Background and Rationale

Rwanda is a small but vibrant country in Central Africa, with a rich cultural background and a dynamic history. In the past fifty years however, Rwanda has faced numerous conflicts, trials and devastations. In 1994 ethnic tensions came to a head when genocide swept through Rwanda, decimating its economic basis and crippling the fragile social structure of an already impoverished and disadvantaged population.

The challenges of poverty, hunger and sickness borne by the Rwandan population are felt most acutely by Rwandese women, who suffered immensely from the genocide and its aftermath. The perpetrators of rape in the genocide were often HIV positive, and in their wake they left women, girls and children infected by their disease. Devastated by the tragedies of the war, the Rwandese women were left to rebuilt fragile lives, destitute and without skills or education. Some of these women and girls turned to sex work as their only means to subsist and support their children.

Ikirambi targets this group of vulnerable women in its work as a Rwandan non-profit organization. We are dedicated to addressing the problem of poverty-induced prostitution in Rwanda, with a particular aim to improve the standards of living, self-esteem, and self-sufficiency of Rwanda’s vulnerable women by assisting them in building new and productive lives for themselves and the people around them.

Vision and Core Values

Ikirambi is committed to improving the standard of living and self-sufficiency of Rwandese women, and by extension their children and wider community. By promoting human dignity and women’s rights, our aim is to effect substantial change in the behavior and professional choices of Rwanda prostitutes.

Ikirambi trains vulnerable women in vocational, income generating and business skills, raises their awareness of health care options for themselves and their children, and educates them in regards to their rights as women, mothers, and citizens. We assist women in learning productive and sustainable skills and we increase their capacity to change their own lives and the lives of the people in their communities. By teaching the women to hold values such as respect, integrity, social justice and compassion paramount, we support them in creating viable, productive, and peaceful communities.