Dr Stroma Cole provided responsible community-based tourism training for women at the Nyamirambo Women’s Centre (NWC), a self-help group in Kigali, Rwanda, that supports local disadvantaged women wanting to continue their education and training, and to gain better opportunities for employment. The NWC members are employed as domestic workers, manual labourers in small businesses, and hairdressers, or are students or unemployed. The NWC members chose Responsible Community-Based Tourism as a core activity for economic empowerment but had little idea about how to implement, market, or coordinate their ideas. With guidance from Dr Cole, they produced a tour that would give visitors an insight into the everyday life, social events and businesses in one of the oldest, most colourful, inner-city areas of Kigali. During the course, they learned about the basic principles of Responsible Community-Based Tourism and worked on improving their tour, identifying target markets, and developing links with other groups in the city. The tours earn money for the group to support the community’s women. For further information, go to www.nwc-kigali.org.

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