My work in Rwanda has been one of the most inspirational in my journey as an entrepreneur and peace builder - and was, in fact, one of the reasons that I decided to launch The Amber Chand Collection and support women who are the victims of war, genocide and civil strife.

In 2003, I journeyed to Rwanda at the invitation of the United Nations Womens Development Fund (UNIFEM) and as a founding member of the Business Council for Peace, a non profit organization based in New York. I had arrived to meet with widows from the genocide who were basket weavers and to support them in launching their traditional baskets - coined "The Rwandan Peace Basket" - to American audiences in the United States. What I heard were powerful, heart wrenching stories that reflected the resilience and courage that these women had to show during the shocking aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide in April 1994. I heard of women - from both Hutu and Tutsi groups - taking in orphaned children no matter what their ethnic affiliation; sitting together to weave baskets in a spirit of healing and reconciliation; gathering in their villages determined to "find a way" or otherwise going mad with their grief.

In launching The Rwandan Peace Scarves I once again offer a tribute to the enterprising women of Rwanda who now are laying the foundations for a new unfolding story. I am reminded of the Rwandan proverb "Climbing even a short hill will bring us to a higher point" - which expresses the needs of a people who are determined to find their way once again.

The Rwandan Peace Scarves are a testament to this courage. They cheerfully reflect the power of enterprise and self-sufficiency and the importance for women's economic security as a vital foundation for peace . For through this initiative, as with all the other projects on The Amber Chand Collection, we can see how, given the opportunity and support from the global community, women and men in these vulnerable regions of the world, can create lives of stability and enduring peace.

Even though the Rwandan Peace Scarves are simple in style, they emerge from a complex set of circumstances. As a cross-border initaitive, the mohair and wool used for the scarves is first spun in South Africa and then transported to Rwanda, where, once it has cleared customs, it is distributed to one of the knitting cooperatives in the southern province of the country. Here the women - with names such as Esperance, Furaho, and Hope gather to knit and crochet these colorful joyful scarves.

To learn more about the significance of the knitting cooperatives in Rwanda please visit Rwanda Knits (www.Rwandaknits.org) with whom we have fully partnered on this initiative.