Esther Nikuze lost her siblings, then her father, then, eight months into her pregnancy, her mother. She was 14 years old, alone, and had a baby coming.

She joined Women for Women Rwanda (WfW-R) through a programme for girls aged 16 and 17. "I thought it would be like other programmes that come and go," she told attendees. "But WfW-R stayed with me. The organisation was like a mother, father, and sibling to me."

Today, 17-year-old Nikuze is raising her son and works as a hairdresser while training to become more. "I want to be the best makeup artist in Rwanda,” she said, adding that she wants to "show up and stay” for other girls in the same position she was in, just like WfW-R showed up and stayed for her.

Her tear-jerking story was one of the testimonies at the centre of WfW-R's Impact Gala, held on March 18 at the Mövenpick Hotel Kigali as part of Women's Month under the theme "Discover Her." The evening brought together partners, government officials, programme participants, graduates, and staff for a night of acknowledgment and celebration.

The gala was deliberate in its visibility, with beautiful photographs of participants lining the entrance and products made by graduates of the Stronger Women, Stronger Nation (SWSN) programme on display: beaded accessories, kimonos, furniture, and fresh produce. Inside the venue, poet Naleli Rugege, saxophonist Stella Tushabe, and the Inkumburwa Cultural Troupe kept guests entertained.

A new beginning

WfW-Rwanda transforms lives through life and business skills, health education, rights awareness, vocational training, and savings guidance.

For 29 years, the WfW-Rwanda SWSN programme has empowered in-need women to achieve financial independence, improve well-being, and gain decision-making power.

Emerance Mukamurigo, mother of three and representative of the Isangano Bumbogo Cooperative, shared:

"Before joining WfW-Rwanda, I worked long hours on other people’s farms with no clear future. After completing the 12-month programme, we applied what we learned, formed a cooperative, and started farming for the market. The skills and confidence we gained changed our lives."

Today, Mukamurigo’s journey reflects how empowerment continues beyond the programme. "Women for Women Rwanda stayed with me,” she said.

After graduating, she joined an advanced entrepreneurship programme where she deepened her farming skills, learned value addition, and became market-ready — understanding quality standards and negotiation. Where she once worked long hours on other people’s farms to survive, she now produces consistently for markets, employs others, and operates with greater coordination and confidence. Today, she is no longer just working; she is building a business that sustains her family and contributes to her community.

Changing households, not just incomes

WfW-Rwanda also engages men as allies through the Men Engage initiative. Jean Pierre Ntezukobagira and his wife Seraphine Mukeshimana’s story illustrates its impact: years of conflict, violence, and financial mismanagement were turned around after Ntezukobagira attended Men Engage sessions.

Mukeshimana reflected: "When he joined the programme, I began to see real change. He started supporting me financially, and we began saving together.” Today, they run businesses together, are legally married, and are raising two children.

Through programmes like these, WfW-Rwanda demonstrates that lasting change happens when women are empowered, men are engaged, and communities are included in the journey.

From recovery to economic relevance

Placing the organisation’s work in context, Board Chairperson Chantal Marie Ingabire noted that women have long been central to Rwanda’s recovery and development.

"In our country’s most difficult moments, women rebuilt families and communities,” she said. "Our role is to ensure they have the tools, confidence, and opportunities to rebuild their own futures.”

Today, that focus has shifted to economic relevance.

Executive Director Berna Rusagara echoed this and made a direct call to the private sector, pointing to the opportunities already in place. With over 80,000 graduates, she noted, these are not just participants; they are customers, producers, and entrepreneurs.

"To corporates, these are your numbers. Open your value chains. To telecom companies, these women are your next 80,000 customers, an opportunity to expand digital access and products. To partners, fund beyond the visible few and back the women already in motion. To financial institutions, take a small portion of your risk portfolio and invest in women, not because it is safe, but because it is smart.”

Silas Ngayaboshya, Director-General of Gender Promotion at Rwanda's Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, highlighted the alignment between the organisation’s work and Rwanda’s national vision, and called women's empowerment "a driver of sustainable development, strong families, and a resilient nation.” He encouraged continued commitment to addressing structural barriers, transforming social norms, and ensuring every woman and girl can thrive.

Between 2025 and 2029, WfW-R aims to reach 2,500 more women and girls, engage 1,750 men as gender equality allies, connect 10,000 graduates to financial and business opportunities, and expand from seven to nine districts. Behind each of those targets is a girl or woman who, like Esther, simply needed someone to show up and stay.

Discovering what was always there

As part of the speeches during the evening, a representative of the organisation said that when people have worked in civil society for a long time, it is easy for the work to be seen as just programmes. Routine. Expected. But then you hear a story like Esther’s, and everything comes back into focus.

A reminder that this is not just programming. These are lives being rebuilt. And that life skills are not just part of a curriculum, they are truly skills for life.