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Indego Africa is an innovative 501(c)(3) nonprofit social enterprise built upon the belief that women in Rwanda can lift themselves out of poverty. Indego Africa partners with cooperatives of world-class artisans in Rwanda, composed entirely of women, and sells their masterful fair trade handicrafts at high-end retailers across the U.S. and on its WebStore. Indego Africa then applies 100% of profits and other grants or donations to its long-term skills training programs in financial management, entrepreneurship, literacy, and computer usage - which are administered by top university students from Orphans of Rwanda (an NGO that provides scholarships to orphaned heads of household). Indego Africa sets itself apart from both commercial handicraft exporters, which provide only income, and traditional nonprofits, which focus only on skills or
hand-outs, by offering an innovative hybrid approach. This business model helps the women in our partner
cooperatives to take care of their immediate needs, diversify their income-generating and entrepreneurial
skills, and gain invaluable self-confidence. Indego Africa is a member of the Fair Trade Federation and the subject of a Harvard Business School case study.