Iphigenia Mukantabana, who lives in Gitarama, an hour outside Kigali, told CNN she witnessed horrors when Hutu militias clubbed Tutsis, killed them with machetes and raped the women. Among those who died were her husband and five children.

"In my heart, the dead are dead, and they cannot come back again," Mukantabana said. "So I have to get on with the others and forget what has happened."

The peace baskets that Mukantabana and her friend Epiphania Mukanyndwi weave are destined for sale at Macy's in the United States. The two women also eat together, joined by Jean-Bosco Bizimana, Mukanyndwi's husband.

Bizimana spent seven years in prison for his part in the genocide. He also appeared before a gacaca court in Rwanda, a tribunal aimed at fostering reconciliation. Mukantabana said the court helped her forgive because the killers had to admit what they did and to ask for forgiveness.