Its no secret that interns play an important role at Indego Africa. This summer, we are extremely lucky to have a team of dedicated, hardworking interns in New York and Rwanda. Its already shaping up to be one of our most productive summers yet, thanks in large part to the dynamic mix of students and professionals devoting their time to Indego Africa's mission. Meet the team that is helping Indego Africa make a difference!
Elizabeth Andrews (Programming, Rwanda): Elizabeth joined the Indego team as the Rwanda Summer Program Intern. She will be spending ten weeks living and working in Kigali learning about Indego's business model, production cycle, and conducting research on women's empowerment in Rwanda. This fall, Elizabeth will be entering her second and final year of graduate school at the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University in Washington, DC, where she is concentrating in International Economic Affairs. Previously, Elizabeth worked on Capitol Hill for a female member of Congress and later at a lobbying firm as a Legislative Assistant working on telecommunications and financial regulatory reform issues. This past spring she worked with the Political and Public Leadership team at Vital Voices, an NGO that works to empower women economically, politically, and socially throughout the world. Her passion for women's empowerment has culminated in research papers covering global women's issues ranging from sex trafficking in Cambodia to women's rights in Islamic societies, specifically Afghanistan. Growing up, Elizabeth spent the summers living with her family in Berlin, Germany. Her passion for traveling and learning about different cultures has taken her across Europe, Asia, and Latin America. This is her first time in Africa.
Rosie Avolio-Toly (Production, Rwanda): Rosie is a recent graduate with a degree in International Affairs. She first came to Rwanda in the summer of 2011 to teach English, which is where she first heard of Indego. Rosie jumped at the opportunity to come back to Rwanda to work with Indego as a Production Intern. At Indego Rosie is involved with the entire production process, from placing orders to conducting quality control and managing shipments. Her favorite part of the job is being in the field, chatting and forming connections with all of the cooperatives.
Michael Foresta (Finance and Operations, New York): Mike is an undergraduate student at Colby College, where he is an Economics major with a minor in Italian Studies. He traveled to Rwanda in 2009 with Indego Africa, and has been involved with the New York Regional Board and Volunteer Board ever since. Mike is particularly interested in Indego Africa’s innovative strategy and business plan. His experiences in Rwanda and with Indego Africa have helped him develop a passion for the country and its people that he carries into sharing the mission of Indego with others.
Elizabeth Andrews (Programming, Rwanda): Elizabeth joined the Indego team as the Rwanda Summer Program Intern. She will be spending ten weeks living and working in Kigali learning about Indego's business model, production cycle, and conducting research on women's empowerment in Rwanda. This fall, Elizabeth will be entering her second and final year of graduate school at the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University in Washington, DC, where she is concentrating in International Economic Affairs. Previously, Elizabeth worked on Capitol Hill for a female member of Congress and later at a lobbying firm as a Legislative Assistant working on telecommunications and financial regulatory reform issues. This past spring she worked with the Political and Public Leadership team at Vital Voices, an NGO that works to empower women economically, politically, and socially throughout the world. Her passion for women's empowerment has culminated in research papers covering global women's issues ranging from sex trafficking in Cambodia to women's rights in Islamic societies, specifically Afghanistan. Growing up, Elizabeth spent the summers living with her family in Berlin, Germany. Her passion for traveling and learning about different cultures has taken her across Europe, Asia, and Latin America. This is her first time in Africa.
Rosie Avolio-Toly (Production, Rwanda): Rosie is a recent graduate with a degree in International Affairs. She first came to Rwanda in the summer of 2011 to teach English, which is where she first heard of Indego. Rosie jumped at the opportunity to come back to Rwanda to work with Indego as a Production Intern. At Indego Rosie is involved with the entire production process, from placing orders to conducting quality control and managing shipments. Her favorite part of the job is being in the field, chatting and forming connections with all of the cooperatives.
Michael Foresta (Finance and Operations, New York): Mike is an undergraduate student at Colby College, where he is an Economics major with a minor in Italian Studies. He traveled to Rwanda in 2009 with Indego Africa, and has been involved with the New York Regional Board and Volunteer Board ever since. Mike is particularly interested in Indego Africa’s innovative strategy and business plan. His experiences in Rwanda and with Indego Africa have helped him develop a passion for the country and its people that he carries into sharing the mission of Indego with others. 
Tanya Gardner (Marketing, New York):
In
search of an organization that could benefit from her unusual skill set, Tanya heard the Indego Africa team speak at
the Womensphere Conference in January and knew she had to get involved. Tanya has
an MBA from the University of Michigan in Marketing & Strategy and was a fashion
designer for 8 years before business school. Indego is a special organization, where
design can influence far beyond the current fashion season. Tanya is eager to assist in Indego
Africa’s mission to educate and empower women to help end poverty in Africa.
Fiona Heckscher (Legal, New York): Fiona is a JD/MBA candidate at Yale where she helps run the country’s largest conference for progressive lawyers (RebLaw). She lived and worked in South Africa, where she coordinated trainings and translated for the inaugural year of a school for community leaders from across the continent, and Mali, where she developed recommendations for healthcare practitioners based on field research at 6 clinics. Most recently she taught middle school science in Phoenix, Arizona with Teach for America. She earned a BA in Public Policy from Brown University where she sat on the committee that allocated Brown’s $650 million annual budget and ran a student/community partnership to address homelessness. She is excited to use her knowledge of law to achieve social impact in her work with Indego Africa this summer.
Courtney Istre (Brand and Marketing, New York): Hailing from the Land of 10,000 Lakes (Minneapolis, MN), Courtney worked predominantly in community and international public health prior to joining the Indego Africa team. Most recently, after spending 18 months in South Africa working on HIV/AIDS national nursing policy with the Clinton Health Access Initiative and working on market research with a private fair trade project, she developed an obsession with trade-not-aid and women's economic empowerment in Africa. She is ecstatic to intern with Indego Africa and explore NYC this summer. Courtney graduated from the University of Michigan majoring in Spanish and Anthropology. 
Erin Olander (Fundraising and Development, New York): Erin graduated from Boston College with a B.A. in History, International Studies, and French in 2012. During her time at BC, Erin discovered a passion for women’s rights and economic empowerment, particularly in developing countries. Her previous non-profit experience includes fund-raising and program development at MADRE, an international women’s human rights organization that seeks to meet the urgent needs of women in South America, Africa, and the Middle East. While at BC, Erin served on the Executive Board of the university’s chapter of Strong Women Strong Girls, a national non-profit that pairs college mentors with at-risk 3rd-5th grade girls, teaching them the skills they need to build self-esteem and lead healthy lifestyles. In January of 2012, Erin went on an immersion trip to Uganda and Rwanda with 11 other BC students. The group spent time visiting health clinics, schools, and religious centers in Kampala, Gulu, and Kigali. Erin is excited to learn more about the field of social enterprise this summer at Indego Africa. 
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