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We are thrilled to welcome the newest class of aspiring leaders, entrepreneurs, and businesswomen to our Leadership Academy! Following a highly successful first semester filled with incredible business innovation, peer-to-peer mentorship & entrepreneurial creativity, we can’t wait for what the next six months have in store. Our second group of 25 students began classes on June 9th, 2015 which kicked off with an orientation and Google Chromebook training session. Since technology use is an integral part of our curriculum (and our students’ ability to access international markets!) we have put that at the forefront of our semester this year to ensure that all of our students start at the same level.
The second week of classes focused on inventory management and cooperative organization – lessons designed to help our partners lay the foundation for successful businesses. During Week 2, we sat down with some of our students (at break-time – they’re busy!) to hear more about their thoughts on the Academy and goals for the future. Here’s what they had to say:
Rebecca Ingabire, Advisor at Agatako Cooperative (25 years old)
“I wanted to enroll in the Leadership Academy for the opportunity to work with other women, build my confidence, and open my mind. Education is important because it will allow me to acquire the knowledge I need to compete in the labor market and grow and develop as a person. Someday, I’d like to open my own mini-market as well as a public speaking club where I can practice my communication skills.”
Therese, Cocoki Cooperative (39 years old)
“As a Student Fellow, I want to help other students in the class learn and also to improve my own knowledge about how to run a business. I’m most excited to learn bookkeeping and computer skills.”
Uwase Agatha, Auditor at Imirasire Cooperative (39 years old)
“I want to participate in the Leadership Academy in order to gain the knowledge needed to effectively perform my duties as an auditor. I am most excited to learn about wealth management and recording financial transactions. Education can help you to become a leader in your cooperative because when you are educated, people have more confidence in you to lead them. I want to become more innovative at making products and be a really good entrepreneur by 2017.”
Leonie Mukarukundo, Vice President of the Hope Cooperative at The Ingenzi Knit Union (36 years old)
“Education is important because it gives you knowledge. It will help me to help my children. My goal for them is to attend school through the university level and get the education that I did not have the chance to receive.”
Chantal Nyirambali, President of Imirasire Cooperative (50 years old)
“I am most excited to learn about marketing and leadership. Education is important because it helps you to get advanced knowledge and allows you to grow. My goal is to be able to fully provide for my family and be a role model to women in my community.”
Aren’t these women just amazing?! We certainly think so! Stay tuned for more insider info throughout the semester on our partners’ progress in and outside of the classroom – there will surely be much to share!
The Leadership Academy is generously supported by the Ann B. Zeis Scholarship Fund.
Click here to learn more
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: we love flowers – especially the wild, blooming beauties of Brooklyn-based floral & garden design company, Fox Fodder Farm. Founded in 2011 by Taylor Patterson, Fox Fodder Farm is known for its enchantingly vibrant & lush floral arrangements. We met the lovely Taylor in the spring of 2013 and immediately knew we wanted to bring her into the Indego family. Taylor sketched us some beautiful vase designs, the ladies in Rwanda worked their magic with locally-sourced materials, and voilà! Our best-selling vase collaboration came to life that very holiday season.
Since then the Indego Africa x Fox Fodder Farm collection of unique vases has grown in popularity (J. Crew even took notice and added them to their spring 2015 home collection!). Made up of recycled glass bottles and topped with woven palm leaf, the elegantly rustic feel of these vases plays off the delicate beauty of our favorite flowers perfectly.
We recently visited Taylor’s to-die-for Brooklyn studio (read: floral scent heaven) and asked her to show us how she would expertly arrange these vases. Here’s what Taylor had to say about the vases & the flowers she loves to pair them with!"I love these vases because I have always been attracted to the woven baskets and vessels but they never hold water. As a florist I love to use what I can for flowers, so the fact that these vases have the woven look that I love plus hold water is perfect. These vases compliment anything that has an interesting shape and structure. "
The Foraged Feel
raspberry foliage and anything else you can cut from your yard
Perfectly Feminine
a few spray roses
Structured
foxglove flowers, these are special to me and have great structure & shape
The Minimalist
yellow beaded iris, these are seasonal for spring and also have great structure & shape with a pop of color
More than 200,000 people between the ages of 15-24 live with HIV/AIDS in Rwanda. Even more are affected by the disease – struggling with taking care of ill family, or dealing with the loss of parents, guardians, or other relatives.Originally posted on one.org__________At Indego Africa, we see firsthand the devastating effects that HIV/AIDS can have on individuals and communities in Rwanda. That’s why we are thrilled to partner with CHABHA (Children Affected by HIV/AIDS) to help provide employment & vocational training to the ISANO cooperative – a group of talented young people, all of whom are affected in some way by HIV/AIDS. CHABHA is a nonprofit that partners with community-based organizations in Rwanda and Burundi to support children and youth affected by HIV/AIDS and poverty. The young people CHABHA works with come from the poorest families in their communities, with parents or guardians who are unable to provide for them.When discussing HIV/AIDS in Rwanda, it is important to acknowledge the 1994 genocide that contributed significantly to its spread. During those 100 days, an estimated 250,000 – 500,000 women were raped, often by known HIV+ men, as a weapon of genocide. Today, survivors and their families continue to struggle with the aftermath of this devastating violence.
While young people in Rwanda, and around the world, are often the most vulnerable population affected by HIV/AIDS, they are also determined to rise above it. The young people of the ISANO cooperative – an Indego Africa & CHABHA partner – are no exception.ISANO is a weaving cooperative in the Kicukiro district of Rwanda. It was founded in 2013 by entrepreneurial high school student, Celine Mudahakana (in partnership with CHABHA’s Project Independence Initiative) in order to create a sustainable source of income for young people affected by HIV/AIDS. Most of ISANO’s members had dropped out of school because they could not afford to pay the fees. Without education or income-earning opportunities, these young adults and their families were living a life of abject poverty.
At Indego Africa, we believe deeply in the power of education and economic empowerment to transform lives. That’s why we are thrilled to partner withISANO to create beautiful woven products – like a loomed linen spring scarf collection – that provide its artisans with opportunities to earn sustainable, fair-trade income and to learn valuable business skills along the way.
Opportunities like these not only help young people affected by HIV/AIDS escape from poverty, but also help them gain something of immense value: hope. By developing useful, life-long skills, and building self-confidence in the process, ISANO’s artisans are now looking towards the future with hopefulness, rather than despair. They are seeking new ways to grow their cooperative, generating innovative business ideas, and – to quote our long-time artisan partner, Emelienne – “dreaming dreams they did not know it was possible to dream.”
We are honored to work with these brave young people who are not only creating brighter futures for themselves and their families but also serving as role models for others – showing them that they too can take ownership of their futures.
Celine, ISANO’s founder, is thrilled at all the progress that the members of ISANO have made. Her dreams for their future? “I want [ISANO] to influence other generations,” she says, “[I want them] to bring more people into this project and other projects like these so that all young people who do not have opportunities can have the chance to become financially independent.”We couldn’t agree more and are deeply excited to continue to work with and support ISANO and CHABHA in the years to come, helping more young people to develop life-changing skills.You can learn more about Indego Africa and the ISANO collection here.
We are so excited to partner with textile designer Aelfie on a collaboration inspired by our shared love of bold color, eccentric design, and, of course, the art of the handmade. Aelfie is the visionary behind the beautifully handwoven rugs, whimsically embroidered pillows, and geometric home décor pieces of her eponymous brand.
We collaborated with Aelfie to create a line of bright limited-edition plateau baskets, handmade by our partners in Rwanda, which are the perfect way to add a striking pop of color {and conscience!} to your tables, walls and surfaces. Here’s what Aelfie had to say about the collection:
“Each design is comprised of disjointed shapes in vibrant hues. The bowls are a remembrance of Rwanda's recent history and an optimistic artifact of the present. It has been an honor to work with such talented artisans and a company so fiercely committed to ethics and aesthetics.”
Below are some hand-picked-by-Aelfie images of the inspiration behind our collaboration & the pieces that came out of it! We hope you enjoy them & get inspired too.
At Indego Africa, we believe deeply in the power of education to transform lives. That’s why we are so proud {& excited!} to partner with Same Sky to provide their artisans with entrepreneurial education through our business training program! Same Sky is a trade-not-aid jewelry company that works to create employment opportunities for women in Rwanda {and the USA} who are struggling to lift themselves out of extreme poverty. Their vision is to give a second chance to all women living under the same sky {hence, the catchy name} and now they want to take their vision even further by providing their artisans with education. We couldn’t be more on board!
The inaugural semester of our Indego Africa x Same Sky business training program began on June 5th with 16 of Same Sky’s artisans in the class, all of whom are also members of Avega Agahoza (Association of Widows of the Genocide). Having faced profound hardships in their lives, these women are eager to further their business education, take their entrepreneurial skills to the next level, and create better opportunities for themselves, their families, and their communities. Through our business training program – taught by our very own Education Associate, Modeste Ngabonziza – these 16 students will learn lessons in: cooperative management, growing and expanding a business, budgeting, strategic planning, and leadership skills {the same business curriculum taught at our partner co-ops}. With this valuable knowledge, women will be able to become confident empowered businesswomen and lift themselves & their families out of poverty.
We are thrilled to partner with a company like Same Sky whose mission so much aligns with our own. Here’s to education & empowerment for all women in Rwanda & under the same sky!
Learn more about Same Sky >
While many of us wish to make a positive difference in the world, it can be hard to figure out how to do it. As individuals, how can we drive change in our communities and around the globe? Where is a good place to start?
One answer – which may surprise you – is…shopping.Originally posted on one.org
-------Yes, that’s right – from the groceries we eat to the clothes we put on our backs, the decisions we make everyday about what and what not to buy can profoundly impact the world in which we live. This line of thinking – often called “conscious consumerism” – is on the rise as buyers are becoming increasingly invested in the way that products are made and the effects they have on people and the environment.
At Indego Africa, we believe deeply in the power of ethically made products that empower the people who create them. That’s why we partner with more than 800 female artisans across Rwanda, providing them with opportunities to earn fair-trade, sustainable income for their beautifully handcrafted products. We sell these pieces around the world, and pool 100% of the proceeds from sales, along with grants and donations, to fund education programs for the very same women.
While we are just one of a growing number of socially responsible brands, we want to share with you why we love what we do and hopefully inspire you to jump on the shopping-for-a-cause train too!
Each product provides a woman with a real, living wage. We believe in paying our artisan partners fairly, honoring the incredible skill, patience, and creativity that goes into their work (some products, like our colorful plateau baskets, each take 2-3 days to make!)
With increased income, women are able to care for themselves and their families. Most of our artisan partners are mothers, and like all moms they want nothing more than to create beautiful lives for their children. We are deeply inspired by their determination and proud to see them earn enough not only to provide for their families’ basic needs – like food and housing – but also to invest in their children’s futures by sending them to school.
All proceeds go towards education. We believe that education is the key to empowerment. That’s why we provide our partners with a range of educational opportunities – both at our Leadership Academy and onsite at their workplaces – to help them develop the life-long knowledge and skills they need to thrive as confident businesswomen, creative entrepreneurs and powerful community leaders
There is something distinctly special about a product that is handmade. We love to shop products made with love and care – to feel the soul and craftsmanship in every stitch. It is a way of connecting with artisans around the world – of sharing in their culture and traditions and celebrating their remarkable crafts.
As you can see, empowering women through artistry and education is a cause we are deeply passionate about. But now we want to turn it over to you: what causes are most important to you? What companies are out there fighting for them too?
As Olivia Wilde, actress and co-founder of Conscious Commerce, likes to say: “your dollar is your vote.” By choosing to direct the money we already spend towards products and companies we believe in, we can not only make a difference in the world but also send a powerful message to corporations that we will not support products that are harmful to humanity.
It may sound simple, but as consumers we have more power than we think. By introducing a little bit of passion and purpose into our purchases, we can make a whole lot of difference.
To see more of our products, made with love by women in Rwanda, please click here.
Indego Africa kids! A celebration of where creativity begins...We love the magic, joy and playfulness of childhood and our new line of pattern-happy kids items is inspired by this childlike spirit of fun and adventure! We spent a day with two of the cutest kids around - Peter & Genevieve - to explore the world through Indego colors. We adventured into enchanted forests, frolicked amongst magical flowers, and brought some of our favorite patterned stuffed animals along with us.Afterwards, Peter & Genevieve told us some of their favorite moments from the day and shared insights into their world of childhood wonders. Here's what they had to say:What was the best part of today?Peter: The best part was when we took the picture of me and Genevieve walking over the bridge at a wedding (ed. note: this shot was peter's idea) What do you want to be when you grow up? Peter: An engineer because I like to build things!
Genevieve: A doctor so I can help people & a teacher so I can teach kids how to read books.What item did you like wearing the best? Why?Peter: The bow tie because its handsome.
Genevieve: The dress because its beautiful. What makes you smile everyday?(both): Summer, beach & pool!
We love doing fun things with friends! That’s why we were so excited to do a photo shoot with Thread & Silk – the ethical fashion creation of Chloe Guss, a once-upon-a-time Indego intern.
Thread & Silk creates one-of-a-kind luxury vintage shirts using 100% recycled fabrics. We love the way these whimsical, eye-catching pieces look with our jewelry & accessories – whether playing off our cowhorn & tin necklaces or accented by our brightly colored textile turbands.
Check out some of the looks we put together below – we hope you love them too!
For more on Thread & Silk, click here | To shop our featured pieces, click here
