To The Rwandan Government and Society

Dear Editor, I came to Rwanda on March 13th, 2006 for the purpose of creating income generation projects for those living in poverty. When I arrived, I met a Kenyan man named Joseph Ayienga and a Rwandan woman named Margaret Karara. They introduced me to a group of women that were living in extreme poverty and needed an opportunity that could help them sustain their families. By December of 2006 we had formed Sisters of Rwanda. Our mission was to ensure justice, equality and economic opportunities for vulnerable women in Rwanda. In August of 2007, we created a brochure for the purpose of promoting our project in Rwanda. We were working with women formerly in prostitution. Because I was new to Rwanda and did not know the culture, I asked Karara and Ayeinga to provide me with the content for the brochure. They sent the information to me while I was in the US, assuring me that the information was accurate. I then published the information in the brochure. There were approximately 400 brochures distributed in the USA. However, after further investigation, and advice from many government officials, I now understand that this information was false. The brochure spoke of “sex slavery” and other acts of gender based violence that are not a proper representation of Rwanda, despite what Mr. Ayienga and Ms. Karara had told me. These women are my family and I would never intentionally do anything to hurt them or this great country. I allowed this material to be published because I was told that it was accurate and that it would help the women of Sisters of Rwanda. I personally destroyed the remaining brochures in June of 2008, and we have never referred to that information since that day. I formally apologised to the Rwandan government, and now I want to publicly apologise to the people of Rwanda. I assure you my intentions were good, but I was misinformed and made a mistake, so for this I sincerely apologise to this government and to all Rwandan society. On September 3rd, 2008, I formally resigned from Sisters of Rwanda due to theft and other abuses from Mr. Ayeinga and Ms. Karara. The women of Sisters of Rwanda (41 total) also left the organisation, and together we formed a new NGO called KEZA. KEZA is a non-profit people-inspired fashion brand, and we are here to represent the beauty of Rwanda through luxury fashion items like our paper bead jewelry. It is truly a privilege to live in this amazing country, and I sincerely apologise for allowing negative information to be published. It is an honour to live and work here and I am committed to telling the story of Rwanda’s beauty and excellence through KEZA. Rwanda is my home, and I am proud to live here. I look forward to serving this country for many years to come. Sincerely, Jared N. Miller, President/Founder of KEZA

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To The Rwandan Government and Society