Before Victoria joined DuHope, she was a street vendor of vegetable which is illegal in Rwanda. They are place she would not even think of going to sell his merchandise and also whenever she would be standing, the police would come anytime and take her if caught by surprise or run away and leave the merchandise there, loss now and then.
My favorite part was always getting to sit out in the workshop and listen and watch as our artisans created jewelry that you guys are now wearing. I, quite obviously, couldn’t speak their language, but watching them work hard to produce a product that they can sign their name to, and be proud of, filled my heart with joy.
I began to brainstorm all the words, phrases, and concepts that I believe encapsulate our message. Words like: dignity, purpose, fashion, quality, hope, growth, craft, and artisan. I wanted to connect people with not only the mission of helping women leave sex work, but also the amazing handmade products that they make every day.
Have you ever seen a 14-year-old take on full responsibility of a newborn? That is exactly what Redempta did. Before she got pregnant, she lived with her grandma but she found herself abruptly on her own. Looking for a quick income, she decided to go to the streets to look for money. She learned prostitution was a way she could. She needed to work to pay rent, buy food for herself, for her baby and clothes for the both of them.
When Francine was 17, she arrived in the city from the village but failed to get a job because she didn’t have a high enough level of education. Growing up, her homelife was a struggle so she would miss a lot of school and they couldn’t pay school fees. This resulted in her dropping out at 2ndgrade.
In 2015, our university pastor at my church in Kigali, Rwanda called to say he wanted to show me something. That day, my life took an incredible pivot.
