Pro-Femmes Twese Hamwe, an umbrella organisation for women NGOs in Rwanda, has secured a grant worth US$ 249,970 (Rwf 150 million) from TradeMark East Africa (TMEA) to support Rwandan businesswomen who import and export to the East Africa Community.TMEA is a multi donor funded agency that supports EAC regional integration.The National Executive Secretary of Pro-Femme Twese Hamwe, Jeanne d’Arc Kanakuze, and Mark Priestley, TMEA’s Country Director, last week signed a Memorandum of Understanding to that effect.The grant, according to TMEA, will among other things facilitate the identification of challenges that women traders face while conducting informal cross-border trade as well as create awareness about their rights and opportunities within the EAC."While our members are excited about being part of the EAC and the opportunities it presents to women, there are still many challenges to overcome if women are to take full advantage of these opportunities. For example, many business women in Rwanda are informal traders in border communities who are not aware of their rights in the EAC and face harassment as they cross borders,” Kanakuze said.Priestley said informal trade, particularly along the borders, is significant to the economy, representing approximately 6 percent of total trade, and yet, it is mostly conducted by women who are unaware of their rights in the framework of EAC."For example, informal traders may cross borders illegally to avoid paying customs duties whereas in the framework of the Customs Union, they do not need to pay any duty,” Priestley said"We are therefore excited to support Profemmes to empower women traders with better awareness of their rights and give them a greater voice in the regional integration process.”