Blog
Support Refugee Artisans This #GivingTuesdayIndego Africa is committed to creating economic opportunities for refugees by facilitating their participation in the global artisan economy.
Over the past 10 years, our team has worked hard to empower artisan women in Africa through employment opportunities and business education. To get an exclusive perspective on our programs in Rwanda and Ghana, we asked our Country Directors, Rosine Urujeni and Louisa Adu, what makes Indego’s model and mission so relevant in each of their communities.
We love supporting Handspun Hope, an organization that is not only changing women’s lives, but also creating 100 percent made-in-Rwanda products with a beautiful story behind every stitch. That's why we're excited to introduce a new line of kids' knits, made from 100 percent organic, merino wool and photographed on the granddaughters of the knitters themselves!
In search of cozy new trends, just in time for fall? Look no further than our new line of beautiful knit sweaters handspun with heart in the hills of Rwanda!
Our new line of hand-knit fisherman sweaters was made in partnership with Handspun Hope—a True Vineyards Ministries initiative that helps women in Musanze, Rwanda lift themselves out of poverty by spinning local sheep’s wool into high-quality, 100 percent organic merino yarn.
Handspun Hope employs 44 women, most of whom are widows, who spin, dye, and knit locally-harvested sheep’s wool by hand at an artisan cooperative in Rwanda. The sheep are raised on a breathtaking farm, located nearby at the foot of Rwanda’s Virunga mountains. There, the sheep are cared for night and day by a devoted shepherd named Faustin.
Once every eight months, Faustin shears the sheep’s wool (a process that does not hurt the sheep in any way) and brings it to the artisans’ cooperative where the women turn it into yarn. First, they triple-wash it clean and pick out any grass or debris that may remain. They then de-tangle the wool, comb out the fibers, and feed them into a spinning wheel, making one ply of yarn at a time.
Once the yarn is ready, the women dye it by hand using local plant, flower, and vegetable material— like eucalyptus leaves, local flora, avocado, and onion skins—that they often pick on their way to work in the morning. The final result is soft, high-quality merino yarn that is naturally-made, beautifully-dyed, 100 percent organic, and eco-friendly from start to finish.
We absolutely love the quality, texture, and rustic aesthetic of Handspun Hope’s yarn and are so excited to launch our new line of fisherman sweaters, all hand-spun, hand-dyed, and hand-knit by Handspun Hope’s artisans!
To shop our new line of adult knit sweaters, click here.
Introducing our new collection of hand crafted ceramics & loomed alpaca accessories.
When: Tuesday, September 5th – Tuesday, September 19th
Why: To raise critical support for our education programs and artisan partners in Rwanda & Ghana!
At Indego Africa, we believe women and youth hold the key to long-term empowerment and social change. That’s why we provide the educational resources and business opportunities they need to create sustainable livelihoods for themselves and future generations.
We sat down with some of our earliest artisan partners to find out what education means to them and why they are so passionate about their work with Indego!
Chantal Nyirabambari began partnering with Indego Africa in 2009 when she joined Imirasire Cooperative and learned how to weave. She graduated from Indego’s Leadership Academy in January of 2016 and has since been elected president of her cooperative twice! Chantal uses the business skills she’s learned from her partnership with Indego to better the management of her cooperative and her local community.
