We’re so thankful to all of the volunteers that helped make our first annual KEZA Gala such an amazing event! Saying “we couldn’t have done it without you” would be an understatement. There were no major issues, we raised a good chunk of money, and we gained a ton of new members in the KEZA family. It was a tremendous success!
2006 – 2007 was about listening. 2008 was about trial and error, research and development and lots more listening. Now in 2009, we finally know who we are, where we’re going, and how we’re going to get there.
We’ve turned the whole bead making operation over to the women and they now have their own business called BURANGA (meaning beautiful). Words can’t express how excited I am to report this. The women are so proud of BURANGA, and we are so proud of them. We have finally achieved our first KEZA partner, 100% Rwandan owned and operated!
Now KEZA is based solely in the US as a 501c3 non-profit corporation. In Africa, we are there to develop locally owned businesses and buy their products. We’ve finally learned how to truly serve the people, and not just our American ideals. For more information, check out the HOW IT WORKS page on the website.
We’ve got lots of beautiful (and quite daring) jewelry designs coming your way this summer thanks to Lindsay Perkins and Jenny Lai, our interns from Rhode Island School of Design. They have been so great to work with and will be joining BURANGA in Rwanda for a few months this summer!
We are off to an amazing start this year and we look forward to living out the ubuntu philosophy with each of you. Remember, KEZA is not KEZA without you!
Most Sincerely,
Jared
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Our Mission
- KEZA
- East Africa
- KEZA is the result of 3 years of R&D on the ground in Rwanda. Our name means “beautiful” in their native tongue, Kinyarwanda. We are a “people inspired fashion company”, inspired by the people creating our extraordinary fashion goods. We are developing the lives and businesses of African women; giving them something they can believe in and own. And for the first time, they are in control of their destiny. Through our one‐of‐a‐kind products, we are shining a new kind of spotlight on Africa; one that tells the story of the beauty and excellence of its land, and of its people.
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