Founded November 2007 Method Social Enterprise | Area served Rwanda | |
Focus Fair Trade, Education, Women's Rights Location New York, NY, United States & Kigali, Rwanda Key people Karen Yelick(CEO)
Rosine Urujeni (Country Director)
Deirdre King (Creative Director)
Grace Tsuni (Production Manager)
Brittany Barb (Sales & Branding Associate)
Hayley Doner (Development & Communications Associate)
Heloise Mudenge (Production Associate) | ||
Indego Africa is a nonprofit social enterprise that supports women in Rwanda through economic empowerment and education. Founded in 2007, Indego Africa partners with female artisans in Rwanda and sells their handcrafted products worldwide, pooling the profits, along with grants and donations, to fund education programs for them in business management, entrepreneurship, literacy, and technology. On October 1, 2014, Indego Africa launched a Leadership Academy in Kigali, Rwanda to provide advanced business education for those of its artisan partners who had mastered its basic education programs. This groundbreaking initiative, the only one of its kind in Rwanda, will help grow the next generation of powerful female leaders and change-makers in the country.
Contents
History
Indego Africa was founded in 2007 by father and son team Matt and Tom Mitro. Their goal was to help women artisans break cycles of poverty by connecting them with global markets in which to sell their goods and education to more effectively manage and grow their own businesses. In mid-2007, Indego Africa began its first partnership with a cooperative of 30 female artisans in Kigali called Cocoki. Seven years later, Indego Africa partners with over 600 women across 18 cooperatives, selling their products through its website, boutiques worldwide, and collaborations with major designers and brands including: Anthropologie, DANNIJO, J Crew, Jonathan Adler, Madewell, and P.S.- I made this...
Social Impact
Indego Africa is steadfastly committed to transparency and proven impact. Each year it conducts a robust social impact assessment collecting quantitative and qualitative data on the progress of its artisan partners, and publishing the results. Its reports to date show steady improvements in its partners' income, educational outcomes, entrepreneurial activities, and quality of life. As of 2013, 69% of its artisan partners made over $1.50 a day vs. 3% in 2010; 89% reported that Indego Africa trainings helped them run their cooperatives or other businesses; 54% participated in a business outside their cooperative; 77% could afford to send all of their children to school; and 90% could afford healthcare.