profilesupplier
Egidia, Priscilla and Rosalie weave
baskets outside their homes in Rwanda.
A more
perfect union
TREN T WOOLFORD
Rwanda Partners strives to weave
a torn country back together
By T. Foster Jones
IN 1994, THE WORLD watched in horror
as the impoverished Republic of Rwanda
was convulsed in a civil war, one that led
to one of the most brutal genocides in
human history.
The ruling Hutu majority of the tiny
central African country implemented the
mass slaughter of the Tutsi minority, brutally
murdering—over the course of approxi-
mately 100 days—at least 1 million Tutsi
men, women and children. Hundreds of
thousands of Rwandese were forced to flee,
The Tutsi fought back,
defeating the government army
and seizing control of the
country. They organized a
coalition government and
eventually elected Paul
Kagame as president.
But the genocide left
the nation in need of healing: caring for orphans
and widows and rape victims left behind, and providing opportunities for
Rwanda’s 11 million citizens to
find a way out of the devastation
and poverty.
In 2004, Stone, a Bellevue, Washington,
mother of two, and self-described “
risk-averse and unadventurous person,” felt called
to help in Rwanda. She led 17 members from
her church on a visit to
the country. There, she
the country. There, she
met women who had endured rape and the
murders of their family, yet who survived and
even forgave their assailants.
“Over the years, I had heard stories of
these courageous women. I wanted to go
there and thank them,” says Stone, explaining
that their stories helped her through some of
her own personal struggles.
Compelled by the Rwandan widows’ stories of survival, Stone felt, upon returning
home, that thanks weren’t nearly enough.
With her husband, Greg, she created the nonprofit Rwanda Partners to help address the
country’s many needs.
“Greg had extensive experience running
nonprofits,” says Stone, “and both of us had
experience working in missions.”
They made contacts in Rwanda and hired
employees. Eventually, the needs of the orga-
nization and the enormous amounts of travel
(Tracy has made 13 trips to Rwanda; Greg has
made 16) made it obvious that Rwanda
Partners was growing beyond Tracy’s ability to
manage. Greg came on full time in 2008 and
in 2010 took over as the executive director.
Rwanda Partners has gone on to become
an international organization, raising more
than $2 million since its inception and helping thousands of people every year. The organization provides trauma counseling to rape
victims, assistance to households headed by
orphans, educational support for the poorest
children, loans for small businesses, and
training and supplies to basket-weaving
women (see sidebar on page 26).
CONTINUED ON PAGE 26
Reconciling and healing
Perhaps Rwanda Partners’ most dramatic
program involves the “healing and reconcilia-
Greg and Tracy Stone
supplier profile
Name: Rwanda Partners
Principals: Tracy and Greg Stone
Founded: 2004
Number of employees: 15
Contact at: 159 Western Ave. W.,
Suite 455, Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 588-8029;
www.rwandapartners.org
Products at Costco: Rwandan baskets
and handbags
MICHEL KAYIRANGA
Comments about Costco: “Our weavers’ lives have been transformed. Costco
has definitely been instrumental in this
transformation, enabling us to reach more
customers than we ever have before.”
