Indego Africa’s Leadership Program will find and develop 100 emerging leaders to achieve their potential in the organization’s Rwandan artisan cooperatives. Indego Africa is our June 2015 featured program.

Indego Africa is a social enterprise that supports women in Rwanda through economic empowerment and education. The organization partners with cooperatives of female artisans and sells their handmade jewelry, home decor and accessories through its e-commerce site, boutiques worldwide and collaborations with major brands. Indego Africa pools 100 percent of profits from sales with grant support and donations to fund job skills training programs for its partners in business management, entrepreneurship, technology, literacy, and health. Through sales, women earn income to meet their families’ basic needs. Through training, women gain the tools to become financially independent.

Through their collaborations, Indego Africa has seen women emerging as powerful leaders. But they require additional training, education and mentoring to fulfill their potential. To accomplish that, Indego Africa started the Leadership Academy, the program we are funding in June 2015. Over two years, our grant will provide leadership training to 100 artisans, where they will develop advanced business skills to improve the management and performance of their cooperatives, increasing revenue for all the cooperatives’ artisans.

For more information about Indego Africa, review their program page and program fact sheet. You can learn more about Rwandan customs and cuisine and review this month’s Proven Platter.