Help Support Change With Rwanda Path To Peace Baskets From Macy's! #Path2Peace

Today, I'd like to talk about something a little more serious than my usual post. A story that starts with a grim history, but ends with a beautiful partnership that has changed the lives of countless families. So please take a few moments to read through this post as it offers you both the opportunity to learn about strong women overcoming great adversity and a chance to help support the Rwanda Path to Peace.

Back in 1994, unbeknownst to some Americans, a mass slaughter took place in Rwanda, a tiny country in the heart of Africa. In a matter of just three months, nearly a million people were massacred when a tribal hatred turned into ethnic slaughter. After the violence ended, many Rwandan women found themselves thrust into the unfamiliar role of being sole breadwinners for their families, since their husbands, fathers, and sons were gone.

Despite this savage history, many women embraced an opportunity to heal. Weaving baskets became a way towards peace. Women from both sides of the ethnic divide came together, wove baskets, and created an industry, which today supports thousands of Rwandan women and their families. An American woman by the name of Willa Shalit vowed to make a difference and showed the baskets to executives at Macy’s who then committed to sell them and to go into business with the weavers in Rwanda. Macy’s offered them a hand up, not a handout.

In 2005, Macy's launched the Rwanda Path to Peace program and continue to carry the baskets today. By helping them earn roughly ten times the average Rwandan wage, this partnership between Macy’s and the artisans has helped the women move from deprivation and uncertainty to a life where they can plan their futures, and build stable, healthy lives. This year celebrates Macy’s 10-year commitment to Rwanda Path to Peace and as part of that celebration, Macy’s is featuring a commemorative basket.

I was taken aback when I received the beautiful handcrafted basket (shown above). Each basket is handmade by using an extraordinarily intricate process that has been practiced for centuries in Rwanda. Every design is unique and painstakingly crafted from sisal and grass by women who learned to weave from their aunts, mothers and grandmothers. Check out this video which shows the process of making the baskets:


To help support this program, I encourage your to consider purchasing a Rwanda Path To Peace Basket from Macy's. For more information about the Rwanda Path To Peace partnership, feel free to visit Macy's site. You can also stay current by following Macy's on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Disclaimer: I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere has provided me with compensation for this post. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.