Investors should embrace the social enterprises model that improves the welfare of people at the grassroots.
Investors should embrace the social enterprises model that improves the welfare of people at the grassroots.
The call was made by the Minister for Trade and Industry, Francois Kanimba, while touring Masoro community centre in Rulindo District.
The centre is benefiting from a partnership with New York-based company, Kate Spade which invested in the community.
The community investment project was set up to support education and capacity development in IT, arts, and cultural sectors in the area.
The minister inspected Abahizi Dushyigikirane Ltd (ADC), a company making fashion products such as handbags, jewelry, beads and bracelets.
The members sell their products to Kate Spade which exports and markets the merchandise abroad.
"Collaborating with Kate Spade to get global market has helped in community employment efforts. It is also contributing to increased exports in order to reduce the deficit between the imports and exports as our target under vision 2020 and EDPRSII,” Kanimba said.
The minister said the same model should be expanded to other districts since there is market guaranteed under the Economic Partnership Agreement between the East African Community and European Union, reached last year.
The comoany has a target of earning $1 million from exports in 2015, Jean de Dieu Niyomugabo, the operation manager of ADC, said, adding that they also sell their products online.
About 168 women are full time employees at ADC that started in December 2013.
"I started training in December 2013 and got a certificate. I was unemployed and relying on my husband. Now I’m paid wages from which I bought a cow. I also pay workers on my farm and I have health insurance. I hope to pursue further studies at university,” said Marie Jeanne Mukamuhirwa, a mother of two who dropped out of school after completing secondary education.
In addition to investing in the social enterprises business, Kate Spade Company has also supported GS Masoro. It has helped put up a computer lab with internet and an equipped arts and music room
Jacqueline Tuyizere, in charge of discipline, said the school had only 10 computers for 1,500 students but with the donation of 45 computers, the ratio has significantly improved
She said the cafe will also host basic IT classes for the Masoro community.
Correction
We had earlier mistakenly written that Abahizi Dushyigikirane Ltd (ADC) was a cooperative. It is a fully RDB-registered Rwandan-owned company- Editor