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STYLE made with LOVE®
Umucyo Co-op
Kigali, Rwanda
Partners since 2011
Kigali, Rwanda
Partners since 2011
About
In 2011, we learned about a tenacious group of women in Rwanda who wanted to earn an income for their families, but were struggling to find regular work. Many of the women were genocide survivors, and some had even taken in children who had been orphaned during the violence.
Noonday customers sponsored these women and helped them graduate from a 6-month sewing program and acquire new sewing machines to help them start their new chapter. The women decided to organize their business as a cooperative called Umucyo Design Co-op. As a co-op, every member is an equal owner in the business and important decisions are determined through consensus. Today, these strong women enjoy a reliable income, ongoing training and support, and the opportunity to own their own business. If you Noonday items come in an African dutch wax fabric bag, it was made by these women.
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Kigali, Rwanda
Rwanda is a tiny, beautiful country known as the "Land of 1,000 Hills." It has been praised for its pursuit of gender equality among Sub-Saharan African countries, boasting the world's first majority female parliament and equal literacy rates for boys and girls.The 1994 genocide in Rwanda had devastating effects on the country. But today, they are united in a commitment to societal improvement. Once a month, people across the country come together to participate in community development programs such as street cleaning, school improvement, and more.
Flourishing World Initiative Grant Recipient
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Since 2017, a Flourishing World Initiative grant has covered the cost of school fees for Sheilla, the daughter of one of Umucyo’s Artisans who tragically passed away. -
These funds have enabled Sheilla to graduate secondary school, complete an internship, and go on to pursue a career in hospitality.
Artisan Story
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AshaAsha is the living embodiment of the word perseverance. As a child, she survived the Rwandan genocide. And at just 18, her husband passed away, leaving her a widow with four children – two biological, and two adopted after her sister passed away. Life changed when Asha became one of Umucyo’s founding members. Since then, she has been able to care for all of her children, including providing them with a good education. Where before she live d in survival mode, now Asha feels free to dream big for their futures. -
SerapiaBefore joining Umucyo, Serapia worked as a street cleaner and a seamstress – but often couldn’t afford to purchase food for her five children, two of whom she adopted after they were orphaned by the genocide. But today, she receives a reliable paycheck that allows her to afford rent, school fees, food, and clothing – and even save to improve her home. She proudly shares her dreams for her children: to see them succeed in school and be equipped to care for their families without relying on others.
In the making…
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