Wilderness and Indego Africa have teamed up to empower Rwandan women entrepreneurs through a new partnership focused on education, business development, and access to market opportunities. The initiative brings together Wilderness’ commitment to community empowerment and Indego Africa’s long-standing track record of supporting artisan co-operatives, in order to create lasting economic impact for women in Rwanda.

 The collaboration between Wilderness and Indego Africa was officially launched at Indego Africa’s annual gala in New York recently, with funds raised for their Rwandan co-operatives through the auction of a Wilderness Rwanda experience. This once-in-a-lifetime trip for two features a stay in Kigali, including a visit to Ibanga, one of Indego Africa’s partner co-operatives; gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park while based at Wilderness Bisate Reserve; and the opportunity to see diverse wildlife while staying at the brand-new Wilderness Magashi Peninsula in Akagera National Park, managed by African Parks in partnership with the Rwanda Development Board.

“We are excited to partner with Indego Africa, as their vision closely aligns with our Empower Impact pillar, which focuses on upskilling communities and creating sustainable local economies”, noted Manzi Kayihura, Wilderness Rwanda Chairman. “Our Rwanda business, for example, is more than 95% staffed by Rwandans, and, on average, more than 80% of the value of goods and services we use is sourced from local suppliers. 

Suwha Hong, CEO of Indego Africa concurred, adding that “while our two organisations may work in different spheres, we share the same core values. Indego Africa is deeply committed to creating sustainable development in rural communities, and we believe Wilderness shares that same belief. This partnership gives our artisans new opportunities to earn more income, gain more exposure, and share their inspiring stories with people from all over the world.

Through funding of more than USD10,000 from the Wilderness Trust, Indego Africa has rolled out an English Literacy Training Programme for members of its women-led co-operatives across Rwanda. This training is a direct response to requests from the artisans themselves, who identified English language skills as essential for improving their business literacy, customer engagement, and access to wider markets.

“This training is very important to me because most of my clients speak English, and I need to be able to communicate with them. Secondly, we live in an era where using social media is important to business, so I can’t only post in Kinyarwanda. I recently went on a field trip to Nairobi, Kenya to meet with a group of co-operative presidents, but I wasn’t able to communicate with our hosts or exchange contact information. If I had known English, it would have been much easier for me to connect with them, shared Judith Murekatete, a member of the Ibanga Co-operative in Kigali.

The six-month programme is already being delivered by professional language educators from the School of Professionals in Kigali, with 20 artisan partners participating from groups close to the capital city. The training was structured to meet differing skill levels, with one group of older artisans – many with less formal education and limited English exposure – and another group of younger women who already had some familiarity with the language. This approach reinforces a shared value between Wilderness and Indego Africa: meeting people where they are.

In addition to the Wilderness Trust funding the literacy initiative, Wilderness Rwanda is creating more opportunities for artisans by offering its guests visits to Indego Africa co-operatives as part of their itineraries, and will soon stock their products, such as handwoven baskets and homeware, in its Rwandan camps’ shops – ultimately giving these artisans increased access to local and international markets. “We see, time and again, that the most effective way to uplift communities out of poverty is by investing in women, continued Suwha. “Those we work with are truly inspiring entrepreneurs – earning income to support their families, send their children to school, and build their communities. For us, empowering women is not just the right thing to do; it’s the smart thing to do.