Indego Africa is an non-profit organization that empowers African women to lift their families out of poverty by emphasizing entrepreneurship and independence through fair trade partnerships, international export market access and long-term skill development. The organization attacks systematic poverty by delivering access to export markets and job skills to African women. Indego Africa’s business model is built on core values of transparency and good governance. The organization:
- Partners with women-only cooperatives of world-class artisans in Rwanda
- Sells their masterful fair trade contemporary accessories and home decor products at high-end retailers across the US and online
- Pays the women a fair wage, in including 50% in advance of production
- Returns 100% of the profits to Indego Africa's ground-breaking training programs in Financial Management & Entrepreneurship, Literacy and Computer
- Harnesses local talent to teach the training programs with Generation Rwanda, an extraordinary NGO that provides university scholarships to Rwanda's top students.
At the event, Nicole Miller, the iconic New York fashion designer personally launched an exclusive line of multi-colored fair trade textile bangles and woven bracelets co-designed with, and hand-crafted by, the remarkable artisans at Indego Africa's partner co-ops Cocoki and Covanya.
The crowd came in droves to listen to dazzling Cape Verdean singer Fantcha, mingle with the trendsetters of NYC, sip champagne and browse the merchandise. Hoards of female shoppers attacked the poor girls tending the cash register in their excitement to buy up all of the beautiful bracelets! Erin Morgan Sweeney from The King Collective was one of those shoppers and, as did the others, put on her bangles and wore them throughout the evening.
Beyond the Rwandan made accessories, Nicole also donated 15% of the evening’s proceeds to Indego Africa’s programs, encouraging people to shop as they mingled. We ran into one of our favorites, including Derek Fabulous and Nicole Miller and her merchandising guru Janey Evett.
The crowd was still dancing away to Fantcha’s tunes when we headed out to Felix’s to enjoy drinks and snacks with design sensation Richie Rich, photographer and Huffington Post writer Alex Geana, Derek Fabulous and Janey Evett of Nicole Miller.
We’re wearing our bangles again today! Thanks Indego Africa and Nicole Miller for a wonderful night!!
