info@gahayalinks.com +250 788 307 250
Contact Partners
Gahaya Residency
Contact Info
Kicukiro, Kigali, Rwanda info@gahayalinks.com +250 788 307 250

Meet Our Team

The women whose vision and leadership drive Gahaya Links forward.

3 Leaders • 4,000+ Weavers
Joy Ndungutse

Founder

Joy Ndungutse

Born in Rwanda's Eastern Province, Joy spent childhood in a refugee camp in Uganda. Her mother and oldest sister were weavers, inspiring her vision. After training as a secretary and working internationally for 15 years, she returned to Rwanda post-genocide and founded Gahaya Links. She trained rural women in modern basket weaving designs using traditional techniques. Joy serves as Vice-chair of New Faces New Voices Rwanda, Founding Member of Alliance for Artisan Enterprise, and Advisor to Girl Hub Rwanda.

Janet Nkubana

Co-Founder

Janet Nkubana

Janet escaped poverty in a Ugandan refugee camp through a church scholarship. Inspired by her late mother and other Rwandan women affected by the 1994 Genocide, she became motivated to empower underprivileged women. She serves on the World Craft Council board and is an active member of the Chamber of Women Entrepreneurs. Janet believes that women's economic empowerment provides the foundation for achieving sustainable dignity, peace and development.

Sarah Mutesi Ban

Marketing

Sarah Mutesi Ban

Sarah studied business marketing at Louisiana's Grambling State University and worked in Corporate America for seven years before joining Gahaya Links full-time. After witnessing firsthand how handicrafts help disadvantaged Rwandan women escape poverty, she committed fully to the cause, representing the collective in the USA with focus on marketing and sales. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two daughters.

"Something small can create an impact. You don't have to have a lot of money to start a business. You can start small, but you must have a passion for what you're doing."