Beautiful Rwanda . . .

We are off to Rwanda for a mission that aims to make the already gorgeous Rwandan landscape even more beautiful and hospitable. It is also a mission filled with firsts as our associates end their first year in the Bpeace program:

• Our first corporate sponsor is traveling with us! Regis Corporation, one of the U.S.'s largest operators of beauty salons and retail stores, will be training Bpeace's salon owners and 35 of their staff members (staff training being another first) on color, styling, relaxing and service techniques.
• With the Regis team comes our first donated beauty supplies as thanks to Regis's generosity, boxes and boxes of beauty equipment and training DVDs have already arrived in Kigali.
• And we will use this opportunity to help the associates launch our first co-operative vocational school venture! We will work with our salon owners fulfill their dream to open a beauty school, building upon the foundation created by Regis.
• For all of our associates customer service development in Rwanda will be inaugurated! We will deliver our new customer service training module to each of the industry groups and follow-up with one on one intensive consulting.
• And a few lucky members of the team will travel to Butare to Symphrose’s hotel to set-up front desk protocols and introduce traveling mentor Denise Ward who will stay for three weeks to set-up food and beverage protocols and systems. Denise is our first hospitality traveling mentor.
• Money doesn’t always come first, but it’s generally close and we will seal and sign our FINA bank partnership which will provide our associates with access to capital. It’s a first for us and for them.
• And a special and moving day for all of us is promised as we visit the Gisozi Genocide Memorial together with all of our associates for the first time. It will be the beginning of a day marking the end of the first year with our associates as we discuss the road ahead and their Business to Peace Projects.

Much more is planned so tune in, read the daily reports, post your comments and view the beautiful photographs of Peter Lien, a wonderful photographer and Bpeace member who will be traveling with us. Posts begin September 3rd.