Emelienne the Entrepreneur

Last week a downfall of heavy rains ruined Emelienne’s outside toilet. It cost her 25,000 Rwandan Francs (around $45) to repair but this didn’t phase her. She had the money to pay the bill and her family now has a new toilet.

Emelienne is one of the many master seamstresses at Cocoki embracing her newfound financial freedom. Two years ago Emelienne was living off of less than $2 a day. Today her oldest son, Salim, is off at secondary school and she is able to afford school fees for her three younger sons. “Now I can buy little things when I want to and save some money too," she told me. "I also no longer rely 100% on my husband for money and I can give my opinion on how the household income is used.”

Indeed, Emelienne’s husband has seen the financial benefits of his wife’s labor and unlike other men, fully supports his wife working. He knows her income is critical to supporting the family and has even extended to making dinner for his sons when Emelienne has to work late!

But let's re-focus on Emelienne. Emelienne Nyiramana is 33, married with four children, a master seamstress, and the Treasurer of Cocoki. Work with her and you realize immediately that she is one sharp woman and a born leader. With help from Indego Africa's business training programs, she has sharpened her negotiation skills, honed her deftness with numbers, and has lead Cocoki forward with confidence.

Thus, it was no surprise that Indego Africa encouraged Emelienne to apply for a spot in the fantastic Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Entrepreneurship Certificate Program, which strives to "provide 10,000 underserved women around the world with a business and management education." The 10,000 Women program in Rwanda, built on the principles of core skills and mentoring, entails six months at Rwanda's esteemed School of Finance & Banking (SFB). To graduate, all participants must create a polished business plan for their company, which in this case would be Cocoki.

For three days last week a very excited Emelienne diligently worked on her application, which included multiple short answers and some challenging essays. Today Emelienne proudly traveled to SFB and submitted her application in person (photo). When she told her husband why she would be late that night even she was surprised by his response. “I will go directly home from work, take care of the kids, and cook dinner!” he said. And he did.

- Sarah