About the Incubator Fund
There are 529 artisan cooperatives in Rwanda, and Indego Africa partners with 11 of them. Our goal is to reach more women by partnering with new cooperatives! The Incubator Fund covers start-up costs incurred by Indego Africa in building successful partnerships with new artisan groups. Indego Africa has identified several high-potential artisan groups to partner with, but we will not be able to support these early-stage women entrepreneurs without your help.
Success Story: Ejo Hazaza
The story of beading cooperative Ejo Hazaza illustrates the importance of the Incubator Fund and the impact your donation can have on the lives of women entrepreneurs.
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| Indego Africa Production Associate Grace Tsuni (L) with the women of Ejo Hazaza. |
Ejo Hazaza is a beading cooperative located 10 km. outside of Kigali. Formed in 2005, the cooperative now includes 29 women, all of whom came from refugee camps and are HIV+."Ejo Hazaza" translates to "Beads of Tomorrow," and alludes to the artisan's hope for a better future.
Indego Africa first met Ejo Hazaza in the spring of 2012. Prior to working with Indego Africa, the women of Ejo Hazaza made less than $1 per day and received only occasional orders for their beautiful hand-beaded products.
The Role of the Incubator Fund
The groundwork Indego Africa laid prior to partnering with Ejo Hazaza is characteristic of every new partnership Indego Africa embarks on.
Raw Materials
Many artisan cooperatives in Rwanda have difficulty buying raw materials needed for their craft. For Ejo Hazaza, Indego Africa provided beads and bead looms for the cooperative to perform their craft.
Design Samples
Indego Africa, and in this case, Jill Golden, creates original designs and works with new cooperatives like Ejo Hazaza to produce samples. In addition to supplying raw materials, Indego Africa pays every cooperative a fair wage for producing samples.In the early stages of the partnership, Indego Africa staff made daily visits to Ejo Hazaza’s work space and spent hours training the artisans.
Ejo Hazaza Today
For Ejo Hazaza’s first large-scale order, Indego Africa connected the cooperative with New York based jewelry designer Jill Golden. The resulting ISARO jewelry collection by Jill Golden received international recognition and was even featured in the August 2012 issue of InStyle Magazine!
Help Us Reach More Cooperatives!
Donate to the Incubator Fund and help Indego Africa reach, train, and support more women and more cooperatives like Ejo Hazaza!
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