We came across an interesting website ‘Beauty of Rwanda‘ founded by Salha Kaitesi that aims to promote Rwandan crafts by providing an online market for Rwandan hand crafters while preserving Rwandan culture for the next generation:

Beauty of Rwanda was founded by Salha L Kaitesi after being inspired by the hard working men and women of different associations that sold local crafts in Rwanda. Most of the members of these associations are survivors of the genocide. Some are wives of men serving time for atrocities they committed during the 1994 genocide against the tutsi. Others are vitims of rape who are now HIV positive. Their skills have been passed down from one generation to another and are the only means of earning a livelihood for them and their families.

This is just another testament to just how technology and the Internet can really open up new opportunities for Africans who would not have otherwise had those opportunities. Opportunities for education, exposure to the outside world or in this case access to markets they would never have dreamed of reaching. We’ll try to catch up with Salha for an interview soon.