Our exciting new partnership with Kula is layered with themes of entrepreneurship, coffee, climate and the empowerment of women for a better future. 

Kula eradicates poverty through the development of entrepreneurs. Together MiiR x Kula aim to empower 50 women fellows enrolled at Kula’s Liddy Women’s Center in the Kayonza District of Rwanda. As artisan fellows, these women have the opportunity to either focus on the tailoring or weaving industry.

Tailoring training teaches fellows the necessary skills to pursue a professional level of tailoring. Coupled with business plan training and cooperative education, graduates will be prepared to start their own professional cooperatives and continue to complete orders for individuals and institutions after graduating.

Similarly, weaving participants learn essential skills to be adept in basket and bowl weaving, crocheting, and other local decorative and functional items. Through agreements with local and international markets, items will be sold and students will be able to learn budgeting, saving and forecasting. Graduates will be equipped with a mastery in at least five different handicraft skills and a workable business plan to continue their enterprise post program.

The women can also engage in agribusiness training alongside their industry training lessons, equipping them to run a profitable business growing and selling fruits and vegetables, as well as better cultivate agriculture in their homes. Eventually, most women will be able to use their agribusiness to not only provide food for themselves and their families, but also further fund their artisan businesses.

Kula will also provide Female Reproductive Health, Hygiene and Family Nutrition training to the women and girls in the Women’s Centers. All trainings will be accompanied by one-on-one mentorship.

The Partner

Kula believes charity will not eradicate poverty, business will. Kula develops entrepreneurs in Rwanda through a 15-month fellowship that provides industry training, life & leadership skills and business investment in coffee training, artisan goods and agribusiness. This development empowers fellows to build profitable businesses, raise healthy families and send their children to school.

The Approach

Step one: Relationship building

Kula conducts extensive baseline assessments with its cooperatives and spends relational time with the fellows and their families to know them both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Step two: Industry training

Kula provides consistent and in-depth industry training, support, and follow-up to each fellow in their specific industry, be it coffee farming, artisan goods and/or agribusiness.

Step three: Life and leadership skills

Kula conducts intensive training and one-on-one mentorship to our fellows and their families in areas of household visioning, financial planning, business leadership and family health and nutrition.

Step four: Business investment

Kula invests in groups or individuals who have completed business training and submitted a business plan, equipping our fellows to improve their current business or launch new ones.

Step five: Impact measurement

Kula measures qualitative and quantitative data to monitor and evaluate the impact of their work. They then determine the best way to amend the fellowship to support each person toward empowerment.

Financial Breakdown

The Impact

In order to assess the impact on the lives of the women and girls that participate, Kula’s Mentorship Team will work together to conduct the Kula Impact Survey. The measurement and evaluation process involves the use of baseline, exit and post program surveys to measure over 100 data points, with key indicators being income increase, savings increase, use of personal budget, increase skill knowledge for artisans, increase in household dietary variance, increase in self-report of capability and self-belief, increase in reports of family decision making, and an articulated vision and business plan.