Currently there are more than 1,500 Rwandan women weaving Rwanda baskets. Spending the money responsibly, they allocate a certain amount into savings and use the rest for food, clothing, health insurance, and education.

After the widespread 1994 genocide in the East African country of Rwanda, 70% of the remaining population was composed of women. Almost two decades after the war, more than one third of Rwanda’s households are run by women. Because the traditional role of women had always been to perform domestic chores while the men worked for cash to support their families, many of them were at a loss for ideas on how to survive.

Rwanda Baskets Provide Necessary Income

The women receive one third of the money the Rwanda baskets are sold for, which is a dramatic change from the conditions they had always been accustomed to. They take great pride in their work because performing tasks using highly developed skills gives them a larger sense of accomplishment than if they relied only on foreign aid received after the war.

In addition to their lack of work experience, many women had been attacked and raped during the war and suffered from HIV or AIDS, which made it difficult to perform daily tasks, and they were isolated from those around them because of their condition. Women in Rwanda still suffer from HIV and AIDS today, and the mortality rate for those giving birth is among the highest in the world because of their poor health.

Using Tradition to Support a Family

In the absence of their husbands, the women were forced to become creative in ways to make the money needed to support their families. Weaving Rwanda baskets has always been a time-honored craft, but suddenly it seemed like an opportune way to put food on the table. The baskets had traditionally been used solely for decoration and as wedding gifts, but some women took the initiative to produce them for sale in local markets.

Eventually the idea caught on, and the beautiful woven Rwanda baskets with intricate designs and bold colors were being exported for sale in the United States, selling for much more profit than they would have previously earned.

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