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This Giving Tuesday, help us empower young women in Rwanda!60% of the Rwandan population is under 24 years old. Yet most young people, especially young women, remain unemployed or underemployed, without the skills or business knowledge needed to succeed in the workforce.
At Indego Africa, we are committed to helping young women in Africa reach their full potential. Our Vocational Training program helps youth in Rwanda build sustainable career paths in the artisan sectorand lift themselves out of poverty.
Among the 45 students in our first Vocational Training class: 0% were employed at the beginning of the program. By graduation, 100% became employed as artisans!
Our Vocational Training program is fundamentally changing the lives of young women in Rwanda. Youth who once lived without hope for the future, are now becoming businesswomen and entrepreneurs in their communities. But to keep this program alive, and reach more vulnerable young people in Rwanda, we need your support!
Donate today to transform lives—by investing in youth, you’ll invest in the future.
At Indego Africa, we are committed to empowerment and equal opportunity for women in Rwanda, Ghana, and around the world. It’s important to us to share this message and help ensure that women’s voices are heard and amplified.
We sat down with our CEO, Karen Yelick, an inspiring businesswoman, mother, and leader to hear her insights on global women’s empowerment and why Indego Africa’s mission is so important to her. Below she shares her thoughts and experiences from her time on Wall Street as a working mother, her travels in Rwanda and Ghana, and the values that shape her leadership.
We hope you enjoy the interview and share your stories of empowerment too! Stay tuned for more coming soon, from the words of our partners in Africa.
What motivated you to leave your successful career on Wall Street and join (& lead!) the Indego Africa team?Before I joined Indego in 2012, I spent 24 years working at Merrill Lynch, where I had a great career. I loved the excitement, teamwork and intellectual demands of the industry, and felt loyal to the company that had given me flexible working hours when my kids were young.
Ever since I can remember, I have been aware of inequity in the world, especially as it relates to women and children. I knew I wanted to transition into the social good sector at some point in my life, and in the autumn of 2011, three years after the financial crisis, I felt it was the right time. I was also impressed by how much the nonprofit space had evolved over the years and the number of innovative social enterprises that were emerging on the scene.
Indego stood out to me because of its focus on financial empowerment and education for women, as well as its entrepreneurial work culture. I was excited about the opportunity to use my experience working at a big business, to help women in the developing world better manage and grow their small businesses.
What inspires you about Indego Africa's mission? Why do you think empowering women in Africa is so important (and what does empowerment mean to you?)
I am so inspired by helping women in Rwanda and Ghana earn steady income to provide for themselves and their families. The saying that “privilege is what you’ve been spared from,” really resonates with me. I can’t imagine the stress of not knowing where your family’s next meal might come from or knowing that, no matter how much you might want it for your children, a secondary school education will be off the table.
By providing our partners with steady employment and education, Indego is helping women achieve financial independence and the confidence that comes with it. When we first started, the majority of our partners were earning around 25¢ a day. Now, almost 10 years later, it’s amazing to see these same women running their own businesses and becoming leaders in their communities.
For me, empowerment is about equal opportunity. Rights, equality, and empowerment for women are deeply important causes in and of themselves, and they are also important for society more broadly. To move our communities and our countries forward, we have to give women—half the population—access to equal education, resources, work opportunities, you name it.
Tell us about one of your favorite moments or stories from your travels in Rwanda and Ghana.
Wow, there are so many. One of my favorite recent moments was a graduation ceremony we held in Rwanda in June for our Vocational Training students, young women from rural communities, and our Leadership Academy students, who are older, more experienced artisans.
During the ceremony, we alternated between awarding diplomas to the Vocational students and then to our Leadership Academy participants. When they met in the middle of the stage, each pair of women—younger and older—hugged one another.
It was such a beautiful moment to see the intergenerational power of Indego’s work in Rwanda and to see the way these women were united in their passion for education, for artistry, and for contributing to the development of their country.
What are your core values as a businesswoman and leader? Integrity, empathy, excellence, collaboration, and adaptability.
What advice would you give to women who are navigating building a career and being a mom at the same time?
If you establish a career before starting a family, you’re in a better position to negotiate some flexibility with the demands of your job and raising your children.
Keep your foot in the working world after maternity leave. If you want to scale back, try to transition to part-time or transfer to a less-demanding job with the same company while your children are young and ramp it back up whenever you’re ready. If you leave your job or the working world all together, it can be hard to get back in 3-5 years later.
It takes teamwork between you and your partner to cover all the moving pieces of raising children. Maintain an honest and close relationship with the person who is taking care of your children while you are at work – make them a part of your family.
Make being home for dinner with your family a priority, try to really be there—no cell phones at the table! Engage your children in lively conversation. The consistency of dinner as family time makes a difference. You can always come back to your work later in the evening.
Name a woman (or women), past or present, who you admire or look up to.
Diane Von Furstenberg, for so many reasons.
What is your hope for the future of women's empowerment and equality around the world and in the communities of women Indego Africa supports?
Women around the world deserve access to equal opportunities, equal resources, and equal value in society. Women’s voices need to be heard and their rights respected. As a global community, I hope we will continue to make the empowerment of women a priority and push back against those who may try to move us backwards.
For Indego Africa’s partners, I hope these talented, passionate, and determined women will continue to reach even higher and achieve their dreams—for themselves, for their children, and ultimately for the future generations of women and girls to come after them.
At Indego Africa, we are endlessly inspired by the bright colors, beautiful landscapes, and whimsical designs of Africa. We teamed up with Framebridge, our favorite custom framing company, to bring pieces of our travels to you and your home!
Our new Indego Africa x Framebridge collection features framed prints, shot by our Brand Manager, Brittany Barb, that capture the sights, colors, people, and positive vibes of our some of our favorite spots in Rwanda & Ghana. It also includes specialty embroidered artwork, handmade with heart by the artisans of the Ibaba Cooperative in Rwanda!
Our Creative Director, Deirdre King, chatted with the founders of Framebridge about the collection, her inspiration, and Indego Africa’s long-term partnerships with artisans in Rwanda & Ghana. See excerpts from the interview below and shop the collection here!
How did you start working with Framebridge?
We first launched our embroidered art a couple of years ago and handled the framing ourselves. It was expensive, complicated and required an expertise we just didn’t have. After a few months we decided we could only sell in person due to the challenges we were facing, so our pieces were hidden from our growing online customer base. So when we decided it was time to add our beautiful photography to our line and revisit the embroidered art, we knew we needed to launch with a partner who could manage the framing side of things. Naturally we thought of Framebridge, which provides a top-notch service with accessible pricing and a great aesthetic and voice. We reached out and were thrilled they were interested in partnering—it seemed like a match made in heaven!
What sort of framed art will you sell in your print shop?
Our Brand Manager, Brittany Barb, is also our staff photographer and she is supremely talented (just take a look at her work on our Instagram and website). During her annual trips to our partner countries she captures beautiful imagery of landscapes, artisans, nature, culture and day-to-day snapshots of life. These photos are not only gorgeous, but they give a glimpse into the inherent beauty of both Ghana and Rwanda, as well as that of the beautiful people who live there.
We will also be selling specialty art pieces, hand-embroidered by women at one of our partner groups in Rwanda, Ibaba. These pieces are delicately embroidered on Belgian linen and, when framed and mounted, truly showcase the intricate handiwork of these remarkable women. We are launching with a whimsical, sequined flamingo piece—who can say no to that?
Any favorite pieces?
I’m obsessed with them all. I moved a few months ago and basically decorated my whole space based on where I could hang these pieces. If I had to choose, I would pick one of the Ghana landscapes. I have our Sea Tones piece hanging in my son’s nursery. It has a cool beach vibe and gives new life to his hand-me-down furniture from his sister!
Full interview available here.
To shop the Indego x Framebridge collection, and bring new inspiration to your home, click here!
Our brand-new baby bassinets were handmade in collaboration with Design Dua—a design company that employs rural artisan women in the north of Ghana. We teamed up to create an exclusive collection of baskets, handwoven out of elephant grass and accented with pink or white leather handles. Designed with your little one in mind, these baskets are perfect for rest or for play and help support artisans in northern Ghana!Design Dua was founded by Coretta Owusu, a lawyer and entrepreneur with a passion for design, creativity, and social change. Coretta grew up in the United States but often traveled to Ghana to visit relatives. After graduating from college, she decided to move to Ghana and, while living there, found herself continuously inspired by the local crafts and artisan techniques she encountered.
Coretta moved back to the U.S. to attend law school but knew that her ultimate goal was to create businesses that would help drive growth in Ghana. In 2015, after launching several new enterprises in Ghana’s hospitality and travel industries, Coretta channeled her passion for design to start Design Dua. Her mission? To inspire modern families to incorporate African-inspired products into their homes and everyday lives.
Design Dua works with artisan weavers in Ghana’s northern Bolgatanga region to help them earn fair income for their beautiful artistry. When she first started, Coretta found that many of the basket weavers were not keeping track of their raw material expenses and were selling their baskets at cost without even realizing it. This practice left many women caught within a static cycle—they were unable to move forward, earn sustainable income, or build up their own businesses.
Design Dua addresses these issues by covering the cost of raw materials for the artisans and paying them fair wages for their work. Like Indego, Design Dua emphasizes teaching its partners to understand quality control, product standards, and basic business practices—skills that helps artisans become equal players in the global economy.
Coretta reached out to Indego Africa earlier this year after seeing our collaboration with Ghanaian accessories brand, A.A.K.S. Coretta was drawn to Indego’s blend of modern designs with traditional techniques, as well as our emphasis on social impact and education.
When we asked Coretta what inspired her in her design process and day-to-day work, she said:
“I love working in Ghana and supporting marginalized women who haven’t had access to the same opportunities as I have. These products show that Ghana has something to offer. While we may not be considered a destination for manufacturing, we have amazing crafts and artisan-made products. It inspires me to be able to put Ghana on the map through products that are high-quality, well-designed, and have a great story behind them. I try to come up with creative designs that are useful, not just decorative, and that people can incorporate into their everyday lives.”
We share Coretta’s mission and inspiration and are excited to launch our collaborative collection of baby bassinets, which reflect our shared love of beautifully handmade products, elegant design, empowering women and, of course, all things baby & kids! To shop and learn more about the products, click here
We are so excited to announce our newest piece of decor, handmade with heart for your home! Our brand-new ottoman pouf is upholstered using indigo mudcloth, hand-dyed in Mali, and sourced in Kumasi, Ghana. Mudcloth, or bògòlanfini in Mali’s Bambara language, is a traditional Malian and West African textile that is typically made with—you guessed it—mud. The process begins with narrow strips of cloth which are dyed in baths of leaves or bark and left in the sun to dry. Once they’re dry, the cloths are painted with fermented mud and sewn together to create intricate patterns and symbols, all with different stories, myths, and meanings behind them.
Many of our artisan partners are becoming entrepreneurs—pooling their resources (like income earned from Indego Africa orders!), getting creative, and using the knowledge and skills they have built in our education programs to start new businesses in their communities.
With myriad challenges facing entrepreneurs in Africa and across the developing world today—such as lack of access to capital and business training—we wanted to know how our partners are overcoming obstacles and generating economic growth in their communities. We were curious to hear how they are thinking about their businesses, products, and services and what they are doing to make their entrepreneurial endeavors a success.
Keep reading to see what they had to say and please consider contributing our Back-to-School Campaign to support education programs that are making entrepreneurship possible in Rwanda & Ghana!
Felicité, Leadership Academy Graduate (Rwanda)
Owner of a clothing shop in Bugesera, Rwanda.
“I have a small shop where I sell clothes. I started the business in March 2015. Through Indego Africa orders, I was able to earn money that I saved up in my local community’s savings group and later I decided to invest it in my business. The Leadership Academy helped
me get the knowledge I needed to run my business. I learned how to source materials and how to record transactions
properly and to calculate profit and losses.
While at first I was just selling kitenge (traditional Rwandan women’s clothes) the items I offer have evolved over time. I now sell men’s clothes like shirts and trousers, and I keep increasing the inventory and the variety of products when I get extra income.
It’s important for me to keep evolving. In the future, I want to carry different household items because they are needed in my area and not many people sell them so I will be able to profit.”
Noah Opoku,
Basic Business Training Graduate (Ghana)
Sells handwoven slippers made from kente cloth
“I first learned how to weave from my brother, and I decided to start making woven shoes out of kente cloth. I design and make the shoes myself, and I try to make them different than the traditional slippers you might find at the market. For example, I make customized shoes with buyers’ names on them, which students love in particular.
When I first wanted to start my business about a year ago, I faced some challenges. I did not have enough money to buy my raw materials in bulk and my skill of making kente slippers was not perfect, and thus I was slow and the quality of my work was not the best. But now, I have really improved and have begun using new strategies to make a profit.
The lessons I learned at Indego Africa’s Basic Business Training program were really helpful for me. Learning about quality control, samples, and customer requests has helped me package my products nicely so that my customers are satisfied with what they purchase from me. The program also helped me to be more innovative, and now I have added keychains and bracelets made from kente thread to my product line.
I also started adding pens as part of my product packaging and this makes people more interested in buying from me so that they can get a pen as a freebie. I opened an account on Facebook to help me with marketing my products.
In the next five years, I want my business to be well established with several branches in the region and across the entire country.
I would also like to train other people and employ them to work with me.”
Bahizi Emmanuel,
Technology Training for the Workplace Graduate (Rwanda)
Aspiring entrepreneur
“I would like to start a catering
business. I grew up seeing my mother do that and it allowed her to pay for me to go to school. I want to start it because I have experience with this kind of business and have worked with my mother baking cakes and other kinds of food. Here in Kigali, we do not have a variety of restaurants downtown and people have to leave their offices for lunch, which can be difficult sometimes. My food would also always be fresh which is different from what many businesses serve.
I can use the Technology Training for the Workplace skills I learned from Indego Africa to help me manage my business. I now know how to use MS Word and Excel to keep records of my business. I will use Word to write a business plan and Excel for projection calculations of future profits or losses. I can also use the PowerPoint skills to make presentations of my business to potential investors.
I think a successful business owner is a good planner, implementer and manager. He or she is the one who is able to attract clients, understand their needs, and deliver.”
We are excited to see our partners using their education—whether it’s Basic Business Training, the Leadership Academy, Technology Training or another one of our programs—to start and grow new businesses in their communities. We love hearing what lessons stick with them the most and how they are using skills learned to be more strategic, innovative managers and business owners.
As we seek to build more entrepreneurs and business leaders in communities across Rwanda and Ghana, we hope you’ll consider supporting our Back-to-School Campaign to keep our education programs going strong!
To donate, please click here
Indego Africa was founded in 2007 with a simple idea: empower women artisans in Africa by showcasing their beautiful craft and investing in the power of education. We team up with groups of women in Rwanda and Ghana to sell products that are designed in NYC and handmade in Africa—combining traditional techniques, local materials and genuine artisanal skill—all with a creative voice of playfulness, an appreciation of color, and a desire to bring beauty into the world while uplifting communities at the same time. We invest all of our profits from sales, along with donations, into education programs for the artisans who handcraft our products. Our courses range from business management and entrepreneurship to leadership training, skills-based vocational education for younger women, and more!originally posted on theoryofplace.com------I love the mission of Indego Africa. Can you explain to readers why this purpose is important to the communities you work in?
Our mission is to help women lift themselves and their families out of poverty, all while building the skills to grow their own businesses and become entrepreneurs. By working with us, women in Rwanda and Ghana are able to earn steady income which helps them support themselves and their families. When we first started, many of our artisan partners couldn’t afford basic necessities. Today, they are able to provide food, clothing, housing, and health insurance for their families, and send their children to school. 91% of our artisan partners are moms and they are passionate about educating their children—about helping them build brighter futures and achieve their dreams! This year, 92% of our artisan sent all or most of their children to school versus only 57% in 2008.
“This year, 92% of our artisan sent all or most of their children to school.
Educating themselves is also very important to the women we work with. The vast majority (95%) of our artisan partners did not graduate from high school and many have struggled over the years to know how to manage their businesses or make them profitable. Our education programs help women develop the knowledge and skills needed to run an artisan business—like bookkeeping, invoicing, and budgeting—while also teaching them how to think bigger, tap into new markets, and create growth. Over the years, we have built out advanced business courses—like our Leadership Academy—that provide our partners with opportunities to take their education to the next level and become entrepreneurs.
What 3 major tips/advice would you give readers who want to become social entrepreneurs?
Be prepared to work hard and, when you start to gain success, to work harder. Being an entrepreneur can be isolating, daily tasks can be mundane and big decision-making can be overwhelming. Combining all that with trying to balance a "social good" mission with profit-driven business norms can make your head spin. Sometimes the only way to get through the overwhelming to-do-lists of entrepreneurship is to put your head down and work hard. You may come out on the other end feeling just as overwhelmed, but you’ll also feel very productive. There's something comforting in that.
“Remember that if you are trying to grow a business, in most instances indecision is worse than an imperfect decision.
Trust your gut. Running a business is like parenting. Only you know what is best for your child or your business. Don't second guess yourself. And remember that if you are trying to grow a business, in most instances indecision is worse than an imperfect decision.
Don't forget to have fun and be proud of the work you do. After a long day or a challenging project, step away from the computer, pat yourself on the back for a moment, get some sleep and wake up reinvigorated. It’s okay to press pause every now and then to remember why you decided to do this work in the first place.
Please tell us more about the impacts you've achieved and what readers can do to take action?
When we first started, most of our artisan partners were earning 25 to 50 cents per day and struggling to make ends meet. This year, 89% of our partners earned more than $1.50 per day versus 2% in 2008! While we still have farther to go, this increase in income is contributing to healthier, happier families and communities across Rwanda and Ghana (more details in our 2016 Social Impact Report).
Further, our education programs are not only helping women better manage their businesses, but also promoting entrepreneurship and economic growth in their communities. For example, more than half of our Leadership Academy graduates have started own businesses so far, hiring 10 additional people—with more to come!
This year, we also started a new skills-based artisan Vocational Training program for young, unemployed women in Rwanda. The program gives them an opportunity to intern with our partner cooperatives, learn their artisan techniques, and also participate in our Basic Business Training program. Within six months, 100% of the participants were employed as artisans! It was amazing to see such a huge transformation in their lives, and we are excited to continue to grow this program in the future.
There are lots of ways for readers to take action and get involved with what we’re doing. You can shop our products, make a donation, join one of our Regional Boards (volunteer groups in cities across the country), or start by following us on social media and learning more about the amazing women we work with.
What is one item every social entrepreneur should have in their office/workspace?
An inspiration board, scrap book or box of things that triggers happiness, creativity and good thoughts. Photos, magazine clippings, quotes from books, trinkets from travels, past work products you are proud of—anything that can recharge your battery when you are running low. You don't have to stare at them everyday but have these collections handy to pull out when needed. I think it’s important to have something tactile (i.e. not electronic) to pick up when you are feeling uninspired. P.S. - Even if its a screen grab or something someone wrote you in an email, print it out so it feels less like online "clutter" and more like an important personal effect.
Our 2016 Pre-Fall collection is here, featuring beautiful knits handspun with heart in the hills of Rwanda!Our new line of hand-knit vests 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 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 Pre-Fall collection, which features chunky knits, popcorn vests & more, all hand-spun, hand-dyed, and hand-knit by Handspun Hope’s artisans!
We love supporting this organization which is not only changing women’s lives but creating 100 percent made-in-Rwanda products with a beautiful story behind every stitch.
To shop our Pre-Fall collection, click here.
