Friends Peace House

Gisele Niyibizi did everything the way it's supposed to work. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Management, expecting it to open doors. Instead, she spent a long stretch of time job hunting with nothing to show for it. Rather than wait indefinitely, Gisele made a decision. In September 2018, she paid her own way into a short hairdressing course at Mwananshuti VTC, hoping a practical skill might get her further than her degree had so far. Not long after she finished, COVID-19 hit, and like people everywhere, she found herself struggling through a period with very few opportunities. But once things began to open back up, Gisele started finding work in hairdressing and beauty salons, and for the first time in a while, she was able to support herself. What stood out to her most was that a short course certificate was doing something her bachelor's degree had struggled to do. Later, when Mwananshuti VTC launched its own salon, Mwananshuti Salon, to help generate income for the school, they needed someone who could run it well. Gisele's business background made her the natural choice, and the school brought her on as manager. She didn't stop working with her hands either. Today, she manages the salon and still works there as a hairdresser. Gisele is deeply thankful for the opportunity Mwananshuti VTC gave her, and for how much it has changed the direction of her life. In her own words: "I studied business hoping it would take me somewhere, but it was a short course in hairdressing that actually changed my life. Now I get to use both, managing a salon and doing the work I trained for, and I'm grateful Mwananshuti VTC gave me that chance."

Umugwaneza Grace comes from a very poor family, the kind of hardship that makes staying in school feel like a luxury you can't afford. When the fees became too much, she had to leave, walking away from formal education long before she was ready to. Then the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) stepped in, and with them came a second chance. Grace heard that Mwananshuti VTC was offering free training, so she went to the school herself to find out more. She was admitted in April 2025 to train in hairdressing. What followed was months of real, hands-on work, theory and practice side by side, and then a two-month internship where everything she'd learned finally met real clients and real pressure. Grace didn't just get through the program. She stood out in it, finishing among the very best in her intake. That kind of performance doesn't go unnoticed. The school brought her on to work in its own production unit, Mwananshuti Salon, putting her right to work with the skills she'd just built. Since then, Grace has been earning her own living and helping support the same family that once couldn't keep her in school. For a girl who had to leave the classroom because there simply wasn't enough money, the path ahead looks nothing like it used to. Her future feels wide open now, in a way it never did before. In her own words: "I never thought I'd come this far after leaving school. Mwananshuti VTC and MCC gave me a chance I didn't expect to get again, and now I'm not just earning, I'm building something for myself and my family."

Ruth Uwizeyimana grew up in Gicumbi, a rural district where the future can feel like something that happens somewhere else. She watched her family work hard just to keep things steady, and she carried a quiet wish that one day she would be the one helping them, instead of the other way around. In September 2024, that wish found a door. Ruth enrolled at Mwananshuti VTC Kicukiro to train in hairdressing. For six months she learned the craft properly, the cutting, the styling, the care that goes into making someone feel good about themselves. Then came two months of internship, where the skills she had practised in a classroom met real customers with real expectations. By May 2025, she had finished, and she was ready. Not long after, a salon in the centre of Kicukiro hired her. She earns a good salary there now, doing work she trained for and enjoys. Every month, she sets some of it aside for her family back in Gicumbi, and she puts the rest into savings, because Ruth is not finished yet. She is working toward a salon of her own. Not long ago, none of this was within reach for her. A steady job, a good wage, a plan taking shape. Ruth says the future she once only dreamed about is starting to happen right in front of her. In her own words: "I used to imagine a life like this without knowing how I would ever reach it. Today I'm living it, and I'm saving toward something even bigger. I'm grateful to Mwananshuti VTC and to MCC for opening that first door, and I hope many more young people get the same chance I did."

Vestine Uwamahoro grew up in Juru Sector, in Rwanda's Bugesera District, part of a family that struggled just to get by. That hardship eventually reached her education too. She had to leave secondary school, not for lack of ability, but because her family couldn't keep up with the costs. Then in March 2023, she heard that Mwananshuti VTC Bugesera, working with the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), was running a free six-month training program in Masonry and Tailoring. Something about tailoring just felt right for her, so that's what she chose. Over the following six months, plus a two-month internship, Vestine threw herself into learning the trade, finishing the program in September 2023. Felicite Ishimwe, her school manager at Mwananshuti VTC Bugesera, remembers her as a courageous and disciplined student, always eager to learn and fully focused on her work. After graduating, Vestine received a startup toolkit to help her get started on her own. She used it to open her own tailoring shop, and she now earns a living entirely through her own skill and effort. The family that once struggled financially is now in a far more stable place, thanks to what Vestine learned and built at Mwananshuti VTC. In her own words: "I'm so thankful to Mwananshuti VTC and to partners like MCC for the support that truly changed my life. I hope you keep reaching more young people in our community who are going through what I once went through."

NIYIGENA Marie Chantal, born in 2001, is from Juru Sector in Bugesera District and trained in tailoring at Mwananshuti VTC Bugesera. As the eldest of five children, she grew up in severe poverty where access to food was a daily challenge. She completed only five years of primary school before dropping out to help her parents on the farm. While still young, she learned about the free training opportunities at Mwananshuti VTC Bugesera, applied, and was accepted. She chose to specialize in tailoring, completed six months of training, and undertook a two-month internship. After training, she secured employment at a local tailoring shop earning 15,000 Frw per month. She immediately joined a savings and lending group, through which she obtained a loan to purchase her first sewing machine, forming the foundation of her own business. While continuing to work at the shop, she rented a workspace for 3,000 Frw per month and steadily saved money. Over time, she established her own tailoring shop, which now operates with three sewing machines—two rented out and one personally owned. She is fully self-reliant and supports both her parents and siblings. She has also financed her own wedding and is now married, building a life with her husband. In her words, she expresses gratitude to Mwananshuti VTC Bugesera for providing free knowledge, stating that she has transformed her life away from the conditions she was born into.