Meet Yvette Ishimwe, a BDC Grad who won the Queen’s Young Leaders Award

We always love to share incredible stories of our graduates who are changing the nation of Rwanda and the World through doing business from the heart. Today, we propose you to meet an exceptional BDC graduate and young entrepreneur, Yvette Ishimwe.

In December 2016, Yvette graduated from the 17th cohort of our 14-week World-class Entrepreneurial Action-Learning Program certified by Regent University (USA) and run by the Rwanda Business Development Center (BDC). While at the BDC, her passion for solving real-life challenges in her community led her to develop a life-changing business that she called “Iriba Clean Water Delivery Ltd”. Today, this project is greatly contributing to the betterment of life of communities in the Eastern Province of Rwanda through increased access to clean water, at an affordable price, something that residents of this water-scarce area had never dreamed even once in their lives.

Photo: Yvette Ishimwe posing for a picture during her graduation from the Rwanda Business Development Center (BDC)

This year, 20-year-old Yvette Ishimwe was one of the only two lucky winners from Rwanda selected to receive the highly-coveted “Queen’s Young Leaders Award” awarded to her by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, London.

“I was lucky to be among the winners because they realised that my project has the potential to impact my community, and the award became a fuelling force that encouraged me to do more for my community and country at large as a leader, to work even harder and transform people’s lives” 

– Yette Ishimwe tells the New Times in an exclusive interview on August 31, 2017

The award celebrates inspiring young people from all over the Commonwealth that are dedicated to driving change in their communities and beyond. Ishimwe was recognised by Queen Elizabeth for her work that includes reducing the burden on women and children through improving access to safe water.

Yvette Ishimwe meets Queen Elizabeth. Left: Ishimwe’s project offers authentic innovative solutions to water scarcity. Courtesy photos

To learn more about Yvette’s business and her entrepreneurial journey, we encourage you to read her full transcript of her exclusive interview with The New Times about what the award means to her and how she intends to continue to impact lives. Here is the article featuring Yvette’s full interview.

Yvette’s story can be your story! If you want to impact your nation through business, the Rwanda Business Development Center (BDC) has a place for you. We are committed to nurturing entrepreneurs like you to build successful businesses through world-class training and support with mentoring and coaching, connections and access to capital. Applications are now OPEN for the next intake of our World-class Entrepreneurial Action-Learning Program to begin in mid-November 2017. Click here and Apply Today!