Project Title: Leadership Academy

Location: Rwanda

Grant Amount: $40,000

Grantee Website: Www.indegoafrica.org

Areas of Impact: Economic Sustainability, Education & Literacy, Gender Equality, Leadership Development

Mission of Indego Africa
Indego Africa is a 501(c)(3) social enterprise that supports women in Rwanda through economic empowerment and education. It partners with cooperatives of female artisans and sells their handmade jewelry, home décor, 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.

Summary
Since launching its training programs in 2007, Indego Africa has seen many women emerge as inspiring leaders, entrepreneurs, and change-makers. But to sustain this momentum, it is critical that they receive advanced training to further develop their skills. The Leadership Academy in Kigali, Rwanda, will provide these ambitious women with advanced business training that would otherwise be difficult or impossible for them to attain.

Participants in the Leadership Academy will develop advanced business skills through bi-weekly training sessions. They will apply the lessons they learn to improve the management and performance of their cooperatives, which will lead to increased income generation for all of Indego Africa's partner cooperatives. Additionally, Leadership Academy participants will serve as mentors and leaders for co-workers, thereby lifting all of its artisan partners, and providing them with the knowledge and skills to engage independently with global markets.

Why We Love This
The artisan cooperatives produce very good products. The Leadership Academy allows the artisans to move to the next step in developing advanced business skills to improve the management and performance of their cooperatives. The goal is to engage with global markets and generate more income for the artisans.