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Peace Through Business - Rwanda
About | Applicants | Rwanda | IEEW
The Peace Through Business program was initiated by the Institute for the Economic Empowerment of Women (IEEW)--formerly the "Women Impacting Public Policy Institute". In late 2006, members of the White House and State Department contacted Ms. Terry Neese, a founding director of the WIPP Institute, and asked her to develop an entrepreneurship training program for women business owners in Afghanistan. Terry and her team not only developed the program, but also raised the funds for the endeavor.
Oklahoma Christian University has developed a very strong relationship with the nation of Rwanda and its government and has been seeking ways to assist their people. The administration of President Kagame is committed to the principles of democracy and free enterprise in his country and is seeking ways to boost trade and commercial development following the genocide which occured there over a decade ago. As a board member of the Academy of Leadership & Liberty, Ms. Terry Neese is assisting us to replicate the success that the IEEW experienced last year with Peace Through Business - Afghanistan, this time in Rwanda.
The purpose of the program is three-fold. First, as the name suggests, the program exists to develop commercial bonds between the United States and Rwanda so as to bring about a stronger relationship and consequently peace between the two nations. International trade has a demonstrable history of inducing friendship between nations as nothing is worse for business than war.
Second, the program hopes to help other nations to achieve greater equity in business between men and women. Though the United States still has some distance to go before women will see perfectly equitable representation in business leadership, many less developed nations have historically been completely closed to female leadership of any kind, let alone in business. This program seeks out and finds women who are inspired to lead in the business arena and then equips them for success. Women participating in the program will receive three weeks of formal education in a college classroom setting including theory of economics, advanced management techniques, and strategic planning. Following that, the women will spend a week with a successful American business woman in a compatible industry to obtain valuable practical knowledge.
Third, program participants will be encouraged to "pay it forward" by taking what they have learned and applying it at home and also to share it with other women entrepreneurs. It is our hope that in this way, over the course of time, we will be able to positively impact thousands of lives in Rwanda.
For more information about Peace Through Business - Rwanda email: academy@oc.edu
