Blog #75: Vocational Training

The AllPeopleBeHappy foundation has just awarded Indego Africa a $10,000 Project Grant for its innovative Vocational Training Program.  This is a program that teaches young women both artisan skills and basic business education.  The program places 45 participants per 5-month semester at five different artisan cooperatives.  Three days per week, they receive artisan skills training and mentorship from cooperative leaders.  This includes training in techniques such as: basket-making, beading, banana leaf weaving, and sewing.  For the other two days per week, the young women gather at a central classroom space in Kigali (Rwanda’s capital) and participate in Indego Africa’s Basic Business Training program – a 25-lesson course that covers fundamental business topics including organizational governance, bank account management, bookkeeping, quality control, budgeting, and technology use for communications and marketing.  Indego Africa provides the students with transportation, housing, and food stipends to enable their participation in the program.