Indego Africa

Rwandan nonprofit social enterprise

Indego AfricaFounded| November 2007

|

Focus| Fair Trade, Education, Women's Rights
Location|

* New York (United States) and Kigali (Rwanda)

Area served

| Rwanda
Method| Social Enterprise

Key people

| Karen Yelick (CEO)
Website| http://www.indegoafrica.org/

Indego Africa (standing for "independence, development and governance") is a nonprofit social enterprise, founded in 2007, which works to establish for-profit women's cooperatives in Rwanda, and partners with them to produce and sell handcrafted products.[1] It uses the profits, along with grants and donations, to fund education programs in business management, entrepreneurship, literacy, and technology.[2][3][4][5]

Indego Africa was founded in 2007 by father and son Matt and Tom Mitro.[2]

## Partnerships

[edit]

Indego Africa's partnerships with Rwandan female artisans have included:

* in 2007: a partnership with "Cocoki", a cooperative of 30 artisans in Kigali.[6]
* in 2011: partnerships with 11 cooperatives of 300 artisans, producing tote bags for Steven Alan and Anthropologie and bangles for Nicole Miller.[1]
* in 2014: partnerships with 18 cooperatives of over 600 artisans, producing items for designers and brands including Anthropologie,[7] DANNIJO, J Crew, Jonathan Adler, and Madewell.[8][9][6]

## Education

[edit]

On October 1, 2014, Indego Africa launched a Leadership Academy in Kigali, Rwanda to provide advanced business education programs.[10][11][6]

Indego Africa runs programs supported by UN Women and funded by the government of Sweden to teach female refugees entrepreneurial and banking skills.[12]

## Social impact

[edit]

Indego Africa's reports to date show steady improvements in its partners' income, educational outcomes, entrepreneurial activities, and quality of life.[13] 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.[14]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Wax, Emily (30 June 2011). "Africans bring their continent's style to the worldwide fashion scene". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 1 March 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
2. ^ a b "Indego Africa About Us". Indego Africa. Retrieved 2014-10-20.
3. ^ Suqi, Rima (2013-10-09). "The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-10-20.
4. ^ McGinn, Kathleen (2010-11-15). "The Indego Africa Project". Harvard Business Review. Retrieved 2014-10-20.
5. ^ Schnable, Allison (2 February 2021). Amateurs Without Borders: The Aspirations and Limits of Global Compassion. University of California Press. pp. 42–46. ISBN 9780520300958. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
6. ^ a b c Jiménez-Zarco, Isabel Ana; Moreno-Gavara, Carme, eds. (8 March 2019). Sustainable Fashion: Empowering African Women Entrepreneurs in the Fashion Industry. p. 131. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
7. ^ Zalopany, Chelsea (2010-09-30). "Feel-Good Scarves | Anthropologie". The New York Times Style Magazine. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2014-10-20.
8. ^ Stadlen, Rebecca (2014-07-10). "Vogue Magazine". Vogue.com. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 2015-05-20. Retrieved 2014-10-20.
9. ^ Cohen, Laura (2014-07-10). "Now You Can Shop the Colorful Mission For Good". Marieclaire.com. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 2014-10-20.
10. ^ Stone, Benjamin (2014-10-04). "Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Rwanda". Council on Foreign Relations Development Channel. Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 2014-10-20. Retrieved 2014-10-20.
11. ^ Mustafa, Ayesha. "The fashion brands empowering women in developing countries". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
12. ^ Mutegwaraba, Esperance (2019-03-04). "From where I stand: "I never gave up and I am learning everyday"" (Press release). UN Women. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
13. ^ "Indego Africa Impact". Indego Africa. Archived from the original on 2014-10-20. Retrieved 2014-10-20.
14. ^ "Indego Africa 2014 Social Impact Report" (PDF). indegoafrica.org. Indego Africa. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-20. Retrieved 2014-10-20.