NGO PARTNERS

Generation Rwanda

Indego Africa's ground-breaking internship program with Generation Rwanda, an international NGO funding university educations for high-performing students in Rwanda, has been empowering college students and master artisans since July 2008. Under the supervision of Indego Africa’s staff, fourteen of Rwanda’s top university students teach Indego Africa’s Hand Up training programs. With an intense focus on mentoring, training and evaluation, the program is structured to prepare these students to enter the local workforce with high level communication and organizational skills. Learn More>>

VisionSpring

As of early summer 2011, VisionSpring has partnered with Indego to enable its partner artisans low-cost eyewear. VisionSpring delivers high-quality, affordable eyeglasses to individuals in the developing world with a network of local entrepreneurs using a scalable model that reaches more people every day.

Foundation Rwanda & Survivor's Fund

In June 2010, Indego Africa, Foundation Rwanda, and Survivor’s Fund (SURF) commenced an innovative collaboration for the benefit of 25 remarkable women in Rwanda. These women, starting from the most difficult of circumstances, have organized themselves into their own for- profit business, the Abasangiye Cooperative ("Abasangiye"). In July 2010, Abasangiye started an intense series of training programs with Indego Africa (funded by Foundation Rwanda and SURF) in financial management, literacy, and sewing.

Foundation Rwanda improves the lives of children born as a result of sexual violence during the Rwandan genocide by providing funding for their education; links their mothers to income generating activities and psychological and medical support services; and raises awareness about the consequences of genocide and sexual violence through photography and new media. SURF helps survivors of the Rwandan genocide deal with and recover from the tragedies of 1994, supporting a wide range of services for victims in Rwanda, and assisting survivors in the UK.

Rwanda Knits

In Summer 2010, Indego Africa and Rwanda Knits teamed up with the Ingenzi Knit Union, a remarkable knitting cooperative in Rwanda, to create a line of "Snoods" (also known as "Druid Hoods") for Anthropologie's Fall 2010 Knitwear collection. Rwanda Knits is an international NGO that provides hand-operated, American-made knitting machines, and technical training to low-income Rwandan women.

Rwanda Fair Trade Artisan's Association (RFTAA)

RFTAA, an inspirational alternative to existing craft shops in Rwanda, has played an integral role in helping Indego Africa's partner cooperatives engage the local Rwandan market. Addressing the past difficultly for Rwandan artisans to access the market in Kigali, RFTAA provides a retail outlet as well as access to a team of design, management, and marketing experts. The association serves as a platform to market access and branding for cooperatives and artisans from all over Rwanda. If you're in Rwanda, RFTAA's store, Rwanda-Nziza, is located near the Kiyovu neighborhood in Kigali.

Gardens for Health

Gardens for Health, an innovative NGO enabling people living with HIV/AIDS to improve their nutrition, health, and treatment adherance through sustainable agriculture, provides Indego Africa's partner cooperatives with free training from skilled agronomists on utlizing bio-intensive agricultural methods and planting highly nutritious staple foods.

Read more on Indego Africa's blog, Social Enterprising:

"Planting Gardens for Health at Indego Africa" (May 2009)

International Justice Mission

International Justice Mission, a passionate NGO dedicated to securing justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violents oppression, provides Indego Africa's partner cooperatives with private consultation services and educational seminars about their rights.

ToughStuff International

ToughStuff International, a for-profit social enterprise that provides inexpensive solar powered products to low income consumers in developing countries to create social, financial, and environmental returns, generously donated personal-size solar panels, LED lamps, mobile phone connectors, radio connectors, and rechargeable battery packs to Indego Africa's partner cooperatives in Rwanda.

Read more on Indego Africa's blog, Social Enterprising:

"ToughStuff Solar Panels & Indego Africa" (June 2009)

Kigali Memorial Centre

Indego Africa has partnered with the Kigali Memorial Centre to sell its specially-made bracelets proclaiming either “I Love Rwanda” or “Genocide: Never Again.” The Memorial Centre is the primary authority on the Rwandan genocide and a critical resource for visitors and survivors. A visit to the Centre is a powerful and affecting experience - one that Indego Africa recommends to every visitor to Rwanda.

Government Partners

Rwandan District Governments

As a signatory to Indego Africa’s partnership agreements, Rwandan district-level governments pledge to resolve disputes, arrange for training programs and advocate on behalf of Indego Africa partner cooperatives. Indego Africa has developed a particularly close working relationship with the District of Bugesera and is co-developing programs for handicraft cooperatives in the District.

COMPETE & USAID

COMPETE, or the Competitiveness and Trade Expansion Program, is a regional program that is working to improve trade in East and Central Africa by harmonizing regional trade and transit policies and procedures, developing financial markets, supporting private sector trade associations, developing value chains in staple foods, cotton/textiles, and coffee and building capacity of regional businesses to take advantage of preferential trade opportunities. COMPETE is funded by the US Agency for International Development under the East Africa region.