GASABO - Shared Interest Foundation, a United Kingdom based Non-Government Organisation has vowed to sink £235, 998 (about Rwf194m) in a three-year project designed to help handcraft producers.

Shared Interest is a co-operative lending society that aims at reducing poverty in the world by providing capacity and financial services.

This project was jointly developed by the Shared Interest Foundation and Cooperation for Fair Trade in Africa (COFTA).

According to the foundation’s document, 50 handcraft producers will benefit from business, environmental and financial skills trainings from this project.

In an ongoing two-weeks training in business and financial skills taking place at Hotel La Palisse in Nyadungu, the coordinator of COFTA, Donatien Mungwarareba, said that if the handcraft industry is to grow, then such trainings are a necessity.

He continued to say that 30 heads of different handcrafts cooperatives across the country are represented in the first training.

"A lot is to be gained in this training like marketing our outstanding crafts, how to produce quality products, business planning and time management. These are good elements in having a successful professional business,” he explained.

"Recently we had a Jua Kali exhibition but Rwanda was not represented yet we have good crafts. It’s time we valued our crafts,” Mungwarareba underscored.

Andrea Wilkinson the Foundation’s Manager says there is a need to have fair trade where producers and buyers of handcrafts get average profits simultaneously so as to have growth in the industry.

Reports from Ministry of commerce indicated that about 420 associations comprising 7,113 organized craftsmen are active. An estimation of 100,000 people may be employed in the handcrafts industry, contributing to the national economy and in the fight against poverty.

The strategic support to the handcrafts producers will be provided by the Private Sector Federation (PSF) and the Rural Environment and Development Organisation (REDO).

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