“My entire life has changed since the global pandemic... To be open and frank, when poverty comes in at the door, everything changes in life. We live in extreme misery, the quality and quantity of food we used to get declined and my children are undernourished. Immense sorrow, hopelessness and discouragement are my prevailing feelings.” Speciose Kangwera (May 14, 2020)
The Challenge:
The economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic arrived suddenly across Africa, as many countries enacted swift lock downs to restrict people’s movements and slow transmissions within communities.
During their lock-down period, Indego Africa surveyed 40 female artisan partners in Rwanda, including refugee camps. They didn’t see this coming and this is what they told us:
- Unable to leave their homes to work in their cooperative, they earned zero income for almost eight weeks and were understandably anxious to resume working.
- 75% of respondents are the primary income earners for their family (avg. 4 dependents)
- 93% stated that the biggest lesson learned so far from this crisis is the need to increase their savings
Indego Africa’s Response:
As soon as the shutdowns lifted in Ghana and Rwanda, Indego Africa immediately provided purchase orders to every partner cooperative to drive artisan income and build inventory. Given the nascency of the U.S. economic recovery, Indego Africa has lacked the wholesale client demand and working capital necessary to continue ongoing purchase orders.
In response, Indego launched the Artisan Livelihood Protection Fund (ALPF) in June 2020 with the goal to raise $50,000+ in order to provide consistent purchase orders to our artisan partners for their handmade products - enabling them to continue earning income for their work by protecting them from the economic disruption from Covid-19 in the retail industry and global supply chain.
Critical Impact
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Immediate income and livelihood impact for 1,000+ artisans and their families
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Ensures on-the-ground teams in Africa and the US can continue to operate
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Indego bears the commercial risk of building up inventory during the economic recovery in the U.S.
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Excess inventory positions Indego Africa to better compete for sales and new clients when the recovery occurs
Donate today to help provide steady work to our artisan partners who live in countries that lack stimulus programs to combat the economic fallout of the global pandemic.
Every donor will receive a 100% cotton reusable face mask handmade by the women of the Tibehgu Taaya cooperative in Ghana!