nkubana offered the women a small shop to sell their baskets and earn an income to meet their basic necessities. The sisters later offered to meet the women in their villages and learn how they could use an old Rwanda traditional skill to better their lifestyles. From a humble beginning under a tree in a remote village called Gitarama, the sisters organized about twenty women and taught them how to weave, how to enhance their weaving skills with new design techniques and how to work together by looking beyond their ethnic differences. Today Gahaya Links is a growing network of over 4,000 weavers across the country organized in 52 savings cooperatives.

Gahaya Links History

Gahaya Links was founded by two sisters; Joy Ndunguste and Janet Nkubana. The company was incorporated as the first handcrafts export company ten years after the 1994 Tutsi Genocide. From a humble beginning under a tree in a remote village called Gitarama, the sisters organised about twenty women and taught them how to weave or how to enhance their weaving skills with new design techniques. Today the company manages a network of over 4,000 weavers across the country—organised in 52 savings cooperatives.

Mission and Vision

Mission
To weave lasting peace by providing skills which create economic opportunities for the women and men of Rwanda, one person, one family, one village at a time.

Vision
At Gahaya Links, we believe that women’s economic empowerment provides the foundation for achieving sustainable peace and development in Rwanda. Our model revolves around this belief, going beyond fair trade to create jobs and improve the quality of life for women (and men) living in Rwanda’s most challenging socio economic environments.

Our Goals

Social Responsibity

Increasingly empower the number of artisans and remaining committed to upholding the values of sustainable fair trade.

Market Leadership
Uphold the market position as the leading exporter of Rwandan handcrafts as well as expand product line beyond woven commodities.

Operation Efficiency
Improve technology and administrative functions as well as acquiring additional machinery and equipment to hasten production process.

Our Values

Commitment to Sustainable Practices
Paying fair and competitive wages, go beyond wages to provide basic services of life to improve the quality of Rwanda’s rural women and men. Provide both product and management training while encouraging growth and personal development

Commitment to Quality
Commitment to differentiating our product line by its superior craftsmanship, bring new innovations, and diversify our product line and offering a unique product line to each customer.

Customer Service
Responsiveness to all customers regardless of their size and backgrounds.

Accountability
Commitment to being responsible for all company decisions and operations to meet the expectations of the board, and the clients.

Team Work
Commitment to work together to achieve a common goal while respecting each one’s background.