Kigali Connections

The team's trip to Rwanda was a tremendously valuable and interesting experience that we will always cherish. The endless rolling hills and wonderfully clean winding streets of Kigali were a sight to behold as we moved from meeting to meeting throughout the month. Among the strategic connections we had the privilege of sharing ideas with were artists, designers, business people, musicians, volunteers, politicians, and even a world class chef. 

None were more entertaining than Pascal, a high energy businessman of a special breed. With the first words that came out of his mouth it was apparent to me that this man had a great deal of international trading and selling experience. In his classic Congolese charming braggadocious fashion, he rattled off a series of money making ideas ranging from seemingly ridiculous to downright brilliant. When it came time to seriously talk about the business at hand, we quickly arrived at the conclusion that sourcing hardwoods from the central Congo basin via Kisangani would be ideal. 

This “simple” first step of sourcing and exporting raw cut slabs to Texas will lead us to the next stage of investing in a modern kiln for drying woods in Gisenyi near Goma for sale around East Africa and the world. With experienced and hard working connections like Pascal, we are well prepared to work toward our high impact goals one step at a time.