Empowering Businesswomen from Afghanistan and Rwanda

Chaos and conflict dominated Jessie Gakwardi Benimana’s life when she was growing up in Kigali, Rwanda. More than half her family was murdered during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, when an estimated 500,000 to 1 million Tutsis were killed by Hutu militia in about 100 days.

Despite her struggles, Jessie is now working to better her country. Growing up in a culture where it was discouraged for women to enter the fields of math and science, she graduated at the top of her class at a science and tech university and opened her own mobile technology business shortly after.

Through the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS^® program, which AT&T supports, 21 women traveled to the U.S. to learn business skills that will transform their war-torn and impoverished countries. Check out the video above to hear Jessie’s story and learn more about how women business leaders around the world are making an impact on their local economies.

Read More about the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS^® program on our Consumer Blog.