Rwanda Knits

Ingenzi Knit Union Scarves in Anthropologie!!!

2011-10-17T09:01:00.000-04:00

Check out the rust/pumpkin infinity scarf on the model (and below), made by the members of the Ingenzi Knit Union in Rwanda. Partners Indego Africa made this happen, providing an income for over 80 members of the Ingenzi Knit Union cooperative union, soon to number 150 with the addition of a fifth and, soon, a sixth primary cooperative.

You can purchase one of these amazingly soft and colorful scarves here. You can learn more about our partner, Indego Africa, now a partner of the Ingenzi Knit Union, here and here.

The kniters made over 4,500 Sarapo scarves in record time and are continuing to work with Indego Africa to grow their business and help more and more members.

You can also meet members of the Ingenzi Knit Union here. Their website is still in development, but you can see many of their members.

Lawrence Woodmere Academy Supports Rwanda Knits!!

2010-05-26T21:57:00.000-04:00

I was so thrilled to receive a "website inquiry" from Alex Dillon, telling me that his students had researched a program they wanted to support. But let me let Allen explain:

The school is Lawrence Woodmere Academy, in Woodmere, NY, a K-12 independent school. The class raised $165 through a dress-down fundraiser. (Students and faculty paid $5 each to be able to break dress-code on Friday and wear casual clothes.) The students chose your organization by first looking up global, national and locally based charities on the Web, and then having a vote on which organization to have a fundraiser for. They chose Rwanda Knits because of the emphasis on enabling skills and productivity for lasting, sustainable improvement. As part of the fund-raising campaign, they also spoke to a school-wide assembly about the history and current state of politics, society and economy in Rwanda.

Thanks so much! Perhaps one day you or one of your students will be able to visit that amazing country.

The Ingenzi Knit Union Writes their own Grant!

2010-04-05T22:56:00.001-04:00

March 13. Laura Hanson and I arrive in Kigali, met by many friends, all members of the Ingenzi Knit Union. After two days of catching our breath and getting updates, Monday we visited Mpore Mama. Here is the Design and Management Teams of the Ingenzi Knit Union outside of cooperative Mpore Mama in Gasabo district, Kigali, the day before they sent representatives to elect a team of five grant writers to begin work on writing their grant to USADF - US Africa Development Fund. These grants must be written by for-profit busiinesses that include cooperative unions.

Above, Rwanda Knits' Project Manager, Patrick Nimubona, explains to the elected representatives of the three member cooperatives what is required to write a grant. They then elect, through secret ballot, the five members of the grant-writing team: Eric, Kayitesi, Domitille, Daphrose and Augustin. These five will meet for the next 5 days and will prepare their draft together with a budget. This is very hard work and congratulations were well deserved! But the grant-writing goes on, with translations, advice, buget re-writes, changes - just as it is for any grant application. And when we told the group that last year there were 100 applications for 7 grants and asked if they still wanted to apply, all hands went up. Now that's confidence! Here's the grant-writing team hard at work at the RAPP offices:

RAPP? Rwandans Allied for Peace and Progress, the Rwanda-based NGO that Rwanda Knits is a part of. RAPP has another program that combat HIV through awareness performance. RAPP has become a well-known NGO in Rwanda and was able to move to larger quarters. I was SO pleased to learn that Rwanda Knits has become a self-sustaining "IGA" or income-generating activity program, one that will continue at RAPP for the future of the organization. Self-sustaining program AND self-sustaining Cooperative Union. Hey - become unnecessary is a beautiful thing! Especially when it comes in twos! Here are a few photos of the RAPP offices in the Remera neighborhood of Kigali.

And here is Amini Kabano, Manager of Administration and Finance, Patrick Nimubona, Rwanda Knits Project Manager, Gedeon Bihonzi, Executive Director. Many people don't realize this, but a program, especially one so far away, cannot function without a legal entity to run it. And RAPP is very fortunate to have such a capable staff, however small, to account for every dime received both in grants and in donations.

It is very easy to see how happy Laura and I are with the work Patrick has been doing. Patrick has risen in his position to be one of the best project managers ever at RAPP. He was nervous when Laura left Rwanda to pursue grad school back at home, but he has grown to "own" that position and loves his work. Patrick is married and has a 16-month old son who is into everything. Of course!

But back to the knitters...

There's nothing the knitters don't like more than, guess what, knitting. And designing. And experimenting with stitches, silhouettes and ideas. Faina told me that she often wakes in the middle of the night and has to sketch her new idea. Faina may not be able to read or write, but her numeracy has grown as her knitting skills have. You have to write down stitches and rows if you're going to be a designer, so Faina has that down! Here we're inside at Mpore Mama, discussing design inspiration. I bring over printouts from all over the web to serve as inspiration for new ideas and to build the Ingenzi Design Library.

And here's the design team: Immaculee, myself and Faina. Sure, I'm involved, but more as an appreciator these days than as a design teacher - they know more these days than I do....

And before closing, here are a couple shots of our "outdoor" offices at the Bonsejour Guest House, just up the street from the RAPP offices and a quick drive to each of the three cooperatives:

And just before we left Rwanda, we thought it would be a good idea if the members of the Ingenzi Knit Union paid a visit to another artisan cooperative, this one a sewing one called Ineza. They exchanged ideas, loved to know there were others they might collaborate with and pledged to see each other again. Here's a shot from that very quick "field trip" (just outside RAPP's back door). Note that some of Ineza's product line can be found at http://manosdemadres.com/.

If you're wondering who the two young men are in some of the photos, Rwanda Knits partners with Orphans of Rwanda (http://www.orphansofrwanda.org/) university students to do business training follow-up with each of the three primary cooperatives of Ingenzi Knit Union. And since Laura and I brought over four laptop computers (we got a GREAT deal on them!), the ORI interns will also be conducting basic computer skills workshops with the knitters so they will be able to use their new http://www.ingenzi.com/ website (currently a placeholder is there while a volunteer works on the back end) to show their product line and correspond with potential customers for school uniform sweaters.. Note that is is harder to be accepted into the ORI program than is is to get into Harvard, so Thomas and Sosthene are two amazing young men.

Lastly, I am very happy to let everyone know that finally, scarves made by the Ingenzi Knit Union are available on the Inshuti Collection website: http://www.inshuticollection.com/. They are beautifully knitted and photographed, so enjoy! Here's a photo of Dancille holding one of the scarves she made last year:

And a stack of the finished product. Akoze keza! (Kinyarwanda for "great work!")

More soon.....and a surprise!

Cari

Profile: Rose Manirarora, Ingenzi Knit Union President

2009-07-09T16:07:00.000-04:00

Rose marked her thirtieth birthday this year with a momentous accomplishment: her election as President of the Ingenzi Knit Union. She has been a member of Mpore Mama Cooperative for years, gaining knitting skills with the support of Rwanda Knits and the Imbuto Foundation, and promises to be “committed to my job and try to work equitably to consider the needs of all members of the union.” She looks forward to several benefits of Union membership, including the chance “to work together, to gain skills through training, and to get advise from various people.” She also anticipates meeting challenges ranging from convincing fellow co-op members to be active participants in meetings to finding new markets. “Rwandan women are standing up,” she says, “but we need more training so that we have enough skills to develop partnerships with people outside Rwanda and look for new markets in the USA.”

Profile: Josiane Niyitegeka, Ingenzi Knit Union Board of Directors

2009-07-09T15:56:00.000-04:00

“After being elected as a member of the Board of Directors, I will advise my colleagues on how we can develop the Ingenzi Knit Union,” says twenty-six-year-old Josiane. Even if her primary cooperative, Mpore Mama, lacks adequate means on its own, “I expect we [Union members] will join forces together in this knitting activity.” She asks that her supporters “continue to help us so that we can achieve self-sustainability.”

Profile: Godeberthe Mukamasabo, Ingenzi Knit Union Supervisory Committee

2009-07-09T15:47:00.000-04:00

“I will do my best to supervise well the entry and exit of our wealth,” says twenty-nine-year-old Godeberthe, who was elected to the Supervisory Committee of the Ingenzi Knit Union. Although her primary cooperative, Mpore Mama, lacked the capacity to access new markets, she expects that the Union will drastically improve their lot by sheer force of collaboration: “Benefits I expect are being together to share knowledge and discussing together on common issues.” She asks that supporters “stay beside us” as they continue to work and grow together.

Profile: Caritas Keyitesi, Ingenzi Knit Union Supervisory Committee

2009-07-09T15:43:00.000-04:00

Twenty-seven-year-old Caritas serves as both a member of the Ingenzi Knit Union Supervisory Committee and one of the top models for the Rwanda Knits project. She loves showing off the latest in Rwandan knitwear fashion almost as much as she loves knitting! With the support of her husband Pascal and two-year-old son, she is excited to move from President of Hosiana Cooperative to this new leadership role in the Union. “I wish to help establish a fair system of working,” she says.Anticipating challenges that new leaders in the Union may hesitate to take risks or make the decisions necessary, she expects that having more capacity will help the Union to be strong. “The Union will be the speaker for all the primary cooperatives at the highest level.”

Profile: Immaculée Niwemutoni, Ingenzi Knit Union Vice President

2009-07-09T15:30:00.000-04:00

Although one of the newest and youngest members of Hosiana Cooperative, Immaculée’s leadership skills belie her twenty-seven years. She lives in Kigali not too far from Amahoro Stadium, where her primary cooperative works. Immaculée also serves as the Vice President of the nascent Ingenzi Knit Union: “Now that I am elected, I really want to work hard, be transparent in what I will undertake, and be committed to my work.” She expects the union to help her become “a real entrepreneur,” gain new skills, and provide Hosiana with more professionalism and market access.

Cooperative union elects new leaders

2009-06-11T03:15:00.000-04:00

Knitters gathered in Kacyiru on Monday, June 8 for a historic event in the annals of Rwanda Knits: cooperative union elections.

Twenty-two representatives and candidates--both women and men, in accordance with Rwanda's cooperative law--from the union's three founding cooperatives translated the universal cooperative principle of democracy into a favorite Rwandan method, the "line vote."

No need to mobilize canvassers and hundreds of thousands of francs for a grueling trek on the campaign trail. Election season lasted less than an afternoon. Candidates for each position on the Board of Directors and Supervisory Committee described their qualifications and plans to lead the nascent cooperative union during this crucial, formative stage. Questions and laughter ensued. Then, with a flourish, candidates were summoned to the far end of the room.

Rwanda Knits Project Manager Patrick Nimubona likes to say, "me, I don't dance until I've heard the music." Yet as supporters lined up behind each candidate, I couldn't help thinking of marching band members falling into formation, ready to strike up the band.

I felt the urge to do a jig...as did the newly elected leaders. They have good reason to be proud.

INGENZI KNIT UNION LEADERSHIP, JUNE 2009

Board of Directors:

Rose Manirarora, President (Mpore Mama Cooperative)

Immaculée Niwemutoni, Vice President (Hosiana Cooperative)

Augustin Nizeyimana, Secretary (Hope Cooperative)

Josiane Niyitegeka, Member (Mpore Mama Cooperative)

Protegène Ndagijimana, Member (Hope Cooperative)

Supervisory Committee:

Caritas Kayitesi, Member (Hosiana Cooperative)

Eric Uwizeyimana, Member (Hosiana Cooperative)

Godeberthe Mukomasalo, Member (Mpore Mama Cooperative)

6 a.m. Study Trip

2009-06-05T01:58:00.000-04:00

The members of the Rwanda Knits Cooperative Union Formation Committee (CUFC) were so eager to get their registration process off the ground that they beat the sun to the punch. Waking in the pre-dawn hours on Friday, May 29, the CUFC embarked on its first official "study trip" to the Rwanda Art Cooperative Union.

Rwanda Art is one of the nation's first--and most famous--craft cooperative unions. It is located in Butare, university town about two hours south of Kigali, in Southern Province. The Union's headquarters is about two kilometers north of town center, down a dusty road shared by the UN World Food Program.

We met with Louise Gérard, Rwanda Art Accountant and Marketing Director. She is one of two cooperative union employees. Louise shared some CU history, marketing strategies, accomplishments, and challenges.

Three primary cooperatives including over 1,000 Rwandan crafts(wo)men constitute the Rwanda Art membership: COPAF (Nyamagabe), COPABU (Huye), and COPARWA (Muhanga). Another cooperative, KAKIRA (Kirehe), also sells its goods to Rwanda Art, but may not join the union because it is located in a different province according to Rwandan cooperative law. All four groups began as traditional craft associations supported by the German government, then became cooperatives and formed the CU in 2007 in order to access the export market more effectively.

Much of our discussion about marketing tied back to the Marketing and Sales training that Rwanda Knits members had attended in March. For example, Louise explained how basket-makers cater their designs to a Western market. While local customers tend to value aesthetics over utility, customers abroad tend to prefer baskets that are both beautiful and utilitarian. New products are designed to store, stack, and stockpile household items. Louise also cited the central role of the internet and print materials to Rwanda Art's exports marketing strategy. Check out their website at www.rwanda-art.com to see for yourself!

Also in line with the business skills trainings Rwanda Knits has been facilitating for future-CU members, Louise was kind enough to share examples of Rwanda Art's financial record-keeping books and procedures (see photo). The document every transaction in triplets, with copies of original receipts, a manual record, and computer copy. CUFC members, especially Rose from Mpore Mama, were extremely impressed: "NIBYIZA! (It's SO nice!)"

Finally, we met Marie, a member of COOPAVU. She shared some challenges and benefits of CU membership. Primarily, her PC struggled to engage new members--who may be less technically skilled--in new design techniques and production. She also cited the effect of the economic downturn on export sales. However, she emphasized that the benefits of CU membership far exceed the costs. Increased orders, access to training, and the ability to collaborate with other PCs on new designs and market strategies have enabled her members to drastically increase their incomes, and continue to practice the traditional arts that are so central in Rwandan culture.

All in all, CUFC members were extremely engaged in the conversation. In follow-up conversations, they made it clear that they appreciated both an honest analysis of the challenges ahead, as well as an inspirational model to draw on.

Initial CUFC meetings heralds start of something big!

2009-05-28T16:49:00.000-04:00

The Rwanda Knits Cooperative Union Formation Committee (CUFC) held its inaugural meeting last week. They gathered in order to meet, greet, and agree to represent their respective primary cooperatives in a process that promises to herald something big for knitters in Rwanda.

Committee members represent three primary knitting cooperatives in Gasabo District. Caritas and Immaculée are from Hosiana, Protegène and Domitile are from Village of Hope, and Daphrose and Rose are from Mpore Mama. They discussed how a cooperative union (CU)--a sort of umbrella cooperative that would be responsible for marketing, importation of raw materials, and management--would benefit their groups both in the abstract and concretely. Forming a CU could enable cooperatives to apply for import tax exemptions on yarn, expand their production capacity, develop new market linkages, and construct a knitting center to serve as a resource to knitters all over Rwanda. A CU would also come with its fair share of challenges, which members planned to address by applying lessons learned from previous attempts to share orders. The energy was tangible at the meeting's conclusion.

Today marked the second CUFC meeting, at which the District Cooperative Officer (the local authority responsible for cooperative development) of Gasabo reviewed the benefits and challenges of CUs and the formalities of the formation and legal registration process. He will facilitate the group's process step by step, certainly a wonderful partner in this latest entrepreneurial adventure.

March 2009 trip, part 4

2009-04-10T17:27:00.000-04:00

Post created by Cari Clement

April 2
It is SO hard to believe I have to leave this afternoon. I spend part of the morning stuffing my suitcases, then Laura, Patrick and I meet at the hotel to go over the 3-month work plan and budget. And, just as we get done, Jesse Hawkes, the Program Director of our sister program at RAPP, calls Laura to tell us RAPPSIDA has received a four-year grant from the German government! I hope this is a positive omen for the Rwanda Knits USAID grant application. A celebration for Jesse is in order, but we also have to leave for the airport. While there is ample time to catch my flight, postponing heading to the airport just makes leaving all that more difficult. This has been one of the most successful and positive trips to date and it will be so difficult to leave. But we pile in Patrick's car and head to the airport. I just cannot hide how much I hate to leave, but better to get the emotions over with now than drag them out. There will be a next time.....

No need to describe the flight back, which, though long and pretty full, was uneventful. I start to read A Thousand Hills as my mind just cannot leave Rwanda. But I also miss my daughter and her family and my husband, so guess it's just time. Thanks for following this blog and watch for more postings from Laura and Patrick!

Cari

Friday, March 27

2009-04-10T05:41:00.000-04:00

Cari, Patrick, and Laura were up and out of Kigali early for a morning meeting with Amandin Musilikari and Narcisse Ndagijimana, District Cooperative Officer (DCO) and Vice-Mayor of Gasabo District, respectively. Rwanda Knits has been partnering with DCOs, the local government officials responsible for overseeing the implementation of Rwanda's cooperative policy on a District level, since May 2008. These partnerships have been instrumental in moving groups' training and registration processes along.

As Cari, Patrick, and Laura explained Rwanda Knits' current project to facilitate the formation of a cooperative union of knitters in Gasabo District, the Vice-Mayor invoked the prospect of an entirely new level of collaboration: working with the District government to build a local knitting center. This center, long a part of the project's long-term vision, could facilitate management, training, export, and warehousing activities for all knitting co-ops in Gasabo--and even the country--by providing a central "home" for the cooperative union.

The meeting concluded with an invitation to join the Joint Action Forum on Development--a body of local NGOs who parter with the District to achieve development goals--and an exciting sense of possibility.

March 2009 trip, part 3

2009-04-08T21:47:00.000-04:00

Post created by Cari Clement.

Wednesday, April 1
Up early again and we three headed to Bugesera where Millennium Villages is located. We had not planned to stay long, but it seems the knitters were waiting, so we jumped in MV’s SUV (no normal car could handle the road down to the center) and we found quite a few of the knitters busy working on school sweaters. They’ve found yarn locally, in various weights and types, and have used 3 different keyplates to get the look they wanted for their sweaters. It was clear some yarn standardization will be important as the lack of a consistent type seems to be quite a challenge. I noticed there was something missing however: row counters. They were shipped with the machines, but no one was using them. Turns out, the teacher’s row counter didn’t work so she didn’t show these women how to use theirs! No wonder it took them so long to knit the scarf order! If they lost count, they would have had to stop and manually count the rows – up to 980! Great for counting practice, but definitely not for speedy knitting! These kinds of things you just can’t know without being there. So I showed Laura and Patrick how to use the counter and they showed the others (thanks to Laura’s fluent French and Patrick’s native Kinyarwanda).

Then back to Kigali to meet up with Susan Moinester and visit the Ineza sewing cooperative that's part of We-ACTx, right across the street from where Laura lives. The sewers create bags, aprons, bathrobes, dolls and other items that Susan sells on her website and to other stores through her company, Manos de Madres (http://www.manosdemadres.com/). I bought a couple of items, but with my suitcases jammed with bags and other items to sell at the CGOA booth, it was impossible to buy much more.

This being my last day in Rwanda, sadly being an understatement, Laura, Patrick and I still had so much to go over, so it was back to the hotel to get more work done.

Tuesday, March 31
RAPP staff meeting at 8:00, then a meeting with Rwanda Community Works to discuss the last project for export, the Whitney Port Scarf. RCW is a spin-off of Millennium Villages (http://www.millenniumvillages.org/) and is dedicated to securing goods for export to the US and Europe. They started with the knitters at MV (80) and included some basket makers. Last year the knitters at MV made 2,000 scarves for Ms. Port’s collection. Patrick, Laura and I discussed machines, yarn, designs, etc. with Amy and Esperance from MV. After showing design ideas and how we ‘d like to be helpful in seeing that all the groups, especially the Cooperative Union, can be a part of these export orders. I ordered a few items to be sold at the CGOA convention booth (they’re a secret for now) and it was off to Mpore Mama for a technical meeting on the machine, new stitch techniques and new design ideas.

Getting to Mpore Mama, we drive through a part of town I haven’t seen for a number of years, and has it changed! The location of government offices, embassies and large NGO buildings. The new American Embassy looks like a fortress! In such a now-peaceful city, it looks so out-of-character, but security is number one for America overseas.

Mpore Mama has such a great center! It’s large, easy to get to, has many windows for good light and can accommodate many of the knitters. Machines are set up on a few tables, so the women have obviously been working. While not everyone is there on time (many have had to walk quite a distance and it’s been raining, which slows everything down), once they arrive we get started. Picot stitch hem, butterfly stitch, two-carriage stripes, easy (in-carriage) intarsia, Fair Isle refresher and, everybody’s favorite, two techniques for knitting in beads. I showed the basics and then Immaculee showed why she’s such a great teacher, picking everything up right away and showing everyone the stitch again, answering questions in Kinyarwanda, something I’d love to be able to do, but probably never will. What’s so wonderful about knitting is that it crosses all language barriers. No need for translation when it’s all visual. It’s why we feel so close despite culture, language and individual economics – it’s all about knitting, design – and making money to support our families.

And welcome to our newest teacher, Faina, from Mpore Mama. Check out her ruched bag design on the right. Faina uses both the Sweater Machine and a standard gauge machine - and has SO many creative ideas, I really need to take a design class from HER!

We give a ride to the reps from Rwanda Women Network where we go next for a meeting with Penina, the director of the Village of Hope, located in the center of an ever-expanding gentrifying neighborhood. When I was there in 2005 and first met Peninah, the Village of Hope was isolated at the top of a hill, surrounded only by fields and farmland. Today, they’re surrounded by very expensive homes, but RWN’s founder, Mary Bilikungeri, is a very well-known, influential Rwandan who will never be forced to move the Village, though who the Village serves, women victims of gender violence and very poor, continue to have to move farther and farther away. All progress has a price for someone – but these new residents can certainly buy sweaters for their kids at school and buy nice knits at the local market.

That evening, Laura and I had have dinner with Megan and her fiancé, Taylor, who leads capacity building for local NGOs for CHAMP (a partner of RAPP), a program of CHF International. Taylor was SO helpful in reviewing Rwanda Knits’ USAID grant application. It was so nice to meet the man responsible for keeping us all up many more nights “fixing” our application! All kidding aside, we were SO lucky to have Taylor’s suggestions to avoid errors in our application.

And we also learned about a wonderful bagel bakery in Kigali that produces bagels that rival those in New York. And just at the end of my trip! Oh well, they’ll be there next time…. But Laura can take advantage of them right away. The owner of the Papyrus restaurant is also involved in making cheese in the Italian style, working with a new dairy cooperative outside Kigali. Fresh mozerella and ricotta! Never would I have imagined it!

March 2009 trip, part 2

2009-04-07T21:37:00.001-04:00

Posted by Cari Clement

Monday, March 30
Early meeting at the RAPP office, then head into town to confirm my return flight. Fringe benefit of having to go to town was lunch at Bourbon in the UTC center – and some of the best cappuccino I’ve ever had.

Then it’s back to Remera where Patrick and I have a meeting with Odette and Emerita from the Urumuri cooperative. We are still trying help Urumuri sort out its financial difficulties and these ladies comprise the Supervisory Committee. We want to be sure they know we are there if they need help and we encourage them to make the right decisions as to what to do with their money. It is for the entire cooperative to decide, not us and not just a few from the group, but all the members – or at least a quorum.

Sunday, March 29
Sundays are very slow and quiet in Kigali – that is, unless you attend church – which most Rwandans do. The singing can be heard throughout the city every Sunday morning. And walking around the city is so enjoyable when the traffic is down. Kigali is both a beautiful place to walk – and a challenging one, with all the hills. Who said 1,000 hills? Add three more zeros to that number, please.

While Laura goes to Cercle Sportif, I connect with friend, Susan Moinester, founder of Manos de Madres (http://www.manosdemadres.com/), who just happened to come to Rwanda at the same time I did, and we both go to visit Cooperative Solidarite, a basket-weaving co-op comprised of members of Rwanda’s native peoples, the Twa. Their baskets are excellent and I bought a few to sell at the CGOA booth. Susan, who sells their baskets on her website and to stores, is feted as a rock star.

Susan, still on US time, needs sleep, so Laura and I connect for dinner at Chez Lando, across the street from the Beausejour.

Saturday, March 28
On the last Saturday of each month, all of Rwanda virtually shuts down for “umuganda” – community clean-up day. No cars are allowed on the streets and everyone must stay in their neighborhood and clean up. The fact that this actually works is evident in the city, one of the cleanest ones in all East Africa. It lasts until noon, after which time the city slowly comes back to life. But the slow start to the day is most welcome, as there was much paperwork to do. I spent the morning working on ledger sheets, sales recording sheets and a Time Trials sheet so a knitter can test her speed and calculate where improvements should be made – and, most importantly, how much should be charged for labor. Too many of the knitting groups are so anxious for orders that they don’t calculate what it costs them in time to knit and finish a sweater. So the time trials sheet should help.

Around noon Laura took me on my first local bus ride to the local market, Remera’s answer to the local Farmer’s Market, but WAY different. There were literally hundreds of vendors selling everything from flour to fabric and from pans to pineapples. What a wonderful, colorful scene – and what a day to have left the camera at the hotel! Laura picks up things to make for dinner at her house tonite. I can hardly believe I've been to Rwanda 10 times now and never traveled on a local bus or went to the local market. Gives a whole new meaning to "local."

After the Remera market, Laura and I went to downtown Kigali to hunt for fabric for displays at the upcoming Rwanda Knits booth at the August CGOA (Crochet Guild of America) annual convention where my friend, Judi Farer, and I will be selling knitting bags, horn buttons, yarn baskets and other products from Rwanda, all profits to benefit Rwanda Knits.

Dinner at Laura’s was great. Rwanda Knits’ teacher, Immaculee Ilibigiza and her daughter, Pamela (check out her outfit, designed and knitted by her mom), with former Rwanda Knits’ project manager, Geofrey Katushabe (who is now attending grad school), enjoyed a home-cooked meal. While most homes do not have running water, an outdoor spigot makes getting water pretty simple, just outside the back door – but it does make taking showers a bit more challenging…..

Friday, March 27
This was a very “fun” day that coupled review of the week’s workshop with hands-on activities such as learning how to repair a knitting machine to finding design inspirations to converting them into a finished product. But first a review of product pricing from Thursday, as this is a critically important part of the cooperatives becoming successful.

Before the “pause café” (morning coffee break), I showed the attendees how to remove broken machine modules to create a new machine bed from two broken ones. I also demonstrated how to keep machines clean and stressed the importance of keeping all the components of each machine together.

After the break, I displayed printouts of ideas for products that could be made on the machines. This got everyone’s wheels turning. Seeing the effectiveness of a tangible example from the workshop on contracts, I felt it would be good to have a tangible example, albeit a more positive one, for today’s quick discussion on design. So on Thursday, I gave Faina, one of the top knitters and a member of Hosiana, a photograph of a shrug with a drawing of a rectangle with stitches and rows and yarn, and asked Faina to knit the rectangle and bring it in today, with the expectation of showing the group how a shrug is made. But today Faina returned, not with the rectangle, but with the finished shrug, complete with crocheted trim! All it takes is inspiration and motivation – and, as you can see, a great model (Caritas, also from the Hosiana cooperative) – to take an idea and a picture through to a finished product. But the best thing was how long it took Faina to make the finished shrug – 2.5 hours – and how much everyone felt it could be sold for in the local market – 7,000 Rwandan francs (about $13) and everyone was delighted, especially since most of the attendees make just over 500 francs a day. Just as an FYI, a whole school uniform sweater sells for between 4,000 and 3,000 francs and takes a lot longer to make. I was also trying to make the point that speed is at least as important as style.

The workshop today ended at 2 p.m. to allow those who traveled long distances, especially the Dian Fossey members who will be retuning to Ruhengheri in the Virunga mountains, to get home before dark. Everyone chose to take home the money we would’ve paid the restaurant for lunch so they would have cash to bring home to their families – and everyone also left with a signed, sealed and stamped diploma from their attendance at the workshop.

After everyone had been given their “lunch money” and transport money back to their home towns, Laura and I departed for the quarterly board meeting at the RAPP offices, just down the street. This was a great meeting, expanding the board by an additional two members, one, my friend Richard Niwenshuti, and the other, new friend, Mattew Nzabonimana. RAPPSIDA Program Director, Jesse Hawkes, and myself, Program Director of Rwanda Knits, agreed to relinquish their PD titles and become Program Chairs, so that all PD’s would be on-the-ground in Rwanda, as it should be, and eventually Rwandans, also as it should be. After a successful meeting and an exhausting day, Laura and I headed to Sole Luna, a wonderful Italian restaurant overlooking Kigali, just down the street from my hotel. (BTW, there is rarely any restaurant in Kigali that doesn’t have a great view, as everything is on a hill – even the valleys have a great view – looking up…)

March 2009 trip, part 1

2009-04-06T21:22:00.001-04:00

Posted by Cari Clement

Thursday, March 26
Today was learning how to price your product and the costs that must be taken into consideration when agreeing on a price with a client. This led to break-out sessions where each group was assigned the task of listing the factors that go into pricing a product. Representatives from each of the cooperatives presented their pricing, but none took everything into consideration, so everyone benefitted by something the others forgot to list. And it was quite a lively discussion.

Wednesday, March 25
Day two of the workshop is very interesting. Never did I think I’d see the attendees get as interested in writing contracts than these ladies did! The reason? One of the groups has been having a difficult time repaying the other groups for knitting that was done under contract – but neither had a contract. While repayment is being worked out, the situation created a perfect example of why sales contracts are so important. Without them, it’s just one group’s word against another. So everyone paid close attention and really got involved. There’s nothing like a practical application for learning!

Even with this kind of interest, learning about contracts can be, well, not highly stimulating. So in the afternoons especially, there’s an activity to get everyone moving and awake. And Agnes from Dian Fossey is notoriously always the leader.

Landrada also covered the types of documents required, such as purchase orders, sales receipts which are logged into banking, inventory, accounting and sales ledgers. Even though this information can seem much less interesting than usual discussions of marketing, due to the example provided, it was definitely much more tangible for the attendees than it otherwise would’ve been without the Urumuri example.

Later that afternoon, Laura, Patrick and I met with Felix Rusake at UNIFEM, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (http://www.unifem.org/). UNIFEM co-sponsored the last business skills training and at the meeting, committed to an ongoing partnership with Rwanda Knits.

After the UNIFENM meeting, Laura and I met with Megan O'Connor from Indego Africa (http://www.indegoafrica.org/) and with IA's four university interns who do business training follow-up with the two artisan cooperatives IA sources its products from. The young men are being supported by Orphans of Rwanda (http://www.orphansofrwanda.org/) and get a small stipend for their work for IA. Hmmmmm.....this might just work well for Rwanda Knits' follow-up. Something to look into.

Tuesday, March 24
The first day of the Sales and Marketing workshop! Representatives from six of the registered cooperatives meet to learn how to make sales and handle marketing. Much that will be taught over the next four days is still math, though: how to price your product, how to write a sales contract, keeping good sales records, maintaining an inventory record, but with ideas for marketing your goods included too.

Workshop leader, Mme Landrada MUSABYEYEZU, from Centre IWACU, begins day 1 with having the women decide the schedule: when to start, when to break when to wind up for the day. Once this has been decided and others who are coming from a long distance have arrived, they get to work learning the five “P’s” of marketing: Product, Price, People and Place. Think of a chair with four legs, the fifth, the sitter, being “people” – your customer. Once everyone discusses this concept, Landrada has everyone separate into breakout groups, each to discuss the other four legs of the chair, the other four P’s.

But, before the end of the day, Laura, Patrick and I have to leave to attend a meeting with our Executive Committee from our Rwanda-based non-profit, Rwandans Allied for Peace and Progress (RAPP). The meeting goes to at least 6 p.m.

Monday, March 23
After a morning swim (for Laura and friends) and breakfast, it’s back in the car to head to Kigali. Lots to do before the workshop plus a late afternoon meeting with the knitters of Urumuri. I can’t wait to see them! But there have been a few problems, mostly because women with so little are now making money and are finding it challenging to manage it properly – and be sure their pricing allows them to make a profit. But they have been innovative, hiring a knitter and buying a different knitting machine to make the kind of sweaters the schools in their particularly warm district require. But they haven’t calculated well enough how long it will take them to fill a large order and they are fearful of falling short of the deadline. But it’s more important to understand how to manage a business than to dive into it without having the right tools. Yes, they had accounting training, but there’s nothing like practical application to test one’s ability to absorb information.

Sunday, March 22
At 9 a.m., it’s off to Kibuye on a weekend away from the city. Kibuye is quickly becoming a holiday destination for many Rwandans – and tourists. New hotels, beautiful views over Lake Kivu and a good workout climbing the steps down to the water and back up to the rooms. But with the wonderful weather and perfect climate, muscles that were tight in Vermont somehow are much more accommodating here in Rwanda.

An evening meeting about the project. Having this weekend is a great way to get an update.

Saturday, March 21
After boarding the flight to Kigali from Addis Ababa, Rwanda’s growing importance in East Africa is obvious: every seat on the plane is filled.

Finally back in sunny Kigali! Well, sometimes sunny since this is, technically, the rainy season. But just being here feels like sunshine. A long flight, but a welcome arrival, met by RK’s own Laura Hanson and Patrick Nimubona, RK’s new Project Manager. A few hours of catching up, some sleep at a new hotel for me, Beausejour, a quiet, garden setting in the heart of Remera. Very nice and quiet despite the central location.

Friday, March 20
Thanks to my patient – and early-rising husband – I get to the Burlington airport in plenty of time – and United doesn’t charge me for the extra bag. This will be an interesting trip, leaving in the morning, but I’m looking forward to flying on Ethiopian Air that now has a great connection to Rwanda from Addis Ababa.

Thursday, March 19
While it seems as if I started preparing for my next trip to Rwanda ages ago, there’s still last minute packing, trying to fit everything in, yes, 3 suitcases. Sweater Machine parts, mostly, but also everything from tools to show how to replace machine modules to design inspiration printouts have to go too. And the 6 a.m. flight the next day doesn’t help. But I get it all done – at least I hope so.

2009-01-10T15:55:00.001-05:00

Judi, Cari, and Laura gathered in NYC for a two-day work session

Web of Mutual Assistance

2008-08-10T19:26:00.000-04:00

Lots has been happening in Rwanda, but I wanted to be sure Laura's comments from her experiences working with the knitters were posted. And I bet you've never seen yarn being used in this way!

So, starting from the first training day, here's Laura Hanson:

The Nyagatare workshop went far better than I ever could have hoped for. Many of the activities I wasn't sure about went over really well, such as the "web of mutual assistance," using Fanta bottles to illustrate the differences between co-ops, associations, and private enterprises, and creating a mission statement, roughly: The members of Nyagatare Women Co-op use knitting machines to create crafts (sweaters, scarves, skirts, etc.) for the local and export market. They work together from the Nyagatare Women's Center to solve the problems of poverty and coldness.

Participation and attendance were high. The members asked lots of good questions and almost all 26 members attended all four days. The group dynamic was good (lots of dancing and singing led by our "morale directors" Teddy and Betty), and I was impressed by how well organized and eager to learn the members are. Sifa is really on top of her presidential responsibilities and there are several other strong leaders in the group. Our last activity was putting into practice one of the practical skills we discussed: an election of 4 representatives and an alternate to represent the group at the Iwacu workshop. I'm pleased to announce that Sifa, Odette, Molly, Joy, and (alternate) Betty will attend.

The DCO, Bonny, and I bonded. He had lots of other work to do, but came for several hours each day Monday-Wednesday. We traded off teaching certain subjects and collaborated on others, and his participation was a big element of the workshop's success, both in terms of translation and sharing facilitation techniques. We exchanged a lot of ideas and discussed how grateful we each were to the other for putting the cooperative spirit of "mutual assistance" into practice. Unfortunately he was very sick on Thursday so was unable to give his microfinance talk, but I trust him when he says he'll follow up with the group to help them access those resources in Nyagatare. He has a great rapport with the women, who teased him that he should marry me so I would stay in Nyagatare indefinitely…unlikely, but we all got a laugh out of the prospect. If possible, he'll join us for the Iwacu workshop for a day or two, and I think he'll be a great ally in getting the secondary co-op registered.

Logistically, things went smoothly as well. The group set the schedule (I always begin by having them decide by a vote, to illustrate the principle of democracy), so we generally began and ended on time. Members also organized snacks themselves and seemed very happy to receive 500 FR for "living arrangements" rather than lunch. Bonny, Ines, and Geofrey translated, so the only unforeseen budget items were for soda transport, napkins, straws, and bus station-center transport in Nyagatare (5,300 extra)...... We came in $26.41 under the projected budget.

My favorite feature of the week was my stay with Marian, who was exceptionally kind and hospitable. In Geofrey's words, I "lived like a queen" and was spoiled to sample her cooking, see her cows, listen to her stories, and meet her 103-year-old mother. I even taught her some yoga moves!

Marian, Laura's host, in front of her house and some of the cooperative members on their way home from a day of workshop training.

That's it for today from Laura - but she's done two more similar workshops and coordinated the Secondary Cooperative workshop, held by IWACU, a Rwanda-based cooperative training organization.

Knitting Cooperative Training Scheduled!

2008-07-12T10:07:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the Rwanda Knits team of Laura, Geofrey and Judi on-the-ground in Rwanda, the planned cooperative training for four of the registered cooperatives will be taking place by mid-August. In Rwanda, registrations filed with the local, district and national offices are required as well as a week's worth of training in cooperative management for each group. The photo shows Geofrey Katushabe, Rwanda Knits' Project Manager, and Judi Farer, board member of Rwanda Knits US.

For anyone interested, here is the schedule of the Primary Cooperative Training workshops:

July 14-17: Nyagatare Women (whose photos are posted below, from the last blog entry)
July 22-25: Urumuri (whose photos are posted here and below)
July 28-30: Diana Fossey (whose photos are also posted on www.rwandaknits.org, Meet the Knitters) July 31-August 2: Hosiana
August 5-8: "Union" workshop with Iwacu (Rwandan cooperative training organization) - to train members of the above Primary Cooperatives in joining to become a Secondary (aka "umbrella") Cooperative.

You can see descriptions and photos of the original 17 women's associations who created each of the 29 Primary Cooperatives Rwanda Knits supports at www.rwandaknits.org. A listing of the individual cooperatives and their locations in Rwanda will be posted very soon.

A big thanks to Judi and Jim Farer for their financial and hands-on support for the above cooperative training workshops. As we speak, they are on their way back to their home in NYC after spending nearly two weeks in Rwanda. Judi has been to Rwanda a number of times and is the organizations biggest cheerleader here in the States. A photo of myself and Judi with some of the Urumuri cooperative members is shown here.

Jim, who is a retired dentist, accompanied Judi this trip to work with the Kigali Institute of Health, bringing his knowledge of dentistry (Jim presently also teaches at NYU) to dental students in Rwanda. I look forward to a very lengthy - and incredibly positive - debriefing from Judi when she returns.

Return tomorrow to learn all about the newest Rwanda Knits cooperative, Milennium Villages and to learn about an exciting scarf-knitting project for export to the US!

2008-07-02T20:39:00.001-04:00

Rwanda Knits' member cooperatives are made up of women from the same support association, but women with a keen interest in starting their own businesses. Most of these women have known each other for many years, so they are already starting out on a firm footing.

The first 4 primary cooperatives will be ready to begin training as members as a secondary, or umbrella, cooperative in August, as Laura and Geofrey have worked hard and met just the right people to make the training a reality in August. While the women may know each other, training is critical as they will be the ones managing this business - and joining together with women who have a mutual interest in business and knitting, but who may just be acquaintences.

Congratulations, you guys!!

And congratulations too to Judi Farer who, together with her husband, Jim, are now in Rwanda to support their respective interests: Judi with Rwanda Knits (and who hopes to build a well for the Nyagatare women who must walk miles each day to get water before going to work); Jim with his passion for working with dental students at the Kigali Institute of Health. Jim is a retired dentist who specializes in educational workshops for dentists and dental students.

They are in Akagera National Park this weekend. Here are some of the animals they will see.

KNITTING PROGRESS!

2008-06-30T19:55:00.000-04:00

While, yes, I did have a blog for Rwanda Knits a year+ ago, I have not had been able to devote to it time it deserved - until now. Without the help of volunteer cooperative specialist, Laura Hanson, on-the-ground in Rwanda, the now 29 knitting cooperatives would be where they are today - having filed paperwork to become legally registered for-profit cooperatives.

The women of Rwanda Knits are the real stars, however. They are amazingly resourceful when it comes to growing their businesses - and incredibly patient, having to file and re-file paperwork required by a new Rwandan cooperative law. But they are determined to make knitting their life-long income-producer.

Meet Geofrey Katushabe, Rwanda Knits' Project Manager, shown here with his grandmother and grandfather. Also, Esperance and me going over a knitting technique. Esperance, Urumuri cooperative's "fearless leader," a young woman whose entire family with the exception of one sister, was wiped out during the 1994 genocide. Esperance and the other Rwanda Knits teachers formed their own knitting group in Negasambu, about a half hour outside Kigali.

For more information on Rwanda Knits, go to http://www.rwandaknits.org

I'll see you in a day or two to share more of what's happening with Rwanda Knits!