My two favorite things about Emmanuel Mukomeza - one of Indego Africa's fantastic Orphans of Rwanda interns and a student at Rwanda's School of Finance & Banking - are his confidence and energy. For instance, at our very first meeting together in Rwanda, before I could get a word in, Emmanuel was carefully explaining to me his proposed keys to success: (1) preparation, (2) sound management, (3) strong decision-making, (4) ownership of projects, and (5) vision. Can't disagree with those! Emmanuel tackles his training sessions for Indego Africa in financial management and computers with an unreserved zest, and even after watching him interact with the women at our partner coops for just a few minutes, you know his enthusiasm is contagious. On that note, Emmanuel drafted a blog post that he'd like to share with all of you:
Life Transformation with Indego Africaby Emmanuel MukomezaSept. 10, 2009Empowerment of women is the key to the development of Rwanda because women are seen as the heart of every family. Mothers spend most of their time attending to their children and household needs, unlike men who tend to spend most of their time in bars drinking alcohol. Empowering women means better standards of living and welfare of families. However most times these women are financially handicapped.
With Indego Africa the dreams of Rwandan women have become a reality. Indego Africa has found a sustainable solution to their financial problems by equipping Rwandan women with skills and providing a market for their products in the United States. Equipping these women with computer skills, literacy training and the ability to manage their finances then empowers these women and improves their competence. There is a saying which goes “to give a man food means you have given him food, but showing him how to fish means you have given him life.” That’s the sense with Indego – empowering women means giving them the potential to earn a living and live a decent life.
Mutekereze, a woman from Covanya cooperative located in Nyamata, is one of the beneficiaries of Indego Africa Project. She remarked, “since Indego Africa started to support our cooperative, my life has completely changed. I have managed to earn a living and support my family. I sent my children back to school. Indego provides a market for our handcrafts, which also encourages us to work hard. Yes I am happy with Indego Africa.”
In this dot.com generation, these women have not been left behind by the growing technology. Instead Indego has made computers available to both Cocoki and Covanya cooperatives so that in the future they can record their transactions electronically. With each step, the women gain more confidence and strive to expand. For instance, a recent visit of a Kigali trade show gave motivation and created excitement among these women who now want to participate as exhibitors in the next coming trade show.
Indego is now growing drastically in all parts of Rwanda, from Kigali to Bugesera and now Covamanya in Kayonza about 35kms from Kigali.
With Indego dreams have become a reality.
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