In mid-August 2007, a team of volunteers ventured to Rwanda in search of the first development partnership for Indego Africa. The trip objectives were lengthy: find a suitable partner organization, solidify government relationships at the local and national level, select and order market-ready products for the US market, and navigate all manner of logistical hurdles. All in 12 days.
Against long odds, the team met its goals and Indego Africa is already delivering on its mission to provide economic opportunities to those who need it in Rwanda. Indego Africa forged partnerships with two handicraft cooperatives, placed a large product order and made pre-payments to hard-working tailors and weavers. Read more about our two new partners:
Of course, the Indego Africa visit to Rwanda felt like much more than a business trip. It is hard to summarize and categorize the range of emotions that team members experienced. Anguish and sorrow at the frighteningly tangible genocide memorial church in Nyamata (see videos). Humility when interviewing young women who raise multiple children, many of them orphans, while somehow finding the strength to learn to sew or weave baskets. Optimism as the team witnessed everyday Rwandans, from the water carriers to high government officials, working diligently to overcome the legacy of their past and instilling hope in their family and nation.
NEW INDEGO AFRICA PRODUCT LINE!
The Indego Africa partner cooperatives have made a number of incredible produts: ingenious wine coasters, hand-woven agaseke and plateau baskets, and intricate basket ornaments. Indego Africa products are ready for delivery in the United States right now. Visit our products page to learn more about the products and what they mean to the people who made them. Interested in making a large order? Please e-mail us at
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or call us at +1-713-568-1842.
More than anything, it’s the images and sounds that will stay with the team. A group of 75 widows of the genocide greeting the team with a traditional song of welcome and then dancing to a newer song of reconciliation (see video). Men chewing sugar cane on the side of the road during breaks from cutting stalks with their machetes. New friends greeting team members enthusiastically, eager to accept Indego Africa and its members into the Rwandan family.
We invite you to view our photos and videos below to get a feeling for these images of Rwanda, its people and its future. As you can see from the photos, the women working in our partner cooperatives are facing difficult circumstances but are excited to have an opportunity to ply their trade and to be ambassadors for their country. You can help them along, perhaps by sponsoring the purchasing of equipment or by sending their children to school. Click below if you can help:
Please note: Your donation may be pooled with other donations to be used by Indego Africa in carrying out its mission. Indego Africa is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. To learn more, please visit the Donate Now page.
Click here to see Rwanda Videos from the Indego Africa trip.
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RWANDA 
