Paschasia Rugumira, a community leader supporting BUWEA’s projects and a mentor to many local women in ways of becoming empowered, stressed how much the group’s participation in the online community has created opportunities for learning about women’s leadership, computer technologies, and entrepreneurship. She indicated the great impact the group felt during their attendance at the two international conferences sponsored by the WGC. There they were inspired to become self-reliant and pursue small businesses that were suitable to their own reality.
Paschasia is a strong supporter of the connections created between women in Bukoba and women from other parts of the world. She believes these connections bring knowledge and therefore opportunities to change.
Another benefit is that our representatives attended to the international women’s conference and when they came back we shared what they learned with our women from the villages who are doing the weaving, the handcrafts that are being sent to the United States and sold to the international market. And even the women in the villages they are recognizing this. So now they are working more because now they are recognizing the benefits of working harder.