Indego Africa

Indego Africa, founded in 2007, is dedicated to empowering artisan women in Africa through employment opportunities and education.  Thirteen years later, Indego Africa today partners with more than 1,200 artisan women in Rwanda and Ghana to create a range of products that are handcrafted using local materials and time-honored techniques and sold to customers around the world.  The AllPeopleBeHappy foundation has been a major supporter of Indego Africa through Project Grants in 2016, 2017, 2019 and a Challenge Grant in 2014-2016 which enabled it to expand into Ghana.  We have just awarded another $10,000 Project Grant in support of its initiation of the “Artisan Accelerator Program.”  The program is intended to be an entrepreneurial coaching and practical implementation of advanced clothing production and financing techniques for 180 artisan women in Rwanda.  The workshop program consists of 3 phases: 1) Vocational Sustainability Certification: Dyeing, 2) Access to Capital and Knowledge of Microfinance: Igiceri, and 3) Cooperative-Specific Business Goals.  The program, taught in two 6-month sessions, will help artisans accelerate the sustainable growth of their businesses by providing working space, hands-on business mentoring and support, direct access to financial capital, and a vibrant community of ambitious artisans and experienced local and international experts.   (www.indegoafrica.org)